Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Treatments
Application of Chemical Finishing Treatments
• By applying chemicals of different origins, a fabric can receive
properties otherwise impossible to obtain with mechanical
means
• It allows the stabilisation of fabrics already subjected to
mechanical finishing processes, such as calendering;
• It gives fabrics some properties (e.g. flame retardancy and
water repellency), which would be otherwise absent
• The products used can be classified as follows:
• - Natural (adhesives, fats, oils, starches)
• - Artificial (modified starches, modified cellulose)
• - Synthetic (synthesis products) including: N-methylol
derivatives (thermosetting, reactants), linear reactants
(carbamates, epoxy resins), thermoplastic polymers (vinyl,
acrylic, polyethylene), polyurethanes and silicones
Application of the finish
• Five main application techniques:
• a) padding;
• b) spraying by means of atomisers;
• c) exhaust process in treatment liquor;
• d) coating carried out by means of doctor knives;
• e) controlled application of low liquor quantities.
• Padding is by far the most common among the various
finishing techniques
Padders
• A padder consists of a trough and a pair of squeeze rolls
(mangle).
• The fabric passes under a submerged roll in the trough filled
with the treatment bath and then through squeeze rolls
• Three factors control the amount of solution remaining on the
fabric,
– squeeze pressure (which is influenced by the composition of the rolls),
– fabric construction (the solution resides in the capillary spaces between
yarns and fibers), and
– the absorptive nature of the fiber.
• All fabrics have upper and lower wet pick-up limits. Within these
limits, adjustments in wet pick-up can be made by increasing or
decreasing the squeeze pressure.
• If the squeeze pressure is too low, puddles of solution will
remain on the surface of the fabric. When this is dried, excess
chemical will deposit in the overly wet areas resulting in non-
uniform treatment
• Wet pick-ups in the range of 75 to 100% are common by
padding
Spraying
• The application of finishing substances by spraying is
used for carrying out gentle finishing processes which
leave on the textile material a small concentration of
products, and is particularly indicated for applying
softening, anti-static and anti-mildew agents.
• For a good and homogeneous penetration and
diffusion of the finish in the textile material, it is better
to let the sprayed and wound fabric rest for some
hours before drying.
• In the webs made of synthetic fibres the resincoating
process is carried out only by spraying the finish
directly on the fibrous substrate and by generally
applying synthetic resins in aqueous emulsion
Exhaustion
• The treatment of yarns or fabrics in exhaustion liquor
is recommended above all when stable chemical
products are applied on the textile substrate.
• The manufacturing process undergone by the material
is useful to precisely evaluate the best method for
applying the finish, for example on hosiery or tubular
knitted goods.
• From a chemical point of view, the most suitable
products for the exhaust process are those with
cationactive properties.
• In particular cation-active softening agents are often
applied with this process, as well as paraffin- and wax-
based emulsions, and more recently, cation-active
polymer emulsions
Coating
• Generally the process starts from a fabric or from a
non-woven fabric as a backing
• All fibres can be used, from light silk to linen and
hemp, from synthetic fibres to glass fibres
• coating polymers are bonded to the fabric backing by
means of calenders, in the form of thin sheets or are
mainly spread in the form of aqueous dispersions or
solutions in solvents.
• The characteristics and the properties of coated
fabrics depend on the chemical structure of the
coating resins applied and the type of backing fabric
used.
• The coating layer undoubtedly plays the most
important role for appearance, hand and resistance
properties
The coating technique
• Coated fabrics are divided into specific categories:
– - fabric based on natural, artificial and synthetic fibres;
– - coating layer of natural or synthetic resins.
• The coating layer can be obtained with the following
processes:
• 1. bonding with thin resin film;
• 2. direct coating with resins;
• 3. indirect resin coating with the transfer technique
• The first process method, now scarcely used, the
resin film is bonded to its fabric backing on special
calenders. This process is still used today to
manufacture tablecloths by applying a thin PVC film to
the fabric
• Direct coating process- the resin is spread
directly on the fabric by means of a doctor knife
or a cylinder with the following methods:
• - air knife;
• - knife on belt;
• - knife on cylinder;
• - "reverse-roll" cylinder
• During the air coating process and the belt
coating one, the quantity of resin spread is
relatively small and the desired thickness can
be achieved only by applying successive
layers, each one stabilised with an intermediate
drying stage
Knife on rubber cylinder
Air knife
Polyglucose chains
cross-linked with cellulose
reactants