Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
Computerized system in-weaving section:
• There is a huge application of computer in weaving sector.
• Now a days almost all types of weaving machines are automated and very high performance
machine.
• There is no process left with conventional methods/ machine in today's factory.
Some of the most remarkable computer application is as below-
• Weaving CAD: this software is vastly used to produce sample fabric with required repeat size or
repeat unit.
• Dobby Tronic: Here lifting plan is manually input into this software and it automatically select
the heald frames as lifting plan. Weft-way color assembly is also executed by this application.
• Tex Tronic: Warp-assembly is executed by this application. For example, for any fabric of
15red+10blue stripe, this color way combination is input by this application as (15R+10B).
Merits of automation in fabric:
Automation in weaving section provides various types of advantages. As a result of automation we can
know-
• RPM, adjusting RPM.
• on process tension,
• production, production rate, productivity,
• breakage rate of both warp and weft,
• Breaking finger detector,
• Machine temperature, different zone temp.
• Auto pattern input,
• Weft color assembly and so on.
Advantages of computerization in -Weaving Section:
The best computerization development in weaving section is integrating the creative and
analytical aspects and actual control of the loom.
Easy pegging plan & efficient dobby mechanism.
Computer aided design in jacquard loom allowing frequent pattern change, elimination design
error, increasing flexibility.
Diversification in the design of woven fabric.
Direct loom control as in SULZER RUTI loom.
Display of all required value like weft insertion rate, loom speed, thread breakage rate, stoppage
time etc.
Improvement in yarn cleaning, fault dictation, length measuring unit, piecing as in CONEDATA
system.
Digital based technology for fabric structure analysis.
Advantages:
[1] More accurate system.
[2] Time saving system.
[3] More objective effort.
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
Disadvantages:
[1] High initial setup cost.
[2] High maintenance cost.
[3] High expertise cost.
[4] This analysis is not feasible for different colored yarns.
Digital system for weave pattern recognition:
The newly developed method is based on:
[1] Dual side imaging system
and [2] The Active Grid Model (AGM).
[1] Dual Side Imaging System:
Fig: Dual side imaging system
Fig: Dual side images of a fabric after image alignment (Left: Upper side view, Right: Bottom
side view, Centre: Merged image of dual side images)
In dual side imaging system, based on the panel scanner it is able to create images of the both the
top and bottom of the woven fabric. It comprises of three components:
[1] A high resolution panel scanner (1200 dpi or more): used to scan the reflective surface of the
woven fabric.
[2] A specific sample holder: Holds and fixes the sample with two uniformly structured plates.
[3] A personal computer with software for image capture and analysis: Microsoft Visual C++6.0
program language in a Windows XP operating system.
In this system, the top and bottom plates are joined together by a hinge. There is a sample window on
each plate; there are four reference points on the four corners of the window. These reference points are
used to locate the mirrored yarn sections between the top and bottom images of the woven fabric.
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
The principle of dual side imaging and matching relies on the alignment of the top image and bottom
image to locate the mirrored yarn sections between them. In this style, the interlacing style top and bottom
images are combined together to classify the interlacing style of the yarns.
[2] The Active Grid Model (AGM):
Fig: A systematic framework of dual sided scanning & AGM system
Computer Vision Based Fabric defect Analysis & Measurement:
Advantages:
1. Higher accuracy.
2. Low wastage.
3. High speed measurement system.
4. Faults can be denoted by number.
5. 35%-45% Cost reduction can be obtained.
6. No need of human action.
7. RPM, adjusting RPM.
8. on process tension,
9. production, production rate, productivity,
10. breakage rate of both warp and weft,
11. Machine temperature, different zone temp.
12. Auto pattern input,
13. Weft color assembly and so on.
Disadvantages:
1. Higher investment cost.
2. Skilled operator required.
Automation for fabric inspection:
The automated of textile web was performed offline primarily for two reasons:
1. The slow speed of the textile web from the production line.
2. The unfavorable environment because of excessive noise.
There are several commercially available solutions for automated fabric defect detection and
classification such as:
Machine Name Company Name
1. IQ-Tex Elbit
2. Fabriscan Zellweger Uster
3. Cyclops Barco Vision
Fabric Defect Detection Methods:
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
Best performing approaches for plain and twill fabric inspection:
1. Gabor Filters- Spatial & spatial frequency domain local features.
2. Wavelets- Analysis of data from fractal scanning.
3. Regularity- Texture similarity using localized similarity.
4. Optimal Filters- Linear finite impulse response filters.
Fabric Defect Classification:
The most promising fabric defect classification results have been achieved form the Neural
Network (NN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) based classifiers.
Neural Network (NN):
The more complex structure often required for the effective classification of large classes of fabric
defects.
Accuracy of Neural Network classifier for five different defects
Support Vector Machine (SVM):
SVM is the set of methods that estimates the required support vectors from the training
samples. This method is mainly used to evaluate the aesthetic qualities of a fabric.
Automation in Weaving Sector:
The technological advances that weaving sector has witnessed include higher level of automation.
The demands on the automation include a constant velocity that remains in same direction regardless
of other changes and this velocity should be in direct relation to warp let-off and fabric take-up,
consistency in quality of fabric, weft insertion should complement the cycle times, fast position-
oriented supply of weft threads corresponding to the colour selection, increase in machine cycle
times, less frequent instances of resetting times for the changes of various sets, the process data,
pattern data management and preparation should be easily reproduced.
Deciding whether to automate the weaving process, it is important to analyse the production steps.
The initial step in weaving is to stretch the warp. Then selvage is formed. The three essential steps
after this are shedding, or raising every alternate warp yarn; inserting the weft; and battening the weft
to make the fabric compact. Out of all the points that can involve automation, it is noteworthy that
most of the points deal with materials handling or transport and only four applications in weaving
deal with automating the machine operations themselves. These include mechanical process control
on the slasher, automatic pick repair of weaving functions, programmed warp breakage locator and
computerized machine control. Manual assistance is still needed for beam replacement and repair of
warp breaks.
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
In weaving technology, loom, which is a mechanical device used to produce woven fabric by
insertion of warp and weft yarn, is the principle mechanical device for weaving. Today, automatic
shuttle looms and automatic shuttle-less looms are used for weaving. The automatic looms include
methods of holding the yarn such as rapier and the gripper. It has advantages of higher productivity in
comparison to water jet and air jet looms that use water or pressurized air to transport the yarn with
multiple color weft insertion.
The textile engineering has also ensured that weaving and knitting machines lead the way in utilizing
computer technology in textile manufacturing for many years with their use of computer aided
designs (CAD), bi-directional communication and artificial intelligence. A CAD system can be used
to develop the fabric to be produced and the design can then be transmitted over the network to the
production machines to produce the desired fabric. Now, the design instructions can even be sent
by modem from one country to a weaving machine located anywhere else in the world. Such an
implementation of electronic control has simplified operations as only the conditions such as yarn
type and weave, width need to be input in order for the optimum operations to be performed.
The automation technology used in the weaving also includes sizing machine control systems. These
systems provide a mechanism for management to make sure that all warps are sized identically under
standard operating conditions. These monitoring and control capabilities can be integrated in the
weaving mill's computer network. Implementation of electronic control such as computer control in
automatic looms has simplified operations as only the conditions such as yarn type and weave, width
need to be input in order for the optimum operations to be performed.
Automation has resulted in control of machines electronically. The machines are user friendly and
produce fabrics at the speed of commodity fabrics. The machine speed is much faster than it was 20
years ago (to be precise at least five to ten times faster). Gaining a speed of upto 1000 revolution
per minute (rpm) is effortlessly possible now.
China, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, etc. are active exporters of automatic weaving
machines to several countries around the world. Though automated weaving is gaining momentum,
there are a few developing countries like India which produce and export both automatic and non-
automatic looms suitable for the needs and conditions of the developing countries.
The automatic weaving machines require a good standard of technical training and diligence to ensure
satisfactory operation of the automatics. The machines by which automatic weft replenishment is
achieved are complex. Also, it is necessary to be more careful in the care and adjustment of the
picking mechanism during shuffle in machines when compared to the shuttle being removed and
replaced manually. The good news is that the automatic weaving machines have been optimized and
adapted to meet a wide variety of requirements.
Software add-ons for defect documentation
To document defect pattern for analysis and decision making, „fabric inspection defect analysis software‟
(FIDAS) is available in the market which can be installed on every fabric inspection machine of any
brand and make. It is used for defect entry through a touch screen monitor and performs automatic fabric
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
gradation based on number of defects, providing aid in choosing appropriate fabric roll with less defects
and can be easily integrated with all the existing CAD and ERP software in the unit to obtain efficient
marker and cutting plan. The software works on the 4-point system for fabric inspection as per ASTM
standards, the most commonly used system for inspection.
The software can be customized to develop user defined reports such as fabric batch or roll wise
inspection report to determine the number of defects in each roll, daily production report – to keep a
check on the productivity in terms of meeting daily targets; fabric realization report – for calculation of
actual fabric that can be utilized; and department wise defect report which is helpful in tracking the
particular department responsible for the defect such as dyeing and printing department for any color
defect. These reports are instrumental in planning the consecutive processes as well as to maintain a
library of the defects occurred for future reference.
Some of the advantages of using the software are increased production rate due to faster process, reduced
dependency on manpower, achieving process transparency between interrelated departments and
increased profits through improved fabric realization.
Some of the service providers who are selling this software in India are Almac Group, Gayatri Engineers
and Amith Garment Services; they also manufacturer and provide fabric inspection machines.
Advanced level of technology: Automated Visual Inspection
The textile industry world-wide has experienced dramatic technological changes during the last decade.
Automated visual inspection system is an example of such advancement in fabric inspection process. The
most important change is switch over from dependency on human eye to scan by CMOS/CCD camera.
The process is such that the location, size and image of the defects are recorded in the system. After the
inspection, the product is graded in terms of severity and the detailed report gets printed. The aim is to
obtain saving of manpower and time, as well as increased accuracy in the inspection process.
At the first level of processing, the image of the fabric is transformed into a threshold image which is a
digital image in grey shades, this helps the software to read and differentiate between the image of the
defect and the fabric. Post the conversion, the software marks the region with defects in the form of a
window and the location of each defect is stored into the data. The defect window is further probed at the
secondary level of image processing based on five attributes, namely, height and width of the defect
window; the ratio of total defect area to the overall window area; total number of defects in the overall
defects window and finally the ratio of the smallest defect area over the largest defect area. Based on the
above mentioned attributes, data regarding each defect is generated, which helps in the recognition and
classification of defects based on standard inspecting systems such as 4-point system. The system utilizes
high resolution colour line scan technology and enhanced Defect Sorting Algorithms (DSA) to achieve
defect detection and interpretation.
The Web SPECTOR by Shelton Vision Systems and IQ-TEX 4 by Elbit Vision Systems
(EVS) are two such products which can perform full inspection automatically.
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
IQ-TEX 4 by EVS is a fully integrated image acquisition and processing system, built on Smart
Vision Camera (SVC) platform. The system has the capability to detect defects less than 0.1 mm
in size, at speeds of up to 1,000 meters per minute. The solution can be used at many stages
starting from the weaving of the fabric to the final of finished products. Some of the features
which help in better identification of the defects are real time process monitoring and alarm,
defect data for documentation, synchronization with marking and cutting software, and
proprietary defect sorting algorithms.
The WebSPECTOR by Shelton, uses line scan camera, often in two or three planes of view, each
with a different lighting position for better defect detection and these are back light transmission,
diffuse top light and low angle top light. As the defects are detected, an image of each defect is
stored along with all the identified data that allows the factory to classify the „defect by type‟ in
real time. An electronic defect map is created which helps in implementing the most efficient cut
plan. The WebSPECTOR has been automated to cope with large style and/or product ranges.
Automatic inspection systems are designed to increase the accuracy, consistency and speed of
the detection of defects not only in the inspection but also the manufacturing processes of
fabrics. There are more advantages in using automated technology for inspection system since it
is faster, and also eliminates high inspection error due to human frailty. More importantly, it can
save the labour cost by reducing the demand for highly skilled inspectors. It takes years to train a
good human inspector, and these automated systems can be installed and “trained” in a matter of
weeks.
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
On-loom Fabric Inspection using Cyclops
To check fabric directly at the weaving stage, few textile mills use the On-loom Fabric
Inspection System, which communicates with the microprocessor of the weaving machine and in
case a running defect is detected, the On-loom Fabric Inspection System stops and holds the
loom, preventing continuation of production of defective fabric. Before the loom can be put back
in production, the weaver has to make a declaration, confirming that the defect cause has been
eliminated. The weaver‟s declaration also allows further specification of the nature of the defect
for which the loom has been stopped by the Cyclops On-loom Fabric Inspection System, offered
by Barco.
The Cyclops scanning head includes a camera and illumination system. The measuring head
travels at a scanning speed of 1.08 metres per minute and has an option of backlight illumination
for detection of starting marks in high density fabrics.
In order to help the weaver, a lamp in the loom‟s light tree is activated indicating the stop and a
message on the loom‟s display panel informs the weaver about the nature and location of the
fabric defect. The loom will be stopped for any detected running warp defect as well as for a too
high concentration of weft or filling defects in a set length of fabric.
The Cyclops scanners cost US $ 5,000 each and can be used for fabric widths up to 260 cm for
single panel looms using a single camera and 500 cm for double panel looms using two cameras
for scanning. There is also the cost of a one-time vision software license of US $ 25,000. Thus
the investment for an installation of 100 looms is about US $ 5,25,000. The company estimates
the annual savings for a typical application to be US $ 2,00,000, giving a payback of roughly 2½
years.
Highly Automated Intelligent Textile Inspection Equipment
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
Main function and feature of fabric inspection
The robot hand passes fabric through machine automatically to ensure that the whole roll fabric
can be inspectioned
Solve a common traditional cloth inspection machine problem: there is about 1-2meters in the
front and back side of fabric cannot be inspected
Three high pixel cameras are used to automatically inspected fabric surface defects, ensuring
continuity and accuracy of inspection
Solve the problem of poor manual inspection effect, incomplete data and slow efficiency caused
by various artificial and environmental factors such as fatigue and discursive of traditional
manual inspection
Intelligent defects identification and marking: Sound and light alarm; Automatic saving the
defect pictures; Automatic classify defects to ensure the validity of data; Automatic labeling
ensure the position accurate
The machine works continuously with the fastest speed 40 meters per minute, relazing the high
efficiency of inspection. An intelligent fabric inspection machines. Reduce the area of fabric
inspection process and cost of labor
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
Independent reserch inspection software, with the exclusive right to use. Software function can
be fully customized according to customer requirments
Other feature
Complete fabric width defect information statistics: each roll material has its complete defect
image, location distribution, defect quantity statistics and other information.
After inspection, the grading system is automatically adopted, according to the international
standard four-point system, effectively control the fabric quantity
Automatically generate QR code for each roll fabric, improve the flexibility of each roll fabric
information, play an imporant role for stage, transportation and other.
Can connect with network to upload reports, the management can check the fabric data at any
time
Use the imported control electrical appliances and control system (PLC)
Normal function: Fabric inspection, fabric rolling, measurement, automatic edge alignment
Machine efficiency
Fully intelligent fabric quality defect by camera vision
Inspection efficiency, data accuracy, fabric value maximization, inspection cost minimization
Attached defect statistics system, storage system, etc
Machine value maximization
4people, 400%, 400%, 24months
Labor, Production capacity to be improved, Inspection accuracy to be improved, Cost return
cycle
Technical indicators
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Chapter-5 Application of computer in Fabric
Inspection time: single time inspection (Option:double time inspection with 6 cameras )
Inspection accuracy: 0.1mm
Sampling inspected qualified rate: not less than 90%
Defect mark: stop working and stick label (Optional: ink jet mark, no need stop working )
Defect recognition tips: automatic sound and light alarm, software record defect location,
quantity and size
Defect information: record the number of defect meters, horizontal position, image information,
etc
With product phase positioning detection function, beyond the error range can automatically
identify and remove
Product defect library can be added
With anti-jitter function, the camera system ivision range s larger than the material size.
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