Production in quantity
Manufacturing processes for different scales of production
There are four terms used to describe the scale of production in relation to a product:
- The first working model of a design used for testing, development and evaluation. and one-off production
- Where one group of identical products is made at the same time, before moving onto producing the next group.
- When the same product is manufactured many times.
- A production method that leads to many of the same product being made, continuously.
Prototypes and one-off production
Made as a one-off product that matches the client requirements exactly., made-to-measure garments can be made for a In business, a client is a person or organisation that wants a product manufactured, eg a retailer., such as wedding dresses or couture outfits. These will be original garments and can be produced to a very high quality; however, they can be very expensive to make and highly skilled workers will be needed.
Batch production
Where one group of identical products is made at the same time, before moving onto producing the next group. is where many items of the same product are produced, such as swimwear and fashionwear. A range of specific and identical products can be produced, including fashion and seasonal items which are regularly changed, but time is lost when Set up a production line with different tools for a new task. and skilled workers are needed. When a product is made in a batch, it is often far cheaper per product than making just one.
Mass production
Mass-produced products are manufactured in large volumes, and are often made by automated machinery with A series of workers and machines in a factory by which a succession of similar items is progressively assembled. workers used to fit parts together or to add standard components, such as buttons or zips. Examples of mass production for textiles are plain T-shirts, school shirts and socks, with products kept low cost as large amounts are made and bulk materials are cheaper to buy. There is, however, a large cost in setting up such an assembly line.
Continuous production
Continuous production takes place 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and, in some cases, 365 days a year. It can produce huge volumes of a product at a low cost, such as tights, but as with mass production it is expensive to set up and is limited to a small range of products.
Accuracy
The amount by which a measurement can vary without affecting the ability of the product to be manufactured accurately. in textiles is the amount of acceptable variation from the specified measurement from which you can cut out pattern pieces, add A part that when put together makes a product. or sew seams.
The amount of material between the edge of a fabric and the seam line.is the amount of material between the edge of the fabric and the seam, and it is tested to check it meets the tolerance stated in the Document containing clear and detailed instructions for the manufacture of a product..
Example
A factory may say that a seam allowance of 20 mm is needed, with an acceptable tolerance of +/- 5%.
5% = 20 × 0.05
= 1
The seam can have a tolerance of 1 mm either side of the 20 mm.
20 + 1 = 21 mm maximum
20 - 1 = 19 mm minimum
If this were the case, then the seam allowance could range from 19 mm to 21 mm.
Question
A factory has specified that a seam allowance of 25 mm is needed, with an acceptable tolerance of +/- 8%.
What is the possible range of tolerance?
8% = 25 × 0.08
= 2
The seam can have a tolerance of 2 mm either side of the 25 mm.
25 + 2 = 27 mm maximum
25 - 2 = 23 mm minimum
The seam allowance can range from 23 mm to 27 mm.
Quality control
During the manufacturing process, A set of checks intended to ensure that a product will meet the specified customer requirements once it has been manufactured. These procedures are followed before work is complete, as opposed to afterwards. checks are carried out - for example, to check whether:
- seams are sewn straight
- components are sewn on straight and strong
- fabric has no faults or misprints
- stitching is straight and neat
Although quality control checks can increase waste, with faulty products being thrown away, if a factory develops a reputation for being reliably high in quality, money is saved in the long term through products being reordered.
In a manufacturing Also known as a flow diagram. A diagram that shows the step-by-step flow of an algorithm., quality control checks are placed as a decision in diamonds to show where a step would need repeating if there was a mistake:
