Technical Textiles Executive

The characteristics of a fabric or yarn can be enhanced by finishing. This may take the form of a chemical, thermal or mechanical process. A chemical treatment might be applied to achieve water resistant, flame retardancy or antistatic properties. The process of heat setting relaxes the stresses developed during fabric production and ensures that subsequent shrinkage does not occur. Mechanical processes such as calendaring can reduce the fabric thickness and tailor the surface characteristics.

Dyeing improves the aesthetics of technical textiles but can also confer functionality such as high visibility or camouflage. Dyes can be applied during spinning or subsequently applied to the yarn or to the fabric. In the future, fabric printing may play in an important role in adding electrical functionality to textile fabrics.

	BASF's Performance Chemicals for Textiles business unit and Arch Chemicals, Inc. formed a global alliance to market Arch's Reputex(TM) 20 freshness-enhancing finish and its associated Purista(R) brand [more info]
	J&D Wilkie have confirmed their status as world leaders in textile digital printing with their recent installation of a new 8 colour head printing facility. [more info]