Laser-Based Apparel Production

Abstract

LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) technology is being largely used in apparel industry for cutting, patterning garments, designer neckties, and denim fading with 3D body scanning and engraving leather since nineteenth century. Laser cut design tends to be reserved for haute couture designs and reduced low cost, flexibility, and anti-counterfeiting to produce apparel in ready-to-wear collections. Laser light is a form of electromagnetic radiation used to cleave various materials with high accuracy in cutting, sealing fabric edges in order to prevent fraying. The change in energy states within the atoms of certain materials leads to produce light by laser. And that has few basic characteristics, namely intensity, coherency, monochromaticity, and collimation. These are helpful to distinguish laser light from natural light. Generally, laser beams are narrow, travel in parallel lines, but do not spread out or diverge as light from most normal sources. Therefore, using laser cuts without any pressure on the fabric is meant for no extra energy requirement other than laser. It tends to no unintended marks left on the fabric especially in silk and lace. Adopting high-energy laser cuts material by melting, burning, or vaporizing it. Most significantly, laser beam decomposes dye, resulting in producing vapors followed by venting them away from garment. This is how denim fading works. While scanning the universal barcodes to identify products such as apparels, fashion accessories, the following lasers are used such as CO₂ laser, neodymium (Nd) laser, and neodymium yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd-YAG) lasers. They use precise concentrated beam of light. CO₂ laser is a gas laser, producing an infrared light to absorb by organic material. Solid-state lasers such as Nd and Nd-YAG lasers, on the other hand, rely on a crystal to create light beam. Yet, it is hard to reproduce in an exact way. Hence, laser cut makes each ideal task to create an identical design; many countries are unaware of this technology. But the laser cut clothes are shell out for a lot of cash. However, safety issues and gases used in laser apparels must be replenished to meet multi-fiber agreement regime to make textile products more safe, clean, and competitive. This chapter focuses on laser technology in the apparel production and their potential hazards in health-related concerns.