Textiles are a type of cloth or woven fabric; its creation involves several processes than one might think. The production of fibers are spun into yarns, and are then used to create fabrics into many other sub-processes. Textile production is no simple task. Even once fabrics are created they must be pre-treated, dyed or printed, then finished with a treatment.
Types of Textiles
Textiles vary from felts to knits, and even cloths so tightly woven that they appear to be of a single piece. As you can imagine, there are machines tasked with many parts of these processes in order to make the production of textiles as smooth as possible. Cotton is one of the most commonly used fabrics, so many machines are based around the fabrication of cotton.
Machines Involving Fiber/Thread/Yarn Production
Every article of clothing has a different instruction label for machine washing and drying. These materials vary from cotton, wool, flax, ramie, silk, leather or even synthetic materials. All of these materials need to be handled and cared for specially to retain their shape after multiple washes.
- Woolen Mill Machines – used to develop wool into yarn
- Thread Winding Machines – used to wind thread onto spools
- Bleaching/Dyeing Machines – used to bleach or dye thread, fibers, or fabric
- Scutching Machines – used to separate cotton seeds from the cotton
- Carding Machines – used to prepare the wool for being made into yarn
- Spinning Machines – used to spin yarn
- Yarn Gassing Machines – used as a Bunsen burner to heat the yarn, getting rid of excess fuzz and deepening the color
Machines Involving Textile Production
After the thread, yarn or fibers are turned into a more usable material, they are then woven, knitted, tufted or made into a cloth or textile. That is not all: The textiles are sewn, quilted or they can be layered for different types of insulation or for other purposes. The product can also be dyed or treated at different points in the process. The textile is then measured and cut, if necessary, so that it can be shipped to sellers.
- Knitting Machines – used to knit yarn
- Crochet Machines – used to crochet yarn
- Lace Making Machines – used to weave thread into lace
- Weaving Machines – used to weave thread, such as a loom
- Tufting Machines – used to make textiles where fur is inserted into a base, like carpets or mittens
- Quilting Machines – used to quilt textiles
- Cloth Measuring Machines – used to measure cloth
- Cloth Cutting Machines – used to cut cloth
- Industrial Sewing Machines – large sewing machines
- Monogramming Machines – used to create monogrammed fabric, such as towels with initials on them
