Singeing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Singeing is the burning off of loose fibers protruding on the surface of textile goods and is a part of the pretreatment processes carried out in textile processing.
[edit] Purpose
Singeing is often carried out on cotton fabrics, or fabrics with cotton blends and results in increased wettability (better dyeing characteristics, improved reflection, no "frosty" appearance), a smoother surface (better clarity in printing), improved visibility of the fabric structure, less pilling, and decreased contamination through removal of fluff and lint.
[edit] Process
Singeing usually involves passing/exposing one or both sides of a fabric over a gas flame to burn off the protruding fibers. Other methods of singeing include infra-red singeing and heat singeing for thermoplastic fibers. Singeing of yarns is called "gassing." It is usually the first step carried out after weaving or knitting, though the fabric may be brushed first to raise the surface fibers.
Cellulosic fibers such as cotton are easily singed because the protruding fibers burn to a light trace ash which is easily removed. Thermoplastic fibres are harder to singe because they melt and form hard residues on the fabric surface.
