Fabric Finishing Techniques and Innovations Objective 1.02

Fabric Finishes Any special treatments that are applied to fabrics. May be permanent or temporary.

Purposes of Fabric Finishes Reduce undesirable characteristics. Improve desirable characteristics. Create specific designs. Offer smoother or firmer hand. Add specific properties, such as: wrinkle resistance.

Greige Goods Refers to fabric right off the loom.

Dyeing Textiles Dyes Compounds that penetrate and color fibers. Different fibers require different types.

Methods of Dyeing Stock (fiber) Solution Yarn Piece Product

Kinds of Dyes Synthetic fiber dyes: dye depends on type of fiber Acid dyes: Acid producing compound is used in the dye bath. Used on wool, mohair, angora, and silk. Fiber reactive dyes: Dyes react to the molecules of fibers. Used on cotton, rayon, linen, hemp and silk. Disperse dye: used on polyester and acetate fibers.

Colorfast Color in a fabric that will not run or fade with washing or wear.

Printing Textiles Involves transferring color to the surface of a fabric to form a pattern of design.

Types of Printing Wood Block Roller Screen Rotary Heat transfer Resist Digital

Wood Block Printing Earliest form of printing Slowest method

Roller Printing Design is etched on copper rollers Each color in design requires separate roller Simple and fast Expensive

Screen Printing Can be done by hand or machine. Uses a mesh screen, ink and a rubber blade to transfer print. Different screen used for each color. Screen printing by hand Machine screen printing

Rotary Printing Combines both roller and screen printing methods.

Heat Transfer Created using transfer paper/ink or with vinyl/vinyl cutter Design transferred with an iron or heat press T-shirts are commonly printed with this method.

Resist Printing Resist printing involves a two-step procedure in which a design pattern is printed on a white or dyed fabric with chemical or wax that will prevent the dyes from penetrating the fabric. When the fabric is dyed, the color is absorbed only where there is no resist. Then the resist is removed. Resist Printing- uses wax or chemicals Batik fabrics

Digital Printing Ink jet based method of printing colorants onto fabric. Design is created using a computer: 1) Hand-drawn then scanned into a computer. 2) Created using custom software (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.)

Structural Design Woven directly into the fabric. Provides an interesting texture. Example: jacquards

Finishes Affecting Appearance and Texture Stone Washing Acid washing Napping Flocking Brushing Embossing

Stone Washing and Acid Dyes Hugely popular in the 1980’s. Pumice stones used to create a faded fabric look. Acid Dyes: Introduced to produce same effects as stone washing. Not environmentally friendly.

Enzyme Washes or Bio-Stoning Less harmful for the environment. Various effects can be achieved. Can be used to soften fabric.

Napping Raises the fiber ends to the surface to be clipped, brushed, or left raised. Creates a softer, fuzzy texture to the fabric. Common fabrics include: fleece, suede flannel, corduroy, and velvet.

Flocking Surface design Applied to the fabric. Applying texture by depositing many small fiber particles onto a surface of fabric.

Brushing Mechanical Finish Fabric passed through wire rollers. Produces soft and fluffy fabric. Common fabric: fleece

Embossing Fabric is passed through engraved rollers. Creates a raised design. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5yJOb8XmjE

Performance Finishes Antimicrobial/Antibiotic/Antifungal Anti-static Durable press (Permanent Press) Shrinkage control/Sanforized Mercerization Stain release/Stain resistant

Performance Finishes Water repellent and waterproof Flame-resistant Mildew resistance Moth resistance Wrinkle resistant/ Crease resistant

Innovations in Textiles Nanotechnology- molecular structure of the chemicals used to form fibers has been altered. Microencapsulation -Particles are filled with active ingredients and applied to the fabric or garment. *Examples- moisturizers, insect repellents

Innovations in Textiles Microfibers -primarily made from polyester or nylon -single strand of fiber is finer than silk. Polar fleece -napped polyester knit fabric

Eco-Friendly/Green Fabrics Reduce the health and environmental impact by lowering the amount of chemicals and other harmful substances used in growing/processing. Examples: Bamboo fabric- biodegradable Organic/Bio Cotton- hypoallergenic Lyocel (Tencel)- Made from wood pulp from trees grown in replanted forests. http://www.bambooclothing.co.uk/why_is_bamboo_better.html

Smart Fabrics E-textiles (Electronic Textiles) Fabrics that enable digital components to be embedded. Wearable technology