To kick the week off, my fabric and materials class visited the Fiber and Biopolymer Research facility. We were able to see two things during our two visits to the center. First, we saw the fabric making process that started with cotton in the raw form. We saw it come straight from the fields on their trucks, and then sent through many machines in order to be cleaned, made into thread, and then made into a sheet of fabric. My favorite part about the trip was being able to see fabric made. It was astounding and so amazing that fabric is made the way it is. It is a long process that people would never expect it to be. After that we were able to see the next step in the fabric making and testing process.
In our tour of the testing rooms, we were able to see multiple machines and their functions to actually test the fabrics they had. The first machine we were introduced to was the Martindale Abrasion tester. This machine zeros in on how much wear and tear the fabric can take. The fabric is placed on the machine, on a circular dish that has a rough type of surface to it. There is a top that you can add any weights to in order to add a specific amount of pressure. In order to check the fabric, there are checkpoints after a certain amount of rubs the machine does. After the machine finishes each step of the way, the fabric is checked to see if any of the threads have broken during the process. This information is then recorded and sent back to the client.
The second machine we were introduced to was the quick wash and drying process. During this process, the purpose of it is to see when the fabric shrinks and what happens to it when being washed and dried. The fabric size is recorded before the process and then it is recorded after to see how much of a percentage it shrunk just from being washed. The fabric is then scanned and saved for the company.
The random pilling tester tests the amount of time and pressure it takes for a fabric to pill; pilling is defined as the little fabric balls that form on the top of the fabric form pressure and abrasion. This process is also recorded and the results are sent to the company or client in order to see if they want to use the fabric. This process is important for companies because if the fabric is going to be used on a daily basis, for an athletic team, or being rubbed on often, the amount of time it takes for the fabric to pill is very important.
Strength of fabric is very important as well. In order to test the strength of the fabric needs to be known in order to figure out what the fabric needs and can be used for. The stronger the fabric is used for a lot different items then the weaker fabric. To test the strength of a fabric, there is a machine, which clamps the fabric on either side and pulls in opposite directions. When the first little thread pops on the piece of fabric the strength of the fabric is recorded. This is very important when clothing companies, furniture companies, and the basic fabric stores are selecting their fabrics.
All of these machines are very important for companies to know the information the testing certain provides them with, Without these results many fabrics would be on the wrong furniture or the wrong person would being wearing it while doing a bad activity for the fabric.
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