Singeing and Shearing of Fabrics

The protruding fibres on the surface of a fabric manufactured with spun yarns may be desirable in that they impart a little softness to the fabric, but nonetheless they are seen as a nuisance. These protruding fibres
1. Create a fuzz which might obscure sharpness of a print or a coloured strip on the garment
2. Can attract soil
3. May aggravate pilling
Many cotton materials are valued for their smooth appearance e.g. lustrous sateen and satin weaves. Hence, in general, it is desirable to remove these surface fibres. One of the most common methods to do this is just burn off these fibres! This is known as Singeing. Although, now a days it is also done using enzymes for cellulosic fibre fabrics.
Objective- To burn off the protruding fibers from a yarn or fabric.
ADVANTAGES -
1) Improved end use and wearing properties.
2) Clean Surface.
3) Reduced fogginess.
4) Reduced pilling.
5) Reduced Soiling.
Singeing usually involves passing/exposing one or both sides of a fabric over a gas flame to burn off the protruding fibers.
The temperature of the flame is quite high, hence the fabric is passed over the flame at a high speed such that loose protruding fibres are burnt off but the fabric itself remains undamaged.