Abstract
Three-thread fleece fabric offers valued thermal comfort but suffers from two persistent quality defects — fiber migration and pilling — that shorten garment life and contribute to environmental microfiber pollution. Prior studies have examined pilling resistance (Hossain et al., 2021 [1]) or structural-mechanical behavior (Kaikobad et al., 2023 [2]) of three-thread fleece in isolation; no study has yet integrated fiber migration control, pilling resistance, mechanical performance, and production economics within a single finishing framework. This study addresses that gap by evaluating five progressive finishing treatments (FS-01 to FS-05) — ranging from an untreated baseline to a comprehensive sequence of heat setting, singeing, resin-based anti-pilling treatment, and fluorocarbon water-repellent finishing — through fiber migration testing, multi-method pilling assessment, mechanical characterization, SEM imaging, and techno-economic analysis. Comprehensive finishing reduced first-wash fiber migration by 84.3% (1150–180 mg) and estimated microfiber release by 87.9% (7360–890 fibers/L). Pilling resistance improved from Grade 1 to Grade 4. Mechanical properties were enhanced overall (bursting strength +23.8%; elastic recovery +7.1%), although singeing alone caused a temporary reduction in bursting strength before subsequent treatments restored and surpassed baseline performance — indicating that finishing benefits accrue cumulatively rather than at every intermediate processing step. Comprehensive finishing raised production costs by 12.5% but reduced rejection rates from 5.8% to 1.8% and improved production efficiency from 76% to 89%, yielding a favorable cost-benefit balance. These findings provide evidence-based guidance for manufacturers seeking to reconcile fiber-migration control, pilling resistance, mechanical performance, and economic viability in three-thread fleece production, while highlighting process-sequencing and life-cycle considerations relevant to industrial scale-up.