FABRIC AND GARMENT

FINISHING
AN INTRODUCTION TO FINISHING

Authored by:
Akshay singh(01)
Divya kaushal(06)
TEXTILE FINISHING

Finishing is the general term for a multitude of processes and treatments which a
fabric may undergo after it has been made (woven or knitted) and coloured (dyed
or printed). It is the final processing of the cloth and its purpose is to make the
fabric suitable for its intended end use. That may mean. for example, making the
fabric shrinkproof, softer, stiffer, water repellent, crease resistant or a
combination of these properties.

Objects of finishing:
o To improve the appearance of the fabric, that is, make it more attractive or
lustrous by operations like calendering, optical whitening, etc.
o To improve the feel of the fabric by softening, stiffening, etc.
o To cover faults in the original fabric.
o To increase weight of the cloth.
o To improve wearing qualities of cloth by making it shrink resistant, crease
resistant or free from pills and soiling.
o To make garments hold their shape and enable them to be worn without
ironing.
o To impart special properties to the fabric for specific end uses.
o To set the texture of certain fabrics and make others dimensionally stable.
o To produce stronger and more durable fabrics.
o To produce novelty effects.

Finishes take many forms and are selected or applied with the regard to the:
o Type of the fiber and yarn
o Thread count
o Method of fabric construction
o Federal Trade Commission Rulings
o Hand, weight, drapability qualities required
o Anticipated end use of the fabric or garment

Finishes :
o Change and alter the fabric
o Modify or improve the hand of the fabric
o Make fabric attractive and serviceable
o Produce a change in behavior or service characteristics
o Provide specific characteristics and desired properties
o Control instability or shrinkage of the fabric
o Provide aesthetic value to fabric
o Are used to conceal inferior structure
o Are used to stimulate superior quality goods
Recognizing and understanding the function of finishes is necessary in order to
select the proper fabric suitable for the following specific or particular
considerations.
o Climate conditions
o Work-related activities
o Sports- related activities
o Care factors
o Construction procedures
o Design and end use of the fabric and the garment
o Life of garment
o Federal Trade Commission Rulings

Finishing gives the following advantages:

o Improved appearance - Lusture, Whiteness etc.

o Improved feel which depends on the handle of the fabric and its softness,
suppleness, fullness etc.
o It improves the wearing qualities –non soiling, anti crease
o It gives special properties required for particular uses water proofing,
flame proofing etc.
o It covers the faults of original fabric
o It increases the weight of the fabric
o It increases the sale value of the material
o It improves the natural attractiveness of the fabric
o It improves the serviceability of the fabric

CLASSIFICATION OF FINISHES

Textile finishes and finishing are classified in several ways. Persons concerned
with end products (designers, merchandisers and sales personnel) usually
categorize finishes as aesthetic finishes and functional finishes. The former
modify the appearance and/or hand (feel) of fabrics, while the latter improve the
performance of a fabric under specific end use conditions.
Persons concerned with textile processing (chemists and finishers) categorize
finishes into chemical finishes and mechanical finishes. These are also called
wet finishing and dry finishing, respectively.

Mechanical finishes are applied to the fabric by mechanical equipment such as

copper plates, perforated cylinders or tentering frames. They are dry-finishing
operations, which refer to the handling of cloth in its dry state. Mechanical
change causes physical change in the fabric.
Chemical finishes are finishes in which acids, alkalies, bleaches , detergents,
resins and other chemical substances cause a reaction and produce a
permanent change in the fiber, yarn or fabric.

Basic finishes are considered general or routine procedures and are added to
most fabrics by mechanical or chemical means as a normal or regular process.
Basic finishes are used to produce certain characteristics associated with definite
fabric construction. They impart the desired end use properties in finished goods.

Special finishes change, modify, alter or improve the behavior or service

characteristics of a fabric to produce certain specific properties. Special finishes
affect the performance of the fabric. Special finishes may or may not be
permanent or durable.

Functional finishes alter or improve the wearability and performance of a fabric

or garment and provide for:
o Additional comfort
o Safety measures
o Environmental and biological resistance
o Durability for wear life of garment
o Improved care performance

Aesthetic finishes change or modify the appearance and/or hand of the

completed garment. Aesthetic finishes give fabric a distinct surface effect and
pleasing to both hand and eye.

Internal finishes are deposited and absorbed within the fiber to modify or to
inhibit inherent faults or weaknesses.

External finishes are additives to coat the surfaces of yarn, fabric and/ or
garment. External finishes may alter or improve the appearance and hand of the
fabric.

Finishes are also categorized by their degree of permanence. These finishes are
called permanent, durable, semi-durable and temporary.

Permanent finishes usually involve a chemical change in fibre structure and will
not change or alter throughout the life of a fabric.

Durable finishes usually last throughout the life of the article, but effectiveness
becomes diminished after each cleaning, and near the end of the normal use life
of the article, the finish is nearly removed.

Semi-durable finishes last through several launderings or dry cleanings and

many are renewable in home laundering or dry cleaning.
Temporary finishes are removed or substantially diminished the first time an
article is laundered or dry cleaned.

PRE-TREATMENT PROCESSES

Pre-treatment processes consist of cleaning operations to rid the fabric of all soil
and additives used during the weaving or knitting process. These processes are
usually the first treatments a fabric undergoes after leaving the loom or knitting
machine and are required before any dyeing, printing or finishing can be
accomplished.

The processes consist of various types of cleaning actions, depending upon the
fibre, the impurities present and the fabric construction. In cottons, cotton blend,
silk and man-made fibres, the processes are, known generally as the boil-off. In
woolens and worsteds, it is called a scour or scouring.
Fabrics are treated with soaps or detergents, rinsed, and then dried. If warp
starches are present; the fabric is treated with an additional process known as
desizing.
Many knit fabrics contain oils that were used for lubricating and softening yarns
and to reduce static during knitting.
These are removed in a process called solvent scouring, which is actually a
dry-cleaning process, and is efficient and effective for knit fabrics.
An additional pretreatment process known as carbonizing removes leaf particles
and bits of grass and other cellulosic impurities that become embedded in the
wool while sheep are grazing. The treatment consists of steeping the wool fabric
in sulfuric acid, which destroys the cellulose but leaves the wool unharmed.
Singeing is another pretreatment process which involves burning off projecting
fibers or filament splinters from the surface of a fabric.
Improper singeing or elimination of this operation results in unclear print
patterns, mottled fabric surface, or premature pilling of fabrics.
Pretreatment processes may also include bleaching. Fabrics to be dyed in light
to medium shades, are first bleached.
Most bleached fabrics are also additionally whitened with optical brighteners if
the fabric is to remain white or dyed to pastel shades.

RESINS

Resins are the chemical group used in many of the finishes.

Resins are the most widely used chemicals in the textile industry. They are used
for many purposes, primarily on cellulosic and cellulosic blend fabrics.

Resins have a profound effect on and cause changes in the hand (feel),
drapability and physical characteristics of textiles. While many benefits are
achieved through these changes, there are also some shortcomings. Resins
modify fabrics in the following ways:

A. They add stiffness to fabrics and are thus used as stiffening agents or to
create a firm hand.

B. Resins stabilize fabrics in the same shape or configuration as when the resin
was cured. Fabrics cured m a smooth, nonwrinkled condition will return to that
shape after being wrinkled in wear, while fabrics cured with creases in garments
will retain these creases.

C. Yarns in fabric will be stabilized and will resist shrinkage in laundering.

D. Fabrics will become less moisture absorbent, thus drying more rapidly. They
will also be less comfortable in warm, humid weather.

E. Resins combine chemically with cellulosic fibres (cotton, rayon,ete.) to cause

significant reductions in abrasion resistance, breaking strength and tear strength.
This reduction can be as high as 50%.

F. Most resins produce an offensive "fish-like" or formaldehyde odour in fabric.

This odour eventually disappears on exposure to air and/or laundering.

G. Resins have an affinity for oily soils, creating a soiling problem. Soil release
finishes help alleviate this objection.

IMPORTANT FINISHES

Anti-static Finishes

Anti-static finishes are chemical substances applied at the textile finishing mill for
the purpose of reducing or eliminating static. These chemicals are actually
substances which absorb small amounts of moisture from the atmosphere, thus
reducing the dryness of the fabric.
Anti-static finishes are not a truly satisfactory method for coping with the problem
of static in textiles because they are merely semi-durable. These finishes wash
out or wear out in several launderings or dry cleanings. Permanent anti-static
efrects are obtainable, however, with the man-made fibres which have been
especially modified for this purpose.

Antiseptic Finishes

Antiseptic finishes are chemical agents inhibiting the bacterial growths which
cause irritation and odour in shoes, luggage, underwear fabrics and similar items.
These finishes are low in cost, easily applied and are durable to laundering and
dry cleaning.

Calendering

Calendering is not a single type of finish. There are various types of calender
machinery, each producing different types of finished fabrics.

Fundamentally, a ealender is a mechanical device consisting of two or more

large rotating cylindrical rollers stacked on top of each other and usually heated.
The cylindrical rollers are in contact with each other under pressure. Fabric being
calendered passes around and between these cylinders. The specific type of
calendered finished fabric varies with the nature of the cylinder surface, the
speed of the cylinders and the nature of the fabric being finished.

The various types of calendering finishes include the following

(a) Simple calendering (b) Glazing calendering (c) Embossed ealendering
(d) Moire calendering (e) Schreiner calendering

Crease Resistant Finishes

Crease resistant finishes are popularly known as CRF finishes. They are used on
cotton, rayon and linen because these three fibres wrinkle easily. CKF finishes
are resin finishes; the fabric is saturated with resin and then the resin is cured at
temperatures of about 360°F. The fabric becomes stiffer, less absorbent and
more resistant to wrinkling. Resin treatments also results in tensile strength loss
and reduction of abrasion resistance in cellulosic fibres. Most CRF finishes are
durable.

Flame Resistant Finishes

There are two systems to make fabrics flame resistant. The first is to use
selective fibres which have characteristic flame resistant properties. The second
is by the use of flame resistant finishes.

All of the many types of flame retardant finishes now available suffer from at least
one of the following shortcomings : (a) they cause stiffening and loss of fabric
drapability; (b) they result in significant strength loss in fabric; (c) they are easily
removed in laundering (nondurable); and (d) they become ineffective when
laundered in household bleach, with soaps or with water softeners.

Fulling

Fulling is a permanent finish used on wool fabrics; it is also known as milling or

felting. The process is a carefully controlled scouring or laundering process to
induce felting shrinkage in wool fabrics. The resultant fulled fabric is smoother,
more compact and has yarns more tightly embedded than an unfulled fabric.
Woolens are frequently heavily fulled.

Mercerization

Mercerization is one of the most important of all cotton finishes. This finish
imparts luster to the cotton, increases its strength by nearly 25% and improves
dye affinity, producing brighter shades than unmercerized cotton. It also
enhances the hand as well as uses less dye to achieve the same depth of shade.
The finish consists of treating the material while under tension with cold,
concentrated sodium hydroxide solution. Both fabrics and yarns can be
mercerized, but fibres cannot. Mercerization is a permanent finish.

Napping

Napping is a mechanical finish in which woven or knitted fabrics are passed

against rotating, bristled wire-covered brushes. This action results in fibres
actually being raised from the fabric. The overall effect is a fabric with raised fibre
surface.

Napped fabrics have a softer hand and provide better insulation than the same
materials unnapped because they can entrap more air; hence, their wide use in
blankets, sleepwear and winter clothing. However, the insulating value of cotton
and rayon napped fabrics is not long lasting. The low resilience of these fibres
causes premature flattening of the fibre nap.The nap can partially be restored by
frequent brushing.

Plisse

Plisse is the name of a finish as well as the name of a fabric treated with this
finish. It is a permanent finish, produced on cotton by the action of sodium
hydroxide; but unlike mercerizing, no tension is used. The sodium hydroxide is
printed on the fabric in the form of a paste.The fabric shrinks only where the
sodium hydroxide is applied, producing a puckered effect.

Shearing

Shearing is a process used to cut off surface fibres on fabrics. It makes uniform
the surface of napped fabrics. Most cut pile fabrics are also sheared to provide
uniform pile height.

Soil Release Finishes

Soil release finishes in fabrics permit relatively easy removal of soils (especially
oily soils) with ordinary home laundering.

There are several types of soil release finishes. All of them accomplish the end
result of making the fibre more absorbent (hydrophilic), thus permitting better
“wettability" for improved soil removal.

Most soil release finishes are applied at the same time that the resins are applied
to textiles. Most are durable through 40 to 50 launderings and are routinely
applied to fabrics for work clothes and table cloths. They are also often applied to
fabrics for slacks and skirts.

Several other benefits arise from the use of soil release finishes in durable press
fabrics because of their increased absorbency. These include: improved
antistatic properties, improved fabric drapability and somewhat greater comfort in
hot weather.

References:
 Understanding Textiles By P.G. Tortora (pg-361-365)
 Textile Fibers, Dyes, Finishes and Processes By Howard L. Needles