Developments in Dyeing

Processes and Machineries

 Developments in dyeing process and
Machineries
The developments in dyestuff industries are taking place from the point of view of :

 High performance products – The most important objective in the recent times has been high
performance and minimal cost.

 Cost Effectiveness – Increased automation, advanced technology and controls, computerization

in decreasing the cost of the dyeing process.

 Health and Safety – Selection of dyes are very important when it comes to health and safety.
Avoiding the use of dyes which can form reduction carcinogenic amines is is always recommended.

 Sustainability – Sustainability also plays an important role. Reducing the various types of pollution in
the dyeing processes is very essential and is the need of the hour.
 Air instead of Water
 Airflow was the key element of the technology, as air is an ideal
transport medium. The
replacement of dye liquor with air as a method of transporting
piece goods in jet-dyeing machines was a big step toward
reducing water and chemicals consumption.

 Compared to the jet system in which the nozzles are filled with
liquor, nozzle pressure is negligible, thus offering optimum
protection of sensitive textile surfaces. At the same time, the use
of the mass flow principle provides a major improvement in
fabric hank laying, thus preventing creasing.

 The moisture-saturated airflow ensures the uniform distribution

of temperature on the fabric and in the machine, constituting a
prerequisite for even and reproducible dyeing. Moreover, the low
level of liquor in the dyeing boiler means the fabric is lighter
than in conventional machinery and can therefore be accelerated
quickly to high speeds. Thus, the risk of draft or strain is
minimal, which is particularly advantageous with regard to the
finishing of items containing elastane fibers.
The new l shaped airflow
 The Airflow dyeing machine had one disadvantage:
dyeing of extremely delicate fabrics didn’t give a perfect
result. Current and future trends pointing toward more and
more lightweight fabrics with high contents of elastane in
finest yarn counts and gauges prompted the next stage of
Airflow machinery design.

 To meet the required voluminous hand as well as top-

grade quality standards, the world’s first long-tube
Airflow machine, the Airflow Lotus 200, was developed.
The new dyeing machine incorporates the latest advances
in then’s Airflow technology and operates according to the
original aerodynamic principle. The dye liquor passes the
self-cleaning filter and is then evenly
applied and finely distributed as a mist with the aid of the
blower, assuring outstanding penetration.
 Enzyme Assisted Dyeing
 As a result of the industrial biotechnology revolution, there is vast application of enzymes in textile
production. The main advantage of enzymatic processing is sustainable and environmentally friendly
processing.

 Use of enzymes has been studied in different textiles such as cotton, wool and silk.

 After application of the enzymes, the treated fabric shows shrink resistance properties and better dye uptake
than untreated fabric
 Cold Pad batch dyeing
 This method is most suitable for cellulosic fibers such as cotton
and lyocell. In this process, the fabric is dipped in dye liquor (in
the case of reactive dyes) containing an alkali. Later, the padded
fabric is mangled with suitable expression and wound onto a
roller without any further drying. The fabric is then covered
with a polyethene sheet to avoid drying. In the industry this is
usually called a batch, and the batch may be allowed to rotate at
1–5 revolutions per minute (rpm) for 12–24 hours.

 Since it is a cold pad batch and requires no application of heat,

this avoids unnecessary utilization of energy. In addition, it
provides better fixation and fastness properties than the batch-
dyeing process (i.e., dyeing of fabrics with soft-flow or jet
dyeing machines). However, the process can be influenced by
the atmospheric temperature during the fixation, and better
results are achieved in summer than in winter
 Padding with a modified through
shape
 In a conventional padding mangle, the padding trough is bigger and
consumes a huge quantity of dye liquor. Frequently, there is a large
quantity of dye liquor left over after the dyeing process, creating a large
quantity of effluent. Therefore, the volume of dye liquor left in the trough
mainly depends on the trough design and its capacity. In the last two
decades, a lot
The advantages of research
of padding hasa modified
with been donetrough
on reducing
shape the
are:trough capacity.
• Uniformity of color • Very
Benningerlowhas developed
pollution loadU-shaped
• Greatertroughs with
efficiency andtheless
smallest
energycapacity.
utilization
This ensures the lowest utilization of dyestuffs and the necessary
chemicals. Also, this unit offers roller adjustments, which increase the
flexibility of fabric movement.

 The advantages of padding with a modified trough shape are:

• Uniformity of color
• Very low pollution load
• Greater efficiency and less energy utilization
 Mordants
 A mordant is a metallic compound that helps to make a bond between a natural dye and
a fabric, resulting in better fastness properties. Although some natural dyes (e.g.,
turmeric) do not require a mordant since they have good substantivity properties, the
majority of natural dyes do not have good substantivity; thus, utilization of a mordant
is important.

 During dyeing using natural dyes with mordants, there is the possibility that some
amounts of the dye and the mordant may be unexhausted and discharged into the
environment, resulting in serious environmental and health hazards. The safest
mordants to use are alum and ferrous sulfate. Examples of toxic mordants are copper
and chrome-based mordants.

 Because of environmental considerations, it is necessary to use sustainable dyeing

methods; therefore; use of bio mordants could be an alternative to use of toxic metallic
mordants. Because of their potential for sustainable use, bio mordants have been
studied extensively by various researchers.
 Plasma Assisted dyeing
 Luckily, it is possible to study plasma in various forms and even use it to
achieve desired effects on various substrates, including textiles. Plasma is
applied to textile fabrics to modify the surface, which helps to enhance the
functional properties.

 Cotton fabric has in-built hydrophilic properties; however, plasma

treatment can help to modify the characteristics of the surface, making it
hydrophobic in nature. The functional effects on plasma-treated fabric
depend on the types of gases used in the plasma chamber.

 The main advantage of using this technique is that it modifies the surface
properties without affecting the bulk properties. Therefore, it is used to
create various functional textile materials. In addition, it is an
environmentally friendly process
 Some other techniques

 LASER TREATMENT - Laser treatment is another method used for physical surface
treatment, generating hydrophilic groups on hydrophobic fibers and enriching the dyeing process.
Laser irradiation during surface finishing of synthetic fiber fabrics has been the subject of
widespread research to explore its possibilities. To irradiate the strongly absorbent spectral region of
high polymers, a specific laser type needs to be selected to produce surface restructuring without
disturbing the thermal and mechanical properties of the body of the fiber.

 SUPERCRTICAL CO2 BASED DYEING - Supercritical CO2 dyeing methods are a

promising technology. No water is used here. Any excess dyes are in powder form and hence can be
used later. Less energy is required during this process and the process cost is also very low.

 MICROWAVE ASSISTED DYEING – This is also one of the new developments in the field of
dyeing and coloring.