Starch finishing

Starch finishing

Starch, the traditional finishing agent for cotton and rayon fabrics, became very popular in the last century, although its finishing was not durable.  It is mainly used to improve the appearance of the fabric by giving gloss to the fabric and eliminating wrinkles generated during the preparation of the fabric.  Starch acts as a binder to different fillers, increasing the weight of the fabric and improving the fullness or feel of the fabric.  It also increases the stiffness of the fabric by increasing its bending resistance.  This increased stiffness allows the garment to retain its shape and improve wear resistance.  Starch comes from a variety of sources, such as wheat, potatoes, rice, corn, sago and so on.  Each kind of starch should be cooked at gelatinization temperature to obtain a uniform paste;  Various fillers are then added.  A variety of hot mangle rollers are used in starch processing.  In recent years, synthetic polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol and vinyl acetate are gradually replacing starch.