Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) signed an MoU with Man Made Textile Research Association (MANTRA) on Tuesday for introducing in-line plasma treatment facility in the existing textile manufacturing process to improve that quality of textile processes in the country’s largest textile hubs - Surat.

MANTRA is a research organisation for fulfilling quality control needs of a growing textile industry in Surat and in South Gujarat.

IPR director D Bora said that the plasma improves the fibre quality, drastically reduces shrinking of fabric and is a clean technology with no chemicals involved. Plasma will surely provide a major boost for quality improvement in textile manufacturing.

He also suggested MANTRA members to look into plasma nitriding-a process to improve hardness of machine tools and parts of textile units by treating them with plasma.

In case of wool, plasma treatment nearly eliminates the prickly feel and entanglements of the fibre.

The IPR, through it's Facilitation Centre for Industrial Plasma Technologies (FCIPT) in Gandhinagar, will develop a plant that can treat synthetic textiles with plasma at the rate of 30 to 40 metres per minute. The facility will be developed by October 2017, or even earlier, claim IPR officials.

Director MANTRA VI Bachkaniwala said that the IPR's Plasma treatment facility will be 6 to 10 times cheaper than what is available in Europe or US and improve their fibre strength and colour enhancements of textiles.