Finishing covers those processes that textile material undergoes after weaving, knitting or felting, for use by garment manufacturers or directly by the ultimate consumers. Successful fabric finishing implies the preservation or improvement of as many desirable characteristics as possible and holding of damage or deterioration at zero or a low minimum. Finishes are not necessarily mutually exclusive; sometimes two or more goals are obtained simultaneously.

1. Tentering & Heat Setting

Tentering is a mechanical straightening of fabrics; it is a part of many finishing operations such as resin finishing, drying and shrinkage control. If previously heat-set fabrics are stretched during tentering, shrinkage may occur in laundering, tumble drying or ironing.The effect of setting on the fabric is to reduce the tensions from extrusion, spinning and weaving or knitting; consequently the new molecular configuration becomes set, with the extend on reducing creasing on washing, pilling, and slipping, setting twist in yarns. In heat setting, fiber temperature must reach or exceed the glass transition temperature. The glass transition temperature is the point at which the amorphous regions of the fiber develop flow or “melt”;at this temperature fibers can be shaped. Any subsequent resetting or reshaping must be done at a temperature greater than that used in the first heat-setting operation.

2. Water & Soil Repellent Finishes

Waterproof finishes are those that coat or seal a fabric so that the water does not pass through it; such fabrics are not permeable to air and thus are not comfortable in wearing apparel.

Water repellent finishes result in a fabric that resists wetting and is relatively permeable to air; thus they are comfortable, they retain their original appearance and the fabric hand is slightly modified. Water repellency is determined by both fabric construction and finish. The fabric should be made so that the largest interstices between yarns or fibers are smaller than raindrops. The yarns should be soft and the yarn count high.

Soil resistant finishes act as direct barriers, as the finish occupies places on the fiber that would otherwise be filled by the soil (a smooth surface is created and the soil falls off). Chemicals used in stain or soil repellent finishing are chemicals used in water repellent finishing, such as silicones, fluorochemicals, waxlike derivatives, polyester derivatives etc.

3. Flame Repellent Finishes

Flame resistance is defined as that property of a material whereby flaming combustion is prevented, terminated or inhibited following application of a flaming or nonflaming source of ignition, with or without subsequent removal of the ignition source. Flame resistance can be an inherent property of the basic material or it may be imparted by a specific treatment.

Flame retardant treatment is a process of incorporating or adding flame retardants to a material or a product.A fireproof substance is one that is totally unaffected by the fire.

Finishes cannot provide a completely safe product; they can, however, reduce the danger and produce a margin of safety. Some flame retarding treatments do affect certain dyes and may increase the harshness of the fabric.The effectiveness of the finish may be affected by detergents, bleaching agents, softeners, water hardness, soil.

4. Softening / Stiffening

The feel or hand of a textile material is one of the important physical characteristics which determines the utility and saleability of a textile. Softening finishes improve the hand and drape of fabric, facilitate application of other finishes and increase the life and utility of fabric. In many instances it is necessary to make fabrics and garments stiffer and give them “body” by filling them with various substances.

Stiffening can be
- Temporary, using starches;
- Permanent, using thermosetting resins, melamine resin, polyvinylacetate, polyvinyl alcohol/ polyacrilonitrile.

Stiffening agents may be used to keep sheer fabrics crisp and prevent snagging and slipping of yarns; stiffeners reduce the formation of lint and help maintain a surface that is resistant to abrasion

5. Antifray / Antislipping Finishes

Antislipping include finishes applied to a fabric to reduce or eliminate yarn slippage (to keep yarns in their proper position in fabric and reduce seam fraying).

This defect arises in some rayon and synthetic materials, from the extremely smooth surface of the fibres present.

Cotton, wool and linen fibres are fairly rough owing to their characteristic physical structure and they do not readily slip over each other in yarn and fabric.

After the antislipping treatment the threads have their surface roughened and as a direct consequence they grip each other more firmly and resist movement such as results in fraying.

6. Antistatic Finishes

In mechanical handling of textiles, as in spinning, weaving/knitting and finishing operations, where they are subjected to friction either by rubbing against each other or against other surfaces, it is possible for electrostatic electricity to be developed.

If the fibres have an electrically conducting surface it is possible for the static to be conducted away to earth but otherwise it tends to accumulate on fibres.

Fibres electrically similarly charged repel each, other while whatever their charge they become attracted to fibres and other objects and thus their control in processing is made more difficult.

For instance, yarns may “balloon” during winding processes as a result of the individual fibres repelling each other, while finishing fabrics these may stick to the rollers from over which they are being drawn.

The natural fibres such as cotton and wool have sufficient electric conductance in their normal air dry state that they do not accumulate static readily, but the synthetic fibres have a much lower conductance and so can be difficult to control in mechanical handling.

Antistatic finishes work by the following ways:

- the finish may improve the surface conductivity, and thereby helps the electrons to move either to the ground or to the atmosphere;

- the finish may attract molecules of water to the surface, which increase the conductance and carry away the static charges;
- chemical finishes may develop an electric charge opposite that of the fiber, which neutralises the electrostatic charge.

7. Mildew Resistant & Antibacterial Finishes

Under certain conditions, a number of bacteria and fungi cause mildew and rot to develop on textile materials.

Mildew can be readily recognised by its musty odour, taste and discoloration of the fabrics on which it grows.

High relative humidity (above 75%) and warm temperature (above 25C) favour development of these micro-organisms. The micro-organisms are present everywhere in air and soil, ready to grow when temperature and humidity are favourable.

Finishes that increase absorbtion may also encourage mildew on material that is otherwise ordinarily mildew free.

Cellulosic materials are most subjected to mildew attack, especially those containing starch or sizing materials, but no fiber is entirely immune if conditions are right.

The objectives of applying bacteriostatic or antimicrobial finishes are the following:

- To control the spread of disease and reduce the danger of infection following injury;
- To inhibit the development of unpleasant odours from perspiration and other soil on cloth;
- To reduce the damage to fabrics from mildew-producing fungi and rot-producing bacteria.

8. Coating

Coatings can be used to improve the end-use qualities of the fabric or to create a special design.

Depending on the end use of the fabric, coatings can be applied either to the face or the back of the fabric. For drapery linings and similar uses, the coating is attached to the back of the cloth; when the coating is to provide appearance value, such as a leather effect, it will be applied to the face of the cloth.There is knife over roll technique and also knife over air technique.