At the start, bags were only used for functional purposes. However, nowadays, there are fashion trends. People carry bags not only for function but also for aesthetic purposes. The bag manufacturing industry is not focusing on this aspect.
Due to this negligence, many industries are missing not only opportunities but also profits. Therefore, these bag manufacturing industries should focus on the latest trends and customers’ needs.
In this blog post, you will find methods of manufacturing different types of bags according to the latest fashion trends.
Let’s delve into this comprehensive process of bag manufacturing!
The Journey of a Tote Bag: A Look into the Production Process
Tote bags are among the most used bags nowadays. This is trending in the fashion industry. Manufacturing tote bags begins when a design comes into the designer’s mind.
Here are the details of the journey of the tote bag production:
Design the Bag
The first step in making a bag is to design a sketch of the bag on paper. Nowadays, designers use different design apps to draw different digital sketches of the bags.
They take inspiration from different things. The most important thing is the target audience. They fulfill the needs of their target audience while considering their preferences of style and fashion.
The following are basic considerations for making a bag’s design:
- Dimensions
- Size
- Shape
- Handle length
- Closure mechanisms
- Pockets
- Embellishments
In this way, designers make digital prototypes of tote bags using different design tools, such as Adobe Illustrator. They can make 3D designs of tote bags. After visualizations, they can make the required changes.
Select a Material
Select a material for making your desired tote bag. When selecting a material, you have to consider different factors. Some of the most important factors are given below:
- Softness
- Breathability
- Durability
- Water resistance
- Sturdiness
Some of the most commonly used materials for making tote bags are the following:
- Cotton
- Canvas
- Leather
- Jute
- Polyester
- Nylon
Several other materials are used to make this bag. Every material will come with some specific features, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Manufacturers have to consider customers’ needs. They can buy their desired material from different textile industries that process the raw material and dye it.
Cut and Stitch the Material
When you have finalized the design of the bag, it is time to translate it into reality. First of all, the bag maker places the cloth on a large, smooth table and then cuts it according to the templates or sketches.
After cutting, you must arrange the pieces in groups according to their order and design.
Now, experienced sewers will use heavy-duty thread to stitch these bags. They use different stitching techniques to ensure seamless and consistent stitching. Moreover, they can use heavy sewing machines for this purpose. They assemble different panels together into a pouch.
Attach the Handles
You have to make sturdy handles according to the overall design of the bag. Then, attach them to the pouch through stitching. Moreover, you have to reinforce this stitching by adding extra layers of fabric to the attachment points of handles and pouches.
At this stage, manufacturers ensure that the handles are enough to bear the weight of the heavy items in the bag. Moreover, it should enhance the attractiveness of the bag.
Add Finishings
Now, you are done with the main structure of the bag. It’s time to add the final touches. These include the following:
- Sew a sturdy and smooth zipper that is the size of the bag.
- Add snaps or buttons if needed for this tote bag design.
- Sew the logos or patches of the brand to the bags.
Moreover, different decorative items are added to these bags to make each bag unique.
When they are finalized, they are pressed and packed. Sometimes, these bags are passed through quality control tests.1
Leather Bags Manufacturing
Leather bag manufacturing involves several steps. Here is the step-by-step guide to how leather bags are made:
Idea and Design of New Bag
The very first step is the idea of the bag. You have to design the bag based on your thoughts. There are thousands of designs already available on the leather bag market. You have to design a bag that is not only functional but also fulfills the aesthetics. It should be according to the latest fashion trends.
Then, you have to sketch the design on paper or use design softwares for making digital versions of the bags. The edge of digital tools is that you can see the 3-D shape of the bag and can make adjustments accordingly.
Materials for New Bag
When you are done with the design of the bag, it’s time to select the type of leather to realize the bag’s design. There are various types of leather. Every type comes with its own specific features. Some of them are the following:
- Full grain leather
- Calfskin leather
- Suede leather
- Top grain leather
- Genuine leather
- Exotic leather
You have to consider different factors when selecting the leather material. These include the color, texture, thickness, flexibility, and weight of the leather.
Preparation
After selecting the appropriate type of leather material, it’s time to cut the leather into small pieces according to the bag’s requirements. 2
Firstly, manufacturers spread the leather on the large table. Then, they use the templates to draw patterns to make the cutting easy. Then, skilled craftsmen cut the leather with sharp tools according to the template. Nowadays, some machines cut leather precisely.
Assembly
In this step, all the parts of the leather are assembled together to make the leather bag. First of all, all the parts of the bag are organized according to their arrangement. Then, the endings of these parts are skewed to make them thin.
In this step, manufacturers can emboss special patterns and logs according to the bag’s design and brand. After this, they are stitched using different techniques. Some bags are stitched through hands. However, some manufacturers use machine stitching to assemble different parts into a complete bag.
Finishing
You have to add hardware, such as zippers, clasps, D-rings, buckles, snaps, and magnetic closures, to the bag according to the design of the bag. Moreover, lining the bag is done from both the interior and exterior of the bag,
In this way, leather bags are manufactured. In the quality check, these bags are polished and packaged.
Manufacturing Process of Bulk Bags
There are several steps involved in making bulk bags. However, most of the bulk bag manufacturers follow the below-given steps:
Extrusion
In this first step, tapes are manufactured from different materials. The most commonly used materials are the following:
- Polypropylene(PP)
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Calcium carbonate
- Ultraviolet inhibitors
- Different colors
The granules of the ingredients mentioned above are melted and mixed to make the plates or tapes of plastic. In this way, durable, tear-resistant, flexible sheets are collected.
Weaving
Now, manufacturers put the extruded sheets or tapes of polyethylene or polypropylene into the loom to make the plastic fabric for the bag.
In this step, the weaving pattern is determined according to the quality of the plastic fabric you want to obtain.
Moisture Proofing
In this step, the plastic fabric is made moisture or water-proof. When you collect the plastic fabric from the loom, there will be small holes due to the gaps between polypropylene tapes. So water or moisture can easily pass through this fabric.
You can make this fabric waterproof through lamination. This coating will close the microscopic holes in the fabric.
Cutting
Now, manufacturers cut the fabric into pieces according to the design and dimensions of the bag. They can use slicing machines or experts to cut precisely.
Nowadays, there are machines that are programmed to cut the fabric according to specific edges, lengths, edges, bottoms, and widths.
Printing
The brand’s logos or other attractive shapes are printed on the pieces of fabric. This is done using a printing machine. These machines precisely print the footprints of the company on all the pieces of fabric. These prints are then dried before being sent to the next step.
Webbing
The handles, or you can call them lifting loops, are manufactured by weaving polypropylene fabric tapes. The woven strips are cut into the bag handle according to the size of the bag.
Sewing
Now, manufacturers will sew all the parts together according to the design of the bag. Now, skilled sewers are required to assemble these pieces together precisely. However, in this step, they use an industrial sewing machine to sew the bulk bags in large numbers.
The supervisors are there to ensure that each bag is sewn precisely, without any creases and bends on all the joining ends.
Inspection
As these bulk bags are made in a large number, there can be flaws due to errors at any stage. So, a proper team is assigned to inspect the quality of the bags. They will ensure that each bag not only fits the desired design but also has a durable structure.
Burst test
Now, any random bags from the whole lot are exposed to load and burst tests. In this test, they ensure that bags don’t have any drops, spills, abrasions, falls, and many other such things. This test is also called the top lift test.
Through this test, the bags are verified and tested for Safe Working Load(SWL). If they can’t pass this test, they are returned to manufacturing again.
Packing
When all the bags are passed through all the steps, it is time to package them. They are grouped and pressed through bale pressing. Then, these are packed in a number according to the requirement.
Storage
Now, manufacturers will store them in storage rooms. They will be transferred to customers from that room.
In this way, bulk bags are manufactured in industries. After their formation, customers use them for several purposes, such as for carrying food products, chemicals, building materials, etc.
What is the Process of Manufacturing Plastic Bags?
Plastic is a long-lasting and durable material. Moreover, it is also a water-resistant and scratch-resistant material. Several industries manufacture plastic bags.
Here is the detail of the plastic bag manufacturing process:
Transformation
In the first step, the raw material is transformed into plastic to make the bags. Polyethylene, that is, the raw material, can be obtained from natural gas or refined gas. Minors extract them through drilling and mining from the ground.
After extraction, you have to refine them to separate the material with the desired density. In refineries, natural gas is heated at a certain pressure to obtain the exact polyethylene chains from the raw material. In this step, different types of pressures are used to separate the plastic resin pellets of different densities. These will be used to make different types of plastics.
Extrusion
Extrusion involves the formation of flat sheets or plastic films. First of all, plastic resin pellets are heated at very high temperatures and pressure to obtain their liquid form. The melted plastic is spread and moved in a circle to form thin, long balloons. 3
These balloons are cooled and stretched through several rollers. Manufacturers use air-cooling systems or water-cooling systems to cool and solidify these films.
These rollers will make thin, large sheets. If these need any printing, they are rolled into the printer.
Cutting and Sealing
Now, the plastic sheets or films are passed into the cutting machines. These machines cut the plastic sheets precisely into all the pieces according to the dimensions of the bag.
Now, these pieces are assembled together and then sealed with heat. This seal is strong enough to bear the load. Handles and zippers are added at the top of the bag according to the bag size and design.
Quality Control Tests
When a bag is formed, it is passed through different tests, such as the following:
- The thickness test determines the thickness. Moreover, through this test, you can also determine that the bag has the same thickness on all sides.
- A strength test will determine how much weight the bag can bear. So, it is stretched with a different force to determine its maximum flexibility.
There are several other tests, such as the UV rays test to check the light resistance and the moisture test to determine the water resistance.
Packaging
All the bags that pass these tests are sent to the packaging. They are pressed and packaged to store. Now, they are ready to sell and use in the world.
Conclusion
Technology and innovation have introduced a number of ways to manufacture bags. However, manufacturers should go for processes that are not only sustainable but also eco-friendly.
Moreover, if you want to know about the different fabrics used to make bags, you can visit our blog about the fabrics used to make these bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Article Sources
Bagsbucks provides reliable information with good-quality references to support the facts.
- Fluid filtration: Gas. (n.d.) – Google Books ↩︎
- Introduction. Leather in archaeology: Between material properties, materiality and technological choices – UCL Disscovery ↩︎
- Thermoforming of single and multilayer laminates – Google Books ↩︎