Since the introduction of Industry 4.0, the apparel industry has seen new advancements in the sewing process. These advancements have not only shortened the time to market but have also increased competitiveness, which will undoubtedly become essential in the near future for survival. Two events, Texprocess and CISMA, highlight how new technology advancements in the garment sector are upending the usage of conventional methods.

Let's delve into the top six sewing technology developments that are expected to significantly impact the garment manufacturing sector in the near future.

Sewing Machine Digital Feed System 

Increasing shop floor efficiency is just as crucial as the timely delivery of items to customers. Even a little rise in production indicates a noteworthy boost in efficiency. Modern sewing machines are essential given the rising cost of labor and the need to reduce time spent on non-value-added tasks. Many manufacturers of sewing machines claim that their digital feed sewing machines may increase productivity. 

When a sewing machine integrates digital feed, the feed dog's movement is disconnected from the main shaft, which is managed by a servo motor. The device that operates the feed dog separately is upgraded with a stepper motor. Precise reverse feeding, pattern stitching, and simultaneous condensed and backtracking on the same seam are made possible by the employment of a second stepper motor. 

Sewing Machine USB Port 

Sewing machine settings need to be changed on each machine whenever a new style is introduced into a manufacturing line. It slows output by lengthening the changeover time. In order to make it easier to transfer settings across sewing machines, including stitch length and stitching speed, the machines now have USB ports. In addition, the USB drive may be used for simple pattern copying and software upgrades. Sewing machine operators are starting to use USB ports more frequently since they may be used as convenient mobile charging stations or even as personal desk fans in the summer. 

Sewing Machine Monitoring in Real-time 

Digitalization is one result of the garment industry's current aggressive transition to Industry 4.0. Controlling and keeping an eye on the status of manufacturing becomes very impossible when garment units are located in distinct gonotrophic locales. The garment sector is getting the most out of the shopfloor with real-time monitoring. 

The intelligent sewing machines are connected via a server that can be accessed from any location in the globe using a smartphone or tablet. Real-time monitoring of the state of an entire production line or even a single machine is possible with the intelligent machine network solution. This real-time status not only indicates the potential for productivity gains but also aids in the identification of potential production roadblocks. 

Juki has been playing around with the Intelligent Sewing System (ISS) for a while now. Pegasus's Digital Process Analysis (DPA) software is also capable of real-time sewing line monitoring, as is Brother's 7300A. More recently, Duerkopp Adler joined the battle with Qondac Networks, which digitizes sewing production and allows users to operate it remotely.

Vision Sewing

Decorative stitching necessitates perfect fabric feeding to the machine, which yields precise stitching. The operator and his strong skill set alter the fabric direction in order to sew curves and various types of patches. The vision sewing system presents itself as a simpler solution to achieving perfect ornamental stitches in the wake of the shortage of high skill sets. Conventional single-needle lockstitch, chain stitch, and electronically programmable pattern sewing machines may all be incorporated into the system.

The vision sewing system is combined with an industrial camera to take pictures. It interprets the images instantaneously and transfers the information to an electronic sewing machine that may be programmed to control mechanical movements. The entire procedure takes significantly less time rather than high-skill levels. The vision system's main advantages include its ability to sew several patches at a constant speed, its ability to automatically stitch patterns, its ability to handle fabric and garments with minimal or no operator experience, and its lack of human sewing skills. The system was invented by Brother Vision Sewing System, and additional participants will probably join it shortly after.

Using a Smartphone to Access Sewing Machine Settings 

The operator must occasionally modify the sewing machine's settings to suit the sort of garment they are working on. These settings need to be the same for every sewing machine, however it takes time to manually adjust the parameters for every sewing machine. 

The newest trend is using an Android tablet in contactless mode, Wi-Fi, or even a mobile phone to change the sewing machine's settings. After the sewing machine's settings are altered, a single tap of the gadget may replicate the changes across the whole production line.

A feature like this makes set-up modifications easier by reducing time and allowing for a fast check for consistent settings and the condition of the sewing machines in a sewing line. Juki DDL-9000C and Brother S-7300A both have these characteristics. In CISMA 2013, Pfaff demonstrated the same Android tablet tracking.

Sewing Machines Controlled by Voice 

Every time a sewing machine malfunctions, the operator notifies the line supervisor, who subsequently notifies the technician to fix the issue. Most of the time, operators are ignorant of the causes behind a machine's malfunction.

Sewing machines with voice guide features exist on the market; these machines include buttons on the operating panel with voice-overs informing the operator about technical issues such as machine breakdown, oil leaks or level, etc.

With this voice-over capability, Jack provides the A5 semi-dry computerized lockstitch machine and the C4 completely automated overlock machine. Additionally, it alerts the operator to any errors and provides instructions on how to fix them.