TCST Level 6 Sustainable Innovation in the Coloration Industry

This course will provide you with background information and a knowledge base relating to state of the art and innovative/disruptive, sustainable technology for the coloration of textile fibres. It will cover process methodology, including traditional aqueous based techniques for processing fibres and fabrics – by both batch and continuous machinery – as well as an introduction to some of the disruptive technology and processes that are either commercialised, or close to commercial launch. The content is by no means all-encompassing, since the field of textile processing and coloration is far too big to be covered. Instead, it is hoped that the course will provide the learner with the necessary introduction and desire to research and read further into this fascinating and ever advancing area of technology and processing.

This course contains scientific content and is prepared and delivered by the Society of Dyers and Colourists. Valuable technical discussion and collaboration with leading coloration and industry experts is greatly appreciated, including Stephen Westland, Professor of Colour Science and Technology, from the University of Leeds and Jinsong Shen, Professor of Textile Chemistry and Biotechnology, from De Montfort University. From industry, special thanks for support from Pincroft Dyeing and Printing, Baldwin Technology, Colorifix, Imogo, Weko Rotaspray.

It is important for you to understand the different fibre types available (natural and synthetic) and use the lessons and topics that you learn here to understand the different requirements associated with the coloration of these fibres.

The following publication is available to you to help with some of the specific terms and definitions encountered within coloration industries.

The SDC publication “Colour terms and definitions”

To fully appreciate the coloration of all textile fibres there is a need to understand the physical, chemical, thermal and optical properties of fibres in general. The following 4 documents provide this background information that you should refer to during your study. These documents are also useful reference material.

Extracts from some of the recommended texts as well as articles from Coloration Technology are made available to students in the lessons.

As part of every course we might make use of external links, such as YouTube or Wikipedia, and Espacenet as source for all patent references. Please note that the SDC is not responsible for the content of any external web link.

In the following lectures, commercial names are provided. This does not imply superiority of commercial products but is intended to serve only as an example. Similarly, whilst aspects relating to application procedures are presented, these are intended as being representative of typical application conditions only and are not intended to be employed for practical printing.