ACF System
Pigment dyeing by Pad-Dry technique
What is ACF system?
AC (acabado/finish, color/colour)
This system allows simultaneous pigment dyeing and finishing with fastness results similar to even the best classical dyeing
Soft and smooth to handle
F (fácil/easy to use)
Easily applied with just some good padding and a stenter
How it works
- The base is an acrylic polymer with a high percentage of reactive groups – very soft to touch
- This polymer, thanks to being self cross-linkable and helped (eventually) by external cross-linking agents, forms a three- dimensional film
On the fabric and on the micro-dispersed pigment - Thanks to this very soft film, the pigment is fixed on the substrate with high rubbing and cleaning fastness. Until now a conflictive issue in the application of pigments
Advantages
- Easy colouring on cotton fabrics and blends
- Same shade on the different fibres
- Minimum equipment requirement
Good padding + stenter (possible IR pre-drying equipment before entering stenter) - Post-treatment or development (vat dye) not required
Washing, oxidizing, soaping, etc. - Ideal as ground dyeing for pigment printing
- Practically identical handling to the original. At the most, a slight increase in textile body mass without stiffness
- Compatible with high quality resins
– wrinkle free
– shrinking free
– easy care, etc. - Compatible with selected softeners.
Selection necessary to avoid affecting rubbing fastness
Drying and curing
The ACF System may provide simultaneous drying and curing
- Maintain low temperature in the first sections of the stenter. Maximum 120ºC. Curing conditions on the ACF System are relatively easy
30 sec. at 160ºC, once the fabric is dry
- If ACF System is used together with high quality finish, it is convenient to dry in stenter and cure in a condensation (polymerization) machine
In this case: 4 – 5 minutes at 150 – 155ºC
Application Scope
- Bedding (sheets, pillow-cases, etc.)
- Printing grounds
- Curtains and roller blinds
- Clothing garments
- Camouflage fabrics
- Lining fabrics
- Glass-fibre
Fastness
Rubbing Good fastness in dry and wet
(pay attention to employed additives)
Washing Good fastness normal cleaning and dry-cleaning
Light Unbeatable even in pale hues
(pay attention to selected pigments)
Chlorine Excellent
Sweat Excellent
Gas Fading Very good
Bath preparation
- Temperature must be maintained below 30-35ºC in preparation baths
- Adjust pH from 5 – 5.5 with acetic acid
- Add products in the following order with an intermediate agitation:
- Adratex ACF (P-816)
- Adratint ACF (P-818)
- Adranil ACF (P-814)
- Adraprest ACF (P-811)
- Next, add the necessary additives
- Pigments
- Check pH and adjust if necessary
- Essential for deposits of preparation, pipes and padding to be free of any residues
Process
Impregnation:
- Fabric must be well prepared with regular wetting and free of alkalinity (well neutralized)
- Fabric must enter padding free of creases and tensions
- Liquor level must be maintained at a constant level (feeding bath)
- Top padding roller must have less hardness than inferior.
Ideal 65º Shore on top and 75º Shore on inferior - Maximum pressure possible. Impregnation must be minimal
- Ideally, pre-dry with infrared equipment before entering stenter to avoid migration. Residual moisture should be 25%
Defects ~ Causes (I)
Uneven dyeing
- Low concentration of migration inhibitor agent (Adratint ACF)
- Liquor pick-up too high due to low wringing pressure
- Drying temperature or drying air pressure too high in the first sections of the stenter
Change of shade. Side-center-side
- Uneven pressure on the padding.
- Badly delivered pressures
- Bad pre-treatment. Uneven hydrophility
Differences in long runs
- Changes in ways of working
- Bad pre-treatment
- Drying temperature
- Padding pressure
- Pigment agglomeration in liquor
Defects ~ Causes (II)
Streakiness
- Fabric tension too high
- Low fabric opening at padding entrance
- Bad pre-treatment
Spots
- Light spots due to lack of antifoaming agent (Adratex ACF)
- Dark spots due to low pigment dispersion (filter)
Roller or liquor deposits
- Not enough build-up (Adratex ACF)
- Fabric is not free of lint and naps (filter)
- Rising of the liquor temperature (above 38ºC)
ACF System basic formulation
Product concentrations according to pigment quantity
| Adraprest ACF (P-811) | 80 | 120 | 150 |
| Adratint ACF (P-818) | 10 – 30 | 10 – 30 | 10 – 30 |
| Adranil ACF (P-814) | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Adratex ACF (P-816) | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Pigment Adraprint | 0 – 3 | 3 – 10 | 10 – 15 |
Units in g/l
ACF System + high quality finish (easy care)
| Adraprest ACF (P-811) | 80 – 120 |
| Adratint ACF (P-818) | 10 – 30 |
| Adranil ACF (P-814) | 4 – 8 |
| Adratex ACF (P-816) | 2- 4 |
| Adraplast GM (P-506) | 60 |
| Adrasil EQ (P-786) | 20- 40 |
| Catalizador AC | 18 |
| Adraprint Pigment | 0 – 15 |
| Citric acid | pH 4,5 – 5 |
Units in g/l
Basic compounds ACF System
Adraprest ACF (P-811)
- Acrylic dispersion with a very high degree of self cross-linking
- Very small sized particles. High stability to sheering
- Hardly any modification to touch
- Forms a transparent film that does not yellow with temperature
Adranil ACF (P-814)
- Very short polymer dispersion with high cross-linking capacity with any reactive groups in the formulation
Adratex ACF (P-816)
- Special wetting agent with no foam formation
- Good antifoaming effect
- Good dispersion effect. Acting as a build-up inhibitor agent while avoiding sheering problems
Adratint ACF (P-818)
- Oxiethylenated based migration inhibitor
- Acting above 38ºC avoiding liquor migration on the textile caused by differences in drying temperature
Additive compounds ACF System
Handling enhancer
- Adrasil EQ (P-786)
- Adrasil TE-C (P-710)
Achieves easy care
- Adraplast GM (P-506)
- Adraplast VL (P-509)
- Catalizador AC
Body mass enhancer
- Base Finish HQ (P-850)
- Reticulante Finish HQ (P-851)
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