Evaluating the thermal comfort properties of Rize's traditional hemp fabric (Feretiko) using a thermal manikin

In the present research, the thermal properties of the traditional fabric of the Rize city (Turkey) were investigated. A Feretiko, which is a fabric produced from hemp fibers at handlooms, were chosen and the thermal properties were evaluated via thermal manikin as well as the Alambeta tester and Air permeability tester. The thermal manikin tests were performed at 23 degrees C +/- 1 constant ambient temperature and 75 +/- 5% relative humidity regarding to the past annual average temperature and relative humidity data of Rize city were considered. The thermal resistance of Feretiko was measured 0.011 m(2)K/W by Alambeta tester and the total clothing insulation of the shirt manufactured from Feretiko was measured as 0.032 m(2)K/W by thermal manikin. Moreover, in ASHRAE Standard 55-2013, the clothing insulation of a long-sleeve shirt ensemble stated as 0.25 clo. The clothing insulation of the shirt manufactured from Feretiko was 0.20 clo, which is close to the value stated in the standard. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 4th International Conference on Natural Fibers - Smart Sustainable Materials.The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding by the project UID/CTM/00264/2019 of 2C2T -Centro de Ciencia e Tecnologia Textil, funded by National Founds through FCT/MCTES. Derya Tama thanks FCT for fellowship 2C2T-BPD-08-2017. Derya Tama thanks FCT for fellowship 2C2T-BPD-08-2017

THE EFFECT OF MODEL CHANGE PROCESSES ON THE OVERALL EQUIPMENT EFFECTIVENESS IN CLOTHING PRODUCTION

WOS: 000326144300018The overall equipment effectiveness is necessary for determining weak points in order to provide optimum equipment conditions. Meanwhile, it focuses on removing the factors such as unexpected malfunctions, speed losses and quality losses in the process. These losses are commonly seen in the transition between orders and in the process for adaptation to a new product in clothing enterprises. This process has a big importance for providing effectiveness in the current understanding of production in which the numbers of orders decrease but the numbers of models increase. This study deals with the effect of the order change time on the overall equipment efficiency

Ergonomic assessment of working postures in clothing sector with scientific observation methods

WOS: 000447677900003Purpose The purpose of this paper is to comparatively examine the personnel working in the clothing sector by examining them in three different methods in order to determine the working postures, identification of the stress factors of musculoskeletal system and the exposures depending on the working postures. Methods used in the study, REBA (Hignett and McAtamney, 2000), Ovako Working Posture Analyzing System (OWAS) (Karhu et al., 1977) and PLIBEL (Kemmlert, 1995) are the scientific observation-based methods. Within the scope of this study, the working stations and the working postures of the operators who work in the clothing sector were examined and their movements that could cause harm to the body were examined and in conclusion some suggestions were suggested to prevent these movements. Design/methodology/approach Due to the standard unit of times in clothing sector are short and the work done is very repetitive, 30min recording was thought as enough for each operator examined. These recorded videos were then divided into 30s photographs to obtain the poses of the operators' working postures. In the scope of the research, first, the PLIBEL observation form was filled as the PLIBEL method is more general one. According to the working postures, the body regions which are damaged or can be damaged were identified and the PLIBEL form was filled in the consideration of the risk factors in the form (Malchaire 2011). In addition, the photographs were also analyzed with REBA and OWAS methods for having more quantitative and detailed results. Findings The working postures of the operators who work in the cutting, sewing, ironing, quality control and packaging departments of six clothing companies were examined in the scope of this research with PLIBEL, REBA and OWAS methods in terms of ergonomy. The results belonging to each department were given separately. REBA and OWAS methods have been applied in order to investigate the working postures in more detail due to the lack of providing numerical data of the PLIBEL method. The reliability of the study has been approved with obtaining the similar results from the REBA and OWAS methods. According to Table VIII, both of the methods show that all the departments in question need ergonomic arrangements. It was analyzed that the cutting department is in the first place which needs ergonomic arrangement immediately (REBA %90.58, OWAS %87.69). Practical implications This study is composed of 65 operators who have experience between 5 and 22 years and in the age range of 22-43 working in the cutting, sewing, ironing, quality control and packaging departments in eight different clothing companies. These 65 operators were recorded by video camera during their work. The recording time were selected randomly. The movements of operators during their own work have been taken into consideration. Originality/value This paper indicates the usability of the PLIBEL, OWAS and REBA methods in clothing sector. Using these methods in clothing sectors states the value and the originality of this paper.Ege University Scientific Research Projects Department [11-MUH-053]This study was prepared with the help of 11-MUH-053 ID project which was supported by Ege University Scientific Research Projects Department

AN APPLICATION OF THE FMEA METHOD TO THE CUTTING DEPARTMENT OF A CLOTHING COMPANY

WOS: 000386121800012There are numerous faults at all stages of the production flow in the clothing sector which protecting the labor intensive disposition. Analyzing all the reasons and the faults themselves are extremely important in terms of quality and productivity. In this research, all the activities during spreading and cutting processes are examined for 1 year and the source of the faults have been identified and classified with the method of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). In the conclusion 18 different faults are obtained during the spreading and cutting processes. 8 of them are determined because of their risk priority number (RPN) over 100, so some suggestions are offered accordingly

Optimizing the Material-Product Transformation Processes in the Clothing Manufacturing Line

In current economic conditions, one of the major problems in the textile and apparel industry is unable to determine the unnecessary movements of resources (operators, machines, materials). Especially during the production processes, to adjust and decrease the movements of the resources are more difficult, because the focus is mostly on the workers and materials. Method Study has developed for resolving these challenges. The string diagram which is one of the techniques of the method study, helps to provide minimum movements of the resources during manufacturing activities. In this study, the production activities of a clothing company were examined with the help of the string diagram to achieve the objectives of eliminating unnecessary movements of the resources, increasing the working speed, providing better working conditions, balancing the production lines. So in the study, the current status of the production system and the parts to be improved were determined. In this direction, the string diagram and line balancing methods were applied for improvements and generation of a new layout plan. As a result of the research, the journal distance of the pieces before sewing together for obtaining the end product was shortened by 39% and the number of operators working in the line was reduced from 32 to 26

The effect of washing cycles on the sewing properties of shirting cotton fabrics

In this study, 100% cotton poplin shirting fabric was procured and the sewing quality in different washing cycles was evaluated. For the seam strength and tensile strength tests, 5, 10 and 15 washing cycles were performed on the samples prepared both in the weft and warp directions, in accordance with the standard, using a laboratory type washing machine. At the same time, the seam efficiency values from the obtained data were calculated using the formula. The results showed that the highest tensile strength and seam strength values in both fabric directions were in the unwashed samples. It was observed that these values tended to decrease with the increase of washing cycles