Autors: Angelova, R. A., Sofronova, D. A., Raycheva, V. G., Borisova, E. C.
Title: Intelligent Automation in Knitting Manufacturing: Advanced Software Integration and Structural Optimisation for Complex Textile Design
Keywords: areal shrinkage, digital design engineering, flat knitting machines, intelligent manufacturing, production optimisation, shrinkage control, smart textiles, structural knits, textile automation, textil

Abstract: Automation in textile manufacturing plays a pivotal role in enhancing production efficiency, precision, and innovation. This study investigates the integration of intelligent technologies in the knitting sector, focusing on industrial flat knitting machines from a leading manufacturer and the use of the advanced software platform M1plus V7.5. The software’s capabilities for the digital design and simulation of complex patterned and structural knits are explored through the development and production of five experimental knitted designs. Each sample is evaluated in terms of its structural characteristics and dimensional behaviour after washing. The results highlight the potential of software-driven optimisation to improve product accuracy, reduce shrinkage variability, and support smart manufacturing practices in the textile industry.

References

  1. Nayak R. Padhye R. Introduction to Automation in Garment Manufacturing Automation in Garment Manufacturing Woodhead Publishing Cambridge, UK 2018 1 27
  2. Djiev S.N. Pavlov L.I. Automated Systems Techniques for On-Line Quality and Production Control in the Manufacture of Textiles Computer-Aided Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing CRC Press Boca Raton, FL, USA 2019 8-1 8-24
  3. Haq U.N. Khan M.M.R. Khan A.M. Hasanuzzaman M. Hossain M.R. Global Initiatives for Industry 4.0 Implementation and Progress within the Textile and Apparel Manufacturing Sector: A Comprehensive Review Int. J. Comput. Integr. Manuf. 2025 in press 10.1080/0951192X.2025.2455655
  4. Čuden A.P. Recent Developments in Knitting Technology Advanced Knitting Technology Čuden A.P. Academic Publisher Ljubljana, Slovenia 2022 13 66
  5. Jana P. Tiwari M. Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing Apparel Resources Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi, India 2020
  6. Elmogahzy Y. Engineering Textiles: Integrating the Design and Manufacture of Textile Products Woodhead Publishing Cambridge, UK 2019
  7. Stoll Train_en Technical Manual Available online: https://nfc.stoll.com/faq/253492_06_train_en.pdf (accessed on 25 March 2025)
  8. Shima Seiki Product Design Software Available online: https://www.shimaseiki.com/product/design/software/ (accessed on 25 March 2025)
  9. Saggiomo M. Wischnowski M. Simonis K. Gries T. Automation in Production of Yarns, Woven, and Knitted Fabrics Automation in Garment Manufacturing Woodhead Publishing Cambridge, UK 2018 49 74
  10. Farhana K. Kadirgama K. Mahamude A.S.F. Mica M.T. Energy Consumption, Environmental Impact, and Implementation of Renewable Energy Resources in Global Textile Industries: An Overview towards Circularity and Sustainability Mater. Circ. Econ. 2022 4 15 10.1007/s42824-022-00059-1
  11. Roy Choudhury A.K. Green Chemistry and the Textile Industry Text. Prog. 2013 45 3 143 10.1080/00405167.2013.807601
  12. Khattab T.A. Abdelrahman M.S. Rehan M. Textile Dyeing Industry: Environmental Impacts and Remediation Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2020 27 3803 3818 10.1007/s11356-019-07137-z
  13. Stone C. Windsor F.M. Munday M. Durance I. Natural or Synthetic–How Global Trends in Textile Usage Threaten Freshwater Environments Sci. Total Environ. 2020 718 134689 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134689
  14. Sharma K. Nagabhooshanam N. Dasi S. Srinivas B. Kaur K. Rajaram A. Design and Implementation of Closed-Loop Water Reuse Systems in Urban and Industrial Settings for Maximizing Resource Recovery and Minimizing Waste Desalination Water Treat. 2024 320 100850 10.1016/j.dwt.2024.100850
  15. Wojnowska-Baryła I. Bernat K. Zaborowska M. Strategies of Recovery and Organic Recycling Used in Textile Waste Management Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022 19 5859 10.3390/ijerph19105859
  16. Khude P. A Review on Energy Management in Textile Industry Innov. Energy Res. 2017 6 169 Available online: https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/a-review-on-energy-management-in-textile-industry-2576-1463-1000169.pdf (accessed on 24 March 2025) 10.4172/2576-1463.1000169
  17. Kumar D. Bhardwaj R. Jassal S. Goyal T. Khullar A. Gupta N. Application of Enzymes for an Eco-Friendly Approach to Textile Processing Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2021 28 71838 71848 10.1007/s11356-021-16764-4
  18. Luján-Ornelas C. Güereca L.P. Franco-García M.L. Heldeweg M. A Life Cycle Thinking Approach to Analyse Sustainability in the Textile Industry: A Literature Review Sustainability 2020 12 10193 10.3390/su122310193
  19. Wójcik-Karpacz A. Karpacz J. Brzeziński P. Pietruszka-Ortyl A. Ziębicki B. Barriers and Drivers for Changes in Circular Business Models in a Textile Recycling Sector: Results of Qualitative Empirical Research Energies 2023 16 490 10.3390/en16010490
  20. Ortega-Gras J.J. Bueno-Delgado M.V. Cañavate-Cruzado G. Garrido-Lova J. Twin Transition through the Implementation of Industry 4.0 Technologies: Desk-Research Analysis and Practical Use Cases in Europe Sustainability 2021 13 13601 10.3390/su132413601
  21. Dal Forno A.J. Bataglini W.V. Steffens F. Ulson de Souza A.A. Industry 4.0 in Textile and Apparel Sector: A Systematic Literature Review Res. J. Text. Apparel 2023 27 95 117 10.1108/RJTA-08-2021-0106
  22. Blaga M. Use of CAD in Knitted Apparels Advanced Knitting Technology Woodhead Publishing Sawston, UK 2022 181 202
  23. Elkateba S. Métwallib A. Shendyc A. Real-Time Monitoring of Knitting Machine Performance Using IoT and Machine Learning: Innovations and Applications J. Fiber Bioeng. Inform. 2023 16 297 309
  24. Ozek A. Seckin M. Demircioglu P. Bogrekci I. Artificial Intelligence Driving Innovation in Textile Defect Detection Textiles 2025 5 12 10.3390/textiles5020012
  25. Donmezer S. Demircioglu P. Bogrekci I. Bas G. Durakbasa M.N. Revolutionizing the Garment Industry 5.0: Embracing Closed-Loop Design, E-Libraries, and Digital Twins Sustainability 2023 15 15839 10.3390/su152215839
  26. Zulfiqar A. Manzoor T. Ijaz M.B. Nawaz H.H. Ahmed F. Akhtar S. Umar M. Artificial-Neural-Network-Based Predicted Model for Seam Strength of Five-Pocket Denim Jeans: A Review Textiles 2024 4 183 217 10.3390/textiles4020012
  27. Wu X. Li L. An Application of Generative AI for Knitted Textile Design in Fashion Des. J. 2024 27 270 290 10.1080/14606925.2024.2303236
  28. Gong Z. Cao Z. Liu H. Research on Intelligent Textile Shrinkage Prediction Based on Digital Twin Technology J. Intell. Plant Dev. 2023 8 7455 10.24294/jipd.v8i10.7455
  29. Zhang H. Chen X. Wang Y. A Smart Quality Monitoring System Based on Machine Vision and AI for the Textile Industry J. Intell. Plant Dev. 2023 8 6639 10.24294/jipd.v8i8.6639
  30. Mohiuddin Babu M. Akter S. Rahman M. Billah M.M. Hack-Polay D. The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping the Future of Agile Fashion Industry Prod. Plan. Control 2024 35 2084 2098 10.1080/09537287.2022.2060858
  31. Elshafie M.Z. Salem R.S. Mostafa H. Amer A.M. Deep Learning-Based Intelligent Fabric Shrinkage Detection and Prediction Using Thermal Images Alexandria Eng. J. 2024 15 103116 10.1016/j.asej.2024.103116
  32. Ingle N. Jasper W.J. A Review of the Evolution and Concepts of Deep Learning and AI in the Textile Industry Text. Res. J. 2025 in press 10.1177/00405175241310632
  33. Banerjee P.K. Principles of Fabric Formation 3rd ed. CRC Press Boca Raton, FL, USA 2014 1 300
  34. Gokarneshan N. Varadarajan B. Sentil Kumar C.B. Balamurugan K. Rachel A. Engineering Knits for Versatile Technical Applications: Some Insights on Recent Researches J. Ind. Text. 2012 42 52 75 10.1177/1528083711426021
  35. Twigg-Smith H. Peek N. Dynamic Toolchains: Software Infrastructure for Digital Fabrication Workflows Proceedings of the 36th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology San Francisco, CA, USA 29 October–1 November 2023 1 20
  36. Santos T.F. Santos C.M. Zilio L. Dias M. Jagadeesh P. Sanjay M.R. Medeiros I. Impact of Yarn Compositions, Loop Length, and Float Stitches on the Mechanical Behavior of Knitted Fabrics via Full Factorial Design and RSM Heliyon 2023 9 8 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18784
  37. Ray S.C. Blaga M. Yarns for Knitting and Their Selection Advanced Knitting Technology Woodhead Publishing Cambridge, UK 2022 141 159
  38. Au K.F. Advances in Knitting Technology Elsevier Oxford, UK 2011
  39. Duprat C. Moisture in Textiles Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 2022 54 443 467 10.1146/annurev-fluid-030121-034728
  40. Dyagilev A. Bykouski D. Charkovskij A. Holovenko T. Shovkomud O. Estimation of Hygroscopicity of Knitted Fabrics AIP Conf. Proc. 2022 2430 050003
  41. Spencer D.J. Knitting Technology: A Comprehensive Handbook and Practical Guide 3rd ed. CRC Press Boca Raton, FL, USA 2001 Volume 16
  42. Underwood J. The Design of 3D Shape Knitted Preforms Ph.D. Thesis RMIT University Melbourne, Australia 2009
  43. Saville B.P. Physical Testing of Textiles Elsevier Cambridge, UK 1999
  44. Llinares Berenguer J. Díaz-García P. Miró Martínez P. Calculation of Interlock, 1×1 Rib, and Single Jersey Knitted Fabrics Shrinkage During the Dyeing Process After Determining Loop Shape Text. Res. J. 2021 91 2588 2599 10.1177/00405175211014238

Issue

Applied Sciences (Switzerland), vol. 15, 2025, Switzerland, https://doi.org/10.3390/app15105775

Вид: статия в списание, публикация в издание с импакт фактор, публикация в реферирано издание, индексирана в Scopus и Web of Science