Developing a Pumice Stone Free Washing Machine for Denim

This project develops pumice stone free washing machine for garment washing. Different abrasive components varying in surface area, hardness and roughness will be assembled into the drum of the washer. They can be used to achieve different degree of fading effect for different kinds of materials.

Garments washing is commonly used to modify the appearance, to impart worn-out look and to improve the comfort feeling of denim garments. Among various methods, stone washing has been the most widely-used but there are several constraints for stone washing:

1. destructive to equipment and the fabric itself;
2. extra handling time and cost to remove the entrapped stone residue from denim garments;
3. sludge may clog the machine drainage passages
4. harmful to environment.

Despite of the use of pumice stone to obtain the desired effect and enzyme treatment was introduced, the performance of enzyme washed garments is not as good as the stone washed garments. With the help of this pumice free washing machine, it can produce a very unique effect for destroy wash in a more efficient, economic and environmentally friendly way.