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Apr 03, 2025
To ensure that industrial filter fabrics possess the required strength and elongation for production, synthetic fiber fabrics are typically subjected to heat treatment under a certain level of tension. This process stabilizes the fabric’s dimensions and structure, and is known as heat-setting—a crucial step in the manufacturing of industrial filter cloth. So, what are the main factors that determine the effectiveness of heat-setting?
There are three key factors in the heat-setting process of industrial filter fabric: temperature, time, and tension. Temperature and tension may vary depending on the application environment of the filter fabric.
1. Temperature
Temperature plays a significant role in the thermal dimensional stability of the fabric. This stability is typically measured by the fabric’s free shrinkage rate, which is the percentage of shrinkage in the warp and weft directions after the fabric is relaxed at a specified temperature for a certain period. The smaller the free shrinkage rate, the better the dimensional stability of the fabric.
2. Time
At a constant heat-setting temperature, an increase in heat-setting time generally leads to a decrease in thermal shrinkage, particularly in the warp direction. In the weft direction, shrinkage decreases up to a certain point, after which further time has little to no effect.
The total heat-setting time includes:
Heating time + Heat penetration time + Molecular rearrangement time + Cooling time, typically totaling 15 to 30 seconds.
3. Tension
Under appropriate tension, macromolecular chains stretch, move, and rearrange along the direction of the external force. This results in higher fiber density and molecular orientation. Once cooled and fixed in this state, the fabric’s shrinkage is significantly reduced and dimensional stability is improved. Therefore, applying suitable tension during heat-setting enhances the effectiveness of the process.
