TEXTILE ENGINEERING

Textile Engineer

 Textile Industry is one of the oldest industry in India. Textile engineering deals with design and control of all aspects of fibre, textile and apparel process, product and machinery. these include natural and manmade material, inter reaction of material with machines, safety and health, waste and pollution control. One needs to use their creativity and imagination to design unique apparels while keeping in mind the current fashion trends. You must also have a good sense of colour and undoubtedly.

Textile Designing encompasses planning, designing, sketching, and controlling of various aspects of fiber, textile & apparel processes, products, and machinery. It is basically a branch of engineering that deals with the garments, colors and fabric lines of industries.

Clothing is one of the basic needs of man. The textile industry involves manufacturing different types of fabrics. Apart from the basic processes of manufacturing of fabric, spinning, weaving, bleaching, dyeing, printing & finishing, the industry has witnessed unprecedented growth in the scope for fashion deigning & garment manufacturing in the recent past. Further more textiles are finding ever-increasing applications in industry, medicine, research areas like space etc.

Textiles are utilized for innumerable purposes other than the manufacturing of garments. They are used in the manufacturing of carpets and furnishing like bed sheets and bed covers, quilts, table cloth, curtains and towels etc. It is also used for rags and dusters, tents and nets, kites, parachutes etc. Textiles have industrial uses as well. They are incorporated in firefighting suits, shuttle space suit, in carbon fiber composite rocket exhausts, and even in nose cones for NASA.

Specialization

 Textile chemical technology – it deals with the innovative solutions to today and tomorrow’s textile wet processing opportunities.

Fiber science technology – deals with fiber and polymer research, helps to develops new fibers, and tries to increase the productive capacity.

Computer application in textile – this study help the engineers to design various products with the help of computers.

Technical textile – technical textiles are the term given to textile products manufactured for non-aesthetic purposes where function is the primary criterion. These include textile structures for automotive application, medical textile, geotextiles, agro textiles.

Courses in Textile Engineering

A lot of universities and colleges have launched the specialization courses in textile engineering. Below are four types of programs in textile engineering in India -

Undergraduate course – B-Tech in Textile Engineering is a 4years duration course and it can be done after completing 10+2 with science subjects such as biology, math’s and chemistry.

Postgraduate - The eligibility criteria for a master’s degree is after holding a bachelor's degree in (B.E/B.Tech) or any other equivalent branches of engineering. The duration of this course is 2 years.

Doctoral degree – After completing the post-graduate program candidates can opt for Ph.D. domain.

Polytechnic diploma course – Students can go for a diploma in textile engineering/textile technology and a diploma in Fabrication technology and Erection Engineering after completing 10+2.

Students of Textile Engineering focus on the following areas of study: -

·        Yarn Formation

·        Textile Fibre

·        Fabric Formation  

·        Information Technology in Textile

·        Textile Testing & Instruments  

·        Design & Structure of Fabric

·        Processing at Textile Lab

·        Chemical Processing of Textiles

Work descriptions

 1. Develop printed, knitted & woven fabrics using traditional & computer technology.

2. Plan the appearance and structure of natural or man-made fibers according to their ultimate use

3. The textile designer should be able to understand the initial thoughts of the clients and come up with samples that will help them to take the discussion ahead good.

4. The construction of designs is presented on graph paper or through CAD systems to the production team.

5. The design manager, sales and marketing staff select samples from the range for the market.

Opportunities

 Design studios,

Export houses/units

Textile dyeing and printing units, mills

Fashion garment houses

Freelancing for government and private firms

Cottage industries, small scale industries

Entrepreneurship

 Skills required

·      Solid foundation in mathematics, physics and chemistry

·      Logical reasoning

·      Perseverance and hard work

·      Ability to work in teams

·      Ability to express oneself using figures and words

·      Problem solving skills

·      Ability to grasp things faster

·      Creativity

·      Ability to keep calm under work pressures

·      Good in technical drawings and computer skills

·      Excellent communication abilities 

Pay Scale

 Textile engineers start with the pay package of ?2 lakhs to ?3 lakhs per annum. They generally get a double hike in their salaries after gaining experience of at least two years. The salary package of a textile engineer also depends on the number of projects they have handled successfully.

Job Profile

·        Production Engineer - They are responsible for overseeing the production of a product, typically in an indoor factory setting and also ensure that production demands are met cost-effectively and efficiently.

·        Process Improvement Engineer - The main job responsibility of the process improvement engineer includes performing root-cause analysis, create detailed reports about the improvement issues and execute process improvement processes.

·        Operations Trainee - The operation trainee work under the supervision of the seniors for merchandising, QA, Production Planning, Production support, Industrial engineering, and others.

·        Medical Textiles Engineer - The primary responsibility is includes developing fabrics for clothing, household items, medical supplies, furnishings. It also involves liaising with and providing technical advice to marketing, purchasing, and design and production staff.

·        Quality Control Supervisor - The primary responsibility is to supervise in the handling of sample evaluation and production approval by reviewing the measurement, fitting, workmanship, quality, accessories, and other factors.

·        Textile designer Manager - Handle the designing and graphic team.

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Future and scope

 After completing Bachelor’s program, one may go for relevant Master’s courses (M.Tech., MBA or M.Sc.), PG Diploma or skill developing PG Certificate or training programs. For those who would like to pursue further advanced studies, PhD program.

Pros

·        Personal Satisfaction of seeing your creation

·        Opportunity to work with computer designing software and other related technology

·        Training and skills can be easily transferred to other related or alternative career option

·        Can run their own textile business

Cons

·        The Textile industry is very highly competitive

·        Frustration to come up with innovative and creative products all the time

·        Stress to keep up with the evolving technologies

·        Work may involve exposure to harmful chemicals and dyes

·        Entrepreneurs have to work round the clock to meet the expectations of the clients.