LASER FADING TECHNOLOGY: FACTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Joy Sarkar1 and Md. Rashaduzzaman2

Introduction:

Lasers are being used in the textile field for many years. The popular uses of lasers are Laser

Marking (Only the surface of the fabric is processed, fading), Laser Engraving (Controlled

cutting to a depth), Laser Welding (A molten material joins or welds two or more layers of fabric

together), Laser Cutting (Cutting through a fabric). Among these Lasers fading (Marking) is a

popular dry process for denim now a day. It has been used extensively as the replacement of

some conventional dry processes like sand blasting, hand sanding, destroying and grinding etc.

which are potentially harmful and disadvantageous in some manner. Apart from this, Laser

systems are used in fashion design [1], pleating, cutting and modification of fabric surface to

impart some special finish [2]. Laser fading works with better precision and higher productivity

but also have some drawbacks.

1
Joy Sarkar is with the Department of Textile Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering &
Technology, E-mail: joy.ctet@gmail.com

2
Md. Rashaduzzaman is with the Department of Textile Engineering, Green University of Bangladesh,
Dhaka, Bangladesh, E-mail: mithun.tex@green.edu.bd
Laser:
A laser system generates monochromatic, coherent photons in a low-divergent beam. As

monochromatic, the light is of a single color. As coherent, all the emissions originate from a

stable oscillator with a uniform constant frequency and have the same wavelength. Laser action

can be compared with the focusing of sunlight through magnifying glass. Focused sunlight forms

a high-density beam of around 7.5W over an area of say 1-2mm in diameter. Lasers typically

used in fabric cutting have a focus area of 0.1mm in diameter and energy of 75W. It implies that,

laser processing is 1000 times more energetic than sunlight [3].

History of Laser:

The first demonstration of a laser took place in a research laboratory in California in May, 1960.

Systems began to be manufactured commercially during the late 1960s.The CO 2 laser,

commonly used in industry today for the processing of textiles, was developed in 1964 at Bell

laboratories, New Jersey and first commercialized Coherent Inc. two years later. Adopted first by

the automotive industry, laser fabricated products came into wide use during the 1980s [4].

The different laser systems according to their wavelength are as below-

Table 1 Laser systems and their wavelengths.

A Laser engraving system generally contains i) a system for delivering the beam ii) the work bed

on which the materials to be processed are placed iii) fume extraction systems iv) a housing

which encloses the system.

Fig. 1 Laser Engraving Machine for garments

Fig. 2 Lens of laser Engraving Machine for garments

The work beds of laser engraving systems are constructed in three ways. The bed may be of
Honeycomb structure or metal slats (containing tiny holes) or metal rods (also containing tiny
holes). The reason for this is that fume extraction often takes place from below the work piece
and the spaces or holes enable the gases to circulate and for processing debris to be sucked away
from the work area. This also allows the fabric to be held through suction onto the work area
during processing.
Mechanism of laser fading:
The laser works by creating extensive heat. Within the focused region, the material is subject to

very intensive heating within a very small region. Laser energy is absorbed as heat and the

material rapidly heats leading to melting as a phase change from solid to liquid takes place.

Some of the molten liquid tries to move, driven by surface tension of the liquid. The remaining

liquid heats very rapidly, boiling and releasing vapors another phase change takes place from

liquid to gas [3].

Fig. 3 Mechanism of Laser Fading

Work sequence of laser fading of denim:

1. Creation of a design pattern and development of the pattern from captured photo by using
graphics editing software for the laser engraving
2. Conversion of the pattern into gray scale; .bmp format (Bitmap image format).
3. Inputting the design file into the laser system
4. Setting the parameters for pixel time and resolution
5. Placing the garments on a honeycomb cutting table, location identification of the laser
engraving area and conducting laser engraving onto the garments.
Advantages of laser fading:
Laser fading has some specific advantages as listed below-
• Any design at any place can be created. Fading on seams, on metal buttons is possible.
• Faster process compared to the conventional dry processes.
• Cent percent design accuracy.
• Suitable for wide range of material.
• Comparatively less strength loss than other mechanical fading.
• Low hairiness compared to other mechanical fading.
• Environment friendly.
• Zero water waste.
• Requires no chemical.
• Less manpower required.

Disadvantages of laser fading:

Laser fading has some disadvantages too. The common disadvantages of laser fading are listed
below-
• Initial investment is very high, which is a problem for small and medium size industries.
• Skilled operator is needed, which might be a disadvantage in some particular
circumstances
• Producing natural effect is difficult and often requires some manual touch after the fading
to give the product natural look.
• The laser beam itself and the produced fumes are health hazardous.
• Maintenance and servicing of the laser system may be troublesome in some
circumstances.
Comparison between the effects of Laser fading and manual- mechanical fading:

Fig. 4 Laser Fading Fig. 5 Manual Fading Fig. 6 Laser destroyed area Fig. 7 Manually destroyed area
Fig: Manually
destroyed area

Fig. 8 Magnified view of laser faded surface and manually brushed surface to compare the
hairiness.
Some general aspects of Laser fading:
• Effect quality is comparatively finer in Manual system than laser.
• Hand feel is comparatively finer in Manual system than laser system.
• Hairiness is comparatively less in Laser system
• Production cost is higher in Laser system
• Working space required is less in Laser system
• Design consistency is high in Laser system
• Tearing strength is higher in Laser faded denim (May differ in case of stretch denim)
• Rejection rate is 0% in Laser system whereas around 5% in Manual system
• Manpower required - Laser: Manual= 1:3 (Approximately)
• Power Requirement is higher in Laser system (approximately 7.5 Kilowatt hour)
• The laser beam would be harmful if it came into contact with skin or eyes.

Laser safety:
Laser systems are controlled by international safety regulations (IEC 60825-1). These define

categories of lasers according to their power. Lasers that output more than 500mW are defined as

class IV and safety regulations ensure that users are prevented from directly coming into contact

with a beam by enclosing the laser and the work piece in cabinets controlled by interlocks, which

prevent the laser from being operated when the cabinet is open. Fumes that are generated during

processing may also be hazardous. Laser systems are fitted with extraction systems that remove

processing gases from cabinets. Particles are filtered out before the cleaned air is allowed to pass

into the environment. A suitable extraction system is a legal requirement [3].

Conclusion:
Despite of having some limitations, Laser technology is being extensively used as a replacement

of some old denim technology. Though high initial investment is a limitation, but the higher

productivity and higher degree of design accuracy can compensate the problem in long run. Now

a days we use CO2 laser for denim processing. Researches are being done on UV laser and in

near future UV lasers will be in great use. In Bangladesh many factories are using laser

technology as a replacement of sand blasting, manual hand sanding, destroying, grinding etc.

where the sands are hazardous for body skin as well as for the health of the workers. Proper and

large scale use of this technology can greatly increase the productivity and can ensure no

negative impact on environment and human health.

References:

[1] Yuan, G., Jiang, S., Newton, E., Fan, J. & Au, W., ‘Fashion Design Using Laser Engraving
Technology’, 8ISS Symposium-Panel on Transformation, Pp. 65-69

[2] Nourbakhsh, S. & Ashjaran, A., 2012, ‘Laser Treatment of Cotton Fabric for Durable
Antibacterial Properties of Silver Nanoparticles’, Materials, 5, Pp. 1247-1257

[3] Mathews, J., 2011, ‘Textiles in Three Dimensions: An investigation into processes employing
laser technology to form design-led three dimensional textiles’, Thesis submitted to
Loughborough University, Pp. 84-96

[4] Mathews, J., 2011, ‘Textiles in Three Dimensions: An investigation into processes employing
laser technology to form design-led three dimensional textiles’, Thesis submitted to
Loughborough University, Pp. 54