Analyzing the feasibility of applying ultrasonic bonding in basic T-shirt manufacturing

Abstract

Ultrasonic bonding is a technique used to join synthetic and synthetic blends together. In ultrasonic bonding, normal frequency electric power is converted into high-frequency electric power, which falls into the ultrasonic frequency range of 20- 40kHz [1]. The materials to be joined by ultrasonic bonding must be 100% synthetic or blend up to 60% synthetic materials[2]. Ultrasonic bonding was initially used in plastic welding and now has expanded its applications into the automotive, filtration, electronics, electrical, packaging, and apparel industries[3]. Traditional sewing methods are widely used in the apparel industry to combine fabric pieces. In traditional sewing, the needle penetrates through the fabric to create the stitches. Therefore, punch holes can be seen in sewn fabrics, and the seams are not continuous. Also, there are issues like thread unraveling, thread deterioration, thread breakage, and difficulties in matching the thread to the fabric's color. Though there are many benefits, ultrasonic seaming is not very popular in the apparel industry due to the lower tensile properties of ultrasonic bonded seams [2]. Currently, there are many published works on ultrasonic bonding of non-woven and how tensile properties vary when ultrasonic bonding parameters. However, only a few published works on ultrasonic bonding of woven and knitted fabrics are available. Though the researchers have considered the tensile properties of ultrasonic-bonded seams, they have not explored the possibility of replacing ultrasonic bonding for seams in garments. Therefore, this research is to discover possible areas in garments where ultrasonic bonding can be used to gain advantages of ultrasonic bonding, eliminating the issues in traditional sewing. This research focuses on how ultrasonic bonding can be used in different areas of a basic T-shirt and the possibility of making 100% Ultrasonic bonded T-shirts.