Polyester

The use of polyester in carpets has never been extensive, despite earlier long-term forecasts that this fibre would become increasingly attractive economically as compared with nylon. This advantage is at present rather offset by a higher cost of coloration and the need to employ higher pile weights of polyester to achieve wear performance standards comparable with those of nylon. Polyester has an advantage over nylon in appearance retention when heat-set, so that it has found most use in longer pile Saxony and shag-type carpets, particularly in the USA. 

Polyester

Printed Saxonies have been particularly popular in some markets but these are mainly of nylon, owing to problems associated with printing unmodified polyester fibres. The latter must be printed with disperse dyes and, although dye fixation can be achieved by steaming for 10–15 min in the presence of a dye carrier such as o-phenylphenol, it is necessary to give a hot soaping aftertreatment to achieve adequate rub fastness of the prints.

 But with the advent of modified polyester carpet fibres (both ‘deep dyeing’ so-called disperse-dyeable and basic-dyeable types), polyester carpet has become more attractive. With these modified fibres it is possible to obtain good fixation of both disperse and modified basic dyes under normal steaming conditions without having to use either a dye carrier or an aftersoaping treatment. Examples of modified polyester carpet fibres are the extensive Trevira 800 series produced by Hoechst.