Control of Dye Concentration, pH, and Temperature in Dyeing Processes

Dyeing processes are receiving growing attention in the textile industry because of the high demand for quality products. Commonly, dye concentration, pH, and temperature in the dyebath are the factors that most affect shade and coloration uniformity of dyed goods. To achieve quality assurance, control of dye concentration, pH, and temperature is definitely required. Since such factors behave nonlinearly and interact, it is almost impossible to create an exact mathematical model. As a consequence, control by conven tional means is very difficult. One approach to dealing with such a complex process is fuzzy control, which simulates the decision-making activities of experienced experts and employs a reasoning scheme to infer control actions. A small laboratory scale experiment has yielded results showing that fuzzy control is able to control dye concentration, pH, and temperature at the desired values.