By Prasanna Rao
Cut. Attach. Sew. The traditional way of constructing garments. A method tried and tested repeatedly, giving rise to an industry growing exponentially putting India as the second-largest exporter of textiles and apparel globally.
Over the last decade India’s production of environmentally sustainable textiles and apparel has boomed. According to an industry report, India is amongst the world’s largest producers and exporters of textiles. The domestic market for textiles in India was valued at $ 100 billion in 2019-20 with rising exports valued at ~ $ 50 billion.
The apparel industry is a competitive one and Indian manufacturers are taking note to focus on key areas in their bid to be even more competitive. This is especially so in areas of innovation, sustainability, and flexibility.
While the cloth is cut to meet the customers’ demands, smart manufacturers know that they always need to ensure the careful balance between quality and cost effectiveness. Hence wastage of fabric is an area that needs to be constantly monitored. This is where innovation in the garment industry has resulted in adhesives that are offering performance, efficiency, and productivity. Traditionally seams were sewn together, which sometimes led to errors and piles of garments being rejected. The advancement of adhesives in garment making means garments can now be joined with adhesives rather than sewing fabric together. This also means less fabric is needed due to smaller seam allowances. Such allowances can have a massive impact overall, considering the size of the Indian garment industry.
While such stitchless technology has been quite prevalent in the undergarment industry, manufacturers are vigorously exploring expanding the technology to other garments. Recent stitchless developments bodes well for the Indian garment landscape, for instance automated dispensing of adhesives. This allows for greater accuracy and far exceeds the efficiency of traditional sewing machines and even tape bonding. This not only improves productivity but leads to greater profit margins.
Manufacturers are progressively turning to stitch less technology as it gives garments wider appeal. The adhesives provide high elasticity with good bond strength and high resistance to washing, leading to better performance and better durability.
As we become more aware of how our consumption affects the world we live in, even manufacturers are becoming increasingly considerate of their manufacturing processes which has led them to view stitchless technology favourably. Using adhesives in garment making reduce chemical and water usage, reduce energy usage, and reduce garment waste volume.
Hence utilising high performance hot melt polyurethane adhesives in the construction of garments is a clear move towards being more productive, effective, efficient, and sustainable. Fabrics can be joined with adhesive tapes where thermobonding film utilising high temperature and pressure to achieve effective bonding of the fabrics. Hot melt pattern, on the other hand, is dispensed via automated machines at a lower temperature and pressure. It has high operating efficiency with flexible dispensing pattern design and the air permeability is better. There is much anticipation on further improvements to the dispensing technology as its high degree of automation lends itself to more flexible designs.
As a leading innovator in adhesives solutions, Bostik prides itself on exploring and advancing adhesives technology. Bostik’s latest innovation is the SG6160, a polyurethane hot melt adhesive developed for stitchless garments. It has short opening time (25-30s), low dispensing temperature, good dispensing stability, low activation temperature (50-55℃), high bonding strength, and water resistance. SG6160 has lower viscosity, lower dispensing temperature, better stability, and lower activation temperature, making it an ideal application for undergarment, performance apparel and sportswear.
The technological advances in the garment industry sees an exciting future for the industry. As stichless technology opens the possibilities for more innovative design options, the industry can only look forward to brighter prospects for future growth as manufacturers aim to replace sewing and tape technology and apply stitchless technology to even more textile products.
Author: Prasanna RAO, Business Director, India & Sub Continent Durable Goods, Bostik
Prasanna RAO joined Bostik (Arkema Company) in 2021 as Business Director of the BU Durable Goods, a leading global adhesive specialist in construction, consumer and industrial markets. Prior to joining Bostik, Prasanna began his career with Asian PPG Industries before moving to Castrol (bp). His last position was with Huntsman as Sales Head – India & Subcontinent. He has held various business development, key account, product management and business positions across diverse industries such as paints, lubricants and specialty chemicals that catered to wide range of markets. Prasanna is a Chemical Engineer with a post graduate degree in Marketing & Management. He brings to Bostik more than two decades of experience on high performance materials in South Asia.
