Journal of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists November 18, 1970/ Vol. 2, No. 23 (XX) MeetingThe Challengesof the TextileIndustry ThroughApplicationResearchandTechnology By PAUL L. MEUNIER, The Du Pont Co., Wilmington, Delaware duction was 3,630 million pounds. I Ntextilespeakingindustry,of challengesI refer toofthosethe Although the differences in pounds occasions when the industry has been of wool and cotton are rela- confronted with serious problems tively small, the percentage change brought on by war, depression, new from 1939 to 1969 is revealing. discoveries and the like. Needless to Thirty-one years ago, cotton produc- say, it has accepted these challenges tion in the U.S. was 80.1 % of the and continues to advance along with total whereas in 1969 it was 41.3 %. other industries in our "exploding" Wool fell from 8.8% to 3.7% and silk technical age. from 1.0 % to 0.03 %. On the other How has this been accomplished? hand, man-made fibers increased from By applying the fruits of research and 10.1 % of total production in 1939 to technology! Whatever one's position 50.0% in 1969! Meanwhile, total fiber ABSTRACT might be on the question as to whether production more than doubled during Research and technology have produced our industry, particularly the dyeing this span. some remarkable improvements in dye- and finishing part of it, is as pro- This picture serves to illustrate the ing and finishing in a relatively short gressive as it should be, the fact re- nature of changes that have been tak- time. The author, the 1970 recipient mains that remarkable improvements of AATCC's Olney Medal for outstanding ing place in the last few decades and achievement in textile chemistry, have been made in a relatively short the need for the industry to keep traces several of the more notable time. pace with advancing technology. I will advances and offers some recommenda- U.S. mill production of man-made discuss a few notable developments tions for future growth. ~ibers - polyester, nylon, acrylic, in the dyeing and finishing field and rayon and acetate - in 1969 totaled then offer some recommendations for KEY WORD INDEX 4,740 million pounds. Cotton mill future growth. Carriers production was 3,925 million pounds, Dyeing wool was 355 million and silk was Dyeing Of Cotton Piece Goods Fibers 3 million pounds in 1969. In con- With Vat Dyes Finishing Padding trast to this, for the year 1939, man- Traditionally, the best quality dye. Research made fiber production was only 459 ing on any type of cotton fabric was Steaming million pounds, silk was 47 million, obtained with vat dyes by padding, wool was 397 million and cotton pro- drying and jig development with caus. 386/21 MeetingThe Challenges Machine (6), utiliing molten metal ton, rayon or wool were very for the development of the dyes, was poor on nylon. brought out in England. Nevertheless, broadwoven and knit The success of the pad-steam pro- fabrics, as well as hosiery and yarns of cess was based on the appreciation of a nylon, were dyed in the beginning and simple scientific fact - that the rate are still being dyed with disperse or tic soda and sodium hydrosulfite. This of reaction increases by about 100 % acid dyes, depending upon end-use re- is a batch process in which an average for every IOC rise in temperature. quirements. Demand for the superior load of 500-1,000 yards can be dyed Thus, when vat dyes in their pigment wash and lightfastness of acid type and finished in about three to four form and caustic and hydrosulfite are dyes is increasing because of wide- hours. This so-called pad-jig process brought together in a steam atmo- spread use of nylon in automotive up- was originally developed during the sphere, reduction and fixation of the holstery, carpeting and outerwear fab- first decade of this century (1). dye in the cotton fiber occurs rics. The goal in the coloration of all instantaneously. Another vital consid- textile materials is the production of a eration was that the stability of hy- Meeting A Need full range of attractive shades with drosulfite in a steam atmosphere Here is one example of the tole of maximum durability. In the U.S., without air is remarkably good. At research and technology in supplying there had been a strong demand for speeds of about 100 yards per minute a need during World War II. It will a continuous process to satisfy large each pad-steam range can produce the serve to demonstrate the type of co- volume production of goods at lower equivalent. of about 24 jigs in a given operation between research groups and costs. During the 1920's and 1930's, period of time. industry that is needed to meet our partial success was attained by two challenges. The U.S. Armed Forces continuous methods known as the re- DyeingOf SyntheticFibers had designed a jungle boot for combat duced pad-booster (2) and the pig- I shall define synthetic fibers as soldiers fighting in the tropical areas ment-pad-booster (3) systems which those manufactured from man-made of the Pacific. The boot consisted of a produced acceptable dyeings on cer- intermediates. This excludes the man- spun nylon fabric bonded to the rub- tain types of unmercerized goods for made fibers derived from natural ber sole. Substantial yardages of the work clothing and other limited uses. sources such as cellulose acetate, rayon nylon fabric, dyed in an Olive Drab In the 1940's, however, projected re- (regenerated cellulose) and nitro- #7 shade, were needed quickly for quirements of the U.S. military for cellulose. mass production of the boot. The War vat-dyed combat uniforms were so The first truly synthetic fiber was Production Board established a com- great that research efforts were re- nylon, invented by Carothers and in- mittee composed of industry repre- newed and intensified. The pad-steam troduced as a textile fiber in 1938. The sentatives from chemical manufactur- continuous dyeing process (4), intro- impact of this fiber and those that ing and dyeing and finishing groups to duced in 1944, proved to be the followed closely on its heels (i.e., study the problem. As a result, several answer to that particular challenge. It 'acrylic, polyester, spandex, olefin, successful processes were developed is still used worldwide for high quality etc.) on the textile industry and the for continuously dyeing the spun nylon dyeings on cotton and blends of cotton whole economy in general has been fabric with acid and chrome dyes and with synthetic fibers. At the same tremendous. The textile industry has the needs of the Armed Forces were time, in the 1940's, the Williams Unit never been so dynamic as during these suppiled (7). (5) was introduced. This provided a last three decades. Evidence of this is One of the processes consisted of short volume development chamber seen in the drastic changes which have padding nylon fabric with a solution for economical dyeing of certain types occurred in the fiber content of wear- containing dyes and a highly effective of fabrics. Later on, the Standfast ing apparel, floor covering, upholstery dispersing and wetting agent, followed fabrics and others. by steaming at atmospheric pressure Nylon filament yarn was first used for about ten minutes. We knew then - for hosiery. Then, during World that steaming under pressure at ele- War II, it was reserved chiefly for vated temperatures would have been PAULL. MEUNIER, military uses such as in parachutes, better because of time saving and im- the 1970 recipient ponchos and uniform fabrics. Nylon proved dye utilization, but suitable of AATCC's Olney staple fiber was employed in jungle equipment for pressure steaming was Medal, the associa- boot cloth. not available. The wonder chemical, tion's highest recog- nition for technical To the dyer and finisher, nylon rep- that is, the dispersing and wetting and scientific contri- resented new and somewhat perplex- agent, was - would you believe? butions to the ad- ing challenges. Although it possessed ammoniacal shellac! There has not vancement of textile affinity for nearly all classes of dyes, been anything before or since to sur- chemistry, is director their behavior on nylon was often pass it for nylon dyeing but, of course, of The Du Pont Coo's much different from that exhibited on dyes and chemicals we now have many good synthetic technical laboratory at Wilmington, Del. other fibers. For example: chemicals for this purpose. A native of Indianapolis, he holds a BS . Certain disperse dyes which had In dyeing nylon filament yarn or in organic chemistry from ,Butler Uni- excellent light fastness on cellulose fabric, irregularities are often ac- versity and MS and PhD degrees in or- acetate were very fugitive on ny- centuated, particularly by acid dyes, ganic chemistry from Pennsylvania State University. Since joining Du Pont as a lon; in the dyed fabric. These irregularities chemist in 1936, he has served in a wide . The washfastness of acid and di- may be of one or more of the follow- variety of assignments (TCC, Vol. 2, No. rect dyes On nylon was appreci- ing types: 14, July 15, 1970, pl0). His broad ex- ably better than on wool and cot- ( 1) Luster differences in yarn perience and knowledge in textile dyeing, ton; and which lead to streaky appearance, even printing and finishing have earned him wide acclaim in governmental, institu- . Certain vat dyes which exhibited when the yarn bundles are uniformly tional and commercial circles. very good lightfastness on cot- dyed. 22/387 0::0 Vol. 2, No. 23 (2) Physical variations in adjacent printing technology by studying the necessary basic information and prac- yarns of the fabric, such as might be effects of pressure steaming of padded tical processes for dyeing the first introduced during processing of yarn fabrics in autoclaves using varieties polyester fibers.