Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-06-11 Origin: Site
In the textile processing chain, the finishing stage is the critical step that gives fabric its final "soul." No matter how precise the pre-treatment or how vibrant the dyeing, if the final hand feel is stiff, lacks elasticity, or carries an unpleasant chemical odor, the wearing experience of the finished garment is severely compromised. Softeners have therefore become indispensable auxiliaries for dyeing and finishing mills.
However, traditional softeners often face a difficult contradiction: pursuing an extremely soft, slick hand feel often comes at the cost of sacrificing hydrophilicity; conversely, ensuring moisture-wicking functionality makes it difficult to achieve a full, plush touch. Finding the optimal balance between soft hand feel and hydrophilic performance has long been a technical challenge for the industry.
Zhejiang Kefeng Silicone Co., Ltd., as one of the largest manufacturers of block silicone oil in China, leverages over 20 years of industry experience and strong R&D capabilities to launch the Block Silicone Oil and Fatty Alcohol Compound Softener. Through precise molecular design and compounding technology, this product successfully breaks through the above performance barriers, offering a finishing solution that combines ultra-softness, high hydrophilicity, and low yellowing for various fiber types.
Kefeng Silicone was established in 2002 with a registered capital of 60 million RMB. The company has three manufacturing bases: two located to the east and north of Hangzhou City, and the third in the Quzhou Green Gathering Area, a national chemical industrial park. After years of development, Kefeng has been rated as one of the "Top 20 Enterprises in Comprehensive Strength of Textile Printing and Dyeing Auxiliaries in China," with a monthly production capacity of crude block silicone oil reaching 1,000 tons – a testament to its large-scale production capability and supply chain stability.
The company's core technical strength lies in developing targeted hydrophilic silicone oils for different fibers. Kefeng views the traditional contradiction between hydrophilicity and hand feel as a technical challenge to be overcome, not an insurmountable barrier. It is this technical confidence that makes Kefeng the preferred choice for numerous auxiliary manufacturers and printing and dyeing factories.
Traditional amino silicone oils can impart excellent softness to fabrics, but the amino groups in their molecular structure tend to cause yellowing during high-temperature setting or prolonged storage. Moreover, due to their strong hydrophobicity, they severely damage the hydrophilic performance of fabrics (causing water droplets to remain on the fabric surface for extended periods without penetration).
Kefeng's block silicone oil is the core of the new generation of silicone softeners. Its molecular chain consists of polysiloxane segments (providing soft, smooth hand feel) alternately block-copolymerized with polyether or other modified segments (providing hydrophilicity and antistatic properties) . This structure solves the stability problem of silicone oil emulsions at the molecular level while significantly reducing the tendency for yellowing.
Fatty alcohols are long-chain alkyl compounds that play the role of auxiliary lubricants and hand feel modifiers in softener formulations. Kefeng selects high-purity fatty alcohols with specific carbon chain lengths (such as C16-C18) and scientifically compounds them with block silicone oil, producing the following synergistic effects:
Enhanced Plumpness: Pure silicone oil often imparts an overly "slimy" touch. The introduction of an appropriate amount of fatty alcohol gives the fabric a more natural plump, full texture, especially suitable for cotton, viscose, and their blends.
Reduced Coefficient of Friction: Fatty alcohol molecules form a low-surface-energy lubricating film on fiber surfaces. Their synergy with silicone oil reduces needle damage during sewing processing and improves the fabric's pilling resistance rating.
Emulsion Stability: Fatty alcohols can act as co-emulsifiers, helping block silicone oil disperse more stably in water, forming a fine, uniform emulsion and avoiding issues such as oil bleeding and roller sticking during use.
Kefeng's compound softener excels across several key performance indicators:
Property | Performance | Description |
|---|---|---|
Hand Feel Style | Soft, smooth, plump | Adjustable formulation (soft/smooth/plump) to suit different fabric requirements |
Hydrophilicity | Instant to <3 seconds | Water droplet absorption time on treated cotton fabric can be instant or within 3 seconds, far superior to traditional amino silicone oils |
Yellowing Degree | Extremely low (ΔE < 1.5) | Suitable for bleached fabrics, light-colored printed fabrics, and fluorescent brightening treated fabrics |
Stability | Shear-resistant, electrolyte-resistant, heat-resistant | Difficult to break emulsion under high-shear environments such as dyeing machines and padder troughs |
Compatibility | Compatible with most anionic and non-ionic auxiliaries | Facilitates one-bath process design in dyeing mills, improving production efficiency |
Environmental Compliance | APEO-free, meets OEKO-TEX standards | Satisfies safety requirements for textile chemicals in European and American markets |
Kefeng's Block Silicone Oil and Fatty Alcohol Compound Softener offers good versatility and is suitable for the following scenarios:
Requirement: Next-to-skin garments require soft hand feel while maintaining moisture-wicking comfort.
Application: Exhaustion method (dye machine) or padding method (stenter frame). Treated cotton T-shirts, underwear, and loungewear exhibit plush softness and good absorbency.
Requirement: Silk-like and sportswear fabrics require a "dry, smooth, and waxy" touch without greasiness.
Application: The block silicone oil component in the compound softener effectively reduces the rigidity of polyester fibers, imparting drape and fluidity to the fabric.
Requirement: High absorbency is the core requirement, while maintaining a thick, plush hand feel.
Application: Kefeng softener imparts plumpness to towels without forming the "water-repellent film" typical of traditional softeners, ensuring towel absorbency meets standards.
Requirement: Abrasion resistance, anti-pilling, low yellowing.
Application: The compound softener improves the stiffness of denim fabrics while maintaining the original color of indige-dyed materials due to its low-yellowing characteristics.
Property | Kefeng Block Silicone-Fatty Alcohol Compound | Traditional Amino Silicone Oil | Conventional Fatty Softener |
|---|---|---|---|
Hand Feel | Soft + Plump + Smooth | Soft but may be overly slimy | Plump but lacks smoothness |
Hydrophilicity | Excellent (instant to seconds) | Very poor (water droplet >30 sec) | Good |
Yellowing | Extremely low | Significant yellowing at high temperature | Low |
Stability | High (shear & heat resistant) | Moderate (prone to emulsion breakage & oil bleeding) | Fairly high |
Fiber Suitability | Cotton, polyester, nylon, blends | Primarily synthetic fibers | Primarily cotton |
Kefeng's technical team provides detailed application guidance. Typical process parameters are as follows:
Exhaustion Method (for dye machine, suitable for knitted fabrics): Dosage: 1-3% (o.w.f.); Liquor ratio: 1:8-1:15; Temperature: 40-50°C; Time: 20-30 minutes.
Padding Method (for stenter frame, suitable for woven fabrics): Dosage: 20-50 g/L; Pick-up: 70-80%; Drying/Setting temperature: 150-170°C.
Note: Specific dosages should be optimized based on fabric weight, equipment, and desired hand feel. Kefeng offers free lab sampling services to assist customers in determining the optimal process.
As one of the Top 20 Enterprises in Comprehensive Strength of Textile Printing and Dyeing Auxiliaries in China, Kefeng Silicone has established a rigorous quality management system:
Raw Material Control: Key raw materials (block silicone oil intermediates, fatty alcohols) are sourced from well-known domestic and international suppliers, with batch-by-batch incoming inspection.
Production Process Control: All three manufacturing bases are equipped with DCS automated control systems, ensuring precise reaction conditions and high batch-to-batch consistency.
Finished Product Testing: Each batch undergoes hand feel evaluation, hydrophilicity testing, stability testing (heat, shear, electrolyte resistance), and particle size analysis before shipment.
Additionally, Kefeng prides itself on its 24-hour customer response technical service system. Whether customers encounter emulsion breakage, unsatisfactory hand feel, or incompatibility with other auxiliaries, Kefeng's engineers provide timely diagnosis and solutions.
The Block Silicone Oil and Fatty Alcohol Compound Softener manufactured by Zhejiang Kefeng Silicone Co., Ltd. represents the cutting edge of modern textile softener technology. It successfully combines the excellent softness and low-yellowing characteristics of block silicone oil with the plumpness and lubricity of fatty alcohols, breaking the traditional perception that "softness and hydrophilicity cannot be achieved together."
For dyeing and finishing mills and garment brands pursuing high-quality fabrics, choosing Kefeng's compound softener means:
Broader fabric adaptability – from natural fibers to synthetic fibers, from knits to wovens.
Superior wearing experience – soft and plush touch combined with good moisture-wicking functionality.
More stable production processing – excellent emulsion stability, reducing quality issues such as roller sticking and emulsion breakage.
Kefeng Silicone not only provides products but also offers professional technical consultation and solutions. We look forward to working with auxiliary manufacturers and dyeing mills to advance textile hand feel finishing technology to new heights.
