Method and apparatus for treating a textile fabric
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Solution Overview
Problem
The textile industry faces challenges in desizing and shrinking fabrics in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner, as existing methods require large amounts of water and chemicals, leading to financial and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that involve wetting the fabric in a first pool of liquid, passing it through a chamber with heatable rollers, soaking it in a main pool of liquid, and treating it with ozone gas, allowing for controlled desizing and shrinking while minimizing the use of solvents and chemicals, and optimizing the process for high throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wet processing methods are used for desizing and shrinking, then effective fabric treatment is achieved, but large amounts of water and chemicals are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional wet chemical processing with a mechanical-thermal system using heated rollers and controlled humidity environments to achieve desizing and shrinking through physical means rather than chemical dissolution, thereby reducing water and chemical consumption while maintaining treatment effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the processing parameters from chemical concentration and water volume to temperature, humidity, and mechanical pressure parameters. By controlling the temperature of heated rollers and the humidity environment, the fabric undergoes controlled shrinking and desizing without requiring large amounts of water or chemicals
2Reliability
If conventional washing lines with multiple washing boxes are used, then thorough fabric treatment is achieved, but processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate washing and treatment operations into a single integrated apparatus where fabric passes through one continuous process involving heated rollers and controlled humidity chambers, combining desizing, shrinking, and drying functions that previously required multiple washing boxes into one streamlined operation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary conditioning of the fabric by controlling humidity and temperature before the main treatment phase, allowing the fabric to be properly prepared for efficient desizing and shrinking in a single pass through the apparatus, thereby reducing the need for multiple subsequent washing stages
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient desizing and shrinking of textiles with reduced water and chemical consumption, achieving high degrees of shrinkage and desizing even at high processing speeds, while maintaining fabric quality and reducing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
passing the wetted fabric through a chamber, and in said chamber contacting the fabric with at least one heatable roller heated at a treatment temperature
Implementation Method 2
treating the previously soaked fabric by means of ozone gas
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
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AI summary
A method and an apparatus for desizing and/or shrinking a textile fabric, the textile fabric having a length and a width, the method comprising moving lengthwise the fabric, and wetting the fabric within a first pool of liquid, the first pool of liquid comprising water; passing the fabric through a chamber, and in said chamber contacting the fabric with at least one heatable roller heated at a treatment temperature; soaking the fabric by means of a main pool of liquid, the main pool of liquid comprising water; treating the fabric with ozone. The apparatus comprises a first module (1) for wetting the fabric, a second module (2) with a heatable roller (21) for heating the fabric, a third module (3) for soaking the fabric, and fourth module (4) for treating the fabric with ozone. The second module (2) may optionally be integrated with the first module (1).