Application of Laser Technology in Fashion Industry

With the integration of design, technology, and material, some new technologies were applied in fashion industry during manufacturing process. As a contactless processing, laser technology is being applied to in diverse areas for garment production and surface treatment due to its advantages such as no physical contact, no water, dyestuff, and solvents applied, high degree of automation, and fast and precise treatment. In this chapter, the application of laser technology in fashion industry were explored including laser cutting, laser engraving, fabric fault detection, objective evaluation of seam pucker, body scanning, welded garment production, bar code scanning, metal detection, garment counting, and antimicrobial finishes. The application of laser processing opens up new possibilities for apparel manufacture and surface embellishment for fashion design without involving water, dyestuff, and solvents. It is believed that this noncontact technology and environmentally friendly treatment process could appeal to the demands fashion industry sustainably as well as to facilitate the quick responses to market.