GREY ROOM OPERATIONS

Fabric inspection involves following

three processes

• Perching

• Burling

• Mending
 GREY ROOM OPERATIONS
Perching It is a visual inspection and it is carried
out through the inspection table which consists
of a frosted glass with lights behind and above
it.
 The fabric imperfections like thick places, defects,
yarn knots, stains and other flaws are marked.

Burling It is the removal of yarn knots or other

imperfection from the fabric.
 GREY ROOM OPERATIONS

• Mending is the actual repair of imperfections.

 The recent innovation by the use of laser beams.

 The imperfections like stains, holes, hick places, loose
ends and protruding threads of warp and weft are
detected.
 The apparatus works by the on-line system and eliminates
human error.

• Sewing: After the goods have been inspected, checked

and classed in the grey room, according to quality and
stamped, they are sewn together, end to end, by sewing
machines especially constructed for this purpose
 Topics to be covered:
 Importance of Preparatory processes
 Types of Preparatory Processes
 Concept of a lot for chemical processing.
 Lot length / weights
 Shearing & Singeing-Necessity & Importance,
Process, Types, Precautions needed.
 Desizing: Importance, Types, Details on
Enzymatic desizing, Comparative analysis on
cost effectiveness.
 Burning off of protruding fibres from the
SINGEING
surface of yarn or fabric
Removal of size materials present in the
DESIZING
fabric
Removal of all impurities except natural
SCOURING
colouring matter
Removal of natural colouring matter
BLEACHING
present in the textile material
SOURING To neutralise the pH of the fabric.

WASHING
To increase the lustre, absorbing
MERCERISING
capacity and strength of material
For uniform coloration of fabric/For
DYEING/PRINTING localized coloration in order to form a
design
FINISHING, FOLDING,
PACKING
 Sizing components- starch, thin boiling
starch, CMC, PVA, vegetable tallow, mutton
tallow

 NATURAL: Waxes, oils, fats, mineral, pectin,

pectose and natural colouring matter etc

 NON-NATURAL IMPURITIES: Coning oil,

size, lubricant etc.
The objectives of fabric preparation:
 To remove the natural and added impurities
 To achieve high and uniform dye uptake
 To produce an acceptable degree of
whiteness for the use as undyed fabric
 To get required brightness of shade in the
fabric after dyeing
 To impart good hydrophilic properties
combined with high absorbency and uniform
swelling
 Warp and weft yarns contain many short
fibres (0.5” – 1.5” long)
 Tiny fiber ends protrude from the fabric
surface
 interfere with printing of the fabric and
hamper fine details of the design
 So, these need to be removed and fabric be
mad more absorbent and white

Singeing -> Desizing -> Scouring -> Bleaching

 The process of removing the loose hairy fibers
protruding or projecting from the surface of the
yarn or fabric by burning.
 Types : Yarn Singeing, Fabric Singeing
 Yarns that require to be Singed
1. Combed cotton yarn
2. High twisted voile threads
3. Sewing threads
4. PC blended yarns
5. Hosiery yarns
1. Hot plate Singeing- the cloth passes over and in contact
with one or two curved copper plates (1-2” thick) heated by
a suitable burning arrangement of gas mixed with air. The
cloth passes at a speed ranging from 150 to 250 yards per
minute.
2. Roller Singeing- A rotary cylinder made of copper or cast
iron and has internal firing and revolves slowly so that
constantly a fresh surface of the roller comes in contact with
the cloth.

3. Gas Singeing
1. Grey fabric passed at 70-100 m/min over two
flames so ass to singe both sides of the fabric.

2. Fabric is then dipped in water to extinguish any

residual parts, squeezed b/w rollers and plaited.

3. Gas burners are supplied with a mixture of coal gas

and air under pressure.

4. Allowing time of contact between the flame and

the fabric to practically a fraction of a second.
Parts of the
machine:

1. Entry Section
2. Pre-brushing /
cleaning section
3. Burner section
4. Post-brushing or
cleaning section
5. An impregnator
6. Exit / batching
section
 Removal of starch from the size which is applied to
the warp yarns before weaving.

 Starch (insoluble) -> Dextrin (insoluble) -> Dextrin

(Soluble) -> Maltose -> ά-Glucose

 METHODS OF DESIZING:
1. Hydrolytic method: by using dilute mineral Acid or
by using enzymes
2. Oxidative method: Chlorite, Bromite Desizing.
 Simple process as no chemicals need to be
used.
 Steeping in water at 30-400C, starch swells
 Swollen starch is attacked by enzymes
secreted by microorganisms in environment
 Hydrolyzed starch is removed by normal
washing
 Low capital investment
 Slow, low reproducibility, risk of cellulose
being attacked
 H 2SO4/HCl- (5-10 gpl) is needed at 400C for 3-4 hours.
 The fabric is padded with acid solution and stored (batched).
 Gradual degradation of starch occurs but not all starch is
degraded.
 Fabric having a range of starch molecular weights. Some
with high water solubility, some with medium and some with
poor or no solubility.
 Hence desizing should always be followed with hot water
washing to remove maximum amount of starch.
 Precaution - Local drying during storage should not be
allowed to take place at any cost. It may result in high
concentrations of acid at localized places which can cause
cellulose degradation.
 Enzymes are bio-catalyst of organic origin,
secreted by living organisms.
 Chemically enzymes are proteins of high
molecular weight.
 Enzymes are highly specific in their action on
substrates. For example amylases act only on
starch and not on cellulose.
 The most effective method of removing starch
from the fabric is the use of Enzymes.
 No danger of degradation
 Control of temperature and pH is very
important in this method.
 Most of the Enzymes function at pH 5.5 to
7.5 and temperature 50-60°C.

 If the temperature is not specific or more

than 700C, the enzymes become inactive.
There are three major sources from which
amylase enzymes are extracted.
1. Malt Extract
2. Bacterial Extract
3. Pancreatic Extract
 Grey Cotton fabric is padded with the following enzymes and stored for 4-6 hours and then washed.

Desizing Conditions for different enzymes:

Enzyme Concentration (gpl) Temperature (°C) pH Salt

Malt Extract 3 - 20 50 — 60 6.0- 7.5

Pancreatic 1.0— 3.0 50 - 60 6.5 — 7.5 lOgpl

Bacterial 0.5 — 1.0 60 — 70 5.5 — 7.5

Grey Cotton fabric is padded with the enzyme and stored

for 4-6 hours and then washed.
 As Amylase works only on starch and not on
cellulose, there is no danger of degradation
 Very safe for desizing.
 If the temperature and pH are not closely
controlled, the enzymes become inactive.
 A Continuous de-sizing process is possible if
concentration of the malt extract is increased,
time reduced from 4-6 hrs as in the batch
process to 5 minutes.
 Other Pre-requisites:
1. Padding Mangle (2 or 3 bowl)
2. Concentration of Malt base enzyme: 30-50
grams per litre (gpl), Bacterial base emzyme: 6-
10 gpl.
3. Temperature: 50-60 Deg. Centigrade.
4. PH: 6.0 – 7.5
 Enzyme application is performed at high
temperature where desizing can be achieved in a
short time as in the continuous pad-steam
process.
 The fabric is padded with enzyme bath and then
passed into pit or J-box and stored for 5-10 mins
followed by washing.
 The desizing can be completed in less than one
minute
 Time consumed drastically reduced.
 Higher Production
 Better than Acid De-sizing
 Under unfavourable conditions- high enzyme
conc., high temp., high pH- enzyme may get
activated but the cloth is safe
 Comparative Cost analysis
 Enzymes are costlier than acids
 Oxidative degradation
 Size is based either on a synthetic polymer like PVA (poly
vinyl alcohol) or is a mixture of synthetic and natural
polymers.
 Oxidizing Agents:

 Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)

 Sodium bromite (NaBrO2)
 Sodium and potassium persulphate (Na 2S2O8, K 2S2O8)
 Sodium chlorite (NaClO2)
 Peroxy monosulphuric acid (H2SO5)
 H2O2 of 1-2 vol conc. & caustic soda (7-15 gpl) is
prepared in padder at PH: 9-10

 The cloth is first impregnated at room temperature

and steamed for 3 minutes.

 The removal of starch is less than that obtained from

enzymes, but it provides additional bleaching and
subsequent peroxide bleaching removes the size
completely.
Advantages

 Continuous process and less time required.

 Water and energy consumption is less
 Combination with other preparatory process such as
scouring and bleaching is possible

Disadvantages

 There may be possibilities of penta-chloro phenol

content in the de-sized fabric that may be harmful.
 Expensive process
 It is very important in cotton processing that the
soluble products formed at one stage should be
completely removed before subjecting the goods
to the next.

 If they are not rinsed out, they may be re-

precipitated in the next process or inhibit the
action of the chemicals which are used in the
successive processes.
 Silk is a protein fibre made up of fiber forming
protein called fibroin.
 This fibre forming protein is coated heavily with a
gum protein called Sericin, which gives it a harsh and
stiff feel and hides the rich luster and whiteness of
the silk filament.
 A typical silk filament is composed of
 Fibroin- 75-80%
 Sericin- 20-25%
 This sericin gum has to be removed as the first
preparatory process of silk before dyeing.
 Removal of sericin, reagents in raw silk and dust
picked up during reeling and twisting.

 Enhances lusture, softer handle and texture

 As a protective layer, it is typically left on the silk

until it is ready to dye.

 In some cases, the fabric is degummed after it is

woven, to protect the yarn from abrasion on the
loom.
 Cleavage of peptide linkages of sericin
 Either hydrolytic or
 enzymatic method
 Removal from fibroin
 By solubilisation
 Or dispersion in water

 Fibroin has 76 mole % of amino acids with polar

side chain; vice versa in sericin
 Max sericin is present in outer layer of the cocoon
 Extraction with water

 Degumming with soap

 Degumming with alkali

 Enzymatic degumming

 Degumming with acidic solution

 Degumming with organic amines.

• Widely used method in place of soap.

• ++ permit continuous processing of piece goods and

the time of treatment is shorter 40 minutes.

• The material is treated with 2.5 to 5 g/l detergent

(Sandopan SRS liq. of Sandoz) at pH 11.2 to 11.5 for 30-
60 mins at boil then rinsed thoroughly first with hot
water and then with cold water.

 -- soft feel is not always obtained.

• Treatment with some enzymes like Trypsin or Papain
may dissolve the Sericin gum.
• The treatment is time consuming and involves three
step process.

• I Step
• The material is first treated with 0.5 g/l soda ash
(sodium carbonate-Na2CO3); 0.5 g/l Glauber’s salt ; 3
g/l penetrating agent like Imerol XN liq. (Sandoz); at
boil for about 1 hour.
• II Step
• It is then treated with 1-5 gpl sericin dissolving enzyme
(trypsin or papain), 1 gpl soda ash, 2 gpl glauber’s salt
(Na2SO4 ) at 450C.

• III Step
• The above material is treated in the 3rd bath with
0.5gpl soda ash, 2 gpl sodium silicate Na2SiO3, 2 gpl
penetrating agent and 0.5gpl glauber’s salt at boil for
one hour.
 The degumming waste
liquor that is rich in
sericin content is being
used as a raw material
for the production of
sericin powder.
 The sericin powder is
being used in the
cosmetic industry as
moisturizer and in hair-
care products.