Will the robot era come to the textile industry?

In the fabric industry, from picking cotton to spinning to cutting work clothes, robots are playing an increasing role. It’s just that human hands seem to be far better than clumsy, stiff robotic arms when it comes to sewing fabric into a whole. However, this situation has changed recently. A startup company in Seattle, USA, recently successfully used an industrial robot to sew a T-shirt. This means that the fabric industry may usher in an era of full automation in the near future, and sewing workers everywhere may be in danger of being laid off.

Cynthia Istuk, a fabric/workwear researcher at North Carolina State University, said that in highly automated factories, fabrics are first processed through mechanical fabrics , and then the computer-controlled cutting machine will cut the good fabric as needed. Workwear components such as collars and cuffs on dress shirts can also be machine-made, and some more specialized machines can even sew buttons or pockets on their own.

However , for those in the fabric industry, it is still a big challenge for robots to sew fabrics into a whole piece (such as a pair of strong trousers or T-shirts). Even in advanced factories, this process is generally completed manually: after the robot completes all the components of the garment, the worker then puts the fabric into the sewing machine for stitching, and then delivers the stitched fabric to the next link of the assembly line.

However , history is being rewritten. Recently, Jonathan Zorno, the founder and sole employee of the Seattle startup Sewbo, said he had made a breakthrough, saying he had overcome common obstacles to garment automation and successfully used an industrial robot to sew a T-shirt.

From 3D printing for inspiration

Before founding Sewbo, Zorno was a programmer who was fascinated by highly automated mechanical projects. While researching 3D printing, he discovered a water-soluble thermoplastic polymer material. This material is the raw material for 3D printing and is also commonly used in the fabric industry. Zorno realized that as long as the soft fabric was immersed in molten polymer, he could get a “hard fabric” that was convenient for automated production.

Before sewing, Zorno first used ultrasonic welding technology to “splice” the fabrics together. After the sewing is completed, the finished garment is immersed in a water-soluble thermoplastic polymer material, “making it look like a metal sheet, making it easier for traditional robots to operate.” After the production is completed, the robot will immerse the fabric in hot water to wash away the polymer “enhancer” and return the fabric to its original appearance.

Robot Priced at US$35,000

To complete this process, Zorno used a sewing machine and a robotic arm called a UR5. This collaborative robot is built by general-purpose machines and has a market price of about US$35,000 (approximately RMB 235,500). It is specially designed to cooperate with or assist humans in work. Its setting process is very simple. Just show it or use special software to set it up, and the UR5 can repeatedly perform specified tasks.

Erno used a video to show the media the process of sewing a T-shirt. He believes that using this technology, manufacturers can automate every step in an industrial environment: cutting, hardening, high-frequency acoustic vibration shaping, sewing, washing and restoration, etc. Currently, Zorno is looking for like-minded business partners, with the goal of opening a fully automated workwear production line where robots perform their duties.

Full Automatic cloth

Production line has been used

In fact, this is not the first time the United States has tried to build a fully automatic fabric production line. In 2012, the Pentagon issued a request to a subsidiary of Georgia Tech The Softwear Automation Company received a US$1.2 million grant to assist them in the development of computer-controlled sewing machines. This year, the company developed a customized robot that successfully sewed two pieces of a pair of strong trousers together, but it is still unable to fully automate production. The whole pair of sturdy trousers.

Zorno said that by automating the workwear finishing industry, the outflowed workwear manufacturing industry will gradually return to the mainland. In order to pursue low costs, many well-known workwear companies in the United States will open factories in areas with lower labor prices. Countries and regions. A report by the Center for American Progress pointed out that the top fifteen workwear importers in the United States only pay a Bangladeshi fabric worker US$91.45 per month, while the average monthly salary of a domestic fabric worker in the United States is US$1,922.

However, once the technology matures, Tens of millions of fabric workers in Southeast Asia will be affected. According to a report by the International Labor Organization, nearly 90% of fabric workers in Southeast Asia and Cambodia will lose their jobs in the face of the threat of automated production lines. “Whenever new technologies emerge, this worry will exist. ” Zorno said. But he added that almost all technological innovations “benefit all mankind” and he hopes that history will repeat this process.

It is doubtful whether it can be promoted

Outsiders believe that the biggest selling point of this technology is its production Manufacturers can put new designs into mass production within a day. If traditional processes are followed, a new design will take several months from manufacturing to shipping.

Zorno believes that this advantage will definitely provide “fast “Fashion” gives a new meaning. “With the popularity of fast fashion, reprogrammable robots can produce a large number of products, which will shorten the supply chain and reduce the research and development cycle of the fashion industry. ” he told Quartz Finance.

But there are still doubts whether this technology can be promoted. Although Zorno said that water-soluble thermoplastic polymer materials can be reused, Istuk believes that this method will This leads to excessive use of chemical reagents and water resources. She said: “Coupled with additional time-consuming production links, all this will offset the cost and resource advantages brought by automation. ”

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