A garment factory needs to finish its clothes prior to packing and delivering goods to its customer. Their buyers and the end consumers want the finished garments that can directly be displayed on the retail store racks so that the consumers fall in love with the merchandise after having a look on it.
Let's move to a garment factory, where all garments are made. After stitching, the raw garments are passed through various finishing processes and handled carefully prior to packing.
Finishing activities involved thread trimming, spot cleaning, and ironing, removing dust and loose threads and fibers. For these activities, various finishing tools and equipment are required. Followings are the finishing machines, tools, and equipment used by garment factories.
1. Thread trimmer: In the sewing process, the operator does not cut thread ends neatly. All untrimmed threads are cut at the finishing stage. Workers use manual thread trimmers to cut thread tails.
Automatic thread trimming machines are also available. See the thread trimming machine pictures.
2. Thread sucking machine: The loose threads on the garment must be removed from the garment. For this thread sucking machines are used.
3. Manual thread removing equipment: In knits garments, loose threads are removed manually by using gum tapes.
4. Garment checking workstation: At the finishing stage all garments are thoroughly checked. Later garment lots are inspected. For this quality checking workstation is required with adequate light, display board, bins for storing segregated garments.
5. Vacuum pressing table and steam iron: A vacuum pressing table and a steam iron are used to remove creases on garments and to iron garments. Inside the vacuum table, there is air suction, which helps to grip the garment when it is ironed. Hot steam is supplied for steam irons to heat the iron.
Also see: Different Types of Fabric Cutting Machines Used in Garment Production
6. Spotting gun: This equipment is used to remove stains from garments. Using a spotting gun, the solvent is sprayed at high speed to the stained area. The solvent dissolves stains found on garments. Sometimes liquid soap, solvent, and toothbrush are used for cleaning stains.
7. Kimble gun: Different types of tags, such as hang tags, price tags, and special tags are attached to folded garments, with a kimble gun.
8. Steam boiler: To keep the steam press hot all the time, steam generated in a boiler, is supplied to irons. Boiler with the single pressing workstation is also available.
9. Washing machine: For bulk washing, the factory uses a high-capacity washing machine. For washing a smaller number of garments and sample pieces, the domestic washing machine is used for removing dirt.
10. Sewing machine for repair work: Few sewing machines (especially a single needle lock stitch machine) are kept in the finishing section for repair work and part changing.
Also Read: Functions of the Finishing Department
11. Measuring tapes: Measuring tapes are used to measure garments. Quality checkers use it while performing measurement checking.
12. Mending needles: Cut and holes in knits garment are repaired by mending. For mending, the worker uses hand needle or knitting needles.
13. Color box and color pencil: Sometimes, the factory needs to do touching work on the garment to match the shade of the print. Also to hide the unwanted spots, touching is required. For this, color pencils and a liquid color is required.
14. Needle detectors: This machine is used by garment manufacturers, who make children’s garments. Garments are passed through the needle detector machine. If any metal part is there in the garment, the machine will detect it. This machine ensures that no broken needle parts or other metal parts are present in the clothes.
15. Other machines: Some factories used to do buttoning and buttonholing operations (Kaja-button) in the finishing section. In that case, these two machines are considered as finishing machines.
16. Draw cord inserting tools: Factories need to insert drawcords in many garment products. Like waistband drawcord in bottoms (track pants, leggings) and in a hoody. A long needle or a device is used for inserting draw cords. See the device used for inserting draw cord in the following video.
17. Tool for inserting buttons into the button loops
The above tools and equipment listed for common apparel products. There are many product specific tools available for finishing garments. Factories also use some other finishing equipment for garment finishing like -Form finishing and Channel Finishing.
Let's move to a garment factory, where all garments are made. After stitching, the raw garments are passed through various finishing processes and handled carefully prior to packing.
Finishing activities involved thread trimming, spot cleaning, and ironing, removing dust and loose threads and fibers. For these activities, various finishing tools and equipment are required. Followings are the finishing machines, tools, and equipment used by garment factories.
1. Thread trimmer: In the sewing process, the operator does not cut thread ends neatly. All untrimmed threads are cut at the finishing stage. Workers use manual thread trimmers to cut thread tails.
Automatic thread trimming machines are also available. See the thread trimming machine pictures.
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| Thread trimming machine |
2. Thread sucking machine: The loose threads on the garment must be removed from the garment. For this thread sucking machines are used.
3. Manual thread removing equipment: In knits garments, loose threads are removed manually by using gum tapes.
4. Garment checking workstation: At the finishing stage all garments are thoroughly checked. Later garment lots are inspected. For this quality checking workstation is required with adequate light, display board, bins for storing segregated garments.
5. Vacuum pressing table and steam iron: A vacuum pressing table and a steam iron are used to remove creases on garments and to iron garments. Inside the vacuum table, there is air suction, which helps to grip the garment when it is ironed. Hot steam is supplied for steam irons to heat the iron.
Also see: Different Types of Fabric Cutting Machines Used in Garment Production
6. Spotting gun: This equipment is used to remove stains from garments. Using a spotting gun, the solvent is sprayed at high speed to the stained area. The solvent dissolves stains found on garments. Sometimes liquid soap, solvent, and toothbrush are used for cleaning stains.
7. Kimble gun: Different types of tags, such as hang tags, price tags, and special tags are attached to folded garments, with a kimble gun.
8. Steam boiler: To keep the steam press hot all the time, steam generated in a boiler, is supplied to irons. Boiler with the single pressing workstation is also available.
9. Washing machine: For bulk washing, the factory uses a high-capacity washing machine. For washing a smaller number of garments and sample pieces, the domestic washing machine is used for removing dirt.
10. Sewing machine for repair work: Few sewing machines (especially a single needle lock stitch machine) are kept in the finishing section for repair work and part changing.
Also Read: Functions of the Finishing Department
11. Measuring tapes: Measuring tapes are used to measure garments. Quality checkers use it while performing measurement checking.
12. Mending needles: Cut and holes in knits garment are repaired by mending. For mending, the worker uses hand needle or knitting needles.
13. Color box and color pencil: Sometimes, the factory needs to do touching work on the garment to match the shade of the print. Also to hide the unwanted spots, touching is required. For this, color pencils and a liquid color is required.
14. Needle detectors: This machine is used by garment manufacturers, who make children’s garments. Garments are passed through the needle detector machine. If any metal part is there in the garment, the machine will detect it. This machine ensures that no broken needle parts or other metal parts are present in the clothes.
15. Other machines: Some factories used to do buttoning and buttonholing operations (Kaja-button) in the finishing section. In that case, these two machines are considered as finishing machines.
16. Draw cord inserting tools: Factories need to insert drawcords in many garment products. Like waistband drawcord in bottoms (track pants, leggings) and in a hoody. A long needle or a device is used for inserting draw cords. See the device used for inserting draw cord in the following video.
17. Tool for inserting buttons into the button loops
The above tools and equipment listed for common apparel products. There are many product specific tools available for finishing garments. Factories also use some other finishing equipment for garment finishing like -Form finishing and Channel Finishing.