Russian researchers have developed a new chemical formulation that enables direct digital printing on cotton fabrics, eliminating the need for the multiple steam treatment and washing stages used in traditional methods. This development can help reduce water and energy consumption and accelerate production while maintaining color quality.
The Russian scientific website Nauka Mil reported on Thursday that researchers from Saint Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design obtained a patent for a formulation used in the pre-treatment of cotton fabrics. The new technology relies on a water-based formulation containing emulsions of polyvinyl acetate and polyethylene, along with a chemical compound known as "3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane" to help fix dyes in cotton fibers.
The process begins by impregnating the fabric with the formulation and drying it, then printing the design using an inkjet printer and reactive dye-based inks, before fixing the color with heat at a temperature ranging between 140 and 160 degrees Celsius for 3 to 5 minutes, instead of successive steam treatment and washing stages. Laboratory tests showed, according to the report, that the technology maintains high levels of color fastness to washing and rubbing, and recorded color intensity similar to that achieved by traditional printing methods.
The developers of the technology clarified that one of its advantages is the ability to integrate it into existing production lines, thereby reducing the need for water and energy used in washing and drying processes, and limiting the amount of industrial wastewater generated by printed fabric manufacturing. It is expected that the technology, if applied on an industrial scale, will contribute to reducing resource consumption and shortening production time in the textile industry, while maintaining the quality of printed products.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
Comments (0)