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Textile Xerography
| Article
# : |
15679 |
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Section : |
NATURAL SCIENCE
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| Issue
Date : |
2 / 1989 |
2,776 Words |
| Author
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John D. Toon
John D. Toon is assistant director of research communications
at the Georgia Institute of Technology. |
Today's textile printing processes bring us a galaxy of colorful sheets, towels, and pillowcases, along with fashion clothing, carpets, upholstery, and other items. But the printing processes rely on time-consuming techniques that are both labor and energy-intensive, and that pose significant environmental concerns.
At the Georgia Institute of Technology, researchers hope to replace today's water-based processes with new technology borrowed from the modern office copier. If the researchers are successful, their modified copiers may soon be turning out colorful sheets and pillowcases--and one day perhaps even apparel fabrics, T-shirts, upholstery, and office wall coverings.
"A tremendous amount of interest exists in this research," says Fred Cook, the project's principal investigator and director of Georgia Tech's School of Textile Engineering. "We're breaking entirely new ground. The potential is there for a whole new way of manufacturing textiles."
For manufacturers, the xerography process offers lower energy costs, fewer environmental concerns, and higher productivity. But perhaps most important, it may shorten the lead time required to bring new designs to market. In an increasingly competitive industry, quicker response to ever-changing consumer demand translates into a major advantage.
The fabric-printing industry now relies on metal roller screens to transfer color images to fabric and to store designs for future use. Producing the screens is a time-consuming process requiring skilled craftsmen, who must also maintain and store the screens. Turning new designs into metal screens can take months, causing long delays for retailers who may be clamoring for the latest fashions. And because it relies on water-based processes, screen printing is messy, requiring time for setting up and cleaning the equipment. The entire process makes rapid pattern changes impractical.
However, if new patterns could be produced by xerographic processes directly from the images created in a designer's computer workstation, manufacturers could save time and ship retail stores the latest fashion items more quickly. "This approach ties into several strategies which the industry has adopted to be more competitive," Cook notes. "These include quick response, short production runs, and just-in-time delivery response to the apparel manufacturers and
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