APPAREL PRODUCTION PARAMETERS

E.VISHNU ARJUN2009310027

FUNDAMENTALS OF APPAREL PRODUCTION

• Raw material being processed• Processing equipment• Man executing the process

PROCESS PARAMETER

• Parameter is quantifiable characteristic of system

• The various parameter(s) affect(s) the productivity and quality of the product

LINE SEQUENCE• SKETCH• PATTERN DESIGN• SAMPLE MAKING• PRODUCTION PATTERN• GRADING• MARKER PLANING• SPREADING• CUTTING• BUNDLING• SEWING• INSPECTION• FINISHING• FINAL INSPECTION• PACKING

CONTROL PARAMETERS

• The systems required for programming and coordinating the efforts of the various groups in an organization to maintain the requisite quality.

• In the garment industry quality control is practiced right from the initial stage of sourcing raw materials to the stage of final finished garment

TOTAL QUALITY CONTROL

• To ensure, at minimum practicable cost, that the requisite quality of product is being achieved at every stage of manufacture from raw materials to boxed stock

OBJECTIVES OF TQC

• To maximize the production of goods within the specified tolerances correctly the first time.

• To achieve a satisfactory design of the fabric or garment in relation to the level of choice in design, styles, colours, suitability of components and fitness of product for the market.

METHOD

• Itemize the variables that occur in fabric and garment production in order to provide a complete specification.

• Develop a specification in a number of parts or sections to ensure that all design and production staff has a clear idea as to what is needed.

• Establish acceptable working tolerances in relation to all values on the specification.

• Establish fault rate recording systems.• Improve technical understanding of the

product including,• Fabric geometry and the interrelationship of

yarn count, loop length, pick count, relaxation and fabric properties.

• Sewing problems.

• Causes and prevention of seam breakdown.• The effects of various factors on the apparent

shade of goods affecting shade matching.

CONTROL PARAMETERS

• SPECIFICATIONS LEAD SHEET• SPECIFICATION MEASUREMENT SHEET• COST CALCULATION SHEET• SAMPLE APPROVAL TRACKING• BILL OF MATERIALS• CONSTRUCTION SHEET

• FABRIC INFORMATION SHEET• TRIM INFORMATION SHEET• SKETCH SHEET• SAMPLE TAG• COLORWAYS• COUNTER SAMPLE SPECIFICATIONS• GRADE RULE SHEET• GRADE RULES: MEN’S

• CUTTER’S MUST• CUTTER’S MUST: SEWING INSTRUCTIONS• SALES SAMPLE PURCHASE ORDER• PURCHASE ORDER• PURCHASE ORDER CONFIRMATION• CONTRACTOR INFORMATION SHEET

• DEVELOPMENT WORK-IN-PROGRESS (WIP) REPORT

• PRODUCTION WORK-IN-PROGRESS (WIP) REPORT

• SAMPLE PLAN AND ACTION CALENDAR FOR DESIGNERS

• SAMPLE PLAN AND ACTION CALENDAR FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS

• CONTRACTOR ASSESSMENT FORM

• VENDOR COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION• LETTER OF CREDIT/SHIPPING INFORMATION• GUIDE TO CARE LABEL SYMBOLS• LABEL TRANSLATION: COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN• LABEL TRANSLATION: FABRIC/FIBER• LABEL TRANSLATION: CONTENT LOCATION

SPEC SHEET

• This sheet should be given to the factory whenever:

• A. You are requiring them to make a sample, or• B. When you issue a docket.• This will enable the factory, and the production

staff in your studio, to know exactly what is supposed to happen with theconstruction and trims for each style

BILL OF MATERIALS

• Poduct code (often called a style no. for fabric)• Product description• Vendor• Cuttable Width, size (buttons) or length (zippers)• Test results (shrinkage, lead etc)• Estimated/actual yield (allocation, qty used)• Required processing (sponging, dyeing, enzyme

bath etc)

SKETCH SHEET

A sketch sheet should include• A style number• A sketch• Inputs and quantity of closures , support

materials (zippers, buttons etc)• Product description• Swatches• Sourcing information with fields for specific codes

for fabrics

CUTTING COMPLEXITIES

• Type of fabric: The fabric handling properties differ for different types of fabrics as do the machine adjustments. Thus, for extremely lightweight fabrics like chiffons the handling time may increase while heavy weight canvas or denim may require machine adjustments and work aids to ease work over longer durations.

• Fabric problems -- Patent and latent defects in the fabrics - visible defects can be eliminated easily but latent defects have more effect on complex styles as the number of parts of the garment may be more, so recut levels may become higher leading to lowered efficiencies.

• Structural design "created through manipulation of yarns, fabrications, colour or texture" -- the complexities created due to the insertion of different types of yarns like novelty yarns, the design due to coloured yarns as in checks and plaids leads to complexities as it requires special attention in during manufacturing for the various matching requirements of the garment.

• Fabric finishes (aesthetic and functional finishes) - uniqueness in garment is achieved by including some fabric finishes which lead to machine setting and sewing issues.

• Fabric finishes (aesthetic and functional finishes) - uniqueness in garment is achieved by including some fabric finishes which lead to machine setting and sewing issues.

CONTROL PARAMETERS IN CUTTING DEPT.

• Fabric properties• Model and marker features• Machine settings• Operator performance

FABRIC PROPERTIES

• The cutting quality of garment pieces in marker is related with the force applied by the cutter’s knife and the resistance of fabrics in terms of physical and mechanical fabric properties

• The arrangement according to some fabric properties such as fabric structure, fabric weight and air permeability etc. affects the quality and efficiency of cutting.

• The vacuum power should be arranged according to these air permeability values.

• Fabrics with low air permeability values must be pressed under high vacuum power, fabrics with high air permeability values must be pressed under low vacuum power.

• The cutter knife must be sharpened often while working with heavier weights and rare while working with lower weights.

FACTORS AFFECTING QUALITY

• The number of pieces in the model,• the cutting distance, • the blank distance, • the number and type of notches, • curvilinearity rates of patterns• marker length

• Number of pieces is related directly with cutting distance. Thus number of pieces is the decisive factor for the cutting duration.

• The blank distance of cutter head between pieces increases the cutting duration as well. The blanks between pieces are also effective for blank distance.

• Another factor which is effective in this matter, is the choice of pieces’ cutting sequence

• Number of notches on pieces increases the cutting duration directly.\

• Cutter head reduces the speed to increase cutting quality while cutting curved pieces.

MACHINE PARAMETERS

• Cutting parameters are set as desired according to the cutting features for different fabrics and different markers.

• Cutting speed and vertical knife frequency must be set in as high as possible without disrupting the cutting quality.

• Cutting angle is a determining factor for sharp corners.

• If sharp corners are needed this angle must be kept less.

• This acute angle will play an important role in increasing the cutting quality.

• Vacuum power provides the fixing of fabric layers. Tightly fixed layers have a direct effect on the cutting quality.

• Sharpening distance depends on the fabric properties and the number of layers. The frequency of sharpening affects the knife lifetime and the cutting quality directly.

• Notching can be done in different ways by machine settings.

• Notches can be cut before or during the cutting processes of pieces.

• In terms of cutting quality, notching before cutting process would be the right decision.

• Because during cutting process, the holes between cut pieces decrease the desired vacuum power while notching.

• Insufficient vacuum can cause deviations of notches which are the important signs for sewing process.

CUTTER,S MUST SHEET

• This checklist is a "must-have" for comparing material, pattern, and cutting tickets.

• It should have clearly marked sections for reporting the needed garment construction information

• It is possible to cut common lines at once. If this parameter is chosen, it is not necessary to cut same line again.

• It can be performed with a single cutting movement. In addition, if the distance between two parallel lines is under the defined value, the cutting operation can be performed in their mid-points by the system.

• Thus, cutting distance is decreased. In this way, the cutting time can be shortened.

•A marker is a diagram of a precise arrangement of pattern pieces for all the sizes of a specific style that are to be cut from a single spread.

•Marker planning or marker making is the process of judicious arrangement of pattern pieces according to the fabric width for various sizes so that there is maximum fabric utilisation.

•The number of markers required, the number of complete patterns of each size in a marker, and the number of ply that will be cut from each marker is decided according to cut order planning.

•The most efficient size ratio is 1:2:2:1 (ie, a marker may contain one small, two medium, two large and one extra large).

• Markers are made according to the fabric width and the quantities of sizes.

• When the fabric width is highly inconsistent, the fabrics in a lot may be grouped according to the width and different markers are made for each group.

CUT ORDER PLAN

• A specified set of garments is ordered by the customer to be produced by a given date.

• Cut order planning is the problem of planning the fabric cut for a set of apparel orders.

• Affiliated with this order is a set of garment sizes, and patterns for cutting each size.

• The fabric for cutting the order must be arranged on the cutting table in such a way as to minimize the cost of cutting the order.

• This plan must incorporate a partition of the pattern pieces to be arranged on top of the fabric layout.

CUTTING TICKETS

• Cutting ticket is working document which provide list of pattern pieces to cut

BUNDLE TICKETS

• Bundle tickets is used for tracking , keeping record of cloth bundles

• It is either printed one or hand written

Bundle tickets consist of bundle number lot quantity number of pieces in bundle size signature of supervisor

DIRECTION CARD

• A direction or pattern card is an itemized list of all the pattern pieces that pertain to a particular style for sewer.