Mercerising Machinery and Caustic Impregnation
topic
Mercerising machines impregnate cotton fabric with 22 to 28 percent sodium hydroxide solution under tension on a chain merceriser or chainless pad-roll merceriser, holding fabric at full width under warp tension for 45 to 90 seconds to allow fibre swelling and structural transformation from kidney-shaped to circular cross-section, followed by washing out the alkali under continued tension to fix the swollen fibre structure.
Role
Permanently improves cotton fibre lustre, dye uptake, and dimensional stability through the caustic-induced fibre structural change that increases optical reflectance by 10 to 15 percent, improves reactive dye fixation by 15 to 20 percent from increased dye accessibility, and reduces fabric shrinkage potential by fixing the swollen fibre dimensions, providing premium quality improvements that justify the energy and chemical cost of mercerisation for quality shirting, dress fabrics, and home textile applications.