CTE 4443 study guide exam 1 Textile quality assurance process of designing producing evaluating and assessing products to see that they meet the desired quality level for a company s target market Quality is incorporated into the product in all stages from merchandising and product development through marketing and retailing Quality assurance is NOT quality control Quality control inspecting goods AFTER production to separate acceptable from unacceptable products Many perceive quality assurance as quality control which is a post production approach testing Textile quality assurance after the product is made Holistic Perspective Includes the components that contribute to quality Engineering quality into a product Measuring a product s quality Improving quality of a product or process Product Perspective Producer Perspective Product quality is represented by a TOTAL of a set of precise and measurable characteristics or components of a finished product Consistent conformance to specifications and standards Quality is achieved when products consistently fall within a range of acceptable measures for all dimensions of quality Products that meet this level of quality are assumed to produce the greatest income and profit for the company Customer Perspective Customer could be the next level of manufacture of the final consumer Quality reflects an ever changing marketplace and satisfies the ever changing needs of the customer in the market Companies must respond to changes in expectations and needs by maintain contact with their customers Textile Testing One way to be sure quality is the best is through textile testing Testing is the analysis and evaluation of a material or product to assess its characteristics quality or performance The product may be tested in its original condition or may be subjected to procedures such as laundry abrasion etc before and or after testing Who does the testing Suppliers the company that supplies the product to the retailer In house the company that produces the product Independent or contract a separate business organization that specifically tests material and products for other companies Purposes for testing Assessment of product performance Research and development Quality control Meet government regulations Comparative testing Analyze product failure Textile testing organizations AATCC ASTM ISO o Chemical properties of textiles o Physical mechanical properties o International organization for standardization o Based in Geneva Switzerland o Serves member organizations throughout the world o Has a member from each country the member from the US in ANSI o The ISO coordinates efforts among different countries to develop standard test methods that can be applied internationally American Society for Quality ASQ Organization of professionals who work to improve the quality of manufactured goods services and related factors Developed code of ethics publishes a newsletters ON Q that includes articles related to quality American Apparel and Footwear association AAFA National organization that deal with uses of interest to the sewn products industry as the national trade association representing apparel footwear sewn products companies and their supplies AAFA promotes and seeks to enhance members companies competitiveness productivity and profitability in the global marketplace ANSI American National Standards Institute Represents the US member body in the ISO Purpose of ANSI is to coordinate voluntary standards development and use in the US and to serve as liaison between US standards organizations and other countries Textile testing materials Textile materials can be tested in the laboratory or by wear testing evaluating characteristics or performance of materials using standard procedures Textile Testing Laboratory in a specialized facility Textile testing requires a standard environment because different fibers respond react differently depending on environment conditions IMPORTANT o Standard testing conditions 70 2 degrees F 21 degrees Celsius 65 2 Relative Humidity amount of saturation of moisture in the air o Generally textiles are put in a standard environment for 24 hours We do this bc products react differently in different environments because of the low moisture and textile reactions for fiber o Advantages Quick results Environment is controlled Uses specialized equipment Uses trained specialists o Disadvantages May not be true to actual conditions of use Wear testing is conducted over a long period of time and simulates actual use o Advantages o Disadvantages End Use Performance more realistic simulates actual end use long term commitment expensive conditions not controlled Textiles are determined to be of good quality if they satisfy end use performance requirements This means that the fabric as a whole from fiber to finish color must be suitable for the purpose Performance Specifications A textile has to perform its end use o what you expect in terms of performance the statement of how a textile must perform in a particular end use Parts of a Performance Specification o Test method name and o Characteristics what you are testing for o Requirements expected test results Ex what you want the item to do in terms of shrinkage Each end use has a different performance specification sheet Be sure to use the one for your end use Part of the Sheet Characteristics what you are measuring o Ex breaking strength dimensional change Requirements expected performance level Should not be too low which will result in poor quality or too high which might cause products to fail thus limiting product availability Quality Complex to define Companies and their employees need to understand how quality affects organizations standard practices within organizations consumer behavior and market competition A set of characteristics or procedures that provide a basis for resource and production decisions Something that is established by authority custom or general consent Standard Specification A precise statement of a set of requirements to be satisfied by a material product system or service that indicates the procedures for determining whether each of the requirements is satisfied Anatomy of a test method Test name Scope and purpose Definition of terms Safety precautions Apparatus and materials Procedure Evaluation and calculation of results Report Precision and bias Notes Standard Test Methods Widely accepted test method performance under controlled conditions Criteria