Sewbo is a machine that can manage the entire process of making a t-shirt thanks to soluble polymers that stiffen the fabrics for processing
Do you remember those wool sweaters made by grandma? Warm yes, but they were also a little itchy. On your next birthday, a robot could be the one to give you such a sweater. It’s called Sewbo and it’s a startup that wants to revolutionize the concept of automated fabric processing.
A robot that can make a t-shirt
At the moment, Sewbo can only handle the process of making a t-shirt, from start to finish. Automated Processing in the field of textiles is not easy. That’s because robots prefer to work with rigid metials, not soft ones. Jonathan Zornow, the founder of Sewbo, has solved this problem with water-soluble polymers. When the t-shirt fabric is placed in this solution it stiffens, allowing the machine to work. When the product is finished, all it takes is a rinse in plenty of hot water to restore the initial softness to the T-shirt.
(taken from Sewbo)
How does a robot sew?
To create Sewbo required 10 thousand dollars. Money used to buy a sewing machine, an ultrasonic welder and a programmable mechanical arm. It is these three tools that create a t-shirt instead of a man. The process works more or less like this, the mechanical arm takes and fixes the polymer stiffened fabrics in the sewing machine, managing the stitching according to the given settings. When the shirt is ready, he takes it out of the sewing machine.
Not just t-shirts
Sewbo has ten more prototypes in the works to make other garments as well. And Zornow has already made contact with the company that handles the U.S. Army’s camouflage. The company produces about 8,000 pants a day, half of which are sewn in Puerto Rico in a 500-person factory. Thanks to Sewbo’s method, the process could become more efficient. Although automation will lead to less use of human labor. Zornow said he believes the sewing industry in the next 10 years will be greatly affected by the phenomenon of automation, and large robots will run entire garment-making chains.