AT CAD Team/AT loom
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See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loom http://www.sitra.org.in/plscservices.html http://www.cottontown.org/page.cfm?pageid=2727 http://www.avlusa.com/resources/library/ http://lisahistory.net/hist104/pw/lectures/indust/3.htm http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:19C_(late)_Japanese_hand_loom_with_flying_shuttle.jpg http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcwtr665_294cqptqrww http://www.cd3wd.com/cd3wd_40/vita/handloom/en/handloom.htm
Since quite some time, I have been wondering whether or not it would be useful to include a design for a AT loom. The idea behind this is that we could improve the durability/repairability of the device and decrease its costs. However, the looms are best automated (to reduce manual labour), and I'm not sure whether we can accomplish this. Also, I'm guessing that most looms are already electrically powered, so ecologically seen little advantage can be obtained here. Keeping in mind that in factories, there is mass production, I'm also not sure whether (even with simplifying the device, local construction, ...) we can reduce the costs a lot.
That said, it still seems that manual looms are still widely used in the developing world, so either this is a organisational problem (ie too little weaving corporations in the developing world) or costs of the device are still too high (even with eliminated costs for man-hours).
After seeing a documentary detailing the industrial-era looms of Michio Susuki, I'm thinking that a AT design could probably be made based on these machines. I'm guessing that building instructions can simply be obtained from them, and probably even open-sourced, seeing that they no longer build looms?, and that the designs are already pretty "outdated". Benefits of these looms were easy construction (looms were even build by hand, thus not mass-production), the fact that they didn't seem to require to be manually manipulated (from the movie "Daens", I remember that the looms needed to be opened frequently, see http://www.zum.de/whkmla/sp/1112/chrix/chrix1.html#Iv1211 , not sure about this though). The loom would be used with "templates", ie complete weaving instructions that can be imputted to the machine, which then automatically makes the garment.
The reason why manual looms are best not used for the AT design, is that, as mentioned in the ALM, machines are much more energy-efficient in performing a task than humans. This thus relates to lower costs when using a machine rather than a person. Secundary reason is offcourse that we should'nt annoy people with these tasks at all, offcourse it provides an employment for the person, but the work is hard (especially for most people in developing countries; as large amount of them are undernourished and/or lack the physical strength). Instead, they best perform the engineering/maintaining of the machines (this being less physical tiresome work).
However, if the Michio Suzuki /Sakichi Toyoda loom designs are still too costly, perhaps that we could design something of a hybrid between a manual loom and those produced today. This by automating the work by adding a engine to a traditional loom. I'm not sure however whether the automation by using templates is then still an option.
Note: we also need to take a look at the textile production techniques; ie is weaving the most efficient method ? I think so, but we need to verify this first.
- UPDATE --> We'll definitely need to take a look at the Canadian weaving technique, as performed for the creation of the Hudson Bay point blankets ; I saw it in the documentary "Ray Mears' Northern Wilderness: The Company that Built a Country". Appearantly, both the method of weaving (in a straight pattern, redirected once and while, hereby creating "rhombuses") and the twisting of the wool (perhaps this technique can also be used in regular looms) make the cloth a lot stronger. Not sure though whether electric/automated looms already exist that allow this method of weaving.
KVDP 10:06, 23 February 2010 (UTC)
- Start with some research - what has been published, what does Wikipedia have photos of, which countries have local weaving industries. Handwoven will have problems competing with factory produced on price so producing a premium product may make more sense, if you can find a way to market it. Joe Raftery 15:23, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
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