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| WHAT IS "SANFORIZED"? The
Sanforized trademark was first registered in the United States of
America in 1930. Today the trademark is registered in over 100 countries
worldwide. Our extensive network of global licensees uses the trademark
on both 100% cotton and cotton-blend fabrics which meet special
test requirements and conform to a precise standard of shrinkage
established by The Sanforized Company. Manufacturers
of garments made of these fabrics may label their merchandise Sanforized.
Thus the retailer and the ultimate consumer can tell at a glance
that the fabric in a garment so labeled will not shrink out of fit. This
is uniformly true everywhere in the world, wherever cotton and cotton-blend
merchandise is produced and sold, because the same processing, testing
and inspection procedures are carried out with each and every licensee. Sanforized
technical service representatives perform constant inspection and
check-testing at the plants of textile mills licensed to produce
"Sanforized" fabrics. This insures that a uniform standard
is maintained. The
Sanforized trademarks are known at both trade and consumer levels
worldwide because of their universal assurance of quality. Textile
users — manufacturers, retailers, and consumers — have
confidence in Sanforized. They ask for it. They have been asking
for it for more than 70 years. The Sanforized license program is unique and without parallel in the textile and apparel industries. Our leadership and expertise in quality shrinkage control are well-known in every major textile market of the world. During
spinning, weaving, bleaching, dyeing and the various finishing processes,
yarns and cloth are under a continuous tension. Yarns
and/or fabrics are not fixed materials. They consist of separate,
stretchable fibers which submit to the tension. In other words,
fabrics do stretch in length and width. The tension within the yarns,
which is caused by this stretching, can be eliminated when the friction
within the fabric is reduced. This reduction in friction occurs
during laundering where both water and soap act as a lubricant.
The lubricant, along with the mechanical action of the washer, helps
the fibers relax and contract to their original length before the
elongation takes place. This means that the fabric shrinks and recaptures
its original equilibrium. CONTROLLED
COMPRESSIVE SHRINKAGE PROCESS The
internationally well-known and most important shrinking process
today dates back more than 70 years. Though the correct expression
for this process is Controlled Compressive Shrinkage, the average
person knows it as SANFORIZED. The process is a purely mechanical
treatment without any addition of chemicals. The
word SANFORIZED is derived from the first name of the inventor of
the compressive shrinkage process, Mr. Sanford L. Cluett. The
Sanforized Company, a division of GTB Holding Corp.,
New York, USA, is sole owner of the registered trademarks Sanforized,
Sanfor and Sanforizado. The
Sanforized label means dimensional stability for garments made up
of Sanforized labeled fabrics. The
purpose of the process is to shrink fabrics in such a way that textiles
made up of these fabrics do not shrink during washing. The
amount of potential wash shrinkage must be determined prior to shrinking.
A full width sample is wash-tested according to the test method.
After the lengthwise and widthwise shrinkage has been determined,
the compressive shrinkage machine can be adjusted accordingly. The process can be described by the following schematic:
Fabric
(F) passes through the skyer (S) or other moistening
device and is moistened by water and/or steam. This will lubricate
the fibers and promote shrinkability within the fabric. Normally,
a fabric must be moistened in such a way that every single thread
achieves a moisture content of approximately 15%. This allows compression
of the fabric with very little resistance. When
the fabric passes through the clip expander (C), we obtain
the required width. The clip expander also transports the fabric
to the most important part of the machine: the rubber belt unit
(indicated by arrows in above figure). In the close-up of fig. 1,
we see the endless rubber belt (R). By squeezing rubber belt
(R) between pressure roll (P) and rubber belt cylinder
(RB), we obtain an elastical stretching of the rubber belt
surface. The more we squeeze the rubber belt, the more the surface
is stretched. This point of squeezing is known as the pressure zone,
or the nip point. Fabric
(F) is now fed into the pressure zone. When leaving the pressure
zone, the rubber belt recovers itself and the surface returns to
its original length carrying the fabric with it. The effect of this
action is a shorting of the warp yarn which packs the filling yarns
closer together. At this actual moment, shrinkage occurs. After
compaction within the rubber belt unit, the fabric enters the dryer
(D). Here the fibers are locked in their shrunken state by
removing the moisture from the fabric. After
the compressive shrinkage process is completed, another sample of
the fabric is taken. This sample is also wash-tested. The final
result of this test must meet the Sanforized Standard, in length
and width before it may carry the Sanforized label. All Sanforized Licensees are contractually obligated to follow the required test method and meet the standards set forth by The Sanforized Company. |
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