Types of Machines Used in Textile Industries

The textile industry uses a wide variety of machines to sew fabrics and make clothes, carpets and other textile goods that we use every day. These machines range greatly in size, from massive heavy-duty industrial machines used almost solely in major textile factories, to small consumer-sized sewing machines, which are useful in both factories and in people's homes for their own personal projects.

Finishing machines are used once textiles have been knitted together, so that the fabrics are stronger and won't come apart as easily. There are a wide variety of these machines used for different types of finishing based on what these pieces of fabric will be used for in the future. Compactor machines compact pieces of cotton together so they can be sewn into different types of textile products like jerseys, ropes, interlock and rib. Hydro Extractor machines remove any water from the fabric that may cause its color to bleed or the fabric to shrink before it is sold. Ballon squeezer machines keep wrinkles from forming easily in knitted fabrics.

Knitting machines allow larger pieces of textile and fabric to be made into different types of clothing. These knitting machines vary based on what type of clothing is being made. Fine gauge knitting machines are made for finer, lighter weight fabrics like thin pieces of wool for lightweight summer suits. Standard gauge knitting machines are used for fingering and sports weight yarns. Mid gauge knitting machines deliver the best of both worlds, because they are able to knit both lightweight fabrics and heavier fabrics quickly and efficiently. Different models of these machines produce items of clothing at different speeds, ranging from massive knitting machines which allow companies to produce hundreds of articles of clothing per day, to home knitting machines which will allow someone with the proper knowledge and skill to make one article of originally knitted clothing in a day.

Sewing machines are used in almost all major textile industries, since they are the most important tool for adding details and finer stitching to articles of clothing. From strengthening the inseams of pants to attaching labels to jeans and shirts, armies of sewing machines are employed in textile factories to do small amounts of stitching per garment. Because each sewing machine requires a worker to operate it by hand, more care and attention is paid to each textile piece, which may cost the company more money but also produces a better product. Sewing machines are often the final machines to work on textile products or garments before they are shipped from the factory to be sold in stores.