International industrial trends to inmasin usage ofpolyester/cellulosic Mends fir sportswear and leisum wear appml outlets have put inarming demand! on the performance ofdbperse dyes, particularly the rro88 staining and fastnm. Innovation in developing novel disperse dyes to meet inmasingly higher quality demands is revinued.The p p e c t of rendering thermomigration 'a pnoblem of the past' with respect to dispetse dyes is also meidend.
Over recent decades there has been a trend towards finer filaments that have novel aesthetic and tactile qualities. The rate at which this trend continues will, at least in part, be influenced by new dye developments and improved coloration techniques. Peter Leadbetter and Stephen Dervan discuss the emergence of polyester microfibres and the increased demands placed on the dyes that colour them.The progression to finer fibrilles in both filament polyester fabrics and polyester staple blends with cotton has continued unabated over the past two decades. Today the dominant polyester filament count for textile uses is in the range 2-3 dtex per filament compared with 3-5 dtex 20 years ago. Superficially it would appear that the progression to microfibres (< 1.0 dtex per filament) is only a question of time. In truth, this would be an oversimplification.The rate and extent to which the polyester microfibre market grows world-wide will be strongly influenced by success in penetrating the large cellulose blend apparel sectors in Europe, the USA and the Asia Pacific regions. In addition, the degree to which polyester microfibres will be used in blends with cotton (knitgoods) and viscose (woven goods) will, at least in part, depend upon parallel advances in developing new disperse dyes to meet the more stringent demands of these novel fibres. There are three areas of advancement in disperse dyes that will play a vital role in determining the success rate of polyester microfibres in the key apparel sectors. These are: developing novel disperse dyes which combine excellent build-up properties with excellent wash fastness minimising cellulose cross-staining devising dedicated application techniques designed to optimise right-first-time production whilst retaining the essential aesthetics of the fabrics.Estimates of polyester microfibre production in 1992 are in the region of 80 000 tonnes world-wide, less than 1 % of the projected production of 8.5 million tonnes of polyester for textile outlets. Looking to the future, how-ever, growth forecasts for microfibres from the major international polyester producers to the end of the century vary from 10 to 25% of total polyester textile production. This wide variance not only reflects the difficulties in assessing the rate of growth of the microfibre market, but also highlights the differences of interpretation as to what qualifies as a microfibre.
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