Foam Finishing of Cotton-Containing Textiles

Abstract

A wet-processing technology which uses air instead of water as the primary diluent has been developed. The process consists of mechanically foaming a suitably formulated finish or dye formulation and then applying the foam to textile fabrics. Collapse of the foam distributes the finish on the substrate. The fabric is then subjected to conventional drying and fixing operations. The main advantage of the foam process resides in the substantial energy savings achievable in the drying of fabrics due to the replacement of water with air in the finish. Utilization of foams for the finishing of cotton and cotton/polyester fabrics are described. Plant data have established that energy savings as high as 70-80% can be achieved in foam finishing of cotton-containing textiles. In addition, in certain cases line speeds have been doubled. The foam process is currently used in plants for durable-press finishing, shrinkage control, and softener appli cation to a variety of cotton and polyester/cotton blend fabrics.