An apparatus and method for pre-shrinking a wet fabric prior to drying. The apparatus includes, among other components, a balloon extractor station and a hydro-sizer compression station. The balloon extractor station removes some water from the wet fabric. The hydro-sizer compression station is operatively connected to, and disposed downstream of, the balloon extractor station, and compresses the wet fabric in a lengthwise direction, and in so doing, pre-shrinks the wet fabric prior to drying. The method includes, among other steps, extracting some water from the wet fabric so as to form a hydro-extracted and wet fabric, compressing lengthwise the hydro-extracted and wet fabric so as to form a compacted and wet fabric that is now pre-shrunk prior to drying, and drying the compacted and wet fabric so as to form a compacted and dry fabric.

A nanofiber forest on a substrate can be patterned to produce a patterned assembly of nanofibers that can be drawn to form nanofiber sheets, ribbons, or yarns.

A method and apparatus for treating textiles and textile materials prior to dyeing said textiles or textile materials includes the steps of loading a textile substrate into a vessel and saturating the textile substrate therein with pre-treatment chemicals. The impregnated textile substrate and excess process solution are transferred into a hydraulic press having a flexible bladder. The press squeezes the textile substrate uniformly to remove the excess solution which is captured and recycled for reuse. The squeezed, impregnated textile substrate is stored in airtight containers to allow dyesite formation. The textile substrate is then neutralized, washed, and dried and as thus pre-treated can be dyed in an ecologically sustainable, energy-efficient, and economical process. The method and apparatus ensure uniform moisture pick-up and distribution of the chemical(s) throughout the textile substrate.

The particle impregnating device includes a placing body for placing a nonwoven fabric having a surface on which particles are sprayed; a vibrating member which is provided above the placing body and extends in the width direction of the nonwoven fabric placed on the placing body; a vibrator which applies ultrasonic vibration to the vibrating member; a lifting mechanism which lifts up and down the vibrating member; and a moving mechanism which relatively moves the nonwoven fabric and the vibrating member in a surface direction orthogonal to the width direction of the nonwoven fabric. When the nonwoven fabric and the vibrating member are relatively moved by the moving mechanism, the vibrating member is lowered by the lifting mechanism, so that the nonwoven fabric is pressed and compressed by the vibrating member and ultrasonic vibration is applied to the vibrating member by the vibrator.

The invention aims to improve the manufacture of flexible goods, such as garments, through the temporary modification of the physical properties of the components to be assembled, facilitating their handling and manipulation later on in the manufacturing process. Attributes that can be affected by this process are the stiffness of the material, the presence of mechanical or physical markings, the density of the material, the air or fluid permeability of the material, the responsiveness of the material to magnetic fields, or the adhesive nature of the material.

The invention aims to improve the manufacture of flexible goods, such as garments, through the temporary modification of the physical properties of the components to be assembled, facilitating their handling and manipulation later on in the manufacturing process. Attributes that can be affected by this process are the stiffness of the material, the presence of mechanical or physical markings, the density of the material, the air or fluid permeability of the material, the responsiveness of the material to magnetic fields, or the adhesive nature of the material.

A method and apparatus for treating textiles and textile materials prior to dyeing said textiles or textile materials includes the steps of loading a textile substrate into a vessel and saturating the textile substrate therein with pre-treatment chemicals are described. The impregnated textile substrate and excess process solution are transferred into a hydraulic press having a flexible bladder. The press squeezes the textile substrate uniformly to remove the excess solution which is captured and recycled for reuse. The squeezed, impregnated textile substrate is stored in airtight containers to allow dyesite formation. The textile substrate is then neutralized, washed, and dried and as thus pre-treated can be dyed in an ecologically sustainable, energy-efficient, and economical process. The method and apparatus ensure uniform moisture pick-up and distribution of the chemical(s) throughout the textile substrate.

The apparatus (100) comprises several stations for treating fabric (10). For example, a cleaning station (20) is provided that is arranged to remove loose debris from the fabric and move the fabric in a continuous motion through the cleaning station. A treatment station (40) is then arranged to receive the fabric from the cleaning station and to transfer treatment fluid to the fabric in a treatment zone. Finally, a drying station (50) is arranged to receive the fabric from the treatment station and to dry the fabric in a drying zone. Advantageously, the treatment station is arranged to transfer the treatment fluid by spraying the treatment fluid under pressure onto a side of the fabric.

An improved method of producing activated carbon fabrics from cotton fabrics involves washing a piece of cotton fabric with a detergent before soaking the washed piece of cotton fabric in an acidic chemical such as phosphoric acid for a specific amount of time, and then drying the soaked piece of cotton fabric in an oven. After the fabric has been dried, it is heated in a furnace which is fed with a flow of nitrogen gas as the temperature of the furnace is gradually increased to a pre-determined temperature and kept at the pre-determined temperature for an extended amount of time, before allowing the temperature to gradually return back to room temperature. After being removed from the furnace and being washed with distilled water to remove any remnants of phosphoric acid, the resulting product is an activated carbon fabric.

A process of producing a yarn, ribbon or sheet that includes nanofibers in which the process includes forming a yarn, ribbon or sheet comprising nanofibers, and applying an enhancing agent comprising a polymer to the yarn, ribbon or sheet.