Introduction to FCS Careers: A2–4

Identify
Identify clothing
clothing
and
and textile
textile
technology
technology trends.
trends.
 Technology—the application of specific
mechanical or scientific knowledge for
practical purposes.
 In other words, technology is the use of tools,
devices, methods, and techniques to solve
problems, or to enhance a product.
 The clothing and textile industry has
embraced the latest computer technology.
 Textile—any woven, knitted, knotted, or
nonwoven fabric.
 Technical textiles—fabrics used for industrial
purposes, often chosen for characteristics
other than appearance.
 Examples: bulletproof vests, tactical clothing,
outdoor furniture, umbrellas and awnings, flags
and banners, sports fabrics, etc.
 Clothing and textiles arts—the design,
manufacture, and marketing of clothing,
footwear, accessories, interior fabrics, and
technical textiles.
 Includes weaving, dyeing, printing, pattern
making, and sewing.
Computers in the textile and clothing fields are
used for a wide variety of functions and tasks:
 Software—a set of instructions or programs
that provides the information to direct the
operation of a computer.
 Typically, the software comes with the
documentation about how to install or use it.
 Software programs are used in clothing and
textiles design, production, advertising,
merchandising, marketing, etc.
 Computer-aided design (CAD)—software
used to create precision drawings, technical
illustrations, or models according to specific
industry or company standards.
 CAD software increases the
productivity of the
designer while improving
the quality of design.
 Most companies use a computerized grading
process today with the use of CAD systems.
 Grading—the process
used to increase or Example:
decrease the sample size, A size 10 pattern
would be adjusted
by using each company’s to create larger
sizes, 12, 14, 16,
own grade specifications, etc. and also
or rules. smaller sizes,
8, 6, 4, etc.
 Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)—
technology that uses computer software and
machinery to facilitate manufacturing
processes.
 The CAD application software can be directly
imported into CAM software to create
products.
 Manufacturing processes (such as spreading,
cutting, and sewing) are made more efficient
through the use of CAM.
 USB flash drive—a portable flash memory
device that plugs into a USB port; also known
as, a jump drive, a pen drive or a thumb drive.
 Allows the transfer of
materials or content from Example:
In embroidery
the Internet. designs, flash
drives are used to
 Data can be stored and share embroidery
designs for use on
retrieved from various the embroidery
machine.
locations.
 Flatbed scanner—an
electronic device used
to save images of
existing documents/
pictures/objects into
a file for later use.
 Scanned images can be used with embroidery
digitizing software and other clothing and
textile software programs.
 JPEG—a compressed
image or graphic file
format.
 A technical sketch of a
garment or project can be
saved as a JPEG and imported
into different machines.
 Machines can perform specific tasks,
according to the directions given to them by
the computer software.
 Robot—an automated machine that can
perform basic fabric handling, and can “pick
and place” materials.
 Sewbot—a piece of equipment that executes
direct stitching tasks with little distortion.
 Adidas owns a “speedfactory” in Germany
designed to increase the pace of the supply
chain.
 The company projects a speedfactory could
produce 500,000 pairs of shoes annually.
 Embroidery is thread art (lettering, monograms,
designs) that embellishes a garment, hat, or other
clothing or object.
 Embroidery machine—a computer-driven machine
that moves a pantograph (a part of the machine that
moves the hoop to form the pattern) with hooped
items in various directions to form different stitches.
 Use microprocessors to embroider and make the small
decorations.
 The digitized software program controls each movement of
the machine.
 Can be single- or multiple-head tools with multiple needles
per head.
 Usually require training for the operator.
 Digitizing—a computerized process that
converts artwork into a series of commands
read by an embroidery machine’s computer.
 Digitizing tablet—a CAD device used by the
digitizer to plot needle penetration for
embroidery designs.
 In short, a pencil sketch is enlarged and taped
to the tablet. Then, the digitizer’s mouse
selects stitch types, shapes, underlay, and
needle penetration.
 CAD software (such as AutoCAD and Digital Fashion
Pro) allows fashion and pattern designers to create
layouts for garment and accessory pieces.
 A technical sketch of a customized garment is saved as
a JPEG and imported into the CAD templates.
 The software allows the operators to see the design as
a digital image, to scale (proportion) the pieces, and to
set the dimensions on the computer.
 The software saves tailoring and altering time, and
allows for colors and fabrics to be selected after
viewing the virtual models.
 CAD/CAM application programs are used to design
products and to program various manufacturing
functions.
 For example, OptiTex, a popular software program,
offers solutions that cover the entire design process
including:
 Product Development: ODev perfects garments before
cutting or sewing.
 Production: OPro reduces material costs and waste during
production, ultimately saving time, money, and resources.
 Sales Showroom: OSel allows online customers, buyers, and
merchandiser to view and buy clothing with 360°
photorealistic designs.
 Patternmaking software programs include
Gerber and Red Tree.
 Industry pattern software helps decrease
production costs by organizing the pattern
pieces and sewing steps.
 Using an individual customer’s body
measurements, the software uses a 3D
manikin to customize a garment’s color and
fabric.
 3D printing—an additive manufacturing process
that creates solid objects based on instructions in
a digital file.
 3D printers create fabrics, tiles, rugs, shoes,
accessories, etc. by laying down
successive layers of seamless
Forbes magazine
material until the “fabric” predicted that
is created. 3D printing will
 Many unique designs are be a $5.2 billion
industry by
found in high fashion, and 2020.
in the printing of sports shoes.
 Wearable technology—
electronics worn on the
body as an accessory,
or as part of a
garment’s fabric.
 E-textile—the use of electronics in
fabrics/textiles: sensors, batteries, LEDs, etc.
 E-textiles are not necessarily worn on the
body. Some are fabrics for upholstery, window
treatments, and other decorating tasks.
 Examples include activity trackers, Smart
watches, and Smart clothing.
 Smart clothing—an adaptive garment that is
connected to the wearer electronically.
 Smart textiles come in two types:
 Aesthetic (visual, artistic) fabrics may light up or
change color.
 Performance-enhancing textiles are often military-
(bulletproof) or athletic-focused (reduce wind
resistance or regulate body temperature).
 Smart clothing may sense when the wearer is
warm and release chilled water vapor, or the
clothing may sense when the wearer is cold and
heat up accordingly.
 A wearable sock can use artificial intelligence to
gauge an athlete’s gait, in order to choose the
most suitable footwear to minimize injury.
 A wearable heater, created by modifying Kevlar®
fabric with nanowires, can conduct and retain
heat (especially for joint injury and disease).
 Nanotechnology (tasks at the microscopic
level of individual atoms and molecules)
treatments are coatings that cover individual
fibers and threads.
 In terms of clothing and textiles,
nanotechnologies have created water- and
soil-resistant clothing, odor-less socks, and
intelligent clothes that help individuals
perform climate control.
1. What are technical textiles? List four examples.

2. What are wearables? What are e-textiles?

3. What are three advantages of an embroidery

4. How does digitizing work?

5. Predict the impact of 3D printing on fashion