Intro to Pressing / Ironing

Pressing or ironing is the most important finishing process in readymade garments sector which is done by subjecting a cloth to heat and pressure with or without steam to remove unwanted creases and to impart a flat a appearance to the garments.

Intro to Pressing/Ironing

Functions of pressing finishing are: • To remove the unwanted creases and crush marks – During manufacture of garments, creases form in the garment and also during the process, garments are subjected to crushing due to its movement from place to place and handling of the operator. The creases and crushes formed give a bad appearance to the garment and hence they need to be removed. Pressing does the work of removing those creases and crushes. More creasing will be seen in the case of garments handled in bundles by tying up tightly or when piled on trolleys and boxes. • To induce creases to the garment based on the design requirement – In trousers, skirts and shirts, creases are required at certain places to make it look attractive. With the pressing operation, creases can be formed at required places like shirt collars, pleated skirts, edges of hem and cuffs, pocket flaps, waistband top edge’s and patch pocket edges. • To enable the garment fit to the contour of the body – Pressing helps in shrinking and stretching. Pressing is done to make the garment fi t to the contour of the body especially in wool fabrics. It is called as molding. After molding it is not possible to unpick the seams and return garment parts to their former fl at state. • To enable further sewing by preparing the garment for next sewing operation – There are two terms used in pressing – Under pressing and final pressing (Top off). Under pressing is the pressing operation on semi constructed garments to make the garment parts ready for further sewing. Final pressing is the process of pressing the completed garments finally before packing the garment. Under pressing operation helps the garment parts to be pressed for making further sewing easier. • To finally finish the garment for packing – During under pressing, the surface of the fabric would have changed temporarily because the various garment parts are under pressed for easy sewing. It sometimes results in gloss or glazing caused by extreme pressure of press in order to achieve a fi rm edge or seam. In order to remove the effects of under pressing and to make the garment ready for packing, final pressing operation is carried out and the garments are pressed to get a finished garment.

In order to achieve good pressing quality, there are four basic parameters that need to be controlled to meet optimum performance: heat, moisture, pressure and cooling with vacuum. The importance of each parameter is discussed in the following section. • Heat: Heat is required in most pressing operations to enable the fibers to soften and thus stabilize the garment shape. Temperature selection is of utmost importance, as an incorrect temperature setting can cause damage to fibers and yarns. • Moisture: Moisture is introduced by the use of steam. Steam at different pressures has different moisture contents; the higher the steam pressure, the lower the moisture in the steam. The presence of moisture is required to aid in fiber swelling and thus shape stabilization. Different fibers require different amounts of moisture. For example, natural fibers such as cotton and wool and regenerated cellulose fibers such as bamboo viscose and viscose rayon require the presence of moisture in the steam, and therefore steaming tables are usually preferred. On the other hand, synthetic fibers require heat to promote swelling and therefore relaxation of the structure. Excessive moisture may cause fabric shrinkage and color bleeding. • Pressure: Pressure is applied to the garment during pressing to give good crease retention and permanency. Excessive pressure may result in garment or crease distortion. • Vacuum: Vacuum is applied at the completion of the pressing operation. This draws cool air through the garment, reducing the garment temperature, lowering the moisture content and increasing shape retention. Particularly important for garments made from wool and wool blends, this also applies to cotton and viscose blends with synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon.

Factors affecting pressing:

Based on the above factors, garments are divided into various classes according to the amount and kind of pressing required. • Garments, which require no pressing – Foundation garments, stretch swimwear, bras, briefs and underwear. • Garments requiring minimal pressing – Single ply garments such as slips, nightgowns, knitted synthetics and T- shirts. • Garments that require the use of an iron for opening of seams and creasing of edges and for pressing garments with gathers and fullness and where style change is frequent. • Garments requiring extensive under pressing and final pressing – Men’s jackets, trousers and waistcoats, women’s tailored jackets, skirts, top coats. Style change in these garments is infrequent. • Garments requiring pleating or ‘permanent press’ finishing.

The garments can be classified based on the amount of pressing required. They can be classified as garments requiring no pressing, minimal pressing required garments, garments requiring use of an iron in under pressing and final pressing, garments requiring extensive under pressing and final pressing and garments requiring permanent press or pleating.

Classification of garments based on pressing:

Ways of pressing: Pressing is carried out using various means. Pressing is done by application of heat, moisture and pressure. Moisture is used usually as steam. Various pressing equipment's are available which use steam for pressing. Pressing equipment's and methods: There are various equipment's for garment pressing.

Steam Irons

The two basic kinds of irons used today are:

• Dry iron • Electric steam irons

Normally, hand irons are available in different shapes and weights:

• Narrow hand irons are used for seam opening on sleeves and trouser legs. The wrinkle marks on the garment are evaded by the narrow sole construction of the steam iron as well as curved and narrow ironing bucks. Teflon-coated soles should be used for ironing fabrics that are sensitive to luster • Wide ones for flat shapes • Pointed shape

Steam Irons with Boiler This is exactly the same as the above steam iron, the only difference is that A boiler can provide steam a whole lot faster because it has a boiler full of high pressure steam and superheated water which will flash into steam as the pressure drops. A boiler in fact is just a water reservoir.

The irons are available in different shapes and weights:

• Narrow hand irons are used for seam opening on sleeves and trouser legs. The wrinkle marks on the garment are evaded by the narrow sole construction of the steam iron as well as curved and narrow ironing bucks. Teflon-coated soles should be used for ironing fabrics that are sensitive to luster • Wide ones for flat shapes • Pointed shape

Steam press/buck press:

Steam presses commonly consist of a static buck and a head of complementary shape closing onto it, thereby sandwiching the garment to be pressed. Steam is passed to the head and buck using a pipe system. Adequate controls are provided for controlling head closure and vacuum. Vacuum is created to provide suction through the buck using a vacuum system. The typical pressing cycle is as follows: A garment need to be pressed is fixed in the buck ↓ The buck head closes and locks ↓ Then steam is applied to the head or the buck to press the garment for a predetermined time ↓ The buck head is released ↓ Vacuum is applied to the garment to cool and dry it ↓ The garment then moved around the buck for the next part of it to be pressed Similar operations are carried out for completing the pressing of the garment and then the garment is hung on the hanger. It should be ensured that the garment is not damp or distorted after pressing. Various types of presses are used in steam pressing.

Ironing vacuum + Blowing table:

These are used in combinations with our boiler ironing systems.

A vacuum + blowing table is useful in two key ways. One, the most effective pressing is done by pulling the steam through the layers. Second, blowing up (via a readily accessible switch) reduces seam imprinting by the iron. Vacuum In fact, getting the steam out of the fabric is so important, that before the age of vacuum tables, professional ironers used to take a piece of wood and literally whack the steam out of the fabric. As for the blowing part, some fabric, like corduroy and velvet – literally anything with a nap – doesn't respond well when pressed hard, so by floating the fabric on a layer of air, we can steam out the wrinkles without harming the nap. Blowing In fact, getting the steam out of the fabric is so important, that before the age of vacuum tables. As for the blowing part, some fabric, like corduroy and velvet – literally anything with a nap – doesn't respond well when pressed hard, so by floating the fabric on a layer of air, we can steam out the wrinkles without harming the nap.

Garment Steamer:

These models are floor standing models that stores easily in a corner, out of the way, until it’s needed. Using a simple “flow through” design, in less then a minute it creates volumes of steam for freshening up finished garments and draperies. The steam works by softening the fibers, allowing the fabric to relax. Wrinkles quickly disappear, leaving a finished and attractive look to your fabrics. Widely used by clothing retailers and discriminating consumers.