What Is Softening Finishing in Textile Dyeing and Finishing?

Softening finishing is the most common process, and silicone softening agent is also the most used auxiliary in textile printing and dyeing.

1. What is softening finishing of silicone softening agent?

Softening finishing refers to the process that compensates for this defect and makes the fabric feel soft because textiles that are subjected to wet heat treatment with various chemical agents and to mechanical tension during the dyeing and finishing process will not only deform the structure, but also cause stiffness and roughness.

2. Softening finishing methods of silicone softening agent

There are two methods of softening finishing , that is mechanical and chemical.

Mechanical softening mainly uses mechanical methods to knead the fabric many times under tension to reduce the rigidity of the fabric and restore the proper softness.

(1) The commonly used mechanical softening method is that the fabric is passed through multiple tension square rods on the calender, and then introduced into the soft nip point formed by the two soft rollers of the calender for light calendering. When the fabric passes through the tension rod, it is buckled many times, and then flattened by the soft rolling point, so as to obtain a smooth and soft hand feeling. However, this finishing method is not washable, so it is generally inclined to use softener treatment methods, such as silicone softening agent.

(2) Chemical method is to use softener to reduce the friction coefficient between fibers to obtain soft effect, which is sometimes supplemented by mechanical methods. Usually, the textile is immersed in a softener solution for a certain period of time, then drained and dried. Sometimes the softener can be used together with other finishing agents or can be baked to produce a wash-resistant finishing effect.