Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. is a professional underwear sourcing & supply-chain management company based in Xiamen, Fujian Province, in the Xiamen–Quanzhou–Jinjiang knitwear cluster of south-east China. Founded by Will Lin, who has worked in the apparel trade since 2004, the company has been exporting since 2009 and was incorporated in Xiamen in 2013. It runs its own liaison office in Jinjiang and works with a network of BSCI & OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified partner factories to serve retailers and brands across Europe, the US and Australia.
As underwear is an indispensable close-fitting clothing in people’s daily lives, the hand feel and comfort of its fabric are directly related to the wearer’s experience and satisfaction. When processing underwear fabrics, dyeing and printing factories have adopted a series of advanced technologies and processes to ensure that the fabrics are not only brightly colored and have exquisite patterns, but also meet the standards of being soft and comfortable in terms of touch. This article will conduct an in-depth exploration of how dyeing and printing factories improve the softness of the hand feel and the comfort of underwear fabrics through various treatment methods.
1.Basic Softening Treatment: Application of Softeners
Softeners are the preferred tools for printing and dyeing factories to improve the softness of fabrics. During the fabric post-treatment stage, the fabric is soaked in an aqueous solution containing softeners. After being immersed for a certain period of time, the molecules of the softeners will penetrate into the interior of the fibers and change the interaction forces among the fibers, thus endowing the fabric with a soft and smooth feel. The choice of softeners needs to be determined according to the fabric material and the requirements of the final product. Common ones include natural oil-based softeners, synthetic polymer-based softeners and reactive softeners, etc. For underwear fabrics, it is particularly important to choose environmentally friendly and low-irritant softeners to ensure the safety and health of wearing.
2. Enzyme Treatment: Enzyme Washing
Enzyme washing, also known as enzymatic washing, is an environmentally friendly and highly efficient softening treatment method. By selecting specific enzyme preparations (such as cellulase, protease, etc.), a gentle biocatalytic effect is exerted on the fabric under suitable temperature and pH conditions. Enzymes can hydrolyze the tiny fibers on the surface of the fabric, remove fuzz and fluff, making the fabric surface smoother and flatter. Meanwhile, it increases the gaps between the fibers, improving the air permeability and softness. Enzyme washing is especially suitable for underwear fabrics made of natural fibers such as cotton and linen, as well as materials like denim that require special texture treatment.
3. Physical Treatment: Mechanical Softening Finishing
Apart from chemical methods, physical treatment can also improve the hand feel of underwear fabrics. Mechanical softening finishing usually employs softening machines or similar equipment. By applying certain mechanical pressure and friction to the fabric, tiny displacements and rearrangements among the fibers are generated, thus achieving a softening effect. This method does not require the addition of extra chemical substances and causes less pollution to the environment. It is applicable to various types of underwear fabrics. However, it is necessary to pay attention to controlling the treatment intensity to avoid damaging the fabric.
4. Liquid Ammonia Finishing: Improving Resilience and Luster
Liquid ammonia finishing is an advanced fabric treatment technology, especially suitable for cotton underwear fabrics. By placing the fabric in liquid ammonia and utilizing the penetration and plasticizing effects of ammonia molecules on the fibers, the molecular chains inside the fibers are rearranged, and the binding force among the fibers is enhanced, thereby improving the resilience, luster, and softness of the fabric. The underwear fabric after liquid ammonia finishing not only has a softer and more comfortable hand feel but also has better anti-wrinkle properties and is less likely to deform when worn.
5. Alkaline De-weighting Treatment: Softening of Polyester Underwear Fabrics
For underwear fabrics made of synthetic fibers such as polyester, alkaline de-weighting treatment is an effective means of softening. Under high temperature and concentrated alkali conditions, the polyester molecular chains on the surface of polyester fibers will undergo hydrolysis and breakage, forming pits and fine fibers. The diameter of the fibers becomes thinner and the surface roughness increases, thus endowing the fabric with a soft and lightweight feel. Meanwhile, the alkaline de-weighting treatment can also improve the moisture absorption and sweat wicking performance of polyester fabrics, making them more suitable for use as underwear fabrics. However, it should be noted that the alkaline de-weighting treatment requires strict control of the alkali concentration, temperature and time to avoid adverse effects on the fabric strength and color fastness.
6. Functional Finishing: Improving the Wearing Experience
Apart from the basic softening treatment, printing and dyeing factories will also conduct a series of functional finishings according to the functional requirements of underwear. For example, antistatic agents are added to reduce the generation of static electricity on the fabric, making the underwear fit the skin better when worn; fabric antibacterial agents are used to effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria and keep the underwear clean and hygienic; and moisture-absorbing and heat-generating finishing agents are applied so that the underwear can absorb the moisture emitted by the human body and convert it into heat energy, providing the wearer with an additional warming effect. These functional finishings not only enhance the comfort of the underwear but also meet consumers’ pursuit of health, environmental protection and personalized needs.
7. Quality Control and Inspection
During the fabric treatment process, quality control and inspection are crucial steps to ensure the softness and comfort of underwear fabrics. Printing and dyeing factories need to establish a strict quality management system and conduct regular inspections on key indicators such as the softness, air permeability, moisture absorption and color fastness of the fabrics to ensure that each batch of fabrics can meet the predetermined quality standards. Meanwhile, attention also needs to be paid to the issue of residual harmful substances that may be generated during the fabric treatment process to ensure the safety and environmental friendliness of the underwear fabrics.
Conclusion
The softness and comfort of underwear fabrics are important considerations for consumers when choosing underwear. Printing and dyeing factories continuously improve the hand feel and wearing experience of underwear fabrics by adopting various methods such as the application of softeners, enzyme treatment, physical treatment, liquid ammonia finishing, alkaline deweighting treatment and functional finishing. Meanwhile, they strengthen quality control and inspection to ensure the safety and environmental friendliness of underwear fabrics, thus providing consumers with higher-quality, healthier and more comfortable underwear products. In the future, with the progress of science and technology and the continuous changes in consumer demands, printing and dyeing factories will continue to explore more innovative fabric treatment technologies to meet the diversified needs of the underwear market.
· Xiamen Unitex Trade Co., Ltd. — OEM & ODM underwear sourcing partner