Steaming (textile)

The steaming is a finishing process for fabrics and textiles . The fabric is treated with steam and thereby smoothed.

Manual steaming

In the household, in tailoring and textile cleaners, fabric or clothing is dampened with a damp cloth and an iron or ironing machine . The damp cloth is placed on a piece of fabric, the iron is briefly put on and then lifted to the next place. Moving the iron to and fro should be used with caution, as the woven fabric could warp. The hot steam generated by the heat of the iron smoothes the fabric and removes wrinkles or creates them at the desired point (e.g. pleats ).

A similar, albeit lesser, effect can be achieved by using a steam iron. Since steaming with a damp cloth is a major effort, it is only of secondary importance.

Industrial steaming

The industrial steaming of textiles is used to restore the natural moisture content of the fibers , as this was mostly lost through previous processes. This eliminates wrinkles and tension and improves crease recovery. The grip and appearance are positively influenced, which improves the look. The swelling of the fibers also increases the volume and makes subsequent washing treatments easier.

The production step of steaming is similar to decating . Both methods use steam and heat , the difference being that steaming is done without pressure . That is why steaming is sometimes done on decatizing machines, without pressure. Combined devices, such as calendering / steaming machines and shrinking / steaming machines, are also frequently used.

In a steaming system, the fabric is continuously fed into a tunnel by means of a conveyor, in which there is a saturated steam atmosphere , after the tunnel the steam is extracted and the fabric is folded or rolled after it leaves the machine. The composition of the steam atmosphere, temperature and conveying speed of the material are adjusted according to the desired result.

The finishing of textiles by steaming is one of the last work steps in their production and is assigned to thermal finishing .