What is a Dyeing and Finishing Auxiliary?

The dyeing and finishing process of textiles involves modifying and beautifying the primary textile products (yarns and grey fabrics) obtained by spinning and weaving various fibers, making them suitable for various final textile products used in clothing, home furnishings, decoration, and industrial applications. In each processing step of the textile industry, from spinning, yarn twisting, weaving, dyeing and finishing to the final product, various auxiliary chemicals are used to improve the quality of textiles, enhance the processing effect, increase production efficiency, simplify the process, reduce production costs, and endow textiles with various excellent application properties. Such auxiliary chemicals are generally referred to as textile dyeing and finishing auxiliaries (Textile Dyeing and Finishing Auxiliaries).

Textile dyeing and finishing auxiliaries can be divided into two categories according to the production process: textile auxiliaries and dyeing and finishing auxiliaries.

In the dyeing and finishing process, chemicals are added to achieve a certain purpose, endow textiles with certain special functions or styles, improve the product's performance and added value, enhance product quality, or ensure the smooth progress of each process, or to save energy and reduce processing costs. These substances, except for dyes and general chemicals (such as acids, alkalis, and salts), are collectively referred to as dyeing and finishing auxiliaries.

Of course, in modern dyeing and finishing processes, some chemicals (such as post-finishing auxiliaries) can no longer be regarded as "auxiliary agents", but are still called "auxiliaries" based on convention. Dyeing and finishing auxiliaries play a very important role in the entire dyeing and finishing process of textiles.

There are many types of fibers that make up textiles (such as natural fibers like cotton, linen, silk, and wool; chemical fibers like viscose, Lyocell fiber, Modal fiber, acetate fiber, soybean fiber, peanut fiber, polyester, nylon, acrylic, vinylon, polypropylene, etc.). The dyeing and finishing processes of textiles composed of different fibers generally include pretreatment, dyeing, printing, and post-finishing processes, but the processes are not exactly the same. Different processing processes use different dyeing and finishing auxiliaries, and different processes within the same process also use different dyeing and finishing auxiliaries. Therefore, the application of dyeing and finishing auxiliaries in the dyeing and finishing industry is very extensive.

Dyeing and finishing auxiliaries play a very important role in the entire dyeing and finishing process of textiles, and their main functions include the following aspects: