Dye House is a building in which dyeing is carried on.
For improving quality and fast turn arounds, there is a need of fully integrated dye house network that comprises of a vast range of automated system components properly synchronized to each other. With the proper integration of dyeing equipment into a sound organized network, it is quite obvious that the dyehouses can give away its valuable resources very cheaply.

A typical Dye house network should be equipped with the machines that are capable of performing a number of operations like dyeing, heat setting, compacting, stentering, hydro-extraction, brushing and washing etc. Another vital task is the control of the system. Although every single device from the color kitchen to dyeing machines these days are PC-controlled, however modern dye houses prefer to employ a Dye house automation system.

Dye house automation system ensures that the machines are able to synchronize with each other and can optimise their capacities. Apart from this the automation system facilitates linking of the order management with the necessary machine control units. This helps to complete a fully integrated dye house network. The diagram that follows next gives a perfect example of Dye house that is complete in every respect. Most modern dye houses are today following the concept of totally networked Dye House.

 

Benchmarks of a Dye HouseA perfect dye house should meet the following criteria, that are given below:
A perfect dye house should meet the following criteria, that are given below: Computer aided Dyeing system- By implementing a Computer aided Dyeing system it has been possible to cut down on both costs and time. For example it has been found that by using the system there has been reduction in the acrylic dyeing batch time by at least 30 percent.

Modern laboratories- New formulas are first tried in the lab before implementing in production. If there is closer liquor ratio agreement between the production and laboratory, better would be the final result.

Package preparation- Latest stainless steel spacer should be used for holding the shape of package ends. This allows for smooth unwinding. Though backwinding to paper cones along with intermediate lubrication is more in vogue, but that costs money and time. Dyers must master new ways to bypass the idea of backwinding.

Package handling- Increasingly the dye houses are insisting on the technology of robotic package handling. Use of Robotics demands uniformity. Robots need the packages to be placed in a specific location.

Quality- In today's fiercely competitive market, if a manufacturer doesn't have a consistent quality, probably they just can't stay put in business. Therefore a manufacturer must insist on receiving only quality and genuine products from suppliers. In fact adhering to different International quality standards that has written down procedures and manuals is now more than just a norm. There are now various information technology companies that are into the field of operations management. If they are called for and allowed to work on a program at a dye house and follows up it through the completion, then a dye house will be equipped with a totally integrated data base system. This will offer solutions in every sphere of operations like manufacturing, production, financial, forecasting, planning, scheduling and delivery.

Challenges of globalisation- Over the years the supply of material has changed. Today suppliers are challenged from across globe with products of superior quality, and low cost. For example yarn suppliers continues to search for non-branded suppliers of polyester and acrylic for replacing more costlier brand names. Today's mantra is innovate or perish.

Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products like fibers, yarns, and fabrics. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular chemical material..

The most widely publicised dyeing process is in the context of textile dyeing, but now the dyeing process is used in a variety of industries like: leather, plastics, paint, printing and many others.

Dyeing Process of Leather. The process of tanning and dying leather is ancient. Primitive man was a society of hunters and gatherers who used everything they caught, which meant that after an animal was eaten, its carcass, hair, skin and organs needed to be used. Animal skins quickly putrefy, so these people had to quickly discover a way to preserve them.

Adding color to cured animal skins - or simply put, dying leather - is a part of the tanning process. The dying process is usually done in the third and final stage of a tanning process, but is sometimes done in the second stage, at the same time as the actual tanning. Tanning leather is necessary to preserve an animal skin for use in making products like purses, jackets, luggage and shoes. In ancient times, leather was used on everything from battle armor to chariot wheels.

There is a lot of scope of experimenting with the dyes on the leather. You can add designs, pictures or monograms on the leather, to make it look more attractive. However, to achieve such results you need a lot of practice.

There are mainly two different types of leather, used for making leather items. One is the aniline leather that shows the natural characteristics of the hide. The other one is the nubuck leather, which is aniline leather that has been brushed and polished to obtain the texture of a velvet. The steps to dye leather have been given below:

Selecting the Right Dye- Choose the dye on the basis of the dyed leather samples that are provided by the shop owners at the time of purchase. This is because, most of the dyes, when applied on the leather, give an altogether different color than what they seem when kept in a bottle.

Preparing the Leather before Dyeing- In order to maintain its natural color, leather surfaces are often coated with a protective covering. If this coating is not removed from the leather, then you may find the leather in a dull and mutilated condition after dyeing. Clean off coatings or any other dirt present on the leather with the help of a leather deglazer.

Application of Leather Dye- Spray water on the leather or apply it with the help of a moistened sponge. Start applying the dye, when the leather is evenly wet. While dyeing, try to keep your strokes long and to ensure an even distribution of the color all over the surface of the leather. It may happen that one coat of the dye may not give you the desired shade. In that case, you have to apply more number of coats.

Drying Process- When the surface of the leather does not have a wet look that means that the dye on the leather has dried up. On an average, it takes almost one to two hours for the dyed leather to dry. To a great extent, the drying time depends on the type of the leather to be dyed. During this time, you need to flex the leather a number of times, in order to loosen up its fibers. In this way, you can prevent the leather from stiffening up.