Application advantages of textile wetting agents: efficient enablers of the textile industry
In the huge production system of the textile industry, although textile wetting agents are "unknown", they are like
"superheroes" behind the scenes, injecting powerful power into all links of textile processing with their unique performance.
From fiber pretreatment to fabric finishing, the application advantages of textile wetting agents run through the whole
process, significantly improving the quality and production efficiency of textiles, and promoting the textile industry to a higher
level.
I. Significantly improve processing quality
(I) Optimize pretreatment effect
In the textile pretreatment process, desizing, scouring and bleaching are key links, and the addition of textile wetting agents can
greatly optimize the treatment effect. Take desizing as an example. In the traditional desizing process, the sizing agent is closely
combined with the fiber, which is difficult to completely remove, affecting subsequent processing. The textile wetting agent, by virtue
of its characteristic of reducing the surface tension of the liquid, allows the desizing liquid to quickly penetrate into the fabric and the
interface between the sizing agent and the fiber. When desizing cotton fabrics, high-efficiency textile wetting agents can allow the
desizing liquid to spread quickly, weaken the bonding force between the sizing agent and the fiber, make the desizing more thorough,
and make the fabric surface cleaner, laying a good foundation for subsequent dyeing, printing and other processes.
In the scouring process, for fabrics containing a large amount of natural impurities, grease and wax, such as linen fabrics, textile wetting
agents can help the scouring liquid fully penetrate into the fiber gaps. This allows the scouring agent to fully contact and react with the
impurities, effectively remove the impurities, and significantly improve the whiteness and softness of the fabric. At the same time, the
wettability of the fabric is improved, and the adsorption capacity of the dye is enhanced, creating conditions for obtaining high-quality
dyeing effects. During the bleaching process, the textile wetting agent ensures that the bleaching agent is evenly distributed on the
surface of the fabric and inside the fiber, avoiding local uneven bleaching, reducing fiber damage, and improving the strength and
durability of the fabric.
(II) Improving the quality of dyeing and printing
In the dyeing process, the textile wetting agent has a significant effect on improving the dyeing quality. It can reduce the surface
tension of the dye solution, prompting the dye solution to spread quickly on the surface of the fabric and penetrate into the fiber gaps.
Taking the dyeing of cotton fabrics with reactive dyes as an example, textile wetting agents help reactive dye molecules diffuse faster
into the amorphous area of cotton fibers, covalently bond with fibers, and greatly improve the dye uptake and dyeing fastness of the
dye. At the same time, uniform dye penetration effectively avoids dyeing defects such as color spots and color flowers, making the
fabric color uniform and bright, and greatly improving the quality.
In the printing process, textile wetting agents also play an indispensable role. It improves the permeability of the printing paste,
allowing the paste to better penetrate into the fabric to form a clear and firm pattern. In paint printing, wetting agents help the paint
particles to be evenly distributed on the fiber surface and penetrate into the fiber, improve the clarity and color brightness of the printed
pattern, enhance the bonding force between the paint and the fiber, and prevent the pattern from falling off during washing. In addition,
textile wetting agents can also effectively prevent the phenomenon of infiltration by adjusting the surface tension and viscosity of the
paste, ensure the clear edge of the printed pattern, and improve the printing accuracy.
(III) Improve post-finishing performance
In the textile post-finishing process, textile wetting agents further play their advantages and improve fabric performance. During softening
finishing, it helps the softener to better penetrate into the fiber and evenly distribute on the fiber surface. When using silicone softener to
finish fabrics, textile wetting agents reduce the surface tension of silicone softener emulsion, allowing it to quickly penetrate into the fiber
gaps, forming a uniform soft film on the fiber surface, giving the fabric a soft, smooth and plump feel.
In water-repellent and oil-repellent finishing, textile wetting agents promote the uniform distribution and adsorption of water-repellent
and oil-repellent finishing agents on the fabric surface. It reduces the surface tension of the finishing liquid, allowing the finishing liquid
to better spread and penetrate into the fiber micropores, thereby forming a continuous water-repellent and oil-repellent film, significantly
improving the water-repellent and oil-repellent properties of the fabric. In the antistatic finishing process, textile wetting agents help
antistatic agents to be evenly distributed on the fabric surface and inside the fiber, forming a conductive layer, effectively reducing the
static electricity generated by the fabric during wearing and use.
II. Significantly improve production efficiency
(I) Accelerate the processing process
Textile wetting agents can accelerate the penetration and diffusion rate of liquids in the textile processing process, thereby shortening
the processing time of each process. During the dyeing process, the dye solution can quickly penetrate into the fiber under the action
of the textile wetting agent, and the dye diffusion speed is accelerated, so the dyeing process that originally required a long time can
be shortened. In continuous dyeing production, this advantage is particularly obvious, the residence time of the fabric in the dye tank
is reduced, and the production efficiency is greatly improved. Similarly, in the printing process, the printing paste quickly penetrates
into the fabric under the action of the wetting agent, which reduces the waiting time for printing and improves the working efficiency
of the printing machine.
(II) Reduce rework and defective rate
Since the textile wetting agent improves the quality of each processing link, the rework and defective products caused by poor
processing are effectively reduced. In the pre-treatment, thorough desizing, scouring and bleaching provide a good foundation
for the subsequent processes and reduce the dyeing and printing problems caused by residual impurities. In the dyeing and printing
process, uniform dye penetration and clear pattern formation reduce the probability of defects such as color spots, color flowers and
blurred patterns. In the post-finishing, the improvement of fabric performance also reduces the need for reprocessing due to poor
finishing effects. All of these make the production process smoother, reduce resource waste, and improve production efficiency.
III. Effectively reduce production costs
(I) Save raw material consumption
The application of textile wetting agents helps to improve the utilization rate of raw materials such as dyes, printing pastes and
finishing agents. In the dyeing process, it improves the dyeing rate of dyes, allowing more dyes to adhere to the fiber and reducing
dye waste. In the printing process, good color paste permeability and uniform distribution make full use of printing raw materials
such as coatings and reduce raw material consumption. In post-finishing, textile wetting agents help finishing agents to play a better
role and reduce the excessive use of finishing agents, thereby saving production costs.
(II) Reduce energy consumption
Since textile wetting agents shorten the processing time, energy consumption in the processing process is correspondingly reduced.
In the dyeing and printing processes, the shortening of equipment operation time means that the consumption of energy such as
electricity and steam is reduced. At the same time, reducing rework and defective rates also avoids the additional energy
consumption due to reprocessing, further reducing production costs.
IV. Promote green and environmental protection development
With increasingly stringent environmental protection requirements, textile wetting agents are also moving towards green and
environmental protection. Many new textile wetting agents use environmentally friendly raw materials, are environmentally friendly
during production and use, and meet the requirements of sustainable development. While giving full play to their original advantages,
these environmentally friendly textile wetting agents reduce pollution to water, air and other environments, help textile companies
achieve green production, meet consumers' demand for environmentally friendly textiles, and promote the textile industry to
develop in a green and sustainable direction.
Textile wetting agents have become an indispensable and important auxiliary agent in the textile industry due to their significant
advantages in improving processing quality, improving production efficiency, reducing production costs and promoting green
environmental protection. With the continuous advancement of textile technology and the continuous improvement of textile
quality requirements, textile wetting agents will continue to innovate and upgrade to provide stronger support and guarantee
for the high-quality development of the textile industry.
