The challenge and charm of chemical finishing

The proper formulation of chemical fmishes requires consideration of several important factors the type of textile being treated (fibre and construction) the performance requirements of the finish (extent of effect and durability) the cost to benefit ratio restrictions imposed on the process by availabihty of machinery, procedure requirements, environmental considerations and compatibility of different formula components as well as the interaction of the finishing effects. 

To bring all these parameters to an acceptable compromise is not easy, even for a single purpose finish. But usually several types of finishes are combined for economical reasons mostly in one bath (only one application and drying process). This is often the hardest challenge of chemical finishing. First, all components of the finish bath must be compatible. Precipitations of anionic with cationic products have to be avoided. The emulsion stability of different products may be reduced by product interactions. More difficult is often the second hurdle, the compatibility of the primary and secondary effects of the different types of finishes that are being combined  

Thus the finisher is glad when the combined products do not interfere, neither in the finishing bath nor on the fabric, with all their different effects, but this usually is the exception rather than the rule. 

This discussion of the interaction of the primary effects of the combined products can be expanded to their secondary effects, the desired and the undesired ones. Obviously this task quickly approaches confusion. It is not surprising that successful chemical finishing is sometimes thought of as being nearly magical. As Rouette wrote in Fundamentals of Textile Finishing  

Nowhere in textile finishing does the formnlation of recipes need such a 

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