The Influence of Acrylic Binder on the Quality of Pigment Printed Knitted Fabrics

Abstract

Acrylic size is a copolymer of acrylate and a sizing agent for spun yarns that is easy to remove. The mixture has a high adhesive strength, is homogeneous, and is quite stable. Suitable for spun yarn used in low-count textiles, including cotton, CVC, rayon, and denim. Additionally, to being elastic, its coating is also antistatic. The primary purpose of the research work was to analyze the Viscosity of pigment paste, pigment penetration behavior, a relative color strength of Pigment printed fabric, stiffness, and different fastness properties of pigment printed fabrics for different concentrations of acrylic binder (100gm/L,120 gm/L,140 gm/L, and 160 gm/L) at two percentages (4%, Light shade and 5%, Dark shade). The viscometer determined the Viscosity of each pigment paste. Printing was done at lab scale on single jersey cotton, polyester, and CVC knitted fabrics by hand screen frame. The reflectance of Pigment printed fabrics before and after wash was examined in a reflectance spectrophotometer for this work. The K/S values were calculated to determine pigment penetration and the relative color strength% of these samples. The SEM image of printed fabric was distinguishable about increasing pigment penetration% into the fabric due to binder concentrations. On the other hand, the fixing agent did not show such a noticeable effect on pigment penetration. It has been found that wet and dry rubbing fastness increased up to 4.1 and 4.6, respectively, with the increase in binder concentrations. The stiffness graphs also showed a higher trend with increased binder concentration. Experimental data showed that a higher amount of acrylic-based binder could increase the rubbing fastness, pigment penetration, and stiffness but wash and light fastness were almost constant 4 and 5 ratings on the grey and blue scale, respectively. This study focuses on the optimal usage of acrylic binder, which the pigment printing industries have not previously prioritized. This will help improve the overall pigment printing quality and reduce chemical consumption.