Technology

Continuing on with technology highlights from the Texprocess Americas show that took place in late April, the current post provides insights into the state of equipment for spreading, cutting and sewing and some notes on software for product costing. I’m assisted in this effort by my colleague, Doug Adams who has a wealth of experience in operational aspects of apparel manufacturing. Doug walked the show floor documenting the most important features of the equipment and hardware systems being promoted. I will do my best to summarize the key information from this show report. Note that I’ve highlighted company names for ease of scanning this post in reference to the various technology areas.

Sewing Systems

In regard to sewing technology, companies including Collier Equipment Co., Henderson Sewing Machine Co. and The FOX Company were representing technologies from a variety of equipment developers and in some cases were offering both new and used equipment as well as parts and supplies. Machinery taking center stage on the sewing front reflected the current domestic focus on manufacturing for specialty applications within the military, automotive and furniture sectors. Equipment design services and the ability to handle specialty materials such as strapping, webbing and rope were among the notable offerings.

In terms of new capabilities, the introduction of carbon fiber clamps as a replacement for metal or Plexiglas systems shown in the Henderson booth was an advancement that caught Doug’s attention. Owner, Frank Henderson indicates that the carbon fiber design significantly improves “…the load and unload features of the sewing machines by reducing the weight of the clamp and reducing the machine stress.”  The company also offers robotic components – a technology area once felt to be too costly for the sewing area, but that now promote improvements in speed and efficiency while reducing construction errors and waste. Henderson points to automation tools such as bobbin changers and thread sensors that support equipment uptime as well. A list of automation components can be found on the company’s website and this list includes systems related to the application of trim items such as hook and loop and webbing. It should be emphasized that strong development and automation capabilities were also notable features of Collier’s offering.

In the area of material handling and work flow, Eton Systems was present and demonstrating an updated version the company’s unit production system. For readers that are unfamiliar with Eton’s technology, this is a modular/customizable material handling system that moves cut parts through the sewing floor via an overhead conveyor strategy and provides re-routing and tracking capabilities on an individual unit basis (meaning all the parts for a single garment or product travel together). The latest version is highly flexible and is capable of handling more weight resulting in a higher garment carrying capacity. Eton indicates that the system also has fewer working parts than previous versions – a feature that correlates to lower need for equipment servicing.

America’s 21^st Inc. was also exhibiting and specializes in the design and implementation of lean, continuous flow work cells. Some of the highlights from this booth include “Trouble Light Systems” which provide a visual method of lights and horns to signal when there is machine trouble or work is needed. The company was also promoting equipment such as “Production Pace Timers” for goal setting and self monitoring of progress by the sewing team. Also in this realm, CGS (Computer Generated Solutions) was promoting the Leadtec real-time production control system that addresses areas such as operator motivation, automatic payroll, product line balancing, real time excess cost inquiries, operator skill history, piece rate performance, actual cost, and work-in-process (WIP) inventory control. In summary the system is intended to promote productivity on the manufacturing floor and aid the identification of production issues as they arise.

Spreading and Cutting

Several companies were present and exhibiting solutions for spreading and cutting. Details are outlined below by vendor and though there doesn’t appear to be a single trend in terms of the state of technology in the cutting area, there is continued emphasis on system flexibility in terms of material handling and production volume, job management, efficiency, quality, specialized capabilities (e.g. parts identification) and ease of maintenance. 

• DEMA, the US Representative for YIN Cutting and Spreading Systems, was promoting the HY Series of cutters that includes both high and low ply systems. These cutters had conveyor feed systems or static feed systems with multiple length options.
• Eastman Machine Company was also showing automated cutting machines with static and conveyor systems. The company was promoting the newly engineered “Raptor” system which incorporates reciprocating knife technology engineered for precision cutting up to 3 inches of compressed material. Simplified maintenance and quality cutting through the stack are among the benefits of the Raptor solution.
• Among the systems being promoted by Gerber Technology the GERBERcutter Z1 technology is designed for single and low ply cutting. This new system promotes energy efficiency, comprehensive reporting capabilities and job management. This is a modular solution that can be outfitted with inkjet printing capabilities for parts identification, a parts identification/re-cutting station and the ContourVision scan to cut system. The ContourVision technology scans the incoming fabric for perimeter lines and supports accurate cutting of engineered prints and similar. On an interesting note, Gerber cutters were not physically present on the show floor. Instead, the company opted for an entirely digital display this time around.  
• Lectra Systems Inc. was promoting the FX and MX cutters - part of the Vector series of cutting technologies. The FX offers lower volume cutting with a maximum ply height of 1 inch while the MX is a higher volume solution with a higher cutting height capability that makes use of knife intelligence. The knife intelligence compensates for any knife deflection that might occur during the cutting procedure to ensure an accurate, quality cut through the plies.
• Pathfinder supplies automated and lower cost cutting systems for applications including single, low and high ply. The systems offer features such as off load display, offload printer, marking tools, airbrush, barcode scanning of work orders, inkjet printing, pattern matching software, overhead camera for alignment and machine transfer capabilities.

It should be noted that for those that did not read my previous post, I encourage you to have a look at this content to get a more complete picture of emerging “smart cutting” capabilities with insights into cloud based marker generation and cut-order-planning/optimization.

Product Costing

Before moving away from my overview of manufacturing technologies exhibited at Texprocess, let me say just a few words about software for product costing. I spent a few minutes with contacts in the GSD booth to gain an understanding of the company’s Quest solution. Aimed at a product development user, the Quest software is a higher level solution than the company’s Enterprise product that is intended for use in the product engineering environment. Quest is powered by a library of style features that are associated with operations and corresponding standard allowed minutes (SAMS) for those operations. By selecting product features for a style (e.g. two piece collar), the user can build the cost for a product. This information can be used to assess how a product is shaping up in reference to target cost. The results can be brought into a PLM solution to inform product development efforts and get a sense of how a new product is positioning. On the sourcing front, the user can examine cost in reference to key performance indicators (KPI’s) for manufacturing locations as part of consideration for where to place a program. Readers interested in costing solutions should also be sure to check out Methods Workshop’s Quick TruCost solution that has also been designed to support predictive costing activities.    

In summary…

I think it’s fair to say that although we are not seeing ground breaking developments in the area of equipment for cut and sew, we continue to see improvements to systems that on a case by case basis support leaner, more sustainable manufacturing operations. 3D solutions continue to be a key area of technology development within the product development area for sewn products. On that note, look for me to revisit the concept of 3D pattern making in the near future.

During the last quarter of 2011 I took a look at textile technologies showcased at the ITMA exhibition held in Barcelona in late September. I’m moving a little further up the supply chain for my current post, providing technology highlights from the Texprocess Americas show that took place in Atlanta in late April. Messe Frankfurt and SPESA (Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas) joined forces to co-produce the event and the show co-located with Techtextil North America providing attendees with insight into the development and production cycle for technical textiles as well as sewn product development and manufacturing technologies.  

The Challenge of Garment Fit

As part of the education program for Texprocess I moderated the session “Product Development Technology”. This seminar was developed to emphasize emerging technology solutions that have relevance to areas including creative development of product concepts, materials and color, optimization of garment fit and sizing, management of vendor/buyer relationships via 3D product development, and the integration of CAD and 3D body scanning with an eye toward opportunities for product personalization.  The session included participation from key vendors including Alvanon, Gerber Technology, Human Solutions, Lectra, OptiTex and Tukatech with each vendor focusing on one of the key areas identified. Following a series of short presentations, we opened the floor for Q & A and it was apparent from the discussion that companies see development of garment fit in reference to their target customer as a primary challenge within the product development area. In the context of global and multi-vendor sourcing access to body measurement and shape information, effective communication of product specifications and fit intent, fit assessment, and communication of corrections are areas that continue to merit attention in regard to technology development and application of existing solutions and strategies. For individual companies these challenges inevitably connect with the broader discussions regarding ownership of the pattern development process for a given business scenario.  

From a technology perspective 3D body scanning and virtual dressing technologies are being offered by vendors to enhance capabilities within the product development and CAD area in regard to garment fit and sizing. The introduction of depth sensor technology for 3D body scanning is the most recent development in this area and systems were being demonstrated on the show floor by a couple of vendors. Depth sensor technology first gained attention in regard to the Xbox Kinect for sensing motion in the context of gaming. Now these sensors are being incorporated into 3D body scanning systems and are expected to enable greater access to scanning technology for technical product development, size customization, sizing surveys, custom/personal avatar creation, and size prediction and virtual fashion at retail.

Under this umbrella, [TC]² demonstrated the KX-16 multi-sensor system suited to many of the applications just mentioned. The company also showed a single sensor strategy aimed at size prediction. [TC]² emphasizes the ability to supply 3D data (avatars) and/or body measurement information for use with numerous commercially available CAD solutions. As an example, OptiTex was demonstrating the ability to import [TC]² avatars into the company’s 3D product development module with full support for skin textures. Within the context of 3D product development, avatars from scans serve as virtual fit models or provide accurate 3D representations of individual consumers to aid the development of made to measure clothing. OptiTex highlights growing simulation, rendering and animation capabilities for the company’s 3D runway suite of software and points to improved representation of hardware features such as zippers. It should be noted that the ability to import avatars from [TC]² body scans is also supported by Lectra for the Modaris 3D Fit software. Also on the show floor, Tukatech + Styku demonstrated the Smart Fitting Room, offering the scanning solution as one piece of a larger group of solutions that includes pattern making and related CAD software and services.

A number of other technology trends were noted beyond the 3D category in regard to product development capabilities. These trends relate to the range of solutions offered by individual technology vendors, the capabilities offered by those solutions and the growth of cloud based software strategies.

Comprehensive capabilities and cloud strategies

Vendors including Gerber Technology, Human Solutions, Lectra, Optitex and Tukatech provide comprehensive capabilities in regard to pattern making, grading and marking. A growing number of vendors are enhancing this foundation through the offer of additional solutions that support activities such as concept and fabric development, product lifecycle management (PLM), plotting and fabric cutting, and cut order planning and management. Given the global nature of the sewn products industry and the various stages of a given product’s lifecycle, support for integration between CAD, PLM and ERP, transfer of data between software modules and accurate conversion for exchange between vendor solutions is ongoing.

Some of the more interesting advancements in this area are around marker generation and cut order management where vendors are offering cloud based solutions that support activities such as file conversion, marker generation and authorized marker sharing. In the post “Apps, Cloud Computing and Software as a Service” (January 2^nd, 2012), I highlighted a few of these providers. At Texprocess, I spent some time in the Human Solutions booth learning more about the Assyst Automarker and Autocost services. Automarker, which has been available for a number of years, allows the user to create and optimize markers on demand and communicate the marker orders to manufacturing partners. Users can order markers based on the number of units by size for a given style. Profiles can be created that control piece arrangement in reference to attributes such as shade zones and tolerances. Profiles can also be developed based on capabilities of a specific cutting facility to control features such as marker length in reference to cutting table dimension. Autocost enables users to determine material requirements and associated cost of a given marker scenario. As part of the capabilities users are able to see the number of units per size for an order and create an arrangement for distributing the sizes over the number of markers being generated. Material reports and spreading instructions can be provided to manufacturers electronically. Step spreading is a new feature in the software that is aimed at providing the ability to view results and optimize spreading of fabric where there is variation in ply height along the length of the cutting table in reference to orders and markers.

Also in the realm of cloud computing, Lectra was promoting a “Collaborative Design Platform”.for the Kaledo software solutions for design. Although not specifically labeled a cloud strategy it is in essence a private cloud scenario in that the platform enables company’s to centralize the design software and associated data for ease of administration, access and sharing, while still maintaining the security of the company’s design assets. This technology strategy is in keeping with comments I made in the January 2^nd post noting the development of private or hybrid cloud solutions as a way for companies to ensure data security while still benefitting from the ease of maintenance and quick access to software upgrades characteristic of the cloud model.

Functionality and Productivity

Software providers continue to emphasize functionality and productivity at the pattern design level with an emphasis on the ability to rapidly generate pieces, styles or components. For example, Gerber Technology’s latest release of the AccuMark® system offers new capabilities for quick creation of pattern elements. The create sleeve tool allows the user to designate measurements such as sleeve length, front and back cap length and cap height in order to create the initial piece shape. The user can easily modify this shape according to eye and dynamically view the resulting measurements. Darts can be created and manipulated in a similar manner.

Lectra’s Modaris ExpertPro system continues to be promoted as a system that offers benefits in regard to productivity through features such as piece dependency for which modification of a single piece initiates modification of all dependent or “linked” pieces. Links can be extended to measurement tables to enable updates across a size range. Also on the productivity front, Lectra announced a partnership with WGSN just prior to Texprocess. As part of the partnership Lectra and WGSN have agreed to develop and provide trend based “starter packs” that include inspiration boards, fabric designs, colorways and palettes, pattern blocks and 3D prototypes that product developers can use as a basis for “on trend” technical and creative development.

Another interesting development is the continued exploration of 3D pattern unwrapping capabilities. 3D to 2D systems are not new to the sewn products industry and have been used in the context of upholstery, hard goods and for apparel to a lesser degree (e.g. ExactFlat, Lectra, and OptiTex). I touched on these capabilities in the post “Fashion Goes Virtual” (June 6^th, 2011). Going forward this is an area to watch as the industry further explores the concept in relation to fashion products and clothing. Ultimately, development of pattern shapes from 3D models offers what could be described as an intelligent strategy that allows the designer to rapidly translate their three dimensional vision into a shape that can be cut from the two dimensional fabric plane. In partnership with avatars from 3D body scanning there is the potential for optimization and personalization of garment fit for specific body shapes. I may have more to say about this concept over the coming months.

There’s more to come…

These are just a few notes from the show. Next time I’ll provide a few highlights related to product costing and hardware solutions for cutting and sewing.