Textile finishes - what is fabric finishes

 A fabric finish is applied to a fabric once it has been made to improve its appearance, feel or other properties..  change the texture of the fabric - embossing, brushing or smoothing

PRESENTED BY: RUCHI BHUTANI

What is a Fabric Finish?

 A fabric finish is applied to a fabric once it has been made to improve its appearance, feel or other properties

 Finishing processes are carried out to

improve the natural properties or

attractiveness of the fabric and to increase its serviceability

Why are fabric finishes used?

 Fabric Finishes are used to improve the fabric in some way This could be:

improve the appearance - color, pattern or

sheen

 change the texture of the fabric - embossing, brushing or smoothing

 improve the feel - softer, crisper, firmer

 improve the drape (how the fabric hangs) -

 Provide aesthetic value

 Soften fabric or change the hand

 Adds to durability

 Adds to comfort

 Provide safety

 Improves performance

TECHNIQUES OF FINISHING DEPENDS ON:

 NATURE OF FABRIC i.e chemical

composition, state, weave etc this

determines the transparency, luster, fullness, weight, whiteness etc i.e the appearance

 PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF FABRIC – i.e

softness, stiffness, tensile strength,

elongation, shrinkage property, insulation etc

 END USE OF MATERIAL- e.g non shrinking,

non-creasing, crease retention, draping,

resistance to abrasion etc

 RECEPTIVITY OF FABRIC TO VARIOUS

FINISHING OPERATIONS i.e water, flame, rot proofing etc

 SUSCEPTIBILITY TO CHEMICAL MODIFICATIONS FINISHING OPERATIONS DIFFER ACCORDING TO THE PROPERTIES IMPARTED TO THE MATERIAL

 The appearance of fabrics is sometimes deceiving In part, the appearance depends on the type of fibers, the construction of the yarns and fabrics, and the dyeing and printing involved

However, finishes can be applied to fabrics that enhance the

basic aesthetic qualities. Aesthetic finishes influence the luster, texture, drapability,hand and surface appearance of fabrics as well as enhance a host of other qualities

 Aesthetic finishes change the appearance and/or hand or drape

of the fabrics

 Lustre finishes produces a change in fabrics light

reflectance by making them more shiny

 Permanent or temporary changes in surface pattern and luster of fabrics can be achieved through a variety of

finishing techniques

 Techniques such as calendering, beetling, and burning-out influence the resulting appearance of the fabric

 Calendering is a mechanical process that finishes fabrics

by passing them between a series of rollers By varying the rollers, adding any additional chemical treatment and/or temperature, a variety of calendered finishes result,

including: glazed, ciré, embossed, Schreiner and moiré

fabrics

OBJECTIVE-

 To give soft and smooth surface to the fabric

 To give luster or glaze to the fabric

 To give silk like appearance

 To decrease the air permeability

 To flatten the slubs

 In general calender usually have 2 to 7 rollers with more common being the 3 bowl

calender

 Textile calender are made with alternate

hard steel and elastic bowls

 The elastic bowls are made from either

compressed paper or compressed cotton,

however a lot of modern calender are made with a covering which is usually NYLON 6

 1,3 & 6 are hard rollers

 2,4,5 & 7 are soft rollers

 This provision is given so that there must be resiliency property in between two

consecutive rollers so that compression

remain uniform

 Heating arrangement via steam circulation chamber

 The process parameters that can be

controlled during the process of calendering are : SPEED OF FABRIC; SPEED OF ROLLERS; SURFACE OF ROLLERS

 For light weight fabrics/cloth, less no of bowls are used in calendering and for heavy weight fabrics more no of bowls are used

 Different types of calendered effects are: SURFACE GLAZING

CIRE EFFECT

MOIRE EFFECT

SCHREINEER EFFECT

EMBOSSING EFFECT

 Glazed fabrics such as polished cottons or chintz fabrics are created by saturating the fabric in a starch, wax or resin solution and allowing it to dry before calendering it

 If starch or waxes are used, the finish is temporary and and if resins are used, the glaze is durable

 The speed of the metal rollers is greater than the speed of the f/c

 A 10 bowl calender is used for swizzing, when the

production is very large and high glaze is required

 Ciré fabrics with their glossy or wet look are produced in a manner similar to glazing Ciré fabrics are coated with a wax or resin before being calendered with heated rollers

 When thermoplastic fibres are used, the fiber surface that comes in contact with the metal roll melts and flattens slightly and produce highly polished f/c

 Cire is a taffeta, satin or tricot, silk or silk blends f/c

 Moiré fabrics have a distinctive water marked look created

in the calendering process

 Moiré is developed using either a moiré embossing roller or

a high compression calendering of two layers of

ribbed-base fabric in a single pass

 One popular method of preparing moiré fabric involves

using rollers that have been engraved with a design The material is run between the engraved rollers with some sections of the fabric crushed to reveal the finished design that has a fluid or watery look This type of application is often used to create material styles are ideal for evening gowns, formal capes, clutch handbags, and other types of formal apparel and accessories for women

Another approach to achieving a moiré fabric style is by using several different colors in printing fabrics, allowing the colors to overlap The design achieves a sense of depth that varies as the eye travels across the pattern of the fabric Because of the crushing of

the fabric during the process, the color variation as the nap is

brushed one way or the other will create a stunning effect

 Schreiner finishes on fabrics produce soft luster and hand

by flattening the yarns and surface of a fabric through

calendering

 The schreiner calender has a metal roller engraved with 200-300 fine diagonal lines per inch that are visible only under a magnifying glass

 A schreiner finish is used on cotton sateen and table

damask to make them more lustrous and on nylon tricot to increase its cover

 Embossed fabrics have a pattern imprinted or embossed into the fabric The embossed pattern is created by passing the fabric

between a heated embossing roller and a shaped paper roll

 Damask effect can be produced but the effect is temporary It lasts longer on mercerised fabric

 The degree of lustre may be modified by :- heating the chilled iron roll, pressure at the nip, speed of the m/c, moisture percent present in f/c etc

 2-bowl embossed roller or 3-bowl embossed roller arrangement can be used

 Beetled fabrics have a smooth, lusterous linen look In the

beetling process, the yarns of the fabric are flattened as the

fabric revolves around a drum while the surface is pounded with hammers

 Burn-out finishes are created by applying chemicals that

dissolve, burn-out or shrink parts of a fabric creating distinctive patterns Acid designs are created by printing a chemical solution

in a particular pattern The acid, or chemical solution, causes the fabric to burn-out and become transparent rest portions remain opaque Plissé has distinctive puckered areas Puckering is the result of the application of chemicals on the base fabric, which causes portions of the fabric to shrink

 Finishes used to change the luster and texture of fabrics often have affects on the drapability and hand of the fabric Yet, other finishes have been developed to directly affect the drapability and hand Depending on the desired use, some finishes are

intended to stiffen the fabric while others are intended to soften

 Crispness or body is given to cottons in the process of

parchmentizing

 Parchmentizing uses an acid wash (sulphuric acid) to make cotton almost transparent, and yet permanently stiff such as in organdy

 Split-second timing is necessary to prevent weakening or

tendering of the fabric

 After the acid treatment, the cloth is neutralized in a weak

alkali, washed and calendered to improve surface gloss

 Several effects are possible: an all over, a localised, or a plisse effect

 Because all over parchmentizing produces a transparent effect, sheer combed lawn is used The lawn is singed, desized, bleached and mercerised The fabric is then dyed, printed with colors that resist acid damage Fabric is now immersed in acid solution and fiber surface is partially dissolved This surface rehardens as a cellulosic film and when dry, it is permanently crisp &

transparent This all over treatment produces organdy fabric

 In localised parchmentizing, if the design is a small figure with large transparent area, an acid resistance substance is printed on the figures and the fabric is run through the acid bath The acid resistant areas retain their

original opacity and contrast sharply with

transparent background

 Burned out effects are produced by printing

a chemical solvent on a blend fabric made of fibers from different groups such as rayon

 This finish is also known as ETCHED OR

DEVORE because part of the fiber are

removed by this subtractive finish

 In sizing or starching, the fabric is immersed

in a mixture containing waxes, oils,

glycerines & softners to or control fabric

body

 Gelatin is used on rayons because it is a clear substance that enhances the natural luster of fibers

 Sizing adds stiffness, weight and body to the fabric

 Its permanance is related to the type of

sizing,& method of application

 If the sizing is resin based and heat set, it will be permanent

 If the sizing is water soluble, it will be

removed during washing or it may create problems for consumers

 Gelatin, e.g may create a water spots on rayon if consideration or other water drops onto the fabric, these spots are difficult to remove

 Weighting is technique used to add weight & body to the fabric

 A metallic salt such as stannous chloride is used,

 Salta that bond with the fiber are durable whereas others produce temporary surface coating

 The feel, appearance or consistency of a

surface or a substance is known as texture

 Texture finishes modify fabric texture or add components that completely change the

fabrics original texture

 Fabrics can be made smoother or rougher, or given textured patterns through a variety of means

 The finishes for achieving different textures are:

 Shearing is a process that evens out the length of the pile of fabric in a controlled manner i.e Shearing is a procedure to remove surface fibers, yarn ends, knots and similar irregularities and surface flaws

 During shearing the fabric passes through a series of tension bars and over an angled shearing bed The

prominent fibres are cut by blades, wound helically around a rotating cylinder against a stationery blade Strong suction removes cut fibres

 It may create a smooth surface or a patterned or

sculptured effect by flattening portions of the pile with an engraved roller, shearing off the areas that remain erect , and steaming the fabric to raise the flattened and now taller portions

 Together with shearing, singeing is often used to control surface fibre, particularly for blends

During singeing, surface fibres are removed by

an intensive flame or by reflected heat Singeing

is more invasive then shearing and penetrates

deeper into the fabric than is possible by

shearing, which is limited by fabric surface

topography

 Shearing can be used to create raised patterns or

to smooth the overall nap of a fabric

Below is example of terry towel with and without shearing

 Some sheared fabrics are also brushed Fabrics are brushed

to remove loose fibers, and in some cases, to direct the nap of the surface in a single direction

 Common examples of fabrics with brushed finishes are

brushed corduroy and brushed denim

 Below is an example of denim twill (in red) with or without brushing

 Also in white plain woven flannel with brushed finish

 The embossed design is permanent if the fabric has a

thermoplastic fiber content or if a resin is used and heat set

 Often used in combination with foil stamping, embossing is a

process that alters the surface of paper stock or other substrates

by providing a three dimensional or raised effect on selected

areas The procedure requires the use of two dies: one that is raised and one that is recessed The dies fit into each other so that when the paper is pressed between them, the raised die

forces the stock into the recessed die and creates the embossed impression A specific level of pressure is applied to the dies in order to squeeze the fibers of the paper, which results in a

permanently raised area in the paper

 When the dies are produced, a die maker engraves the desired image into several metal plates, which are the embossing dies for use on an embossing press A thorough understanding the process will enable a more successful result Generally, embossing is the process most often employed to attract attention or convey a high quality textural contrast in relation to the surrounding area

of the paper stock

 Below are the examples of 3D or raised embossing

 A pleated fabric is made using a variation of embossing

 Pleating is a highly specialized operation done by either the

paper pattern technique or by the machine process

 Puckered surface are created by partially dissolving the surface

of nylon or polyester with phenol

 Plisse means to crease, to fold or to pleat It refers to an intentionally wrinkled, pleated, or puckered fabric The word can either be used to denote the finish of

the fabric or the fabric itself Plisse finish on fabric can be either temporary or permanent

 Two common methods of creating this fabric are through the use of a caustic soda, such as sodium hydroxide

solution, or through tension weaving Both processes

tighten the fabric in the areas where the puckering or

creasing is desired Though usually found on finer fabrics such as cotton, nylon, rayon, or silk, other materials, such

as wool and leather, can also be given a plisse finish

 The alkali shrinks the fabric in the treated areas As this shrinkage occurs, the untreated stripes pucker shrinkage causes a slight difference in count between the two

stripes

 Plisse gives a similar effect of a seersucker fabric, but

seersucker is achieved by different work tensions during weaving and is not a finish

 Texture can also be developed by adding fibers ( 5

natural or synthetic surface fibers) in the finishing

processes on the base fabric

 Flocked finishes add texture by adhering short fibers to the surface of a fabric Flocking can be used to create the appearance of a pile design or allover piles

 Flock fibers attached to a fabric surface are very short and straight and are attached by an adhesive to create

an inexpensive pile

 The two basic methods of applying the flock fibers are mechanical and electrostatic