Reducing fabric wastage through image projected virtual marker (IPVM)

In apparel manufacturing, more than 50% of the total cost is consumed by the fabric in comparison to the rest of the materials. The efficient use of fabric may result in the reduction of considerable expenditure and efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to propose an image projected virtual marker (IPVM) onto the surface of fabric layers/plies to improve fabric utilization and visual quality control. 20 garment production orders are scheduled for experimental work to investigate the utilization of fabrics with imperfections. The statistical analysis indicates a 3.5%–4% improvement in the fabric utilization, a 22% improvement in throughput time of visual inspection, and a 25% reduction of labor intensity during visual inspection in the cutting room. The result implies that the proposed method is an efficient approach to improve fabric utilization and cost reduction