Textile technologist

Description

Textile technologists develop and supervise production systems for textiles.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to textile technologist:

analytical textile technologist
light industry technologist
fabric technologist
textile engineer
textile technology officer
textile manufacturing department manager
material and process engineer
textile technologists
diploma textile engineer

Minimum qualifications

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as textile technologist. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Textile technologist is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Textile technologist career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to textile technologist.

textile quality manager
textile product developer
textile chemist
textile designer
textile, leather and footwear researcher

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of textile technologist. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of textile technologist with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of textile technologist.

Health and safety in the textile industry: The requirements, rules and applications of health and safety measures in the textile industry.
Portfolio management in textile manufacturing: The process of managing teams and projects in textile and clothing product development.
Research and development in textiles: Development of new concepts through the use of scientific and other methods of applied research.
Textile technologies: Textile technologies to design, manufacture and evaluate the properties of textiles.
Braiding technology: Development, manufacturing requirements, properties and evaluation of braided fabrics.
Staple spinning machine technology: Technologies, operations, monitoring and maintenance of machines during the yarn spinning process.
Properties of fabrics: The influence of chemical composition and molecular arrangement of yarn and fibre properties and fabric structure on the physical properties of textile fabrics; the different fibre types, their physical and chemical characteristics and different material characteristics; the materials used in different processes and the effect on materials as they are processed. 
Textile printing technology: Addition of colour partially, according to the designed pattern, onto textile based materials. Processes for adding coloured patterns onto textile materials using printing machines and techniques (rotary of flat bed screen printing or others, heat transfer, inkjet, etc.).
Challenging issues in the textile industry: The efficiency aims and environmental issues posed by challenges in the textile industry.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of textile technologist.

Distinguish accessories: Distinguish accessories in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate accessories based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.
Use textile technique for hand-made products: Using textile technique to produce hand-made products, such as carpets, tapestry, embroidery, lace, silk screen printing, wearing apparel, etc.
Manufacture nonwoven staple products: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture nonwoven staple products, keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
Develop specifications of technical textiles: Developing specifications for fibre based technical products with functional performances.
Control textile process: Plan and monitor textile production to achieve control on behalf of quality, productivity and delivery time.
Manufacture man-made fibres: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture man-made fibers, ensuring that the product meets the required specifications, keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
Measure yarn count: Be able to measure yarn length and mass to assess fineness of roving, sliver and yarn in different measuring systems.Also able to convert into the various numbering system such as tex, Nm, Ne, denier, etc.
Manufacture knitted textiles: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture knitted products keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
Maintain work standards: Maintaining standards of work in order to improve and acquire new skills and work methods.
Manufacture woven fabrics: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture woven fabrics.
Manufacture staple yarns: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture staple fiber yarns.
Convert textile fibres into sliver: Convert textile fibres into drafting sliver by working in the fibre opening, carding and drafting process.
Distinguish fabrics: Distinguish fabrics in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate fabrics based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.
Manufacture non-woven filament products: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture nonwoven filament products, keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
Set-up weft knitting machines: Prepare weft knitting machines. Activities related to preparing for weft knitting process, knitting to specification and keeping the work area clean and safe.
Manufacture braided products: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture braided products while keeping efficiency and productivity at high levels.
Manufacture texturised filament yarns: Perform the operation, monitoring and maintenance of machines and processes to manufacture texturised filament yarns.
Conduct textile testing operations: Prepare for textile testing and evaluation, gathering the test samples, conducting and recording tests, validating data and presenting results.
Evaluate textile characteristics: Evaluate textiles and their properties in order to manufacture products in conformity with specifications.
Seek innovation in current practices: Search for improvements and present innovative solutions, creativity and alternative thinking to develop new technologies, methods or ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of textile technologist. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Knitting machine technology: Manufacturing technologies which use loop forming techniques to convert yarns into fabrics in order to form knitted fabrics.
Dyeing technology: Processes involved in textile dyeing using different dyeing technologies. Also, addition of colours to textile materials using dye stuffs.
Nonwoven machine technology: Manufacturing of nonwoven fabrics according to specification. Development, manufacture, properties and evaluation of nonwoven fabrics.
Textile finishing technology: Processes used for changing the properties of textile materials. This includes operating, monitoring and maintaining textile finishing machines.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of textile technologist. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Design weft knitted fabrics: Developing structural and colour effects in weft knitted fabrics by using the weft knitting technique.
Use weft preparation technologies: Prepare bobbins to be used in textile processing.
Finish processing of man-made fibres: Complete the processing operation of man-made fibres and ensure that the product is made according to customer specification.
Test physical properties of textiles: Evaluating the physical properties of textiles by using testing methods, normally in accordance with a standard; it includes fibre identification and trouble shooting.
Draw sketches to develop textile articles: Draw sketches to develop textiles or wearing apparel by hand. They create visualisations of the motives, patterns or products in order to be manufactured.
Covert slivers into thread: Convert slivers into yarns or threads by combing processes converting drafting card sliver to combed sliver. Form short fibre to yarn using yarn and thread processing technologies, mostly ring spinning or open-end spinning (rotor spinning) or alternative spinning techniques. Work in the drafting or drawing process converting sliver into roving and converting roving into yarn, through further drafting and twisting processes. Work on winding machines to reel the yarn from bobbins onto spools or cones.
Use warp knitting technologies: Use warp knitting machine technologies that enable the formation of fabrics. Able to set machines for warp knitting, colour and pattern for monitoring and controlling the warp knitting process on electronic automatic warp knitting machines equipped with multifunction microprocessor and software.
Use weaving machine technologies: Operate machines that enable weaving processes turning threads into fabrics. Setup weaving machine programmes for the machine to produce fabrics with the adequate pattern, colour and fabric density.
Design warp knit fabrics: Developing structural and colour effects in warp knitted fabrics by using the warp knitting technique.
Use warp preparation technologies: Use warping, sizing, drawing-in and knotting technologies that enable the formation of warps.
Check quality of products in textile production line: Check characteristics of textile products like yarns, woven, knitted, braided, tufted or nonwoven textiles, finished cloths, ready-make-garments and determine the product quality along different stages of the textiles or clothing production line.

ISCO group and title

2141 – Industrial and production engineers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Textile technologist – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022