Popular science: some problems of silicone oil softener in daily use


Softener is one of the important finishing agents in textile finishing process. Soft and smooth hand feel improves the wearing effect of fabric. Silicone oil softener has been widely used in textile industry as a high-grade fabric softener because of its low surface energy and excellent lubricating effect to reduce the friction between fiber and fabric. There are many types of silicone oil modified by organic functional groups in textile industry.






There are many kinds of organosilicon oil softeners with different quality. There are cation type, anion type, non-ionic type, modified amino silicone oil and linear silicone oil, etc. here are some problems in its daily use.






1. Control dosage:


For example, the amount of amino silicone oil with 20% solid content in 1.5-3% (o.w.f) is enough, and increasing the amount does not increase the softness.






2. Fixed speed problem:


When making some thin fabrics (such as chiffon, silk like, Balinese), the speed of setting is very fast, sometimes it can reach 60 m / min. ordinary silicone oil is easy to cause roller sticking due to its poor permeability and reverse flow of silicone oil softener on the roller. Pay attention to change the working fluid in the groove and clean the roll frequently.






3. Problem of dip tank:


When the factory is doing impregnation and softness, the common silicone oil will stick to the cylinder wall. After a long time, some black oil spots will form on the cylinder wall and the silicone oil spots will form on the cloth surface.








4. Cohesion problem:


In the fabric containing short fibers (such as cotton cloth, viscose and cashmere), it is inevitable that some short fibers will fall down during the processing. The short fibers falling from the cloth will accumulate in the rolling groove, which will be agglutinated with common silicone oil. As the finishing solution goes up to the roller, it will be agglutinated with the extruded and demulsified silicone oil, which is easy to form sticking roller or silicon spot. Do a good job of cleaning before driving, and clean up in time in case of loose hair.






5. Hand feeling problems:


Due to the higher and higher hand feel requirements of fabrics in the market, and due to different seasons and customers' requirements, various fabrics need to show different style requirements, such as smooth and draping, smooth and flexible, fluffy and soft, pure elastic, etc. A silicone oil softener can only reflect one style. As a result, many factories have to use many kinds of silicone oil, resulting in confusion in production. Sometimes, they can't find the silicone oil suitable for customers' requirements, so they can only give up business and cause losses. We can choose different ammonia value, different kinds of silicone oil to control molecular weight and molecular distribution to synthesize silicone oil with different ammonia value viscosity and reaction, so as to meet the requirements of various fibers in soft and smooth elasticity.






6. Concentration problem:


It is not allowed to pour more than 20% (solid content) of high concentration silicone oil softener directly into the running fabric. It should be diluted in advance and then poured into the container and stirred evenly before adding, so as to prevent rapid adsorption and causing silicone oil spots.






7. Temperature problem:


The use temperature should be 30-40 ℃, generally no more than 50-60 ℃. Although the temperature has no obvious influence on the softness and smoothness of hand feeling, the elasticity changes greatly when the temperature is too high, and silicone oil softener is easy to produce roller sticking and demulsification.








8. PH problem:


The pH value should be controlled around 5.5-6 when impregnating or rolling the working fluid, which is beneficial to improve the softness, drape and elasticity of the fabric handle.






9. Usage time:


If the organosilicon oil softener is used for a long time, it will stick to the roller, especially if the quality is poor, and even skin will form on the roller. Cleaning should be strengthened. Generally, degreaser or cleaning agent can be used to scrub on the roller after dissolving in a certain proportion.






Organosilicon finishing aids are widely used in fabric finishing. The auxiliary agent can not only deal with natural fiber fabrics, but also deal with polyester, nylon and other synthetic fibers. The treated fabric is wrinkle proof, stain proof, antistatic, pilling proof, plump, soft, elastic and glossy, with a smooth, cool and firm style. Silicone treatment can also improve the strength of the fiber and reduce wear. Organosilicon softener is a promising softener, and it is also an important assistant to improve product quality and increase product added value in textile printing and dyeing process.


From clothing Textile Forum