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Introduction:
Silk is a natural fibre & is got in a filament form. It has very unique characteristic & aesthetic appeal like its sheen; its handle; its comfort & its drape which are unmatchable. This wonderful fibre is spun in the form of a filament by the silkworm larva. India is the only silk producing country in the world having all the four varieties of silk viz. Mulberry, Tasar/ Tussah, Eri/Endi, & Muga Silk. The last three silk being categorised under the Non-Mulberry or VANYA silk. Silk industry in India, is predominantly decentralised. It is hindered by age old practices and conventional manufacturing techniques which have limited the range of products and its uses. Besides, the advances in the synthetic fibre manufacturing technologies have brought in many challenges for silk fibre industry in several aspects, including the productivity. Therefore, there is a need to present silk in a new form and in competitive way. Thus product diversification is the need of the hour, as it not only helps to expand the market base and adds value to the end product, but also generates additional employment and income to the Sericulturists. An attempt has been made to diversify and produce silk non-wovens using silk filament & silk waste by employing the silkworm to spin the filament in a sheet form (instead of cocoon) on one hand & on the other, applying the principles of non-woven (bonding & mechanical) technology and blending it with creativity of the artisans. Special emphasis is laid on the silk waste generated during the conversion from the cocoon/ pupae stage to silk fabric. Non-woven is a continuous web sheet or fabric like material composed of fibres which are mechanically and/or chemically bonded together and is not made by weaving, knitting or conventional textile process.
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Production layout Spinning, the silk sheet thus formed is removed from the plate. The silk sheet thus produced is cleansed and then immersed in hot water and treated at 80-85 degrees for 15 minutes. The formed sheet is examined & if required, layers are removed in some places to give uniformity. Depending on the end use, additional layers may be added during this process. The water is squeezed & pressed by the calendaring process. This moderately uniform sheet can be taken up for bleaching or dyeing under controlled conditions. Dyeing process Finished product
Spinning of Filament by the silkworm Segregating & peeling of layers to achieve uniform sheet Controlled bleaching & dyeing Application of finishes Value add-ons like embroidery, printing, painting etc.
A second, third and even fourth layer of silk can be applied. The desired thickness of the felt will be dependent on the final use. Pieces that will be manipulated or sewed later will require more than one layer. For maximum sheen, the fibres should be laid out as smoothly and as parallel as possible. A certain amount of skill is required to do this. Wetting: Before applying adhesive, the laid lap sheet should be wetted thoroughly, so the silk accepts the adhesive. Silk sheet is wetted by sprinkling plain water or soap solution over it. It takes more water and time to penetrate the fibres than one might anticipate. The silk sheet changes to a darker colour and becomes very flat with no air pockets once the water has been soaked. Use a smooth glass or stainless steel rod of 2cms diameter and apply pressure by rolling it over the sheet. This will help the water or solution to penetrate uniformly and the sheet becomes still flat and excess water is wiped out. Application of adhesive: Pre-prepared adhesive (depending on the end use of the nonwovens) is spread all over the wetted silk sheet, slowly and evenly. Pressure is applied by rolling the steel rod over the sheet as done during wetting. Applying of adhesive Pressing
Drying: The felt prepared on acrylic sheet is dried under the shade, as the sun rays have destructive action on the silk fibre. It takes about 3-4 hours to dry. Peeling of non-wovens: When the fusion is completed, felts are slowly removed from the acrylic sheet. Curing: For final setting of the adhesive, the non-wovens must be heat set. Ironing also helps to flatten or remove fluffy surface. Always use a press cloth while ironing the felts to avoid gumming up of the iron surface. The acrylic sheet is washed with warm water and wiped, dried and kept ready for next batch of silk non-wovens preparation.
Raw material (Cleaned Silk Waste) Degumming/ Bleaching/Dyeing Washing Drying & Opening by Hand Mechanical opening & web formation in lap form Lap laying & bonding with Adhesives (Chemical bonding) Pressing (steel rods), Drying (under shade) and Curing (ironing) Finishing techniques (printing, embroidery & finishes etc) It is observed that the softness and lustre of mulberry fibre is well reflected in the nonwoven sample, though the concentration of binder used, weight of the fibre taken and the process followed were identical for all varieties of silk.
Selection of Raw material Preparation of fibre (Degumming/stripping of colour) Opening and lap formation Web formation Web bonding (Mechanical) Dyeing, Drying and Curing Finishing techniques
Z I- Fibrous web feeding and compression zone; Z II Needle punching zone; Z III- Drawing-off zone; 1 - Needle beam; 2 - Needle board; 3 Needles; 4 - Feed table; 5 - Draw-in rollers; 6 - Bed plate (lower hole plate); 7 - Stripper plate (upper hole plate) 8 - Drawing-off rollers. Selvedge waste Needle Punched Fabric
Non-woven care:Yes, you can wash all products in Luke warm water or dry cleaning is the best option. Some natural dyed samples
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6. Uses/applications
Appliqu for clothing, Appliqu work on hand crafted items Inner lining for warm garments Head caps, ties, garments & blankets Furnishing and home apparels Handicrafts items like wall paintings, wall hangings, wall coverings, gift tags, bags, purse/wallets, table mats, matting for pictures, journal/book/album covers greeting/invitation/business cards, lamp shades & many many more .. Imagination is the limit. Technical & Medical textiles Embroidery & appliqu work
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6. Conclusions: The objective of developing non-woven product out of all the 4 varieties of silk fibre is possible. The manufacturing technology evolved suits the decentralised sector also. It is a low cost technology The product standardisation would automatically lead to standardisation of process parameters and would be within the capacity of targeted stake holders. A systematic approach for its marketing would generate sustainable self employment for the villagers. Silk lovers get a new product in a competitive way. Effective utilisation of silk & its produced waste. Embroidery Work
References:
Dr. V. K. Kothari: Non-wovens and their application in filtration www.livesilkrevolution.com Indian Silk Nov 05 to Apr 06
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