Textile Engineering (TE) in Bangladesh
The industry basically involves manufacturing of various types of fabrics both natural and synthetic, production of machinery, and planning and development of new technology. The industry has categorized three major areas of work namely research and development, manufacturing and merchandising. It provides direct employment to more than thirty million people.
Textile Engineering is the study of textile production, processing and it’s compatibility for the use of common man. It combines the principles of engineering with specific knowledge of textile equipment and processes. This field of engineering draws inputs from various other branches of engineering like chemical, instrumentation, computer, structural, electronic and mechanical engineering. Textile technology/Engineering deals with the application of scientific and engineering principles to the design and control of all aspects of fiber, textile and apparel processes, its products and machinery. These include natural and man-made materials, interaction of materials with machines, safety and health, energy conservation, and waste and pollution control. There is wide scope for research in this area as the industry demands the need to improve currently available products and develop new ones.
Textiles are utilised for innumerable purposes other than the manufacturing of garments. They are used in the manufacturing of carpets and furnishing like bed sheets and bed covers, quilts, table cloth, curtains and towels etc. It is also used for rags and dusters, tents and nets, kites, parachutes etc. Textiles have industrial uses as well. They are incorporated in firefighting suits, shuttle space suit, in carbon fiber composite rocket exhausts, and even in nose cones for NASA.
According to its usage and texture, textiles are classified as Technical Textiles- made of zinc oxide and nanowires, which enable protection from heat and radiation. Examples of Technical Textiles are protective clothing like firefighting suits, those designed specially for astronauts. Medical Textiles – besides gauze and bandage, textiles are also being used as sutures, orthopaedic implants, vascular grafts, artificial ligaments, artificial tendons, heart valves and even as artificial skins. Recent advances in medical textiles has led it to be used as extracorporeal devices which include artificial kidney, artificial liver, mechanical lungs etc. New materials are finding specialized applications like antimicrobial and antifungal fibres and additives used in barrier fabrics, abdominal post-operative binders, applications in neurodermatitis treatment and various other wound management and surgical treatments. Agro textiles – which protect the farmers and Agricultural Engineers from the adverse effects of soil and pollution, and Geo-textiles – which protect the people during construction work.
Job Prospects:
There are ample career opportunities in this field for talented professionals. The industrial knowledge and skills of graduates are highly valued by textile manufacturing companies. The quality of product and productivity plays a major role for exporting garments. Graduates professional from this field are employed in departments of textile plants and companies varying from small to large scale such as planning, production, quality control, sales or marketing or agencies of domestic or abroad companies for textile products and textile machinery, intended in different regions of the country.
After completing the engineering course, the students can opt for careers that use their technical and creative skills and they can be placed in the following positions:
Quality Managers
Production Managers
Structural Textile Designers
Garment Technologists
Fashion Merchandisers
Fashion Buyers
Dye house Managers
Work Study Officers
Freelancers/Entrepreneurs
Textile and Clothing Lecturers and Research Assistants
Fashion Stylists
Visual Merchandisers
