"4-Point Fabric Inspection Systems: A Crucial Step in the Apparel Industry"

Fabric inspection is a crucial step in the garment industry to ensure the quality of the fabric roll received. It helps to avoid additional costs that may arise during garment manufacturing due to poor quality fabric. Fabric inspection machines are commonly used for this purpose, which are designed to mount fabric rolls at the back of the inspection table. The slow movement and angle of the fabric help the inspector to have a better view and identify any faults easily. These machines can be either power-driven or operated manually by pulling the fabric over the inspection table. The identified faults are labeled and recorded in a fabric inspection form. Various fabric inspection systems are used in the garment industry to ensure accurate fault detection and recording. 

The garment industry uses various fabric inspection systems to ensure accurate fault detection and recording. Various fabric inspection systems used in the garment industry include:

• Four-point system
• Ten-point system
• Graniteville "78" system
• Dallas system

1. Four-Point system: Fabric inspection is commonly done using the four-point assessment method, which is approved by various industry associations and used by the US Government for fabric purchases. The main considerations in this method are:

• The fabric should pass longitudinally through the inspection area at an approved speed.
• The light source should be perpendicular to the fabric surface, and the fabric should run at a 45° angle for better visibility.
• The illumination intensity in the inspection room should be at least 1075 lux, and white fluorescent lamps should be used.
• Defect points should be assigned based on the length of the defect, as mentioned below:

Size of the Defect	Penalty Points
Length of defects in fabric (either length or width)
Defects up to 3″	1
Defects >3″ ≤6″	2
Defects >6″ ≤9″	3
Defects >9″	4
Holes and openings (largest dimension)
1″ or less	2
Over 1″	4

• Four points should be assigned to each meter of fabric with a usable width lower than the minimum specified.
• The fabric should not be penalized more than four points.
• Defects not visible on the face side of the fabric should not be registered unless agreed upon by the supplier and customer.
• To determine the penalty points per 100 square yards of fabric, the total points scored in the roll are multiplied by 3600 and divided by the fabric width in inches multiplied by the total yards inspected. Generally, a fabric roll is considered acceptable if it has no more than 40 penalty points.

1.1 Formula:

Defects/100 square yards =          Total points scored in roll * 3600        

                     Fabric width in inches * Total yards inspected

1.2 In summary:

• Four-point assessment method is commonly used for fabric inspection.
• Specific considerations are taken to ensure accurate fault detection, such as proper lighting, angle, and defect point assignment.
• Penalty points per 100 square yards are calculated using a formula that takes into account the total points scored, fabric width, and yards inspected.
• Generally, a fabric roll is considered acceptable if it has no more than 40 penalty points.

1.3 Advantages:

• The Four-point system offers the advantage of having no limitation on the width of the fabric. 
• Additionally, it is easily comprehensible to the workers.

1.4 Example: A fabric roll 170 yards long and 48″ wide contains the following defects as shown in table below:

Defects		Total Penalty Points
5 defects up to 3" length	5 x 1	5
3 defects from 3 to 6" length	3 x 2	6
2 defects from 6 to 9" length	2 x 3	6
1 defect over 9" length	1 x 4	4
1 hole over 1"	1 x 4	4
Total		25

Penalty points per 100 sq. yards of fabric = 25 x 3600/(170 x 48) = 11.02 points, Therefore, since the roll has less than 40 penalty points, it meets the acceptance criteria and is considered acceptable.

Image source:https://apparelresources.com/technology-news/manufacturing-tech/technology-levels-for-fabric-inspection/