CM of a sweater

Learn Apparel Merchandising, Learn Fashion design.
Cost of Making (CM) details of a Sweater

1.       Yarn winding charge: Yarn winding cost is $0.03/lbs. + Wax cost $0.02/lbs, total ( $0.03 + $0.02) = $0.05/lbs. So, if the weight of the sweater is 12 lbs/doz, then the winding cost will be (12X0.05) = $0.60/doz

  

2.       Knitting Charge:  Actually knitting cost can be varied depends on style. However you can calculate it by this way, which I’m describing now.

i)                    As per economic condition of our country, normal wages of a knitting operator with average skill should be $4.85/day.

ii)                   So, if the operator produced (knit) 10 pcs sweater per day then the knitting cost of following sweater will be ($4.85/10) $0.485/pc.

iii)                 Or if the same operator produced the following sweater 5 pcs/day then the knitting cost will be ($4.85/5) = $0.97/pc.

iv)                 In other hand if he produces 15 pcs/day then the cost will be ($4.85/15) $0.323/pcs.

v)                  So, we must calculate the knitting charge based on average production capacity. Suppose:  for the 10 pcs production knitting cost will be ($.485x12) $5.82/dozen.

3.       Linking Charge:  For an average style the linking cost should be $1.67 / dozen.

4.       Trimming Charge: Average trimming cost is $0.34/doz.

5.       Light Check Charge: Average Light check cost is $0.1/doz.

6.       Mending Charge: Average mending cost is $0.5/doz.

7.       Wash: Average washing cost is $0.35/doz.

8.       Ironing Charge: Average Iron cost is $0.35/doz.

9.       PQC Charge: Average PQC cost is $0.25/doz

10.   Additional charge: Now add additional $2.00/doz for button stitching, button hole etc.

_______________________________________


Total cost will be = $11.98/doz


Now you must add followings cost with this total amount to find out the CM.

• Staff salary, 
• Electricity Bill,
• Water & Gas bill,
• Factory/floor rent,
• Transportation cost,
• Commercial cost,
• Sampling cost,
• Profit etc  

Above is only a way of calculation not fixed rules, it’s may changed any time depending on your style. Normally factory quot the CM as $28 to $32 for none Jacquard items.

Hope, above will help you.

Thanks & best regards

Bipul 

Knitting Technology

Learn Apparel Merchandising, Learn Fashion design.
Knitting Basics

There are two broad categories of knit textiles: weft and warp. Weft knits are made by feeding yarn to all needles horizontally to construct a course. Weft knits can be produced on either a circular knit machine or a flat bed machine.

In warp knitting, one yarn is used for each knitting needle. Each stitch in a course is made by a different yarn.



Basic weft knit fabric



Course: Row of loops or
stitches running across
the knit fabric



Wale: Vertical chain of
loops in the length wise
direction of the fabric,
formed by one needle.




Glossary of Knitting Terms

• Ø  Single knit: Knit fabric produced using a single set of knitting needles. It is usually a thin lightweight fabric.
• Ø  Double-knit: Knit fabric produced on two sets of opposed needles. It is thicker and heavier than a single knit fabric.
• Ø  Technical Face: The outside of the tube of fabric produced by a circular knitting machine. This may or may not be the outside of a finished garment made from the fabric.
• Ø  Technical Back: The inside of the tube of fabric produced by a circular knitting machine. This may or may not be the inside of a finished garment made from the fabric.
• Ø  Knit Stitch: An interlocking series of loops used to construct fabric. See the diagram above of the basic weft knit fabric.
• Ø  Tuck Stitch: A needle receives a new yarn without losing its old loop. A tuck loop always faces the technical back of the fabric.
• Ø  Welt, Miss, or Float Stitch: These terms describe the same formation. The stitch is created by not allowing the needle to raise high enough to receive a new yarn, causing the yarn to float behind the face stitches.
• Ø  Inlay Stitch: Combination of float and tuck stitches. In a 3x1 inlay, three needles float and one tucks. Commonly used in Fleece and French Terry fabrics.
• Ø  Jersey Fabric: The basic single knit construction (T- shirt fabric) with the appearance of tiny “V” s on the face of the fabric and wavy courses on the back of the fabric.
• Ø  Rib Fabric: This double-knit fabric draws some wales to the front and others to the back for a ridge effect. Ribs have a higher stretch and recovery than most knits and they are used for trim and body goods.
• Ø  Interlock Fabric: Two yarn feeds are required to create one course. The knitting on front and back gives interlock a smooth surface on each side of the fabric. Selected needles can be pulled out for poor boy looks.
• Ø  Lacoste Fabric: The original stitch configuration used in Lacoste shirts. The tucking pattern creates a tiny honeycomb look on the technical back of the fabric, which is used as the face for garments.
• Ø  Pique Fabric: The combination of knit and tuck stitches gives a small diamond appearance to the face of the fabric. It is the most popular fabric used in collar/placket shirts
•   

Industrial Knitting Process

It is a known fact that the main material for fabric construction is yarn. Knitting is the second most frequently used method, after weaving, that turns yarns or threads into fabrics. It is a versatile technique that can make fabrics having various properties such as wrinkle-resistance, stretch ability, better fit, particularly demanded due to the rising popularity of sportswear and casual wears. As of present day, knitted fabrics are used widely for making hosiery, underwear, sweaters, slacks, suits and coats apart from rugs and other home furnishings. 

Knitting Industry

Knitting industry is a very complex one. It has two primary areas having their own sub divisions of specialization. One of the key segments of knitting industry manufactures knitted goods for garment manufacturers, sewing centers, and consumers among others. The other one produces finished apparels such as hosiery, sweaters, underwear etc.

Basic Principle of knitting

A knitted fabric may be made with a single yarn which is formed into interlocking loops with the help of hooked needles. According to the purpose of the fabric, the loops may be loosely or closely constructed. Crocheted fabric is the simplest example of knitting where a chain of loops is constructed from a single thread with the help of a hook. As the loops are interlocked in a knitted fabric, it can stretch in any direction even when a low-grade yarn having little elasticity is used.

Basic Construction Process of Knitted Fabric

The construction of knitted fabric is assessed by the number of stitches or loops per square inch. When the interlocking loops run lengthwise, each row is called a wale that corresponds to the direction of warp in woven fabrics. When the loops run across the fabric, each row is called a course that corresponds to the filling or weft in woven fabrics. A knitted fabric having 50 loops or stitches in one inch of width and 60 loops in one inch of length will be said to have 50 wales and 60 courses.

Importance of Needles in Knitting Process 

The needle quality also affects the knitted fabric's quality. If the thickness of the hook differs from one needle to another then the stitches will also vary in width. Same is the case with loops which will vary in length with the needle lengths. Various types of needles are used for making different knitted fabrics including latch needle, spring-beard needle, and compound needle. Latch needle has a latch or swinging finger that closes onto the hook of the needle as it pulls the yarn through a loop in order to form a new loop. It is used for jersey and rib knitting. A spring-beard needle has a fine, springy hook looking like a beard. This hook has to be used with a sinker to hold the fabric down and a presser to close the hook as it forms the loop. It is used for making more fine fabrics with smaller loops. A compound needle made up of a hook and a sliding closing element is used for faster knitting with lesser fabric distortion.

Types of knitted Fabrics

There are various types of knitted fabrics and each type has different appearance and characteristics. The construction of a knitted fabric depends upon the type being constructed. A knitted fabric that has more wales will be rigid and stable in width while a fabric that has more courses will be rigid and stable in length. A fabric having many wales and courses per square inch will have better recovery from stretching than a fabric having lesser wales and courses. Such fabric that will have fewer wales and courses will be less rigid, stretch more easily, fit to body shape in a better way but will have poorer recovery ability. All the knitted fabrics are classified into two general categories:

• Weft knit fabric, where one continuous yarn forms courses across the fabric.
• Warp knit fabric, where a series of yarns form wales in the lengthwise direction of the fabric.

 1)    Weft Knitting 

There are three basic stitches in weft knitting

• Plain-knit stitch
• Purl stitch
• Rib stitch

Any other stitch is a variation of these three stitches. Hand knitting is basically weft knitting. When done on weft knitting machines, individual yarn is fed to a single or multiple needles at a time. 

Plain-knit stitch:

Plain knit, the basic form of knitting can be produced in flat knit or in tubular (or circular) form. It is also called jersey stitch or balbriggan stitch. A row of latch or beard needles is arranged in a linear position on a needle plate or in a circular position on a cylinder. The side by side evenly spaced needles are moved by cams, which act on the needle butts. The spacing of the needles is called gauge, gage or cut which refers to the number of needles in one and a half inches, for example, a 60 gauge machine will have 40 needles per inch. The needles intermesh loops drawn to one side of the fabric, forming vertical herringbone like ribs or wales on the right side or technical face of the fabric. On the reverse side or the technical back, courses are visible as interlocking rows of opposed half circles. These fabrics have the tendency of curling up at the edges which is controlled to a level through certain finishes.

Plain knit allows the use of single or plied yarns produces comparatively lightweight fabrics than produced by other stitches. The production rate is higher, about 5 times more than weaving. It is inexpensive and a variety of designs may be produced including stripes, multicolored patterns, textured surfaces produced by raised designs and pile effects. Plain-knit fabrics stretch more in the width than in the length and as such, they are widely used for making underwear, gloves, hosiery and sweaters. 

Purl stitch: 


Purl stitch, also called link-and-link stitch, is made on flat bed knitting machines and circular machines by needles using hooks on both ends to alternately draw loops to the front of the fabric in one course and to the back in the next course. The fabrics look similar on both the sides resembling back of the plain knit. Heavy, jumbo stitch is also possible which gives a bulky effect to the fabrics. However, It is comparatively slower and a costly technique. The fabric doesn't curl at the edges. Purl stitch is widely used in infant wear and kids clothing due to its crosswise stretch and excellent lengthwise stretch. 

Rib stitch:

Rib stitch produces alternate lengthwise rows of plain and purl stitches and as such the face and back of the fabrics are a look-alike. Rib stitch can be produced on a flat rib machine as well as circular rib machine. In the flat rib machine, one set of needles is placed opposite the other set of needles in an inverted V position. In the circular rib machine, one set of needles is placed vertically in a cylinder and the other set of needles is placed horizontally on a dial. In both the machines, one set of needles pulls the loops to the front and the other set of needles pulls the loops to the back of the fabric. Each set of needles alternately draws loops in its own direction, depending on the width of the rib desired. For instance, rib stitches can be 1X1, 2X2, 2X1, 3X1, and the like. Accordion rib is the combination of 1x1 and 2X2. As a greater amount of yarn is required for rib stitch and the rate of production is also slower, it is an expensive method of fabric construction. The fabric doesn't curl at the edges and as the fabric possess an excellent widthwise elasticity, it is widely used for making such clothing that needs an excellent fit such as wristbands of sleeves and waistbands of garments, underwear and socks for men and children. 

2)    Warp Knitting

Warp knitting is different from weft knitting in the sense that in it each needle loops its own thread. The needles of warp knitting machines produce parallel rows of loops that are interlocked in a zigzag pattern. The stitches on the front side of the fabrics appear vertically having a slight angle. The stitches on the backside appear horizontally as floats at a slight angle. These floats are called laps or underlaps and are a distinguished features of warp knit fabrics. Warp knitting machine Warp knitting may be flat or tubular that can produce a variety of patterns. It is a very fast technique that can produce fabric with a dimensional stability almost equal to that of a woven fabric. It can also use yarns of man made fibers very efficiently. There are basically seven types of warp knitting- Tricot knit; Milanese knit; Simplex knit; Raschel knit; Ketten Raschel knit; Crochet and Weft-insertion warp. Warp knit fabrics are very popular due to their many properties such as smoothness, sheerness, wrinkle resistance, shrink resistance, strength and abrasion resistance. 

Comparison of Weft Knitting and Warp Knitting

Warp knit fabrics have certain advantages over weft knits

• Warp knit fabrics do not ravel easily.
• They are less prone to sagging.
• Quality is generally better than weft knits..
• Stitch definition, texture and fabric cover are also usually better than weft knits.
• Warp knits have superior dimensional ability.

Thanks & best regards
Bipul

Some common Garment Defects.

Learn Apparel Merchandising, Learn Fashion design.

Dear All,

Please find below some common Garments Defects which we generally found during production.  

Sewing Defects

Ø  Open seams,

Ø  Wrong stitching techniques,

Ø  Non- matching threads,

Ø  Missing stitches,

Ø  Improper creasing of the garment,

Ø  Erroneous thread tension and raw edges.

Color Defects

Ø  Variation of color between the sample and the final garment,

Ø  Wrong color combinations and mismatching dyes should always be avoided.

Sizing Defects

Ø  Wrong gradation of sizes,

Ø  Difference in measurement of various parts of a garment like sleeves of XL size for body of L size garment can deteriorate the garments beyond repair.

Others Defects

Ø  Broken buttons or defective buttons,

Ø  Broken snaps,

Ø  Broken stitches,

Ø  Different shades within the same garment,

Ø  Dropped stitches,

Ø  Exposed notches and raw edges,

Ø  Fabric defects,

Ø  Fabric holes,

Ø  Faulty zippers,

Ø  Loose or hanging  sewing threads,

Ø  Misaligned buttons and holes,

Ø  Missing buttons,

Ø  Needle cuts or chews,

Ø  Pulled yarn or loose yarn,

Ø  Stains,

Ø  Unfinished buttonhole,

Ø  Short zippers,

      Ø In appropriate trimmings etc.

Thanks & best regards

Bipul

DIFFERENT DYEING MACHINES

Learn Apparel Merchandising, Learn Fashion design.

INTRODUCTION TO DIFFERENT DYEING MACHINES

There are several dyeing machines used for dyeing of fibre, yarn, fabric and garments.

Some of the important of them are

(1) Jigger Dyeing Machine

(2) Winch Dyeing Machine

(3) Jet Dyeing Machine

(4) Padding Mangle

(5) Package Dyeing Machine

(6) High Pressure High Temperature Dyeing Machine. (Beam Dyeing Machine)

Jigger Dyeing Machine

Jigger dyeing machine is the most commonly used for dyeing all kinds of cotton fabric. There are mainly two types of jigger dyeing machine. One is open jigger dyeing machine and other is closed jigger dyeing machine. The open jigger dyeing machine is shown in the figure. This machine consists of V shaped stainless steel vessel. Two rollers are fitted above the vessel called as cloth rollers. These rollers are rotated by power. Out of these two rollers one roller is driven by a motor which is called take up roller and the other roller from which the cloth is delivered is called let off roller. When all the cloth is passed from the let off roller to the take up roller, it is called as one end or one turn. The number of ends or turns depends upon the type of the fabric and also the percentage of the shade. Initially, a large length of (50 kg) cloth is wound on the let off roller and take up roller is then driven by the power. After one end is taken, the take up becomes let off roller. These backward and forward movements of cloth through the dye liquor absorb more and more dye. The capacity of the jigger is 100 to 150 gallons. In the modern jigger, automatic devices are fitted along with the timing switch by using reversing will take place automatically. When dyeing all the dye liquor should not be added at one time. The dye liquor should be added in batch wise, in order to get even shade on the cloth. In the present scenario, closed types of jiggers are used. The main advantage is to prevent heat loss and chemical loses by evaporation. This type of jigger is very important for dyeing vat, Sulphur etc.

Advantages of Jigger Dyeing Machine

1. The cloth can be dyed in open width form of full width form.

2. Chemical and heat loses are less when compared to winch dyeing machine

3. The material to liquor ratio is 1:3 (or) 1:4 which saves considerable amount of

chemical cost and steam cost.

Disadvantages of Jigger Dyeing Machine

It exerts lot of tension in the warp direction and because of this normally woolen, knitted

fabrics, silk etc are not dyed in jigger dyeing machine.

Winch Dyeing Machine

Winch dyeing machine is normally used for dyeing light weight fabrics like knitted fabrics as well as woven, silk etc. The winch dyeing machine is different in construction from the jigger. The machine consists of elliptical winch (or) circular winch which is driven by hand or motor. Elliptical winches are most widely used. It has a perforated portion dividing the machine in to two compartments. One is small and the other one is bigger in size. Dye- liquor pipe, steam pipe, water inlet are provided in small compartment. Dyeing is carried out in the larger compartment. During working, one end of the fabric is passed over the guide rollers and winch and under the dye liquor and passed in between the pegs. After the sufficient amount of cloth is fed the ends are stitched and making a long continuous loop formation. Many such loops run together separately by a series of pegs, to avoid entanglements. The loops are drawn in and out of the bath by rotating the winch. After dyeing is over the pieces are separated. The winch is made up of stainless steel. Now-a-days closed type of winch is also used to prevent the temperature loss and pressure loss.

Advantages

Thin and light weight fabrics like knitted fabrics, voile cloth etc, can be dyed successfully in winch dyeing machine without exerting any tension. Embroidery fabrics may be dyed in winch dyeing machine without affecting the embroidery designs.

Disadvantages

Fabrics are dyed in rope form, so there are more chances for uneven dyeing. Therefore, we will get even dyeing only when retarding / leveling agent is added to the dye liquor. The material to liquor ratio is very high i.e. 1:30 or 1:40. Therefore the heat and the additional chemicals are provided more when compared to jigger. Heat and chemical losses are more because of the wider open tank.

 Padding Mangle

Continuous dyeing methods depend upon the impregnation with the padding mangles. The padding mangles are equipped with two, three or even four mangles. The rollers are arranged one above the other. Three bowl padding mangle are usually prepared for dyeing of cloth. The padding mangle consists of two ebonite rollers and one rubber covered roller. To reduce the material to liquor ratio, low capacity troughs are generally used with the different shapes. Some of the machines are provided with jacket troughs for maintaining the temperature of pad liquor. An over head tank is connected to the mangle for feeding the stock solution through the perforated pipe. The supply of the dye-liquor is controlled automatically to maintain a constant level. The pressure on the padding mangle is applied by hydraulic or pneumatic system which enables heavier and uniform pressure. The trough is fitted with dye-liquor and the cloth passes through the dye solution, which is heated by steam. After that the cloth is passed between the ebonite and rubber covered roller to give uniform pressure throughout the fabric. The pressure can be altered depends upon the type of the fabric. The speed is 200 yards/minute. It is used for dyeing vat, Sulphur, Naphthol etc. The solution used in the trough is divided in two equal portions to avoid uneven dyeing. The padding mangles may also be used for desizing purposes.

Jet Dyeing Machine

This is the most modern machine used for the dyeing of polyester using disperse dyes. In this machine the cloth is dyed in rope form which is the main disadvantage of the machine. In this machine, the dye tank contains disperse dye, dispersing agent, leveling agent and acetic acid. The solution is filled up in the dye tank and it reaches the heat exchanger where the solution will be heated which then passed on to the centrifugal pump and then to the filter chamber. The solution will be filtered and reaches the tubular chamber. Here the material to be dyed will be loaded and the winch is rotated, so that the material is also rotated. Again the dye liquor reaches the heat exchanger and the operation is repeated for 20 to 30 minutes at 135o C. Then the dye bath is cooled down, after the material is taken out. Metering wheel is also fixed on winch by external electronic unit. Its purpose is to record the speed of the fabric. The thermometer, pressure gauge is also fixed in the side of the machine to note the temperature and pressure under working. A simple device is also fixed to note the shade under working.

Advantages

Ï Dyeing time is short compared to beam dyeing.

Ï Material to liquor ratio is 1:5 (or) 1:6

Ï Production is high compared to beam dyeing machine.

Disadvantages

Ï Cloth is dyed in rope form

Ï Risk of entanglement

Ï Chance for crease formation.

Package Dyeing Machine

A series of technical developments in the recent years has resulted into package dyeing being

developed into a highly sophisticated as well as an economic process. Latest design Package Dyeing machines are amenable to accurate control and automation. These features would likely to lead to increases in the application of package dyeing. The term package dyeing usually denotes for dyeing of yarn that has been wound on perforated cores. This helps in forcing the dye liquor through the package. With the start of dyeing cycle, the dye liquor goes on circulating throughout the vessel and tank. This happens till all the dye is used up or fully exhausted. The dye flows through to the yarn package with the help of the deliberate perforations in the tube package. Once full exhaustion is brought about, the carrier of coloured yarn is consequently removed from the vessel. A large centrifuge removes excess water from the packages. Finally the yarn is dried using an infra red drying oven. The image shows the process working of a Package dyeing machine.

Advantages of Package Dyeing machine

Package dyeing methodologies have been subjected to intensive research and development. As a result package dyeing machine has evolved into a very sophisticated apparatus. It offers a number of advantages.

Ï Considerable reduction in yarn handling.

Ï Compatible to automatic control, in the process leading to reproducible dyeing.s.

Ï Open to large batches.

Ï High temperature dyeing a possibility.

Ï Low liquor ratios, giving savings in water, effluent and energy.

Ï Uniform and High rates of liquor circulation, that leads to level application of

dyes.

Ï Machinery totally enclosed resulting in good working conditions at the dye-house.

Beam Dyeing Machine

The beam dyeing machine operates with the same principle as that of package dyeing machine. It can be effectively used to dye yarn or fabric. The process works like this, fabric or yarn in open width is rolled on to a perforated beam. The beam then subsequently slid into a vessel that is closed and pressurized. The colour impregnates the fabric as the dye liquor is allowed to go on circulating through the perforations in the beam. Usually the beam machines are designed in such a manner so as to hold a single beam or multiple beams in a batch.

Features of Beam Dyeing Machine

Ï Able to adjust water level in accordance to fabric volume.

Ï Even dyeing and superior dyeing quality.

Ï Optimized circulation system along with high performance pumps.

Advantages of Beam Dyeing machine

Ï The fabric is put under controlled tension, and is wound on to a perforated beam. This results in elimination of creases from the fabric. It also ensures total control of dimensions of the roll of fabric.

Ï The fabric is not allowed to do any movement during the process of dyeing. This actually means that there is no application of mechanical action on to the fabric. As shown in the figure, there is no movement of the fabric as the hydrostatic pressure of the pump forces the dye liquor through the fabric roll.

collected by bipul