Thermosol dyeing of Poly-cotton fabric with reactives

Thermosol Dyeing Polyester and Poly-cellulose blends

Thermosol dyeing is a continuous dyeing process for synthetic fibers and their blends. Various
auxiliaries are used in thermosol dyeing, including buffers, anti-migrants and wetting agents.
1. Thermosol Dyeing Process (polyester)

Padding with liquor containing disperse dyes, migration inhibitor and other required
auxiliaries at pH 4.5-5 with Acetic Acid.

Intermediate drying at 110-130C.

Thermosol treatment at 180-225C for 30 - 90 seconds.

Rinsing and reduction clearing, similar to HT dyeing.

2. Reactive thermofixation process:

Pad-Dry

Alkali Padding

Pre-Drying

Thermo-fixation (steaming)zz

Rinsing and Soaping

3. Reactive Disperse/Dyestuff

Dyestuff Penetration

Pre-Drying

Thermosoling

Alkali padding

Steaming

Rinsing and Soaping

Disperse Dyes Suitable for Thermosol Dyeing:

High energy Disperse dyes):

Excellent sublimation fastness

Suitable for print/pad/high temperature or high pressure steam fixation.

Recommended for thermosol dyeing of polyester / blends.

Medium energy Disperse dyes

Good sublimation fastness

Suitable for general applications on polyester / blends

Generally all HE and H (MCT) type of reactive dyes are suitable for thermo fixation
process.
All Cotfix HE and P series can be used for thero fixation process:
General recipe for Disperse thermosoling:
1. Disperse Dyestuff = X gpl
2. Sodium Alginate = 2 gpl
3. Nuseq Conc (sequestering agent) = 0.5 gpl

4. Ammonum Sulphate = 1.0 gpl

5. Formic Acid = 0.3 to 0.5 gpl
6. Sodium Chlorate 0.2 gpl (optional)

Pad 2 dip/2 nip at room temperature pick up = 60 to 65%

Dry at 950C on Hot flue and thermo fix in a 6 to 8 chamber oil heated stenter at 190 to
2100C for 60 to 30 seconds.

General recipe for thermofix process of Reactive Dyes:

Cotfix HE or Cotfix P dyestuff = X gpl

Urea = 50 gpl

Sodium Alginate = 2 gpl

Resist salt = 10 gpl

Sodium Bicarbonate = 20 to 40 gpl

o Pad 2 dip/2 nip = expression = 65%
o Dry at 1100C
o Thermofix at 1400C for 5 minutes
o Cold wash/Cold wash/Soap @ 950C/ Soap @ 950C/Hot wash/Hot wash/cold
wash/

Thermosol dyeing problems (Disperse dyeing)

1. Listing
Causes

Countermeasures

- one-sided liquor feed into the

trough

- check injection pipe or mount a distribution plate

- different nip roller pressure

- check rollers (pickup) regularly

- unlevel migration in intermediate - check temperature and air current over the entire
drying
width in the drier
- avoid migration by using lowest possible pickup
and a suitable migration inhibitor.
Select dyes with little tendency to migrate.
- uneven thermosolling or fixation - check fixation units regularly with thermopaper
of dyes due to temperature
or temperature sensors
differences
- use more reliable dyes with as little sensitivity as
possible to temperature deviations

2. Two-sidedness
Causes

Countermeasures

- deflecting roller touched on one

side only

- check entry of goods, if necessary replace roller

- deflecting roller stationary

-set roller in motion

- pad rollers not the same

- check Shore hardness, if necessary re-cover

rollers

- uneven drying from side to side

- check temperature and air current in drying

machine

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3. Dark or pale selvedges
Causes

Countermeasures

- one-sided liquor feed into the

trough

- check liquor feed

- narrow goods impregnated on a

wide padder

- move to a suitable machine

- worn rollers, rollers bend due to

over compensation

- check the nip pressure, reduce pressure if

necessary, change rollers if necessary, chick
hydraulics

- varying drying conditions over the - check the air jets and circulation
width of the goods
- alkali residues in the goods

- add acetic acid to the padliquor for pH 5-6

4. Barry dyeings

Causes
- uneven jet pressure in the drier

Countermeasures
- check the air jets

- inadequate evenness of tension in - check guidance of goods in drier

drier, crease formation
- alkali residues in the goods

- add acetic acid to padliquor for pH5-6

5. Spots, specks

Causes

Countermeasures

- pale marks due to condensation

drops

- check driers and pad-steam units regularly

- overhead heating

- foam spots due to excessive

foaming of the pad liquor

- avoid high turbulence in the padding trough, use

low-foaming chemicals, if necessary add antifoamers

- coloured specks due to incorrect

- follow instructions for preparing the pad liquor

preparation of the padliquor

exactly, filter padliquor before feeding into trough

- avoid drying out of liquid dyes due to incorrect
storage

- alkali residues in the goods

- add acetic acid to pad liquor for pH5-6

6. Ending
Causes

Countermeasures

- dye substantivity

- use a smaller volume of liquor

- dye at higher fabric speed

- dye sedimentation

- keep the liquor in motion

- keep the temperature below 35C

7. Pale points of intersection

Causes

Countermeasures

- poor penetration

- add a wetting agent to the pad liquor

- change the pressure of the rollers
- increase impregnation time

- severe migration

- dry more slowly

- use special migration inhibitors

8. Foam formation
Causes

Countermeasures

- dispersants in the dye

- use defoamers

- residues of boiling off agent

- scour goods better before dyeing

9. Frosting

Causes

Countermeasures

- migration during thermosolling

- use special chemicals

- fibre tips not dyed (e.g. viscose)

- add Lyogen V
- change process, e.g. wet steaming

PAD THERMOSOL MACHINE some useful details:

Introduction:

Pad Thermosol is dyeing machine that helps in achieving the dark/deeper shades and also
lighter/light shades on cotton, polyester, and on its blends (PC).

These dyeing on pad Thermosol can be carried out with disperse, reactive, and also with
pigments.

Machine specifications:
Manufacture
Model
Production Speed
Padder
Chambers

Monforts Monotex (2001)

VTG/2M/A
60-100m/min
Kuster
5(3 for drying and 2 for curing)

Padder Capacity
Scray Capacity
Trough Capacity
VTG/Airing Zone
Nominal Width
Working Width
Thread Length
IR drying units
Drying units heating
IR Temperature Range
IR vertical tension
Liquor Change

100-150liters
400-600mters of fabric
50-60litres
12m of fabric
130?
120?
170m
2
Oil Heating System
650-850C
2-6bar
after 3-4min

Process Conditions for Polyester:

1st chamber 80C
2nd chamber 100C
3rd chamber 120C
4th chamber 190C
5th chamber 210C
Speed
30m/min
Pressure
3.2, 2, and 3 in 1st, 2nd and 3rd chamber respectively
Pick up
70%
Main sections Of Machine:
1. Let off section
2. Padding Section
3. VTG/Airing Zone
4. IR(Infra red Dying)section
5. Curing Section
1. Let Off Section Parts
Scray:
There is scray in front of pad dry trough, that helps to give fabric in bed form/pilling form with
waves in order to give enough time for stitching of fabric.
The capacity of scray is about 400-600mtrs depending upon quality of fabric.
Also it facilitates changing of batcher without stopping machine. It is also capable of moving
fabric in reverse direction.
Compensator:
It ensures even speed running and fabric tension.
Brake Roller:
Its is used to increase/decrease fabric tension by increasing/decreasing the brake roller pressure.
Cooling Rollers:
There are two cooling rollers in the machine. Fabrics after passing through scray it pass from

cooling rollers. Function of these two cooling rollers is to moderate the temperature of fabric, so
that it will not raise the temperature of trough.
Trough:
Line washing is done from color kitchen up to the trough of pad dryer. Then according to the lab
dip recipe, the dyestuff is pumped into the trough of pad dryer. But first we stitch the fabric with
leading cloth, and when the leading cloth passed thorough the trough of pad dryer, then we allow
dyestuff recipe to go into the trough.
2. Padding section:
Padders:
These padders are used to avoid the LCR (shade difference in left, center and right) problem in
fabric.
Central pressure of Padder is hydraulic pressure (operated or effected by liquid for e.g.: water or
oil) and left and right side pressure of padder are pneumatic (using air) pressures.
The Kuster padder should be adjusted here in such a way that it its pick up % must be 70%.
LCR Problem:
Due to pressure difference onto the left, center and right of the padder can produce the shade
variation which is known as LCR problem.
VTG/Airing Zone Section:
It consists of vertically placed guide roller. Their purpose is to give reasonable penetration time
of the dye into fabric. Also these rollers are Teflon coated to avoid stains on the fabric due to
rusting and stickiness of chemicals. If these rollers are not placed in the flow of fabric and
directly sent to IR chamber, the dye will remain at the surface and will not be present at center of
fabric, so poor wash fastness will be resulted.
3.

IR Chambers:

IR Chambers:
There are two IR chambers in each pad dryer. Actually these do pre drying which are used to
remove approximately 30% moisture of water from the fabric. The purpose of pre drying is to
avoid the migration of dye stuff and it just affects water molecules rather than dyestuff because
of its low energy and high wavelength.
Note:
We set IR temperature according to following parameters
Fabric Quality
Recipe
Shade(Light/Dark)
SHADE
LIGHT
MEDIUM DARK
IR TEMP
650
700-750
800-850
4. Curing Chamber Section:
Drying chambers:

There are three drying chambers, in each chamber there is a radiator in which steam is flowing.
Besides there is a water blower which sucks air from the atmosphere and circulates that air by
centrifugal action in whole chamber.
Also PLEVA is present in each chamber which shows humidity % within the chamber on the
panel.
There is a gauge on each dryer which is showing the balance of air inside the chamber.
Also there is nozzle edge cover, which helps in circulating the hot air directly on the fabric top
and bottom so to achieve uniform treatment.
Note:
There are three drying units and each have different pressure and that is maintained with motors,
those helps in air circulation
50, 50, 50
(cotton)
50, 50, 75
(polyester)
Each drying chamber contain 3 small motors for drive of 6 Teflon coated rollers
1 more motor equipped that decides the position of plate through which air circulates
Curing Chambers:
There are total two curing chamber i.e. used when dyeing with polyester or with disperse
otherwise as a drying chamber.
These chambers are used for high temperature dyes fix up especially for polyester.
Process Specification:
Padding (anti migrating agent, dispersing agent, disperse dyes and acetic acid)
IR drying (residual moisture/semi dry up to 30%)
Drying(120C)
Curing(200C-210C for 45 60sec)
Polyester dyeing on pad Thermosol with disperse dye carried on 180-210C
Process Specification (PC Blend):
Thermosol (padding)
Thermosol (drying)
Thermosol (curing)
Pad steam (reduction clearing)
Thermosol (reactive dyeing padding)
Pad steam (fixation/developing)
Reactive Dyeing: (Pad Dry reactive)
Padding
(Pad Thermosol)
Drying
(Pad Thermosol)
Fixation
(Pad steam)
Washing
(Pad steam)
Following Processes can be carried out on Pad Thermosol Dyeing Machine:

One bath reactive/disperse dyeing

Disperse dyeing

Two bath dyeing

Stripping(exceptionally)

Curing

E-Control Process(Pad humidity fix by urea)

Comparison between Pad Steam and Pad Thermosol:

Pad steam is suitable for achieving lighter shades, but pad Thermosol is best for
achieving dark and medium shades

The main difference between them is of steamer that is in pad steam and because of that
we can do reactive dyeing on pad steam but cant on pad Thermosol because it needs
proper reaction time that we achieve in steamer.

There is water dropping problem in pad steam but that is not in pad Thermosol

Pad steam is best for the dyeing of cellulose, while pad Thermosol is best for polyester
dyeing.

There is MAHLO present in pad steam but its not in pad Thermosol.

Pad Thermosol is best for high temperature dyeing but pad steam for low temperature
dyeing

Wet treatment processes can be carried out on pad steam but cant be on pad Thermosol.

In pad Thermosol drying and then curing takes place but on pad steam padding, drying,
steaming and then drying again.

Pad Thermosol is used for the topping of reactive or pigment dyes.