Textile manufacturing process | Different steps of textile manufacturing process

Textile manufacturing process

Textile manufacturing processes in the global textile industry are producing yarn, fiber, fabric, and finished products, including clothing. The global textile industry associated with apparel and non-clothing products is expected to surpass USD 1000 billion in the next few years. The textile industry market is mainly represented by China, the United States, India, and the European Union. China has been identified as one of the top textile manufacturing facilities in the world, representing about one-fourth of the global textile industry. One of the growing concerns in textiles is the release of environmental hazards from the fiber and fabric processing industry. Most of the processes in the textile production system release significantly toxic and hazardous wastes for river water, soil, and air. Especially fiber and yarn production, chemical finishing, pre-treatment process, dyeing, printing, coating, and drying works without toxic gases, carcinogenic substances, harmful vapors and links, and carrier discharges. As a result, standards and regulations are developed to limit or eliminate environmental degradation.

Different steps of the textile manufacturing process

Different steps of the textile manufacturing process, such as below-

Yarn manufacturing process

Yarn manufacturing consists of multiple processes involved in converting fibers into yarn. It was the origin of natural fiber derived from natural plant or animal sources. Natural fibers are produced from natural elements with natural impurities that are removed from the yarn in subsequent processes. Probably, cotton is the fiber that underpinned yarn production from the opening of the fiber bell, followed by a continuous process of blending, mixing, cleaning, carding, drawing, roving, and spinning. Production of yarn using cotton fiber in a sequence of processing stages. All of these operations are mechanical and do not require any chemical application. Yarn manufacturing uses a machine of special nature at each processing stage and provides quality effects in yarn production. The advancement of fiber processing and machine technology for making yarn is uninterrupted. Manual picking of cotton fiber has now been replaced with machine picking. However, conventional systems of mixing, carding, drawing, rowing, and spinning are important indicators of the future. Yarn diameter, hairiness, linear density, permeability, strength characteristics, etc. depend on the end-use requirements of the fabric for production for garments or industrial fabrics, knitted or woven end products such as sewing thread or cordage.

Fabric manufacturing process

The textile fabric is at least a two-dimensional structure produced by fiber/yarn interlacing. Mainly used interwoven fibrous structures knitting, woven, and nonwoven. Generally, weaving technology has been the main source of fabric production. Important types of woven fabrics to be encouraged are basic weaves like plain or tabby, towels and satin, and fancy weaves with piles, jacquards, dobbies, and gauze. Knitted fabric is the second main type of fabric used after weaving. It has the feature of adjusting the contour of the body and facilitates movement. It is a particularly comfortable form of fabric structure for sports, casual wear, and underwear. Knitted fabrics include weft types and twist types, Russell and Tricot. Net, lace, and bread are other useful interconnected fabric structures. Nonwoven fabrics are growing rapidly in the market. These fabrics are looking for interesting uses in industrial and indoor applications. Non-woven fabrics include materials produced by felting and bonding. Laminating processes are also gaining importance and fairly recent events include needle weaving and sewing-knitting processes.

Garment manufacturing process

The garment is called a piece of clothing. Garment design and manufacturing is a combination of industry and technology. It saws several advances in design development, computer-aided manufacturing (CAD), and automation. However, the older version of the garment manufacturing process is still the main theme today so that is the cutting and joining of at least two fabrics. Sewing machines have the function of joining woven or cut knitted fabrics. Garments are mostly produced by sewing pieces of cloth using sewing machines. Currently important aspects of the current garment manufacturing industry range from product development, production planning, and material selection. Selection of garment designs including computer-aided design, spreading, cutting, and sewing. Joining techniques and manufacturing seamless garments are beneficial to meet the needs of the customer. 

Pretreatment process

Different types of pretreatment processes are performed in the textile industry for removing natural impurities from textile-like de-sizing, scouring, bleaching, mercerization, washing, and heat setting. One or more of these processes are needed for a textile substrate, depending on the end-use of the textile. Generally, the pretreatment process is performed on a combination of cotton, cellulose fiber, wool, and synthetics, and these fibers with semisynthetic. Natural fibers, including cotton and wool, contain natural impurities and the purpose of pretreatment is primarily to remove unwanted natural fibrous material.

Dyeing process

Dyeing is a color effect across the cross-section of the fiber and this effect can be created on any size textile substrate including fiber/yarn, fabric, clothing, and textile articles. However, it is suitable for certain types of fibers for dyeing any dyestuff. The textile substrate is dyed using dyestuffs including reactive, direct, sulfur, vat, pigment, acid, and dispersal, depending on the compatibility of the dye-fiber system. The dyeing method used may be continuous, semicontinuous, or batching. The industry performs uninterrupted dyeing techniques for large-scale production. In order to provide resistance and durability against washing, heat, chemicals, soap, abrasion, sunlight, etc., the stabilization of dyestuff in the fabric or garment should be significantly faster. Washing of the dyed fabric and the discharge of dye effluent may release 10–50% of dyestuff to the environment which has environmental concerns regarding the dyeing process. 

Finishing process

Textiles require special finishing effects. The functional properties of textile fibers are limited. Different performance effects are required for the end-use of textile products like Crease recovery, Flame retardant, Water repellent, Antibacterial, Antistatic, Mothproofing, Softening, and Hand-Builder are special finishing effects that can be created in textiles. Traditionally, special finishing is performed after the dyeing of textiles; However, the innovation showed the possibility of performing special finishes after coloring and especially finishing with the coloring process. Alternate finishing and color processing sequences can provide enhanced finish effects or color effects on the subject of the search.

Environmental impact

All environmental fields such as air, water, and soil are severely damaged by the textile manufacturing process from fiber production to the final fabric finishing. Adverse effects from chemicals used in textile fiber production and processing, textile dyeing, printing and finishing, dust, short fiber, and yarn production, release of lint, volatile and toxic gases, etc. the environment and human life. An estimate of the unwanted effects on the environment associated with the major processing units of the textile industry can be presented based on the number of chemicals, water, and fuel used. The more chemicals, water, and energy are consumed in a textile process, the more likely it is to have an undesirable effect on the breathing and reproduction of our planet and living species. Living species are directly or indirectly affected by the inhalation of toxic gases, ingestion of contaminated water and food, and skin contact with toxic fumes and gases.