The dyeability and after-dyeing wearability of TPU-based 3D-printed fabrics

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to study the dyeing process of three-dimensional-printed (3DP) fabrics, and then study the wearability of the fabrics before and after dyeing to provide a feasible dyeing method of 3DP clothes. Design/methodology/approach In this regard, the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was applied during the process of 3DP. Then, the imitation twill weave (ITW) was printed with fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology using TPU and the suspension of Disperse Blue 2BLN (as a dye) was prepared. After that, the single factor analysis and orthogonal experiment of dyeing were combined to obtain the optimized dyeing process. And then, ITW fabrics were dyed through the weak acid-low temperature dyeing method. In the end, in order to discuss the wearability of ITW fabrics, the dyeing experiments, including permeability, wrinkle recovery angle, bending rigidity, crock fastness and washing colorfastness were carried out. Findings The surface morphology of TPU before and after spinning was established by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), which was confirmed the surface of TPU getting smoother after spinning. The wearability of the fabric after dyeing was not affected compared with before dyeing. Moreover, both colorfastness grades were above 4–5 with high colorfastness. Originality/value The article provides a method for 3DP dyeing, which can solve the problem of a single color. And the wearability demonstrates that 3DP fabrics after dyeing-based TPU have more value for clothing than before dyeing.