摘要 |
Textiles are first manufactured to attain dimensional stability and durability and thereby withstand the rigors of industrial rental and commercial laundering. Then, the garments are dyed in a two-stage process to yield outstanding colorfastness, pilling resistance, dimensional stability and durability. Garments are yielded that, even after extensive use, may be overdyed to custom colors in custom-sized batches to extend the useful life of stained or otherwise discolored garments. By performing the dyeing and/or overdyeing portions of the process at a location near the end user of the textile, transaction costs related to transportation of goods are minimized, technical resources are efficiently utilized, and large inventories of dyed garments need not be maintained, thereby reducing inventory expenses. Knit garments are formed by selecting synthetic polymeric and cellulosic fibers, spinning fibers into yarn, knitting yarn into fabric, treating the fabric, cutting and sewing the fabric into garments, dyeing the cellulosic fiber portion of the garments, and dyeing the synthetic polymeric fiber portion of the garments at temperatures and pressures above atmospheric conditions. Integrated with several of these steps are reiterative processes, including a pattern-making step by which dimensional shrinkage is predicted and controlled, and a dye formulation step by which custom colors can be imparted to the sewn garment.
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