Shrinking (textile)

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The shrinking called an intentional or unintentional dimensional change of fabrics or textiles with water and / or heat affected.

Unintentional shrinkage

All natural and most chemical fibers have a shrinkage potential, which means that as soon as they come into contact with water and / or heat, they change their shape and shrink. This product jump is increased even more by numerous finishing processes in which the fibers or textiles are subject to tensile stress and are thus stretched beyond their natural length. If such a fabric is cut to size and sewn into an item of clothing , it shrinks to a greater or lesser extent during the first wash and no longer fits. Much more drastic effects would have such a shrinkage of the tissue z. B. in the automotive industry , with a convertible top , which, once exposed to the sun or rain, would no longer close. This indentation can be partially compensated for by adding additions when cutting. However, it is very difficult, if at all, to make precise predictions about the type and extent of shrinkage due to the different materials, equipment, fabric structures and processing techniques. That is why practically every textile fabric is subjected to deliberate shrinkage before being cut.

Intentional shrinking

Uncontrolled dimensional changes in textile products are hardly accepted by consumers . In the case of technical textiles for industrial use , even greater emphasis is placed on dimensional accuracy. To ensure this, fabrics and textiles are subjected to a controlled shrinking process before they are further processed and this condition is then fixed. In this way, a high degree of dimensional stability is achieved, which is also not affected by moisture and / or heat. Additions of fabric when cutting and calculations about possible shrinkage behavior are no longer necessary.

Industrial shrinking processes

Shrinkage potential of textile fabrics

  • Raw fabric - depending on the severity up to 10%
  • dyed fabrics approx. 5–8%
  • bleached fabrics below 5%
  • shrunk (sanforized) tissue ± 1%