CALENDERING

CALENDERING
• Calendering is a process of pressing or ironing
a fabric at high speed and under high
pressure.
• There are various types of calendering
machinery, each producing different types of
pressed surface.
• All calender finishes are classified as
mechanical finishing.
 CALENDERING
• A calender machine is fundamentally a
mechanical device consisting of two or more,
stacked on top of each other.
• They are generally about 70 inches (178 cm)
wide and usually heated.
• They are in contact with each other under
great pressure.
CALENDERING
CALENDERING
CALENDERING
 CALENDERING
• Fabric being calendered passes around and
between these cylinders and is pressed under
great pressure.
• The specific taype of calender-finished fabric
varies with the nature of the cylinder surface,
the speed of the cylinders and the nature of
the fabric being finished.
• The object of calendering is to smooth the
fabric and to create interesting surface
effects.
 CALENDERING
• Calendering and related treatments are of
limited durability when applied to cellulosic
materials, but durability can be increased
when calendering is carried out in conjunction
with a chemical resin.
• The use of heated rollers makes calendering
durable on fabrics of thermoplastic fibers.
• Calendering treatments are not usually
applied to woolen or worsted fabrics.
 CALENDERING-OBJECTIVES
• Smoothing the surface of the fabric.
• Increasing the fabric luster.
• Closing the threads of woven fabrics.
• Decreasing the air permeability.
• Increasing the fabric opacity.
• Improving the fabric handle.
• Flattening slubs.
• Obtaining silk like/ high gloss finish.
• Surface patterning by embossing.
 SIMPLE CALENDERING

• Also called swissing or normal glossing.

• The simplest form of calendering is
comparable to ironing a fabric.
• The calender rolls are heated and the
dampened cloth is passed between the
cylinders to smooth and flatten the fabric and
give it a slightly glossy surface.
 SIMPLE CALENDERING
• It is a temporary finish and the yarns in the
fabric usually return to their natural round
configuration on the first laundering or
steaming.
• The speed usually is 100 yards/min.
• The high pressure tends to flatten the yarns
and makes the fabric softer and smoother and
enhances the fabric’s luster.
 GLAZED CALENDERING
• It is also called chintz or friction calendering.
• This is used to produce the high sheen of
polished cotton or chintz.
• The machine used is called a friction calender
or a chasing calender.
• One of the highly polished steel cylinders,
rotates at speeds much higher than the fabric
passing through it, thus polishing the fabric.
 GLAZED CALENDERING
• Before the fabric is passed through the
calender, the cloth is saturated with either
starch or resin.
• The fabric is dried slightly and fed into the
machine.
• It starch is used to produce the glaze, the
finish is temporary.
• If resins are used, the glaze is durable.
 CIRE CALENDERING
• It is a type of glazed calendering, where the
friction roller rotates at speeds much greater
than ordinary friction calendering.
• The resultant fabric becomes highly lustrous
and takes on a wet look.
• Fabrics of cotton, rayon, polyester, nylon and
blends of these may be given a cire finish.
 CIRE CALENDERING
• The fabrics are treated with waxes or resins
prior to calendering, to achieve the highly
polished effect.
• When thermoplastic fabrics are cire finished,
the fabric becomes moderately water-
repellent due to the flattening and partial
fusing of fibers.
• Cire is not the name of a fabric, but fabrics
with this finish are popularly called cire fabric
or cire cloth.
 EMBOSSED CALENDERING
• It produces a three-dimensional design on the
fabric.
• This is done on a special embossing calender
in which the roller cylinder is engraved with
the embossing design.
• The pattern is thus pushed or shaped into the
cloth when the fabric passes between the
rollers.
 EMBOSSED CALENDERING
• Some embossed fabrics are made to imitate
more costly woven jacquard or dobby
designs.
• Embossed fabrics reveal a regular, consistent
weave (plain or twill) whereas jacquard or
dobby fabrics have yarns floats in the design
area.
• Embossed patterns of fabrics pre-treated with
resins and cured after embossing are durable.
 EMBOSSED CALENDERING
• Embossing of thermoplastic fabrics is
permanent because the heated metal roll
heat-sets the design.
• Embossed designs provide surface texture at a
lower cost than do woven designs.
• Embossed fabrics should not be ironed or
pressed as the design may be diminished by
the pressure.
 MOIRE CALENDERING
• A moire finish produces a watered or clouded
surface appearance that is sometimes called
“wood grain” pattern, on the face side of the
fabric.
• There are two methods for producing moire.
• In the first method, an engraved cylinder
roller on the calender, flattens one part of the
fabric more than another, causing the
difference in light reflectance.
 MOIRE CALENDERING

• The second method utilizes smooth calender

rollers.
• In this method, two fabrics, each face to face,
are fed through the calender.
• Ribbed fabrics, like taffeta or faille, are
necessary for this process.
• Moire finishes may be temporary, durable or
permanent.
 MOIRE CALENDERING
• The high pressure on the calender rolls causes
the ribs to squeeze into each other in certain
areas, thus flattening parts of the fabric and
creating light reflectance pattern.
• In the first method, definite repeat pattern
moire is produced.
• The second method produces a completely
random, non-repetitive moire.
MOIRE CALENDERING
MOIRE CALENDERING
 SCHREINER CALENDERING
• It produces a low, soft luster on the fabric
surface.
• It is distinct from the high glaze (glassy) of the
glazing calender or the luster shine of the
simple calender.
• It is widely used on nylon tricot, cotton and
cotton-polyester sateen and damask table
linens.
 SCHREINER CALENDERING
• To produce this effect, one of the steel
cylinders of the calender is embossed with
very fine diagonal lines, about 250 lines per
inch.
• These embossings are rarely visible to the
naked eye.
• In addition to soft luster, a softer hand and
improved fabric cover is obtained.
 NAPPING
• Napping is a mechanical finish in which
woven or knitted fabrics are passed against
rotating, bristled, wire-covered brushes.
• This action results in fibers being raised from
the fabric surface, creating a fuzzy and soft
finish.
• Napped fabrics have a softer hand and
provide better insulation than the same
materials unnapped because they can entrap
more air.
 NAPPING
• Widely used in blankets, sleepwear and
winter clothing.
• One difficulty with napped fabrics is that the
napped-fiber ends are subject to pilling and
rapid wear (abrasion).
• Napped fabrics have a deeper pile or nap on
the surface of the fabric than sueded fabrics.
 NAPPING
• Fabrics are produced deliberately to be
napped and may be knitted with loose loops
on the surface for producing fleece-type
materials.
• Single napping signifies that both sides of a
cloth have been napped in one direction.
• Double napping signifies that both surfaces
have been napped in opposite directions,
which produces greater surface density,
increased firmness and greater warmth.
NAPPING
NAPPING
NAPPING
NAPPING
 NAPPING
• Napping is also called brushing, raising,
gigging.
 SUEDING/EMERIZING
• Also called sanding, emerizing and peach
finish.
• It develops a low pile on the surface of the
fabric, which looks and feels like suede
leather.
• The fabric is passed over a series of rollers
covered with a sandpaper-like abrasive
material.
 SUEDING
• Fabric moves at a speed of 15 to 20 m/min.
• Too much abrasion or too coarse an abrasive
rips or tears the fabric.
• Too little abrasion may generate sufficient
heat to produce a harsh hand with
thermoplastic fibers.
• The process damages the fabric and can
decrease its tensile strength (up to 60%).
SUEDING
SUEDING
SUEDING
SUEDING
 DECATISING
• Also called Decating.
• Produces a smooth, wrinkle-free finish and
lofty hand on woolen and worsted fabrics and
their blends.
• Comparable to steam ironing.
• The dry cloth is wound under tension on a
perforated cylinder.
• Steam is forced through the fabric.
 DECATISING
• Moisture and heat relax tensions and remove
wrinkles.
• The yarns are set and fixed in this position by
cooling in cold air.
• For a more permanent set, dry decatising is
done in a pressure boiler.
• Enhances and sets the natural luster of
fabrics.
• Helps to overcome uneven or blotchy dyeing.
 DECATING/DECATIZING
• The process is “full decating” if carried out
under pressure and “semi decating”
otherwise.