outlook on denim finishing techniques.....

1. SHADES OF JEANS
Basic to advanced technology
ABSTRACT
Stone age denims famous in today’s world
Gaurav Thakur (M.F.Tech-III)

2. Gaurav Thakur Apparel Technology Management
Jeans have always been on everyone’s wish list, especially
faded.Because of its toughness, style and less care required.
Also, now a days governed by the shades or finishes offered
by different buyers. As a result a lot of effort is being put to
cater with different shades with less hazardous techniques
employed and high productivity.
INTRODUCTION
Garment finishing is one the process applied on
garment in order to get a desired look or
appearance of the garment, with the
introduction of new technologies and
equipment it has been fairly easy to obtain
desired shades and results. For finishing of
denim fabrics, a range of techniques are used.
They all are projected at new possible effects of
fabric appearance, namely mill wash or rinse
wash, moon wash, over dyed-look, stone wash ,
sand wash ,bleach, damaged-look, scrubbed
look , sand-blast, PP spray , whisker Effect , 3D
effects and etc. Especially, the dry
finishingcreates many effects on denim fabric, it
stimulates the customers to buy and also
enhances the market potential of the denim
market. We can say that dry finishing has taken
jeans to the next level, the next generation
jeans.
DRY FINISHING,
The distressed jeans that we see around
everywhere undergo a wide variety of wet
aswell as dry treatments to get the desired
effects. Destroying denims is as much an art as
it is atechnique. The direction in fashion is
varied across all areas particularly in denim
dryfinishing, whether worn or torn to wrinkled
or pressed, these trends can appeal to a
widerange of consumers. These can be achieved
by variety of denim dry processing technique,
which are mainly dependant on physical and on
chemical abrasion of the surface dye there
byproducing different wash-down looks to the
denim fabrics
.
Basic Level of Technology
DENIM HAND SCRAPING
Hand scraping is step which is generally being
done in rigid form of garments to getdistress
look. Location can be front thigh & back seat or
it can be overall / global applicationas per
standard. Emery paper(silicon) is being used to
scrap the garments in particular placement.
Emery paper comes in different number
generally starts from 40 till 600 and
above,higher the number finer the emery paper,
lower the coarseness of the paper.
In garmentindustry from 220, 320 & 400
number papers are most popular & widely used.
Purpose ofdoing this process is make used worn
out look to the garments. The most important
factor isto select right number of paper
according to the fabric strength & intensity
need. Feathering /merging white sanded part to
dark blue area in such way that it should look
natural & notartificial. Scraping can be done on
inflated rubber balloons for better effect
(horizontal orvertical it’s up to operator’s
convenience), even it can be done on plain
wooden board of garmentsize & hand pressure
should be uniform in order to get better results.

3. Model and Make of Jeans Holders Features of Machinery
Hot tek ,Hilson Ck-D Mild steel structure
Regulated Air Filling inflating of Balloons
Automatic Front & back Turning with Adjustable
timer(Plc)
220 volt-single phase
Single & double head
Single Head-Dimensions- 1150x1010x2440(mm)
Double head- 1150x2020x2440(mm)
WHISKERS/MOUSTACHES, CHEVRON, KNEE
STAR, & HOT SPOT: On denim,
Whiskers/moustaches, chevrons are nothing but
the worn out lines /impression generated by
natural wearing on hip & thigh area. There are
many designs &pattern available. This is being
done manually with help of sharp edge emery
paper roller on fine wood stick or pasted on
plastic material. Before starting execution
placements & pattern must be marked on
garments, this will help operator to execute the
pattern right to match the aesthetics of
garment. A whisker effect (worn out lines) on
Denim Hot spots are heavy/ intense area on
thigh or knee which is made purposely to create
used look & on knee area if any whiskers line
are there, called knee star. All the above
operations are carried out in width direction
hence it appears intense than hand sand with
less strokes, because hand sand is carried out in
length direction.

4. Gaurav Thakur Apparel Technology Management
Intermediate level of Technology
Sandblasting has become the key method for finishing most modern jeans requiring that ‘worn-out’
look. Under the sandblasting process the denim is smoothed, shaped and cleaned by forcing abrasive
particles across it at high speeds. The process is fast and cheap and demand for pre-worn denim has
led to a massive rise in its use. But this fashion comes at a price: the health and even the lives of
sandblasting workers.
SAND BLASTING
Sand blasting is the process of scrubbing off the
garment by blowing high speed airmixed with
very fine particles of sand. This is a very
successful and most widely usedprocess for
fashion articles. When the surface area of the
garment is blasted, white cottonappears
beneath the blasted area and the affect appears
is very similar to the worn out jeans.Sand blast
provides a very uniform result which cannot be
achieved with its alternates. Its specialty is the
merging effect that is blended with such a
beauty that it has no difference with natural
effect. Sand Blasting Effects on Denim High
pressure of air produces a powerful backward
thrust to operator so it is alwaysrecommended
to fix the gun in appropriate stands rather than
placing it on shoulders or usingit with bare
hands. On some fabrics sand blasting is not
successful for it covers thecharacteristics of
fabric. Especially in fabrics which are famous for
slub patterns it flattensthe look. Specified areas
for sand blasting are front thigh, back seat, back
panel near bottom or front panel around knee.
Sometime full body blasting is also done for
giving a unique lookto fabric. Hot spots may be
designed for more real look on front knees or
back seat by intenseblasting in these areas.
A single worker can produce between 20 and 30 pieces per hour hand-sanding while with manual
sandblasting he could make between 35 and 60 pieces.
Model And Make Features of Machinery
Tesuo ,Bensua BS-PS Max Capacity-200,250,300(kg)
Air consumption- 4cbm/min
Working pressure-0.6 ~ 0.8mpa
Nozzle orifice-6.3 , 8, 9.5 (mm)

5. Gaurav Thakur Apparel Technology Management
Advance Level of Technology
LASER TECHNOLOGY(jeans Go Green)
It is a computer controlled process for denim fading. This technique enables patterns to be created
such as lines and/or dots, images, text or even pictures. It is water free fading of denim. Being an
automatic system, chances of human error are slim. Also called spray painting in denims. This
technique has relatively high cost.
Replacing Traditional Technique for Denim
Finishes
The laser technology is the fastest growing
technique presented by many companies as a
perfect replacement for traditional methods of
sandblasting, stone washing, burning, etc. and
much more that the industry has yet not seen.
The success of the technology is based on the
fact that Indigo today is a synthetically produced
vat dye that is bound to the fabric by
mechanical forces rather than chemical and
unlike other vat dyes, Indigo has very little
affinity to cotton making it suitable for washed
down treatments.
The various laser techniques available in the
industry are considered a much safer,
environment friendly, economical and superior
technology that has advantages that offers not
only aesthetic variation but also gives freedom
to designers to innovate at quick speed saving
critical commercial time in product
development and crucial cost during
production. According to experts the
technologies on offer increase output per
workstation by almost 500 % while reducing loss
of fabric strength by 50%.
Another advantage that is interesting for users
is the significant elimination of environmental
problems associated by previous abrasive
processes while having the ability to replicate an
exact abrasion pattern on all units besides
infinite flexibility to create different ‘worn look’
designs otherwise impossible. The health
benefits cannot be undermined as processes
like hand sanding generate tremendous amount
of dust that can be detrimental to workers
health. Wastages in processes like stone

6. Gaurav Thakur Apparel Technology Management
washing where considerable wear and tear on
machine and excessive water is normal are also
significantly reduced, as there is no wear and
tear and zero water application. In fact the
industrial design and in built cooling system
allows the machine to run continuously for
hours and requires minimal maintenance.
Not only can denim be laser engraved, but pile
fabrics as well. The laser burns away the pile in
selected areas leaving a permanent design that
closely mimics and embossed pattern. 100%
cotton corduroy and velvet can be laser
engraved to produce an impressive permanent
design without the use of resins.
How much does it cost to operate the laser?
The cost of operating the laser can be easily figured out by plugging your electricity rates into the
following formula:
For a 100 watt laser
Typical Max power consumption = 1300 Watts (This assumes full power, constant laser on.) If power
costs $0.075/KWH, i.e., Rs 3.37/KWH [Rs 45 x 0.075=Rs 3.37] in your area, it costs $0.1/hour to
operate the laser. (1300 x 0.75)/1000 = 0.098. Or, about 10 cents per hour, or 80 cents (Rs 36) per
eight hour day. Taking the average cost of power as approx. Rs 5.0 per unit in India, the laser would
cost around Rs 53.5 per 8 hr shift.[Rs 36 x 5.0/3.37= Rs 53.5]
Return on Cost:At the 100-watt power level, typical patterns can be created at a feed rate of one
square metre per minute. The unprocessed denim has a bulk value of approximately $1 (U.S.) per
square metre whereas the engraved denim has a typical value around $15 per square metre. Excluding
the cost of consumables (mostly electricity), this translates into a gross profit of $14 per minute, or
$840 per hour.
JEANOLOGIA: New technology for jeans finishing, faster and with less energetic consumption
The textile laser and the eco-washing
machine G2 was shown at ITMA Barcelona.
This new technology makes possible
savings of 62% of power, 67% of water and
85% of chemical products and 55% of time
in jeans finishingJeanologia company
presented latest innovations for Jeans
finishing, under the slogan of 3E (Ecology,
Efficiency and Ethics), that allows to get
greater energy, water, chemical sand time
savings. Jeanologia has long been a pioneer
in the development of textile laser which
has avoided the use of unhealthy
techniques and has reduced the energy
consumption and the pollution. This laser
can reproduce authentic worn patterns
onJeans reducing production time and
assuring reproducibility achieving true
authentic look.
As well as laser, Jeanología has
G2Technology, an eco-washing machine
that works only with active oxygen and
ozone, allowing wash jeans and shirts with
vintage finishing, without using water or
chemicals.
The new laser technology will allow greater
production compared with other ways of
jean finishing such as manual scraping,
spray or sandblasting. Laser offers high
levels of productions. With laser technology
100 or 200 of jeans can be produced per
hour, while manual scraping produces only
10 units per hour, sandblasting 30 and
spray 60. Specifically, the G2 technology
allows to save per garment a 62% of Kw/h,
a 67% of water (litres), an 85% of chemical,
as well as a 55% of production time.

7. Gaurav Thakur Apparel Technology Management
The environmental benefits that this new
technology brings are impressive. That is six
billions units of Jeans per year are
produced in the world, it means that every
jean consumes 70 liters of water, 1 kw/h
and 150 grams of chemicals, this figure
represents per year 420 million m3 of
water, 6 billion kw/h and 900,000 tons of
chemicals. If everyone in the textile
industry starts using this new technology,
the equivalent of 2 years of human
consumption of water in Paris and 2 years
consumption of electricity in Nepal could
be saved per year, as well as 720,000.00
tons of chemicals products

8. Gaurav Thakur Apparel Technology Management
Pair of denims
REFFERENCE:
http://www.indiantextilejournal.com/articles/FAdetails.asp?id=4330
http://stonevillejeans.com/blog/jeans-go-green-lasers
http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/jeans-scraping.html
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=112168
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/329751249/Jeans_Sandblasting_Machine_TS2082.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-
gs/379085607/Jeans_Pants_Jackets_Sandblasting_Machine_Glass.html
Hand Scraping with Emery paper
CM price of the garment(Rs) 60
Sewing cost 40% 0f Rs 50 24
SAM value for single operation 0.6
Total SAM 20
CM price per garment 0.72
Basic Level of
Technology
Advanced Level of
Technology
Sam value for single operation(min) 5 0.60
Production per day (shift of 8 hours) 96 800
Working days /month 26 26
No. of months /year 12 12
Production per annum 29952 249600
CM price per denim 6.00 0.72
Cost output/annum 179712 179712
Production Target( pcs/day) 800 800
No of machine required 8 1
Cost of one machine (Rs.) 90000 4000000
Cost of total machine (Rs.),T 720000 4000000
Annual Depreciation(%) 0.15 0.15
Depreciated value of m/c aftroneyear (Z) 626087 3478261
Cost of one operator p.m 3000 3000
Total operators salary (Y) 288000 36000
CM price from total m/c (X) 1437696 179712
Cash Inflow (I) 1149696 143712
ROI for the first year,(X-Y)/Z 183.63% 4.13%
Pay back Period (T/I) 0.63 27.83