The textile coating industry relies on the professional chemical industry that produces polymers, additives, footprints and other chemical necessities, and produces products with certain quality standards and durability to meet the needs of specific customers. Textile coating and lamination processes are similar to those in the film and paper industry, where film and paper are coated with polymer or laminated onto other materials. In fact, the boundary between paper and some nonwovens is very blurred. The nonwovens industry alone may be the largest user of polymer resin adhesives. Fabric coating also uses some polymers used in the coating industry, such as acrylate and polyurethane. In fact, some analysts now regard the coating industry as coating. Similar to painting, fabric can obtain the best effect by using several thin layers instead of one thick layer in the coating process.
Coating machine is more complex than textile equipment. In the process of membrane processing, its output and production speed are much higher. In the coating and laminating process, paper production and production speed are higher than textiles. Generally, film and paper have better dimensional stability than fabric, but high production speed will cause other problems. By comparing with these related industries, we can learn knowledge and promote the development of nature industry.
Other industries related to fabric coating are rubber industry. The origin of coated fabric and rubber industry (there are still many rubber materials used for fabric coating). Fabric coating is also related to fabric printing. In fact, according to some definitions, paint printing is an ink coating with adhesive bonding, some of which are polymer with coating, while thickener in paint printing ink is similar to that used in fabric coating. It is difficult to distinguish "whole" printing from light and thin coating, which can be easily finished by rotary screen printing machine.
Textile coating and lamination involve the following disciplines: textile technology, chemistry and polymer chemistry, and engineering technology. Textile technology is needed for the design, drawing and preparation of base cloth, which determines the tear strength, tensile strength and coating suitability of coated fabric. The fabric must be properly finished in advance to obtain immune polymer adhesion and soft handle and drape. We can have the knowledge and skills in polymer chemistry, decide which polymer to choose, such as PVC, polyurethane, acrylic resin, and specify the coating formula. The coating compound can produce special properties when mixed with chemical additives (such as flame retardant, plastisol and processing aid). Using the knowledge of chemical engineering and mechanical engineering, people can design the oven of coating machine, which has the function of appropriate drying rate, easy to recover smoke and solvent (or water) extraction, so as to produce products with specific technical properties on a large scale. The treatment of materials, especially those coated (or laminated) materials, is sometimes ignored, but it is extremely important. This treatment often determines the profit margin of the product, because the use of greasy, damaged and wrinkled fabrics will lead to the degradation of product quality.
At present, automation and reliability control are used in many developed equipment, so "human factors" are reduced. Information technology and computers play an important role in the work schedule. The use of equipment time and resources is optimized through better information, stock operation and more effective procurement. With the further development of information technology and the popularization of computer application, this trend will be strengthened.
Personnel management needs to train and motivate technicians and staff, cultivate team spirit and maintain a culture of continuous progress. It's all about reform, and it's also about producing qualified products with the least inferior materials - it's best to use zero defect materials to ensure business success. The challenge of commercialized mass production of products is the same as that of R & D in the laboratory at the beginning, maybe more, because generally speaking, the quality of technicians is slightly inferior to that of laboratory personnel. There is a certain degree of repetition in the work, so we need to pay attention to every detail patiently in the whole process, especially in high-speed production, because many riddled fabrics have been produced before defects are found. Regular maintenance and careful cleaning of the machine are also necessary.
Environmental factors are becoming more and more important, and governments and local authorities are committed to improving air quality by reducing the generation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other emissions. Good air quality is not only conducive to human health and safety, but also can inhibit global warming and climate change. Now, some restrictions have been introduced, mainly aimed at preventing the discharge and use of chemical reagents with certain potential toxicity in the compounds used in the coating industry. Reducing the amount of waste to be landfilled and encouraging the recycling of waste will also contribute to the development of the coating and laminating industries in the textile industry. The recycling of coated fabrics is being reexamined, which will become an important factor in the suspension of materials. Because many coated fabrics are bonded by two or more polymers, it is difficult to recycle at one time. In view of this problem, the water-soluble coating machine coated fabrics with the same or similar polymer composition are more recycled. Therefore, Germany has developed a water-soluble polyester polymer as the coating material for polyester fabrics.
