'Revolutionary' technology from China
11/02/2009
DareGlobal, a Shanghai-based textile technology company, has launched its pigment-dyeing system worldwide.
The system, patented at the end of 2007, is the result of almost 20 years' research and development work, modifies yarns and fibres at nanolevel, providing dye and functional finish in the same process.
Work so far has been with cotton, and cotton-cellulosic fibre blends, with water repellency, stain resistance, antimicrobial and fire retardancy among the functionalities added.
"This is revolutionary," marketing manager, Andre Gu, told sportstextiles.com, "and we believe functional apparel will be one of the areas in which it can work really well."
He explained that the system consists of only four processes, as opposed to the traditional six or eight, and can be completed in only ten minutes, compared to four hours. It offers a 95% saving on water with no discharge of pollution, and a 45% saving on energy on the methods for dyeing and finishing that fabric and garment manufacturers have been using up till now, he claimed.
"We've seen similar ideas in the US and Japan, but they are not as efficient," Mr Gu added. "The US one can treat three strands of yarn at a time, and the Japanese one only one. With our system, more than 3,000 strands of yarn can be dyed and finished at once.
"We accept that it is sometimes hard for companies in Europe or North America to believe that can have spent so many years researching and developing this. They are used to Chinese companies focusing only on price, and copying technology from elsewhere. We realise we have to work hard to convince the overseas market."
He encouraged interested companies to go to Shanghai and examine the system for themselves.
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