Singeing is a process applied to both yarns and
fabrics to produce an even surface by burning off projecting fibres,
yarn ends, and fuzz. This is accomplished by passing the fibre or yarn
over a gas flame or heated copper
plates at a speed sufficient to burn away the protruding material
without scorching or burning the yarn or fabric.
The process is usually to pass one or both sides of a fabric over a gas flame to burn off the protruding fibres. Other methods include infra-red or heat for thermoplastic fibers. Singeing of yarns is also called "gassing".
Cellulose fibres such as cotton are easily singed because the protruding fibers burn to a light ash which is easily removed. Thermoplastic fibres are harder to singe because they melt and form hard residues on the fabric surface.
When Singeing is done to fabrics containing cotton, this 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 Pill and decreased contamination through removal of fluff and lint.
The process is usually to pass one or both sides of a fabric over a gas flame to burn off the protruding fibres. Other methods include infra-red or heat for thermoplastic fibers. Singeing of yarns is also called "gassing".
Cellulose fibres such as cotton are easily singed because the protruding fibers burn to a light ash which is easily removed. Thermoplastic fibres are harder to singe because they melt and form hard residues on the fabric surface.
When Singeing is done to fabrics containing cotton, this 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 Pill and decreased contamination through removal of fluff and lint.
Types of Singeing Systems
- There are two types of systems in singeing
- Direct and Indirect.
Direct Singeing System
- The action of burning away the protruding ends of the fibers is brought about by the direct action of the flame ensuing from the gas burners. In an alternative improved system, the fully combusted hot flue acts directly on the protruding fiber ends.The rates of fuel gas and air are carefully adjusted so that sufficient hair is removed without damaging the core.
Indirect Singeing System
- In this system, the heat, in the forms of diffused infra-red radiations, produces a more even singeing effect. Owing to the indirect character of the singeing effect, this system is quite suitable for fabrics having wavy selvedges, such as those occurring in the case of fabrics coming out from shuttle-less types of looms.