Of all the technologies we consume,
textiles are the least intrusive from a technology perspective and the most
intrusive from a fashion perspective. Mr. S. Ranganathan (Textiles, 1986) traces the fundamental role that textiles has
played in the industrial revolution and points to the exciting developments in
the future for this sector.
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| Mr. S. Ranganathan (Textile Engineering, 1986) |
Introduction
I was born and raised in
Coimbatore. My education through high
school was within the PSG Educational environment. I grew up watching the pavilion that used to
be in front of the PSG College of
Technology building with a globe on the top.
That pavilion was created as an exhibit at a world engineering
fair. It has long since been taken
down. As a kid, I attended every
exhibition hosted at PSG College of Technology.
When it was time to go to college, there was no question where I wanted
to go.
My father was in textile
business. Most of my relatives and friends were in the textile business. When I was growing up, on my way to school
and back, I had to ride my bicycle past four textile mills. Thus it was another easy decision for me in
terms of picking which branch of engineering I wanted to pursue.
Looking back, little did
I now that the classes in material science, mechanics of machines and applied
mechanics I took when I was in college, would be just as impactful in shaping
my career as the courses in textile engineering.
Onwards to the United States
I had the opportunity to
study nonwovens and polymeric materials at the University of Tennessee. I have since spent my entire career as an
R&D Technologist in modifying fiber surfaces and participate in various
ways fiber materials make this world a safer and a more comfortable place to
live.
As I embarked on my
career, I was amazed at the indispensable value of textiles in filtration,
noise control and bio-barriers. Tremendous surface area of the extremely
lightweight materials improve the quality of air at home and reduce the
emissions from the industries as filters, create a quiet ambience at homes and
automobiles as barrier fabrics and protect the patients and healthcare
providers as surgical gowns. Innovation in the textile material science is at
its best when the textile engineers collaborate with biologists and engineers
from other disciplines.
A long way from Luddites
The textile industry was
at the birth of the industrial revolution in the 1800s in the United
Kingdom. The power loom reduced demand
for skilled hand weavers, initially causing reduced wages and unemployment.
Protests followed its introduction. In
1816 two thousand rioting weavers tried to destroy power loom mills and stoned
the workers. In our high school reading
assignment, one of the stories we were asked to read a story that was about the
innovator who invented the spinning
jenney. His family in the story was
under threat of workers who were losing their jobs. As a young student, I did not appreciate the
forces of disruption unleashed by innovation.
But the emotions contained within the story have stuck with me all these
years.
The Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the
nineteenth century who protested (often by destroying mechanized looms) against
the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt was leaving
them without work and changing their way of life.
The movement emerged in
the harsh economic climate of the Napoleonic Wars and difficult working
conditions in the new textile factories. The principal objection of the
Luddites was to the introduction of new wide-framed automated looms that could
be operated by cheap, relatively unskilled labor, resulting in the loss of jobs
for many skilled textile workers.
In modern usage, Luddite is a term describing those
opposed to industrialization, automation, computerization or new technologies
in general.
In the longer term, by
making cloth more affordable the power loom increased demand and stimulated
exports, causing a growth in industrial employment, albeit low-paid. The power loom also opened up opportunities
for women mill workers.
This disruption visited
the United States in the 20th century as well. The Carolinas, where I work, were once the
epicenter of the U.S. textile industry, but since the late 1990s, thousands of
jobs were lost when emerging markets joined the game, touting cheaper materials
and labor. Carolinas textile jobs went to China, Brazil and Vietnam, among
other places. But now, in an ironic turn
of events, Chinese companies are looking to manufacture in the U.S., lured by
lower costs of energy, cotton and land, and wary of rising labor costs in
China.
This is then a key
lesson of innovation in the capital markets oriented economies. Innovation
causes enormous disruption and pain.
But it also opens up great new opportunities in both technological and
cultural arenas. And in turn, that sets
up societies for the next stage in their development.
New advances - Synthetic Fibers
Synthetic fibers are
lighter than metals but significantly stronger. The high strength to linear
density ratio and flexibility of the polymeric fibers allow the fiber materials
to make a huge difference in the everyday quality of life. Composite fabrics
from Kevlar to Nomex can not only stop the bullets in war zones and protect the
firemen in wildfires, but protect fingers and arms as cutting gloves in food
processing. Areas of application can be
as wide as improving air quality, reducing pollution, protecting from disease
causing germs, reducing energy consumption, preventing soil erosion, protecting
water resources and last but not least, more comfortable fabrics.
The US Department of
Energy expects that the carbon fiber reinforced composites can lower the weight
of an automobile by 50% and reduce energy consumption by 35%. Similar fiber
based composites make the blades in the windmills and wings on an airplane
lighter and stronger. Studies have shown that high performance apparels can not
only reduce muscle vibrations in athletes but improve blood circulation in the
diabetic patients. Three dimensional fabrics find home as stents in the
arteries to the heart as well as support structures in the abdomen after a
hernia.
Can we imagine an
automobile without seat belts or an airbag? Tires last longer and run faster
thanks to tire cord fabrics made from high modulus and low shrinkage
yarns. Textile materials protect the
drivers while keeping the weight of automobile and fuel consumption lower.
Wearables and Textiles
Another area where these
is enormous progress is in the area of wearable technologies. When we mention wearables, we immediately
think of gadgets on our wrists. However,
a bigger revolution is taking place with wearables within clothing.
Sri Lanka is a good
example of a country making bold strides in this regard. Sri Lanka has the highest per capita apparel
exports in the Asian region. Their garment manufacturers are adopting state of
art technologies involving wearable electronics, e-textiles and smart clothing
for the global apparel market and the use of environment friendly fabric
treatment and color processing ingredients.
The application of this
innovation for providing our societies with data about our health and wellbeing
and creating programs to promote physical and mental fitness is enormous.
Textiles for the 21st Century
Our impression of
textiles as a study of making clothing is far from the reality in 21st
century. The challenge to new textile graduates is in imagining the places and
things that fibers can make a paradigm change in India and other developing
countries.
Textile materials afford
the new graduates wide opportunities to do good for the society while embarking
on successful careers in developing innovative solutions. There are fiber
materials that are biodegradable in the landfill such as polylactic acid -
imagine carry bags that can be used forever and turn biodegradable after
disposal or capable of transporting data signals across the continents in
optical fibers. Carbon fibers are much
lighter than aluminum but much stronger than steel alloys.
Summary
Living in the United
States for the past 30 years and working with clients globally has afforded me
the opportunity to witness first hand, the rapid changes in textile technology.
My key takeaway is that almost all the successful innovations and developments
have at least one thing in common: they
positively impact the human living condition; whether it is personal safety
or comfort or the environment. As the
new graduates enter the profession, whatever function they perform, product
they develop or produce, or any problem they solve, they must remain cognizant
of the role they play in making this world a better place.
About the author:
S. Ranganathan graduated from Sarvajana Higher Secondary School.
After graduating from PSG College of Technology with a degree in Textile
Engineering, he received his M.S from the University of Tennessee and an MBA
from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He joined Goulston
Technologies, Inc. after graduation and has remained there since. He currently
serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer.
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