The Process of Making Fiber Reactive Dyeing
Fiber-reactive dyes are a boon for the fabric manufacturers for their favorable properties, such as ease of access, easy use, affordability, and powerful impact.
In addition, the various properties of reactive dyes, including water solubility, availability of multiple shades, bright color shades, and light fastness, make it a very commonly used type of dye for textiles.
What Is Fiber Reactive Dying?
Fiber reactive dying is the process of imparting the desired color and shade to all the fabric made up of cellulose.
The dye reacts with the fabric to form a covalent bond in the fiber reactive dyeing process. This bond is very strong, giving permanent colors to the material.
The fiber-reactive dyes attach permanently to the fabric. The chromophore in the molecules absorbs some spectrum and reflects the others.
The dying process is slow and influenced by several factors, such as temperature and pH level. For instance, the higher temperature and pH speed up the reaction.
What Fabrics Can I Use a Reactive Dyeing Process On?
There are many ways of dyeing fabric. It can be bottle dyeing, tub-style, ice dyeing, stamping, or batik. The tub dyeing method comes out to be the most common as it is easy and can be taken up as a DIY project.
It is ubiquitous to find people and entrepreneurs scaling up their business with the tie-dyeing process. Let us get into the details of the process.
1. Prepare the Fabric
The fabric cannot be just taken and immersed into the dye. There is a preparatory process for both things. As the preparation, select the proper cloth. Try to use the cloth with lighter shades than the dye for the appropriate effect.
Wash the cloth in hot water with some washing soda to remove dirt, dust, and grease from it. These foreign particles can act as an obstacle to an adequate reaction. The water temperature in which the cloth is to be heated should be taken care of.
Cloths such as silk should be treated in mildly heated water. Next, treat the fabric with soda ash. Soda ash is added to hot water, and the fabric is dipped.
2. Dye Preparation
The next step in fiber reactive dyes processing is deciding which dyeing method is to be used. In many methods such as tub dyeing, dip dyeing, tie-dyeing, hand painting, and submersion dyeing, the dye is dissolved with water to make it liquid before applying it to the fabric.
On the other hand, in the snow dyeing and ice dyeing technique, the dye is used in powder form and does not need any preparation method.
3. Dye Application
The prepared dye is now applied to the fabric. The way of application depends on the dyeing method. In the tub dyeing method, the dye solution is placed in the tub, and the fabric is immersed.
In the tie-dye method, rubber bands and ties are applied to the fabric to get the specific pattern, and then it is dipped in the dye solution.
Ice dyeing comes down to be an exciting process where we place the fabric in a container. A lot of ice is placed over it.
Then, we put the dye over it. As the ice melts, the dye dissolves, making different patterns on the fabric. Hand painting can be another where the dye is not left on the fabric. Instead, the dye is applied to the fabric using sponges and brushes.
4. Setting Process
Once the fabric is brought in contact with the dye, they start to react. One should leave the fabric while dyeing it for 24 hours for the reaction to complete. This reaction time is dependent on the temperature. However, 24 hours is a good time for the setting process at room temperature.
Negatives of Using Fiber Reactive Dyeing:
Like every other chemical application, reactive dyeing also has pros and cons. We all know the pros. These are the few things to keep in mind when it comes to cons.
- Gloves and masks should be used while handling the dye and soda ash. They can bring irritation and allergy when brought in contact with the body parts.
- The synthetic strands of the reactive dyes are non-degradable and not the most nature friendly.
- Unlike popular belief, they are not the most natural dyes and are made from plant derivatives in some way.
Conclusion
Fabric reactive dyes are an excellent tool for the creative process with fabric. Everyone can easily use it, from beginners to pro-level users, and get the best outcome.
The quality of the reactive dye is essential to get the best results. Meghmani Global is one of the leading reactive dyes manufacturers who can supply you with the best quality.
We have fiber-reactive dyes for every kind of dyeing process. Our experts can guide you with your requirements. Contact us today to get the best product at reasonable rates.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fiber Reactive Dyeing Process
Q1. What Is Fiber Reactive Dying?
A: Fiber reactive dying is the process of imparting the desired color and shade to all the fabric made up of cellulose.
Q2. How do you use Fiber Reactive Dying?
A: There are many ways of dyeing fabric. It can be bottle dyeing, tub-style, ice dyeing, stamping, or batik. The tub dyeing method comes out to be the most common as it is easy and can be taken up as a DIY project.
Q3. What is the process of making Fiber Reactive Dying?
A: There are 4 processes Prepare the fabric, Dye preparation, Dye application, and Setting Process.