"Comparative Study On Defects and Inspection System of Woven Fabrics in Different RMG Industry in Bangladesh" 1

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Chapter 01

Introduction

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

1.1

Introduction

The economy of Bangladesh is largely dependent on agriculture. However the ReadyMade


Garments (RMG) sector has emerged as the biggest earner of foreign currency. The RMG sector
has experienced an exponential growth since the 1980s. The sector contributes significantly to
the GDP. It also provides employment to around 4.2 million Bangladeshis, mainly women from
low income families.
It was started in the late 1970s. Soon it became one of the major economical strength for
Bangladesh. The RMG sector has added very much in earning foreign exchange, balancing
export and import, huge unemployment problem for the country and empowerment of women
along with given them financial support.
Fabrics are the main and costly raw materials of a garment. So it is very important to use fabric
efficiently and control wastage of fabric. On the other hand fabric defects are the maximum
defects of garments, for which many-unexpected problem may occur in a clothing industry. Such
as- short shipment, discount, low price etc.
To avoid all above problems and to take preventive measures fabric inspection is very important
for a clothing industry.
Inspection is the process of determining whether a product has deviated from a given set of
specifications. Fabric defect detection can be defined as the process of determining the location
and/or extend of a collection of pixels in a fabric image with remarkable deviation in their
intensity values or spatial arrangement with respect to the background texture.
In the textile industry, inspection is done to assure the fabrics quality before any shipments are
sent to customers, because defects in fabrics can reduce the price of a product by 45% to
65%.Currently, the quality assurance of web processing is mainly carried out by manual
inspection. However, the reliability of manual inspection is limited by ensuing fatigue and
inattentiveness. Indeed, only about 70% of defects can be detected by the most highly trained
inspectors.
In present inspection by using fabric inspection machines in the most used way to classify faults
after weaving and finishing. Generally, faults are classified by type and by frequency in the
inspected fabric roll. The judgment of fabric quality depends on faults tolerance levels fixed by
each producer and could be in some cases subjective because it is based on the number of faults
and number of fault size and gravity.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

Chapter 02
Literature survey

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

2.1.1 Introduction of Woven Fabric


Woven fabric is a textile formed by weaving. It is produced on a loom, and made of many
threads woven on a warp and a weft.
Weaving is the textile process in which two district sets of yarn called the warp. And the filling
or weft, are interlaced with each other to form a fabric or cloth. The warp yarns run lengthways
of the piece of fabric, and the weft runs across from side to side. By weaving we get woven
fabric.
Weaving, the art of forming a fabric by interlacing at right angles two or more sets of yarn or
other material. It is one of the most ancient fundamental arts, as indicated by archaeological
evidence. Discoveries in the early 1990s in the Czech Republic point to a possible origin in the
Paleolithic period some 27,000 years ago. Moreover, the earliest literatures often mention the
products of the loom. In primitive cultures weaving was practiced mainly by women.
Although weaving sprang up independently in different parts of the world and was early known
in Europe, its high development there in the middle Ages was brought about by Eastern
influences operating through Muslim and Byzantine channels of culture. Byzantium became a
center of silk weaving in the 6th cent. In the 9th cent. Greece, Italy, and Spain became proficient.
In Flanders a high degree of skill was attained by the 10th cent., especially in the weaving of
wool. Flemish weavers brought to England by William the Conqueror and later by Queen
Elizabeth I gave a great impetus to the craft there, and Lancashire became an important center.
Tapestry weaving was brought to a high art in France. In colonial America weaving was a
household industry allied with agriculture.
The 18th-century weaving and spinning inventions marked the transition from the old era of
domestic craftsmanship to the tremendous, organized industry of today. The factory system of
machine weaving produces quantities of standardized material for mass consumption; the result
is a loss of the distinctive elements of quality and design. Some of the finest silks, velvets, table
linens, and carpets are still woven on handle.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

2.1.2 Process flow chart of manufacturing woven fabric (Modern)


Different fabrics are produced In Weaving Industry. These fabrics are weaved by using various
looms and related machines. Before going straightly to the Weaving process; some pretreatment
and pre-process should be carried out.

Figure 1: Process flow chart of manufacturing woven fabric (Modern).

2.1.3 Woven Fabric Defect


A Fabric Defect is any abnormality in the Fabric that hinders its acceptability by the consumer.
Fabric faults, or defects, are responsible for nearly 85% of the defects found by the garment
industry. An automated defect detection and identification system enhances the product quality
and results in improved productivity to meet both customer demands and to reduce the costs
associated with off quality. Higher the production speeds make the timely detection of fabric
defects more important than ever.
According to the woven fabric defects can be organized into three basic categories. The weft
direction defects, the warp direction defects and defects with no directional dependence. Some of

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

them in the weft direction are irregular weft density, double pick, broken pick, weft yarn defect,
and float; defects in the warp direction are broken end, double end and warp yarn defect. Defects
with no directional dependence involve defects: stain, hole and foreign body.
List of defects in woven fabric is given bellow:
Coloured flecks
Knots
Slub
Broken ends woven in a bunch
Broken pattern
Double end
Float
Gout
Hole, cut, or tear
Lashing-In
Local distortion
Missing ends
Missing Pick
Oil and other stain
Oily ends
Oily picks
Reed mark
Slough of
Shuttle smash
Snarls
Stitches
Untrimmed loose threads
Weft bar

2.1.4 Causes and mending of some common defects in Woven Fabric


Colored Flecks
Presence of colored foreign matter in the yarn.
Causes:
Cotton fibres getting contaminated during the
ginning stage with leaves, immature fibre, yellow
fibre, etc.
Mending:
Coloured portion is removed from the yarn with a
plucker. The resultant bare patch can be corrected by
combing with metallic comb.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

Knots
Knot is a fastening made by tying together the ends of yarn.
Causes:
Thread breaks during process of winding, warping,
sizing or weaving.
Mending:
Non Mendable.
Slub:
Slub is a bunch of yarn having less twist or no twist and has
a wider diameter compared to normal spun yarn.
Causes:
Improper carding/combing.
Broken tooth in the chain of gear system.
Mending:
The slub should be cut with the clipper from both
the ends. The resultant bare patch can be corrected
by combing with a metallic comb or by insertion of a separate thread with the help of fine
needle.

Broken pattern :
A broken pattern is the non continuity of a weave/ design/
pattern.
Causes:
Wrong drawing in of threads.
Incorrect shedding.
Mending:
Non Mendable.

Broken ends woven in a bunch:


This defect is caused by a bunch of broken ends woven
into the fabric.
Causes:
Failure of the weaver in attending the warp breaks
properly.
Mending:
The broken ends woven in a bunch can be removed
by using a plucker and the resulting loose ends
should be cut with clipper.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

Double end :
When two or more ends gets woven as one. This defect is
characterized by a thick bar running parallel to the warp.
Causes:
Wrong drawing, taking more ends in heald eye.
Mending:
This fault can be corrected by pulling out the extra
end with the help of needle. A bare patch is formed
and can be filled by combing in both directions with
the help of metallic comb.
Float :
Float is the improper interlacement of warp and weft
threads over a certain area.
Causes:
Improper sizing (ends sticking).
Broken end entangling with the other ends.
Mending:
Only minor floats can be rectified. The floating
threads are cut with a clipper. Combing in both
directions rectifies the resultant patch.

Gout
Gout is a foreign matter accidently woven into the fabric.
Causes :
Improper loom cleaning.
Unclean environment.
Mending :
The extra foreign matter can be pulled out with a
plucker. Combing in both direction rectifies the
resultant patch.
Hole, Cut, Tear
This is self explanatory.
Causes :
Sharp edges on cloth roll.
Hard substance between layers of fabric in cloth roll.
Course temples used for fine fabric.
During removal of hard particles like, Iron particles
woven in the cloth.
Mending:
Non mendable.
Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

Missing Ends
Missing Ends : The fabric is characterized by a gap, parallel to
the warp. The number of ends missing may be one or more.
Causes :
Loom not equipped with warp stop motion.
Dirty drop wires or accumulation of lint may prevent
their dropping.
In electric warp stop motion, the electric bars are dirty or
corroded.
Mending:
When there are only two adjacent ends missing, the fault can be rectified by combing in
both directions using a metallic comb. This may fill the bare patch formed due to missing
ends.
Missing Picks
A narrow streak running parallel with weft threads caused due to
absence of weft.
Causes:
Faulty let-off and take-up motion.
Faulty weft-stop motion.
Fell of the cloth not adjusted after loom stoppage for
mending.
Mending:
When there are only two adjacent picks missing, the fault can be rectified by combing in
both directions using a metallic comb.
Stitches
A Single thread float.
Causes :
Two adjacent ends sticking together during shedding
for a brief period of time.
In case of synthetic yarns, ends sticking together due to
static charge during weaving.
Mending:
Stitches are cut with a clipper from both the ends. Combing in both the directions with
the help of a metallic comb may rectify the resultant bare patch formed.
Untrimmed loose threads
Any hanging threads on the face of the fabrics are termed as
loose threads.
Causes :
Tail ends not trimmed after piecing up.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

Mending:
These defects can be easily rectified with the help of clipper.
Weft bar:
An unwanted bar, running across the full width of a piece
which differs in appearance from the adjacent normal fabric.
Causes :
Difference in count, twist, colour, lustre.
Faulty let-off and take-up motion.
Mending:
Non mendable.
Shuttle smash :
Ruptued cloth structure characterised by many broken warp
ends and floating picks.
Causes :
Improper timing.
Insufficient picking force.
Slack ends in certain portion. The sagging
endsobstructs shuttle flight.
Mending:
Non mendable.
Lashing in
An extra piece of yarn woven into the fabric in the vicinity of
the selvedge.
Causes :
Defective setting of the shuttle box.
Early or late picking.
In case of auto loom, weft cutters worn out or not set
properly
Mending:
This defect can be corrected by pulling out the extra pick from the selvedge end, which
can be clipped with the help of clipper. A bare patch is formed and can be filled by
combing in both directions with the help of metallic comb.

Oil Or Stain
These are spot defects of oil, rust, grease or other stains found in
the fabric.
Causes :
Improper oiling/greasing of looms.
Oil stained Take up roller.
Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

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Mending:
1) Keep the stained portion of the fabric over an absorbent pad. Apply the stain remover,
wetting the stain and surrounding portion thoroughly.
2) Rub gently to quicken the penetration of the stain remover.
3) Rubbing should be done towards the centre of stain to avoid spreading.
Oily Ends
These are oily warp ends.
Causes:
Improper handling and storage of material in
spinning department.
Oil-contaminated guides and oily hands during
process of warping.
Improper handling of warp beams.
Mending:
1) Keep the stained portion of the fabric over an absorbent pad. Apply the stain remover,
wetting the stain and surrounding portion throughly.
2) Rub gently to quicken the penetration of the stain remover.
3) Rubbing should be done towards the centre of stain to avoid spreading.
Oily Weft
These are oily weft picks.
Causes:
Improper handling and storing in spinning
department.
Weft package falling on oily ground.
Handling the weft with oily hands.
Weft carring baskets having oil.
Mending:
1) Keep the stained portion of the fabric over an absorbent pad. Apply the
stain remover, wetting the stain and surrounding portion throughly.
2) Rub gently to quicken the penetration of the stain remover.
3) Rubbing should be done towards the centre of stain to avoid spreading.
Local Distortion
A Distortion occurs when there is displacement of warp and/or
weft threads from their normal position.
Causes:
The emery roll is worn out.
In filament fabric having low reed picks.
Mending:
This defect can be corrected by combing in both directions using a metallic comb.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

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Slough off :
A slough-off is a bunch of weft woven into the fabric.
Causes:
Improper winding of the yarn onto the weft pirn.
Improper shape and size of the pirn.
Harsh picking.
Mending:
The bulk yarn can be pulled out by means of plucker.
Combing in both direction with help of metallic
comb can fill up the resultant bare patch.
Reed Marks
A warp way crack caused by a damaged or defective reed.
Causes:
Defective or damaged reed.
Mending:
Non Mendable.
Broken pattern due to defective piles:
A broken pattern is the result of non-continuity of the
design/pattern in the pile fabric.
Causes:
Improper working of terry motion on loom.
Improper functioning of jacquard.
Missing pick.
Mending:
Non mendable.

Pile less spot


It is a spot without the pile
Causes:
Improper working of terry motion on loom.
Improper functioning of jacquard.
Mending:
Non mendable

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

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2.2.1 Introduction of Inspection


Inspection in reference to the apparel industry can be defined as the visual examination or review
of raw materials partially finished components of the garments. It also examines completely
finished garments by measuring the garments to check if they meet the required measurements,
in relation to some requirements, standards or specifications.

2.2.2 Objective of Fabric Inspection


The main objective of inspection is the detection of the defects and nonconformance's as early as
possible in the manufacturing process so that time and money are not wasted later on in either
correcting the defect or writing off defective garments. Fabric inspection is use to the following
aspects:
Improve product quality
Minimize wastage
Reduce the cost
Avoid short shipment/Order cancellellation
Increase productivity

2.2.3 Fabric inspection methods


The quality of a final garment depends on the quality of a fabric when it is received as a roll.
Defective materials cannot be compensated by even the most outstanding manufacturing
methods. They inspect 20% of the rolls that they receive and evaluate them based on different
systems.
In this way, fabric related quality problems can be avoided before it is put into production.
During the inspection the fabric may be found to contain different defects. The defects
depending on the magnitude, frequency of occurrence, position, importance, effect on the
purpose, consequence in the further process etc., shall be classified and graded under various
systems.
So, for the fabric inspection to remove defects, we can use different types of systems, which are
given below.
1. 4- point system
2. 10 point system
3. Graniteville 78 system
4. Dallas System.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

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2.2.3.1 4 Point System


It was published in 1959 by the National Association of Shirt Pajama Sportswear Manufacturers.
It is widely used and adopted in knitted fabric.
Amount to select
It inspects around 20% of the total rolls of the shipment.

Selection of rolls
Select at least one roll of each color. Choose the additional roles in proportion to the total
number of roles per color received, if more than one role must be selected.
Defects classification

The length of the defect is used to determine the penalty point.


Size of defects in fabric
Points allotted (Penalty)
Up to 3
1
Over 3 up to 6
2
Over 6 up to 9
3
Over 9
4
Holes and opening (large dimensions)
1 or less
2
Over 1
4

General Inspection Procedures


Fabric inspection is done in suitable and safe environment with enough ventilation and
proper lighting.
Fabric passing through the frame must be between 45-60 degree angles to inspector and
must be done on appropriate Cool White light 2 F96 fluorescent bulbs above viewing area.
Back light can be used as and when needed.
Fabric speed on inspection machine must not be more than 15 yards per minute.
Standard approved bulk dye lot standards for all approved lots must be available prior to
inspection (if possible)
Approved standard of bulk dye lot must be available before starting inspection for
assessing color, construction, finish and visual appearance.
Shade continuity within a roll by checking shade variation between centre and selvage and
the beginning, middle and end of each roll must be evaluated and documented.
Textiles like knits must be evaluated for weight against standard approved weight.
Fabric width must be checked from selvage to selvage against standard.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

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All defects must be flagged during inspection.


The length of each roll inspected must be compared to length as mentioned on supplier
ticketed tag and any deviation must be documented and reported to mill for additional
replacement to avoid shortage.
If yarn dyed or printed fabrics are being inspected the repeat measurement must be done
from beginning, middle and end of selected rolls.
No penalty points are recorded or assigned for minor defects. Only major defects are
considered .
Major Defects
Mostly woven fabric defects include slubs, holes, missing yarns, yarn variation, end out, soiled
yarns, and wrong yarn. But they are not limited to these.
Calculation
Once the rolls are inspected, the Points per 100 Square Yards or Meter must be calculated to
determine acceptability of the roll and / or shipment. The formulas for the calculations are shown
below:
For Individual Roll:
Point per 100 Square Yards=

( Points for the roll x 3600 ).


Inspected Yards xCut able Fabric Width (inch )

For Shipment:
(TotalAverage
Total Shipment Points per 100 Sq. Yards = Shipment Inspected

points per linear Yardx 3600 ).


Yards xCut able Fabric Width (inch )

The total defect points per 100 square yard are calculated. The fabric rolls containing more than
40 points per 100 square yard are considered as B. However, a garment may use more or less
than 40 points per 100 square yards as an acceptance criteria. The standard acceptance/grading
criteria is given bellow:
Total Point
40
Above 40-60
Above60-80
Over 80

Grade
A
B
C
Rejected

Advantages
Point system has not width limitation.
Worker can easily understand it.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

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2.2.3.2 10 Point Grading System


In 1955, the ten point system for piece goods evaluation was approved by the Textile
distributors institute and the National Federation of Textile.
It is the earliest inspection system. It is designed to identify defects and to assign each defect a
value based on severity of defect.
Defects classification
The system assigns penalty points to each defect depending on its length and whether it is in the
warp (ends) or weft (fill) direction. It can get quite complicated in practical use, while sounding
simple.
Size of defects in fabric

Points allotted
(Penalty)
Warp defects

Up to 1
Over 1 up to 5
Over 5 up to 10
Over 10 up to 36

1
3
5
10
Weft defects

Up to 1
Over 1 up to 5
Over 5 up to width
Over width

1
3
5
10

Deciding fabric quality


For width less than 50
First Quality = Total Defect Points < Total Yards inspected
Otherwise it is second Quality.
For more than 50 width
First Quality = Total Defects X 1.1 Points < Total Yards Inspected
Maximum defects allotted /yard = 10.
Otherwise it is second quality.
Advantages
It is the most used and oldest when it comes to woven finished fabric.
It uses the length of fabric and along the length of warp and weft defects are
identified.
Disadvantages
It has width limitation.
It is difficult in practical use.

Comparative study on Defects and Inspection System of woven fabrics in different RMG Industry in Bangladesh

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2.2.3.3 Graniteville 78 System


For the field of fabric grading, it was introduced in 1975. The system divided defects into major
and minor types.
Defects classification
The defect which was very obvious and leads the goods to second quality was the major defect.
The defect which may or may not have cause garment to second, depending on its location in the
end use item was the minor defect.

Size of defects in fabric


Up to 9
Over 9 up to 18
Over 18 up to 27
Over 27 up to 36

Points allotted (Penalty)


1
2
3
4

The principle was established in garment cutting piece, which the short length defects
(less than 9) will normally be removed.
The system tries to balance the importance of longer defects (over 9) and put less weight
on 1-10 defects such as slub.
The system also suggests the viewing distance of 9 foot instead of normal 3-foot viewing
distance. It also tends to eliminate very small defects from the total penalty score.
Disadvantages
As this system is used on cutting pieces according to one point of view it also increases
the cost of production.

2.2.3.4 Dallas System


In 1970s, there was also a Dallas System published. That system was developed specifically for
knits. According to this system, if any defect was found on a finished garment the garment would
then be termed a second. In regard to fabric, this system defines a second as "more then one
defect per ten linear yards, calculated to the nearest ten yards."
Disadvantage
The defect is located after the garment is finished. As a result of this the cost of
production increases.

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