Patent ID: 7799097

Claim:
A process for dyeing fabric, comprising: continuously moving a tubular fabric in a machine direction, the tubular fabric having an outer surface and an inner surface; drawing the tubular fabric over a former, the former comprising one of a frame having a substantially planar surface and a substantially tubular frame, to provide a substantially taut surface across the fabric to remove folds or creases, the former opening the tubular fabric so that the inner surface is not in contact with itself or the former and dye bounce off is reduced when the tubular fabric is sprayed with dye; advancing the taut and open tubular fabric horizontally through an interconnected dye station and spraying downwardly relative to the outer surface of the fabric with dye; advancing the fabric through an interconnected fixation station and exposing the fabric to atmospheric steam after spraying dye on said outer surface but prior to said dye drying on said outer surface so that said dye migrates from said outer surface to the inner surface of the fabric and reacts with and affixes to the fabric; advancing the fabric through a first interconnected rinsing station, wherein unfixed dye is removed from the fabric by a pressurized water spray rinse; and extracting the rinse water and any unfixed dye from the fabric.