# Compaction (textiles)

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{{Short description|Finishing process used to minimize shrinking in textiles}}
{{Orphan|date=November 2022}}

'''Compaction''' (compacting) is a [finishing process](/source/Finishing_(textiles)) used to minimize shrinking in [textile](/source/textile)s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=MATHEWS|first=KOLANJIKOMBIL|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XkqoDwAAQBAJ&q=compaction+textiles&pg=PA340|title=Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Textile Terms: Four Volume Set|date=2017|publisher=Woodhead Publishing India PVT. Limited|isbn=978-93-85059-66-7|pages=340|language=en}}</ref> Textile products that are loosely woven or knitted shrink more, whereas tightly knitted and woven products are more stable. The structure of knitted fabrics is competitively loose and flexible. Compaction, like [sanforization](/source/sanforization) for [woven fabric](/source/woven_fabric), is intended to reduce shrinkage in tube and open width [Knitted](/source/Knitted_fabric) textiles.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Choudhury|first=Asim Kumar Roy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p_9PCwAAQBAJ&q=Compacting+can+be+done+with+both+open+width+fabric+and+tubular+fabric.&pg=PA56|title=Principles of Textile Finishing|date=2017-04-29|publisher=Woodhead Publishing|isbn=978-0-08-100661-0|pages=54, 55, 56|language=en}}</ref>

== Compactor ==
A compactor is a textile finishing machine that is specifically designed for compaction. Compaction has a mechanism that shrinks the fabric forcibly in order to render it shrinkproof, preventing any residual shrinking in the applied fabric. The machine has two cylinders, the delivery cylinder moves faster than the take-off cylinder.<ref name=":0" /> [Shrinkage](/source/Dimensional_stability_(fabric)) in textiles is an undesirable property caused by fiber properties, fabric structure and elongations caused during prior treatments.<ref>{{Cite web|title=TECHNICAL BULLETIN|url=https://www.cottoninc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ISP-1009-Guide-to-Improved-Shrinkage-Performance-of-Cotton-Fabrics.pdf}}</ref>

=== Components ===
A compactor machine is equipped with an entry, small tenter frame, steaming unit and a set of felt and rollers. It may have J Box or rolling at exit.<ref name=":2" /> There are Compactors with a metal shoe also (Reference: Tube-Tex.)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lPe5AAAAIAAJ&q=Tubetex+metallic+shoe+compactor|title=Textile Asia|date=1996|publisher=Business Press|pages=55|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=icVOAAAAYAAJ&q=Tubetex+metallic+shoe+compactor|title=Textile Technology Digest|date=2002|publisher=Institute of Textile Technology|pages=52|language=en}}</ref>

=== Functions ===
Compaction results in smoother surfaces, controlled twisting, and shrinkage of the fabric. Additionally it helps in adjusting width and the [GSM](/source/Units_of_textile_measurement) of the fabric by manipulating fabric density.<ref name=":2" />

== See also ==

* [Calendering (textiles)](/source/Calendering_(textiles)), a machine that produces surface effect on textiles.
* [London shrunk](/source/London_shrunk)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

Category:Textile treatments
Category:Textile machinery

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Compaction (textiles)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaction_(textiles)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compaction_(textiles)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.