With technology advancing at a breakneck pace in recent years, the developments in the textile business are comparable to the Industrial Revolution that swept the western world in the 1800s. To some, robots may still seem futuristic. Although, automation technologies are already widely employed in leading industries, including manufacturing, assembly, packing, and packaging. In addition, earth and space exploration, surgery, warfare, laboratory research, and mass production.
Let’s discuss in detail 3D sewing robots and how they are changing the textile industry?
3D Sewing Robots
Traditional sewing methods that rely on human hands or sewing machines have seen significant changes due to the industry’s development of a 3D sewing robotic arm. With a laser scanner, the robotic arm can quickly scan pieces of cloth, stitch them together using pre-programmed patterns, and snip threads. It only takes a few minutes to complete the process. Currently, 3D robotic arms help to sew automobile interiors.
The 3D sewing robot market is a robotic arm around the size of a human that uses a laser scanner to quickly scan pieces of cloth and stitch them together using programmed patterns and cut threads. It simply takes a few minutes to complete this process. 3D sewing robot boosts production efficiency and lessens operational and labor costs. The 3D sewing robots simultaneously ensure the quality check, reducing the wastage of resources and improving the overall work quality.
As per the research report of Astute Analytica, the global 3D sewing robot market is growing at a CAGR of 12.9% during the forecast period 2022-2028. The factor driving the global 3D sewing robot market includes the growing e-commerce fashion sector. E-commerce is a superior vision for the future of the textile and apparel industry.
Where are 3D sewing robots used?
Robot Printing and Drawing
In the textile industry, the most crucial task is to print designs onto the cloth. The printed design is often the only distinction between product lines. Complex pathways can program automatically with the correct tool robots are ideal for printing and sketching.
Bale Handling
Many fabrics start off as massive bales. These are large, heavy, and difficult to transport around the factory floor.
Bale handling is a chore for huge industrial robots with payloads of about 2 tons. They can readily program to pick, stack, and sort bales automatically.
3D Fiber Structure Printing
3D printing is one of the most recent advancements in robotic textile manufacturing. 3D printed fabrics, like regular 3D printing, use fibers coated in a polymer for clothes such as protective firefighting outfits. The robot guides the cloth into the 3D shape, and the hardening polymer holds it in place.
Complex Sewing
Sewing is one of the most challenging components of textile production, especially when it comes to clothes. Sewing clothes with a 3D shape necessitates complex routes, which can be difficult to program due to the problems of the flexible material. Over the years, several techniques have evolved to tackle more difficult sewing tasks.
The Sewbo system is one example. With the help of a stiffener, the cloth is momentarily transformed into a solid piece, allowing the seams to sew independently.
Robots Changing the Textile Industry
Industrial Robot (SEWBO)
Sebo is an industrial robot used in the textile sector for fabric grabbing and handling. Some trials utilizing robots to stitch the full garment are underway. Sewbo, for example, is a robot created by Zornow that can automatically manage fabric parts while sewing. In 2015, Zornow built a robot that can stitch a T-shirt from start to finish. It was a success to automate an entire outfit.
Sewing Robot (LOWRY SewBot)
LOWRY SewBot is a robot created in 2012 by USA Software Automation, an Atlanta-based firm specializing in the ready-made garment (RMG) market. This mechanical sewing robot can sew many products regardless of fabric size or shape. Computer vision, advanced robotics, and artificial intelligence create these SewBots, part of the industrial 4.0 revolution. It can also study and manipulate fabric in the same manner that people can. SewBots can do many garment-making operations with a single touch panel, such as fabric cutting, stitching, labeling, inspection, etc. Its various capabilities reduce garment manufacturers’ needs by 50-70 percent.
In the United States, a denim shirt on human sewing lines costs roughly US$ 7.48, while a denim shirt made by a robot cost around US$ 0.33. In addition, it produces around 669 T-shirts in 8 hours using human sewing lines. Robotic stitching, on the other hand, can produce 1142 T-shirts every hour, increasing production by 71%.
Robotic 3D Sewing Technology
The adoption of robotic 3D sewing technology will open up new opportunities in sewing since high-quality garments can manufacture.
Philipp Moll GmbH & Co. developed a 3D Sewing Technology that can automatically generate 3D Seams. Clothing textiles (Shirts, Jackets, Trousers, and so on) and Mobiltech textiles (Seat covers, Air-bags, and so on) can all benefit from 3D stitching technology. This 3D technology could help produce higher-quality, more efficient sewing items. Robotic 3D stitching technology help cut labor costs, shorten manufacturing times, and boost efficiency and output.
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