knowledge - Clothing buttons manufacturer China

What are the different materials of clothing buttons？

In our daily use of buttons, materials can be roughly divided into three types: plastic (resin, plastic), metal buttons (copper, iron, stainless steel, alloy), natural (real shell, wood, coconut shell, horn, corozo). Each different material needs to be processed into buttons by a different process. But some buttons processing molding, only from the appearance is difficult to judge its material. How do we distinguish these different button materials when we actually use them?
In plastic buttons, it is divided into plastic buttons and resin buttons. Plastic buttons are usually die cast, so there is a line at the edge of the button. This line is also called die closing line. Some factories will remove this line through technological treatment in order to affect the appearance during processing. In contrast, it also weighs less than resin. Resin is carved by machinery, and then polished, so the surface is not any trace, relatively smooth and clean. However, resin buttons can break easily and soften in boiling water.
For metal buttons, it is divided into copper buttons, iron buttons, stainless steel buttons and alloy buttons. It’s easy to tell the difference between a copper button and an iron button, just try it with a magnet. Another method is to scrape the electroplating off the surface with a hard object. Copper buttons will appear copper inside, while iron buttons are black. And alloy buttons because they are made by die casting, and the interior is solid, so there is a die line and heavier, basically through polishing processing when forming.

What are the different materials of buttons

Production process of shell buttons

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Shell button, also known as mother of pearl button, is a very old natural button.
Shell buttons are different from resin buttons. They mainly go through seven processes: shell selection, punching and shearing, polishing, grooving, drilling, scraping, polishing and bleaching. In the early days, the power source of the machinery for making shell buttons was the rotation of the pulley driven by the foot pedal. Now this has been completely replaced by mechanization. However, some traditional button factories still use semi manual technology when making shell buttons, which can maintain the natural luster and charm of the shell.
Shell selection: different shells are selected according to the button size and requirements, but the utilization rate of shells is not high.
Punching and shearing: also known as blank taking, it refers to making the initial button blank.
Grinding: place the plane of the button blank on the grinding wheel and grind it evenly.
Button groove: part of the button is removed from the middle of the button, so that the button has a concave shape.
Drilling: drill different holes according to different needs, generally two or four holes.
(such a shell button has basically taken shape, but with the progress of the times, people’s requirements for buttons are getting higher and higher. Therefore, the following steps are required to make the buttons more perfect.)
Scraping: make the pattern of the shell more beautiful.
Polishing and bleaching: blanch the shell buttons that have gone through the above procedures, and then put them into a rotating bucket to rotate and rub with water to polish and bleach them.
Such a beautiful shell button has been completed.
Because the shell is from nature, it sends out elegant and attractive breath from inside to outside.

Manufacturing method of polyester buttons

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There are generally two methods of making polyester buttons.

Sheet

Sheet Casting button is made by a special centrifugal casting. Fully mixed Unsaturated Polyester Resin and other chemicals is poured into the rotating centrifugal drums (casting process). After sometime it will turn to be soft glue due to chemical reaction. Then cut into sheets. Put the sheets on punching machine to form different sizes of blanks. After the curing process, the state of punched blanks will turn into hard.

Sheet Casting buttons are producing by two types of Casting Drums:
Undulation Drum:
Only Pearl Imitation buttons are casted by Undulation drums to show the undulation effect.
Plain Drum:
All types of Sheet buttons are casted by Plain Drum.
There are many styles of sheet buttons, such as imitation shell buttons, pearl buttons, imitation wood buttons, multi-layer buttons, etc.

Rod

Rod Casting process of button making technology currently used by us is from Bonetti, Italy. Rod Buttons is poured by a W-shaped pipe. Pour the completely mixed Unsaturated Polyester resin, Pigments and other chemicals into the waxed aluminium tube (different sizes) through a special oscillator (casting process). When the resin become soft glue, pull out the resin stick from the aluminium tube (different sizes) and then cut it into slices (thickness wise). After the curing process, the state of sliced blanks will turn into hard.
Imitation horn button, imitation corozo button, etc., all belong to rod button.

The importance of electroplating process in the production of metal buttons

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Electroplating process is an indispensable and important part of every metal button product. (Note: while pursuing fashion and lightness, some unsaturated resin buttons and ABS plastic buttons also adopt electroplating process.)

From the type of electroplating, it can be divided into barrel barrel plating and hanging plating.
Barrel plating is used for products with low requirements on the appearance of metal buttons. Barrel plated metal products will not be very shiny. During the polishing process, the button surface will even leave scratches, but it will not be very clear. Although there is bright barrel plating, the overall effect is not as good as hanging plating. Of course, the cost of barrel plating is also relatively low. Products with low surface requirements or small area are suitable for barrel plating, such as small air holes, five claw buttons on the ring surface, three pieces of four button buttons, etc., which are generally used for barrel plating.
Hanging plating is used for products with high requirements on the appearance of metal buckle products, such as alloy four-way buckle surface, alloy three-step buckle, belt buckle, hardware chain, etc. The advantage of hanging plating is that the surface is not only smooth, but also as bright as a mirror. But some bicolor colors cannot be handled.
From the perspective of environmental protection, it can be divided into nickel plating and nickel free plating. Electroplating is the process of changing the color into a thin film and attaching it to the product surface through chemical treatment. If the “nickel” component is penetrated in the electroplating process, the product will not meet the national environmental protection standards (especially the European and American countries have higher requirements for non nickel). This is nickel plating; If there is no penetration of “nickel” in the electroplating process, it is nickel free electroplating. Of course, nickel free electroplating also has requirements for raw materials. If the raw material itself contains “nickel”, then nickel free electroplating cannot be completed. (for example, the raw material is iron, because it contains too much “nickel” component, so products made of iron cannot be plated without nickel.)
Commonly used electroplating colors include: Black Bronze, green bronze, red bronze, gun color, two-color gun black, bright silver, silver, imitation gold, rose gold, etc.

Features of imitation leather buttons

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Imitation leather button is a kind of button made of synthetic resin. Its surface has a strong sense of leather. In practical use, it is mostly used for high-end clothing. What are the characteristics of faux leather buttons?

Imitation leather buttons have rich colors, and the surface of common buttons has leather lines. This kind of buttons can be colored easily, and buttons of various colors can be made at will. Moreover, the smoothness of the button surface can be set according to the requirements of customers. Effects such as extra bright, matte, matte and so on can be processed.
The price of imitation leather buttons in the market is relatively cheap, because the production process is not different from that of plastic buttons, and the efficiency is relatively high. The overall cost is reduced, so its price is also lower, but it is still different from pure plastic buttons.
The product processing cycle is long. Due to the wide coating process of the imitation leather button, its production cycle is lengthened, and the general delivery time is more than half a month.
Because imitation leather buttons are made of synthetic resin, they are limited in heat resistance, wear resistance and resistance to organic solvents. They cannot be exposed to high temperature at will, nor can they be soaked in organic solvents, and they cannot be stirred in a washing machine for a long time. This will easily damage the shape of the button and reduce the service life.

Packaging of clothing buttons

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The packaging of clothing buttons is an important process in the production process. Considering the collision in the transportation process, the packaging quality of clothing buttons is particularly valued.
In particular, the buttons of clothing with special treatment, such as paint baking, oiling, electroplating, pad printing and other processes, are easy to scratch. If necessary, the packaging processes such as film pasting and plastic sealing shall be adopted, and each product shall be isolated separately to avoid friction between products, so as to ensure that the quality of buttons will not be damaged during transportation.

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Characteristics of Polyester Resin Buttons

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Resin button is the abbreviation of unsaturated polyester resin button. Resin buttons are of better quality among synthetic buttons, which have the characteristics of wear resistance, heat resistance, chemical resistance, complexity, dyeability and electroplating.

Wear resistance
Unsaturated resin is a thermosetting cross-linked resin with high strength, which is stronger than the scratch resistance of thermoplastic plexiglass button surface. Therefore, generally, it can withstand the continuous friction of washing machines without breaking. Even if it is used in stone washed clothes, resin buttons can withstand the test.
Heat resistance
Generally, resin buttons can withstand 100 ℃ hot water treatment for about 1 hour. When ironing ready-made clothes, it is not necessary to remove the buttons, which is not available for other ordinary thermoplastic buttons.
Chemical resistance
Resin buttons can resist the corrosion of various inorganic acids and ordinary hydrogen peroxide with a concentration of 30%, but they cannot be soaked in ketones, esters, banana water and alkaline water for a long time.
Complexity
This feature is the key to the difference between resin buttons and other buttons. It is precisely for this reason that the resin button has become the overlord of the button industry in the world and will last forever. As long as necessary, resin buttons of any color and shape can be produced. Due to easy processing, fast production speed and high degree of mechanization, the price of resin buttons is very low. The simulation of resin buttons is world-class. All kinds of shell textures, colors, wood, animal bones, marble, granite, agate, ivory, flower patterns, etc. can be imitated with unsaturated resin.

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The most common button shape

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The most common types of buttons are flat buttons and shank buttons (also known as vertical buttons because they look more three-dimensional), which are widely used in various types of clothing. In this article, we will discuss the main differences between these two types and several considerations you should consider before buying.

Structure / shape
Flat buttons can be further divided into two hole and four hole flat button types. However, the main features between the two remain unchanged, with flat holes in the middle. These holes are used to sew threads and fix buttons on clothes.

On the other hand, there is a protrusion with holes on the back of the shank button, which is used for sewing thread to connect clothes and buttons. Because of this handle structure, shank buttons can have many different shapes, which is usually considered to be the main advantage.

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What is ABS button?

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ABS button
ABS is the acronym of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. It is a common thermoplastic resin, which is very suitable for the production of buttons. This material is famous for its moderate strength and reasonable price. It is a very hard, tough and hard material with excellent chemical resistance, impact resistance, heat resistance and dimensional stability. This material combines the toughness of polybutadiene rubber and the strength of acrylonitrile and styrene polymers, making it very durable and the best in the styrene family.
Features and limitations of ABS buttons
One of the biggest advantages of ABS buttons is that they are very strong and durable, especially in terms of impact and temperature. They perform well at extremely high and low temperatures. ABS buttons are resistant, strong, rigid, stable under limited load, and have excellent dimensional stability. They are famous for their excellent ductility and durability. Their limitations include low solvent resistance and poor weather resistance. In addition, ABS material will produce a lot of smoke when burning.
We provide high-quality ABS buttons of various shapes and colors at reasonable prices.

Genuine Leather Buttons VS Imitation Leather Buttons: What is the Difference

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Genuine leather buttons are made of natural cowhide, pigskin, sheepskin and other raw materials, with the texture of natural leather on the surface. They are suitable for high-end leather garments, suits and casual wear due to their rich colors and luxurious sense.
However, there are many kinds of buttons with different qualities in the market, which will puzzle us when selecting suitable leather buttons for clothing. Therefore, improve our awareness of the characteristics of genuine leather buttons can help to choose satisfying genuine leather buttons or quickly distinguish them from imitation leather ones.

Genuine Leather Buttons

The adopted size of genuine leather buttons are the same as that of resin buttons. The main types of genuine leather buttons are visible hole button, hidden hole button, leather double buckle and leather belt button.
The price of genuine leather buttons is higher due to their natural leather materials. In addition, some leather buttons are woven by hand, resulting in the low production efficiency and high cost.
As the raw material of genuine leather buttons is natural leather, the same batch of buttons will have slight different in aspects like color, thickness, hardness and luminosity.
In the process of washing, the surface coating of woven leather buttons is easy to fall off because genuine leather will absorb water and expand. Hence, clothes with genuine leather buttons should be dry-cleaned.
Compared with ordinary buttons, genuine leather buttons have stronger acidity, requiring the metal accessories on clothes to be protected by acid-proof coating, otherwise the surface of metal accessories will be easily oxidized during storage.

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