Why innovation in sewing technology will advance the textiles industry into the Internet of Things

By George Sun

The Internet of Things, frequently referred to as IoT, is a term used to describe the rapidly increasing number of connected devices to the internet. If you have used a streaming device such as a Roku TV, a wearable such as a FitBit, or even an iPhone, you’ve participated in and contributed to the massive IoT industry as a consumer. This movement shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, largely thanks to advancements in technologies such as 5G and access to smaller and faster sensors like inertial measurement systems (IMUs). According to Statista, there were nearly 10 billion devices connected to the internet in 2020. In the next 10 years, that number is projected to grow nearly three-fold, to almost 30 billion devices. While IoT is clearly trending upward, this trend mostly is prevalent in the consumer electronics industry today; however, the textile and garment industry has yet to embrace the IoT revolution. A main reason is that textile and electronics are like water and oil, rarely combined. And if so, they come in as pods, pucks, or straps that are tethered to a piece of cloth. How-ever, inevitably, all devices, including textiles, will be connected to the internet, according to Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Nextiles Inc. Innovations in both materials science as well as sewing technology can help move the industry forward for all.

The Opportunity For Textiles In IoT

The materials that power IoT devices revolve around silicon. With that, peripheral materials such as heavy metals and plastics together make the devices used today from cars to Bluetooth-enabled home products. Manufacturers in semiconductive devices have been reaping the rewards from big data while the textile industry has largely been left out of the IoT movement.

However, the materials have lately seen a plateau in innovation, and as the chip shortage and supply chain issues persist, there needs to be a new player to support the IoT movement. The textile industry is prime to steal the spotlight from consumer electronics, and because up to 95 percent of the body touches fabric on any given day, it is the best means to introduce innovative solutions to wearables, health tech and everyday consumer electronics. In many ways, today’s wearable technology has it backwards by using hard chips to measure the flexible nature of the human body. Whereas in textiles, there is an opportunity to make clothing the protagonist and main data capture tool to gain better data insights that is more comfort-able and amenable to any way, shape, or form a person may go through such as during training or an injury. By turning textiles smart, consumers will have a more comfortable form factor, and manufacturers will be able to gain more insights on their customers by collecting more behavioral data from fabric-based sensors made possible through sewing technology.

Fabric As The Data Capture Tool

The beauty of sewing technology is, with the right blend of materials and patterns, any sewable material can be turned smart. For the textiles industry to innovate quickly, leveraging its current infrastructure machinery, labor and processes in sewing is most efficient. Sewing is more than 1,000 years old and yet it is still ripe for innovation, despite its reputation for being off-shored to countries with cheaper labor. Sewing flexible electronics directly into fabrics is an all-inclusive approach as multiple industry sectors have access to a needle and thread. In addition, sewing fabric-based sensors does not require special machinery, only the ability to use a sewing machine. Lastly, fabric-based sensors and sewing technology can be applied to any industry — allowing any company to be a data capture company first.

The textile industry has the opportunity to reshape how consumers interact with their surroundings — whether it is a smart surface, a tech-enabled uniform, a connected car seat or even smart furniture, By leveraging sewing technology, any manufacturer has the technological tools to capture more data and provide more value back to their end users. It’s becoming apparent that every company is vying to become a data capture company because of the profits and information that can be gained directly from users. Industries that have been left out of the Silicon Revolution during the 60s, such as mills, and garment manufacturers, can finally participate in this revolution that will be dominated through soft goods such as textiles.

A More Connected Future

By merging two disparate technologies, the new — semiconductors and their materials — and the old — sewing and textiles — innovative soft-good materials can add value to the textiles ecosystem and help reshape the way we view connected devices. In combination with the chips and plastic formula, including smart textiles will tremendously advance the state of connected devices and open new opportunities for insightful feedback.

Every time a smart device is used, it gets smarter. Shouldn’t the same machine learning opportunities exist for items that can be sewn? The industry has the opportunity to be rekindled as the new vehicle for connected devices by merging flexible electronic materials with sewing technology. The result, an era that ushers in new form factors and technology that advance not only the industry as a whole, but our society overall.

Editor’s Note: George Sun is co-founder and CEO of Brooklyn, N.Y-based Nextiles Inc., a company that was spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National Science Foundation. The company partners with select athletes, teams and brands to help innovate and develop a spectrum of customizable, form-fitting and elegantly designed products focused on human movement, data collection and quantification.

July/August 2022

Nuevo Mundo selects Smart-Indigo™ technology from Sedo Engineering to reduce its environmental impact.

TW Special Report

Denim manufacturers in South America — the largest supplier of denim items to the Americas — are investing insustainable technologies. Peru-based company Nuevo Mundo is leading the way. The denim manufacturer will be the first South America-based manufacturer to abandon the chemical production of liquid indigo as it turns itself toward a sustainable technology.

Smart-Indigo™ is a disruptive new technology developed by Switzerland-based Sedo Engineering Ltd. The technology has a growing number of denim manufacturers counting on this unique technology to produce liquid indigo where the only waste product is oxygen. Smart-Indigo makes a huge difference in the denim world by using electricity instead of chemicals to produce liquid indigo for denim dyeing. The use of electricity instead of chemicals results in a process free of hazardous chemicals and one that emits 90-percent less carbon dioxide, and consumes 70-percent less energy and 30 percent less water at different stages of the process. This technology protects the environment, creates safer and healthier workplaces, and offers economical production. Approximately 20 installations are now producing sustainable liquid-indigo in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, China and Italy in addition to this first installation in South America.

“Until today the denim market and sales have been a price battle as you find in every country at least three to four big players, producing for the local market and as well for export,” said Mr. Mayo, owner of Nuevo Mundo. “To enter the E.U. market and U.S. market so to improve exports we have to clean up the fabrics produced conferring a proper soul and history to be told to the brands and to the final users in order to differentiate and increase the real value of the twill we produce.

“Smart-Indigo is the technology that allows Nuevo Mundo to create a unique value starting from one of the two main components of the denim indigo twill — the indigo dye,” Mayo continued.

“Being cleaner, without using chemicals to dissolve it is the major step to decreasing environmental impact and the first step toward an ecological transaction that soon or later all the world will be forced to do, so being pioneers in adopting technologies confers more consciousness and more knowledge and experience having sooner return of investments and improving the sales,” Mayo concluded.

The technology uses a completely new approach to liquefy the indigo powder. The electrochemical process consumes considerably fewer resources than existing methods. It uses only indigo pigment, caustic soda, water and electricity. In a fully automated process, the clean liquid indigo is produced, metered and fed directly into the dye bath. The Smart-Indigo solution is the most sustainable and independent way to dye denim, according to its developer and manufacturer Sedo-Engineering which comes from a group of textile and dyeing experts. Thus, in addition to the sustainability of the final product, the requirements of the manufacturer are also taken into account with many extras such as automatic washing processes and easy operation.

Producing denim items under such conditions gives every denim producer a key advantage in the continuously more sustainable textile world where consumers and thus, clothing brands, are driving the change towards sustainability. Additionally, these producers benefit from their own dye production on-site in a quantity according to their needs. This offers numerous advantages such as cost savings due to zero costs for chemicals or pre-reduced liquid-indigo, lower costs for water, energy and wastewater treatment, and of course independence from suppliers.

Today’s consumers don’t just shop anymore, they want to feel good about their choices. There is only one direction the textile world is heading, and that is towards sustainability. Brands, as well as manufacturers that change early in this direction, will be the winners of tomorrow. Thanks to pioneers like Nuevo Mundo who rely on new sustainable technologies, the change is being driven forward and the necessary interaction of planet, people, and profit is moving into the center.

July/August 2022

Companies are harnessing nature’s solutions to create technical innovations for sustainable textile coloration.

By Andrew Filarowski

Get involved in any textile coloration conversation in 2022 and circularity is among the first topics on the table. This is fantastic, given that not so long ago the environmental impact of the industry was something of an elephant in the room and not to be talked about.

However, discussion and action are two different things. While as a sector the dyeing industry is much more willing to address its resource-heavy ways, taking positive steps to reduce water and chemical use and carbon emissions can be harder than simply articulating the issue.

Since its release this past spring, the Society of Dyers and Colourists’ (SDC’s) latest white paper, “Destination low carbon: Global technology and innovation reducing the environmental footprint of textile coloration,” has sparked new conversations about what is possible.

The 20-page document covers examples of technology and innovation that can cut down on water and energy used in dyeing processes, as well as effluent created.

But it also examines the ways the textile industry can take influence from and harness the help that nature can provide in devising cleaner solutions for coloration. Two European companies are under the spotlight in this respect.

They are not the only companies blazing a trail in this most fascinating of areas, but they are certainly two to watch, as their processes continue to be developed and refined.

The first company is Switzerland-based Archroma; the second is England-based Colorifix. Both companies make use of natural hues but in very different ways. Archroma has created a limited palette of dyes derived from non-edible agricultural and herbal waste, capable of replacing petrol-based raw materials; while Colorifix uses microorganisms to grow color based on natural DNA codes —including from plants, animals and insects — that can be applied to textiles without added chemicals.

Both innovations open up a myriad of possibilities for forward-thinking dyehouses that could potentially build elements of more natural dyeing into their existing operations.
Let’s look more closely at what each of these companies is doing, in turn.

Removing Toxic Impurities

Archroma, established in 2013, is a global provider of specialist chemicals, serving the coatings, adhesives and sealants markets, as well as branded and performance textiles.
The “Archroma way” was devised to remove as many toxic impurities as possible from the dyeing process while also making savings on energy and water use. This involves creating efficiencies across the board in wet processing, but also using smart chemistry to change recipes rather than equipment.

One key development is the company’s EarthColors®, a new range of dyes based on biosynthetic dyes manufactured near Barcelona, Spain. Agricultural waste is taken from a 500 kilometer radius and processed for use as a replacement petroleum raw material.
What in particular does that waste consist of? Examples include almond nut shells, rosemary leaves and bitter oranges. Using this material saves waste from landfills and creates a natural plant-based alternative — dyestuffs that are of the same quality and the same fastness as a man-made dye.

While the available palette is limited, the resultant products are wide ranging and versatile enough to have already been adopted by brands such as Patagonia, G-Star, Primark, Armed Angels and Esprit. EarthColors has already replaced more than 15 metric tons of petroleum-based raw materials with natural alternatives for dyeing.

Paul Cowell, Archroma’s global head of Competence Centers & Brand Studio, Brand & Performance Textile Specialties, said: “Getting brands onside can be a challenge. When merchandizers want the lowest prices, and designers desire the latest trends, it can often be that the sustainability team’s calls for less resource use goes unheard.

“However, we have seen a positive change in brands’ approaches to sustainability, and more and more brands are looking for impactful solutions.”

Pioneering Clean Dyeing

University of Cambridge researchers Jim Ajioka and Orr Yarkoni founded Colorifix Ltd. in 2016 after learning about the devastating impact of textile dyeing on the environment and also human health in Nepal and Bangladesh during the course of their fieldwork.

Realizing they could use their scientific expertise to engineer microorganisms to create clean dyes, they set about using DNA codes, or “color instructions,” to produce color just as it appears in nature.

Like Archroma, Colorifix takes a holistic look at every stage of dyeing processes, focusing on the engineering of microbes to produce naturally occurring pigments to be deposited and fixed onto textiles without any added chemicals.

Explaining the process, Colorifix CEO Yarkoni said: “What we do is based on the concept that every color in nature made by a living organism — plant, animal, insect, or microbe — is coded for by DNA. By identifying these ‘color instructions,’ Colorifix can replicate that DNA code in a more useful context. “We can insert that code into a microorganism that can then pro duce the color, just as it is produced in nature.”

Yarkoni continued: “The engineered microorganisms are then grown in a fermenter with renewable feedstocks such as yeast, simple sugars, and plant by-products. The microorganisms divide exponentially, resulting in a colorful dye liquor that can be put directly into standard dye machines.”

Colorifix’s pilot dyehouse in Cambridge, which showcases the capabilities of the company’s products, has been busy with potential customers this year — chiefly the mills that implement the technology, but also the brands themselves, taking an overview of their supply chains.

Colorifix sends as little as 50 milliliters of color-producing microorganism to its customers who use it to grow the dye liquor onsite using a fermentor. This distribution model is another opportunity to save carbon, when compared with large tankers filled with man-made dyes.

Coloration programs are much shorter and lower in temperature than those using conventional dyes and just one bacteria-removing wash is required, rather than several baths. There also is no fixing step, or hazardous effluent.

Changing The Sector For The Better

To sum up, presented are just two of the companies working to evolve the way the coloration sector operates using new technology and innovation to harness the natural solutions that our environment can provide.

When overhauling production techniques, a dyeing company’s first thoughts often turn to cost. How much is the outlay, and how long will it take to recoup this money?
The answer is often less than owners and managers would estimate, with resultant savings in water, energy, and chemicals, quickly beginning to offset initial costs.

While every dyehouse is different, the same principle is true of all available solutions to the collective carbon issue outlined in SDC’s white paper, including advancements in control and automaton, or investment in a key piece of new machinery that will harmonize with the existing plant.

The Importance Of Reducing Our Industry’s Carbon Footprint

It feels unnecessary to outline reasons to go greener as this is simply a case of doing the right thing by the planet we inhabit. But also, commitment to environmental standards could be the key to business survival, sooner than one may imagine.

In its “Global Risks Report 2022,” The World Economic Forum puts extreme weather, climate change action failure and biodiversity loss top of its list of major threats for industry in the months and years ahead. Number seven on the list is human environmental damage.

Action on climate change is not something that can be put off. And that means everyone, not just the largest public companies. All businesses should contribute, down to the small and medium-sized enterprises.

This is not simply about minimizing impact on the planet — which should be the first priority of course— but also safeguarding the company’s own future and the jobs of the personnel employed.

Banks and investors are now favoring businesses with strong circularity agendas rather than operations they may view as dirty or unsustainable. Those who cannot demonstrate progress towards becoming cleaner and more efficient will struggle to borrow money to expand.

On top of this, companies bidding for major contracts — particularly with the public sector or powerful clothing brands — are being asked, increasingly, to set out their net zero ambitions in considerable detail. This situation, too, will only intensify.

So, the impetus for every player in the dyeing industry to reduce their environmental footprint is clear and the SDC is doing all it can — via its global networks, and educational opportunities — to help make this happen.

Editor’s note: Andrew Filarowski is technical director of the Society of Dyers and Colourists, Bradford, Eng-land, SDC’s white paper, “Destination low carbon: Global technology and innovation reducing the environmental footprint of textile coloration,” may be downloaded from the association’s website located at sdc.org.uk.

July/August 2022

Rieter’s guiding arm guiding arm refurbishment kit offers uniform load for reduced yarn breakage and undrafted ends.

TW Special Report

The guiding arm in the drafting system plays a major role in ensuring production and quality in the spinning mill. The guiding arm refurbishment kit helps maintain original quality and performance by reducing load variation, thereby lowering yarn breakages and undrafted ends.

The P3-1 guiding arm is a proven drafting system which was introduced more than 25 years ago by Switzerland-based Rieter and is still being produced in accordance with the original specification. This is strong proof of its solid performance that has been validated over a long period of time. Depending on the operating conditions, some internal parts of the guiding arm are subject to wear-and-tear and therefore need to be replaced with new parts.

In addition to an original P3-1 guiding arm replacement, Rieter also offers a refurbishment kit which helps restore the original performance. The Rieter service engineers recently successfully implemented the refurbishment kit at the Orta Anadolu spinning mill in Turkey.

After the installation was completed, spinning mill Manager Orhan Herdem said to the Rieter service engineers: “As a result of the guiding arm refurbishment, there is an improvement in both quality and efficiency. With the support of the technical service from Rieter, the machine operation is now more economical.”

Rieter recommends refurbishing the guiding arm after eight to 10 years to ensure uniform and consistent load across the machine. Replacing worn out and aged parts can help restore the original performance of the drafting system. A new guiding arm enables a more effective load distribution, consistent drafting and output yarn quality. The improvements in terms of load uniformity and performance can be witnessed before and after the repair service conducted by Rieter service engineers (See Figure 1).

India-based Sreedhara Textiles was experiencing guiding arm load variation, quality and productivity issues in its Rieter ring spinning machines. These were not the only concerns Rieter’s service engineers had to contend with. They also were asked to find the most economical solution.

After the guiding arm refurbishment at the company’s ring spinning machines was completed, the factory manager, S.J. Aananthakumar, expressed his satisfaction to the Rieter service engineers: “The individual parts for the guiding arm refurbishment of our ring spinning machines were delivered with perfect packing and on time. The costs of this repair service offering are characterized by high price performance ratio, and ultimately, we are very satisfied by the consistent quality and productivity levels which were achieved. We are experiencing fewer breakages per 100 spindles per hours, imperfections and Autoconer clearer cuts per 100 kilometers.”

July/August 2022