Textile Fabric Stiffening Process

In textile factories and workshops, sewing with a needle or any sewing machine is difficult due to the uneven surfaces of fabrics.

When using a sewing machine, the machine struggles to feed the fabric due to the pattern structure and soft nature of unmodified textiles.

To solve such problems in the textile industry, the fabric must be reinforced by stiffening it. The desired outcome is to ensure even tension across the entire pattern.

Chemicals Used in the Impregnation Process for Stiffening Fabrics

To hold the fabric steady during sewing, at least the area to be stitched is impregnated with an aqueous solution containing polyvinyl alcohol. The impregnated fabric is then dried to stiffen it. Afterwards, the fabric is washed.

The solution prepared for impregnating the fabric must contain polyvinyl alcohol with a degree of hydrolysis between 86-89% and a viscosity of 30-50 cps. Additionally, this aqueous solution contains an alcohol.

This polyvinyl alcohol solution contains 15% PVA with the aforementioned properties. The remainder is water.

Before use, the resulting solution is diluted by half with 99.8% Ethyl Alcohol. This dilution method serves a few purposes. First, using ethanol prevents bacterial growth within the fabric. Second, the ethyl alcohol makes the polyvinyl alcohol solution less viscous, allowing it to penetrate into smaller areas.

Thus, the initially obtained water-based product becomes suitable for more effective applications when diluted with alcohol.

For example, in carpet manufacturing, the PVA 05 88 form of Polyvinyl Alcohol is used. This is because PVA 05 88 has a viscosity of 5 mPas and a degree of hydrolysis of 88.

Example Formulation for Stiffening Cotton Fabric:

Mix 5% Polyvinyl alcohol and 95% Water in a container. The fabric is immersed in the solution and thoroughly saturated. Finally, the fabric is left to dry. This formulation provides a light stiffening effect on the cotton surface.