Hand value optimization of printable interlining technique design on woolen fabric via orthogonal analysis

Abstract

Traditional fusible interlining utilizes an adhesive on the fabric surface to improve garment hand despite the cost. Recent research led to the development of printable interlining that bypasses the fusion process. Printable interlining prints the adhesive directly onto the garment parts at a suitable density, achieving the support and control equivalent to a fusion process only at a fraction of the cost. However, hurdles for applications exist in that the efficiency of the printing technique calls for improvement. One governing key performance factor, the hand value has not been evaluated. In this work, we used an efficient interlining printing technique on woolen fabrics of various weights, and optimized the hand value performance through modulation of manufacturing effective factors, including squeegee frequency, screen mesh, and agent viscosity, using an orthogonal testing strategy. The results showed that for lightweight woolen fabrics screen mesh was an important factor for hand value performance; for light and medium weight woolen fabrics, the squeegee frequency had significant impact on hand value performance; for medium and heavyweight fabrics agent viscosity was an influential factor. We also explored possible correlations between primary hand value parameters that may simplify research and manufacturing processes by reducing the number of primary hand values measured. The results revealed significant correlations between any combination of primary hand values, with stronger correlations as the fabric weight increased. These results may have implications in hand value-oriented garment manufacturing of printable interlinings to woolen fabrics.