METHOD FOR MAKING A GARMENT MATERIAL

Abstract

A method of making a garment material and garment material and garments obtainable by the method.

The method comprises providing a first layer, which is a shaped polymer and applying a liner to the first layer, the liner being formed of yarn and having interstices through it. A fluid polymeric material is then applied to the liner so that it permeates the interstices and is allowed to solidify to thereby form a second layer in which the liner is embedded in the solid polymeric material. Fibres are then applied to form a textile layer, which serves as a skin-contacting layer.

The garment material comprises a first layer (70, 76, 78), which is a shaped polymer; a second layer (80), which is a shaped polymer that is provided at one or more locations on the first layer, the second layer taking the shape of the first layer at said one or more locations; and a textile layer (82). The second layer is located between the first layer and the textile layer and a liner (22) is embedded in the second layer, the liner being formed of yarn and having interstices through it.

Claims

1. A method of making a garment material, the method comprising: providing a first layer, which is a shaped polymer; applying to the first layer a liner formed of yarn and having interstices through it; applying to the liner a fluid polymeric material that permeates the interstices; allowing the fluid polymeric material to solidify to thereby form a second layer in which the liner is embedded in the solid polymeric material; and applying fibres to form a textile layer, such that the second layer is located between the first layer and the textile layer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer is in the shape of a glove, a boot, a shoe, or a sock.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer is built up from at least two sub-layers of polymeric material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying fibres comprises applying a fluid polymeric material having fibres suspended therein and allowing the fluid polymeric material to solidify and thereby form the textile layer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying fibres to form the textile layer comprises (i) flocking; (ii) applying a woven material; or (iii) applying a non-woven material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the shaped polymer is fitted on a former, and optionally the former is a ceramic former.

7. The method of claim 6, additionally comprising removing the garment material from the former, wherein the garment material is inverted when it is removed from the former such that the first layer becomes an outer layer.

8. A garment material obtainable by the method of claim 1, the garment material comprising: the first layer, which is a shaped polymer; the second layer, which is a shaped polymer that is provided at one or more locations on the first layer, the second layer taking the shape of the first layer at said one or more locations; and the textile layer; wherein the second layer is located between the first layer and the textile layer and a liner is embedded in the second layer, the liner being formed of yarn and having interstices through it.

9. (canceled)

10. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the textile layer is provided at one or more locations on the second layer, the textile layer taking the shape of the second layer at said one or more locations.

11. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the textile layer is a shaped polymer having fibres therein.

12. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the textile layer is (i) a flock lining; or (ii) a woven or non-woven material.

13. A garment comprising or consisting of the garment material of claim 8, wherein the garment is a glove, a boot, a shoe, or a sock.

14. The garment of claim 12, which is seamless.

15. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the liner has a thickness and the second layer has a thickness that is at least 100% and no more than 300% of the thickness of the liner.

16. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the yarn comprises one of, or a blend of two or more of aramid, such as para-aramid; ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene; high strength polypropylene; high strength polyvinyl alcohol; high strength liquid crystal polyesters; and fibre glass.

17. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the yarn comprises at least one of (i) aramid, ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, fibre glass, and high strength liquid crystal polyesters; and at least one of (ii) cotton, nylon, elastane, polyester, and acrylic.

18. (canceled)

19. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the first layer or the second layer comprises nitrile latex or natural latex.

20. The garment material of claim 8, wherein the garment material has a thickness of no more than 2.0 mm.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the shaped polymer is fitted on a former and the former has the shape of a hand or a foot, such that a glove, sock, shoe or boot is obtained.

Description

[0136] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0137] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a method for making garment material according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0138] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of making garment material according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0139] FIG. 3 is a cross-section of garment material in accordance with an embodiment of the invention that is produced by the method shown in FIG. 2;

[0140] FIG. 4 is a cross-section of garment material in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.

[0141] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a method for making a garment according to an embodiment of the invention. At the first step four pairs of formers 10 are mounted in a row on a bar 12 termed a “flight bar”. In this example each of the formers 10 has the shape of a complete garment—a glove—and may be made from, for example, metal, porcelain, fibre glass or plastic. The glove is drawn schematically (as a mitten) but would have the shape of a hand in practice. The flight bar 12 moves in a linear direction, from one process station to another at a set speed. Of course, the speed at which the flight bar 12 is set can be varied and there may be several flight bars, each being at a different stage of the process.

[0142] At the second step a first coagulant 14 is applied to the former 10. This is achieved by immersing the former 10 into a bath or trough 16 containing the first coagulant 14, but it may be achieved by spraying the first coagulant 14 onto the former 10. The first coagulant 14 is an aqueous or alcoholic solution of electrolytes. Calcium nitrate is used as the electrolyte in this example. The former 10 is then withdrawn from the bath/trough 16 and may be rotated to drain off and evaporate excess first coagulant 14.

[0143] At the third step a first polymeric material 18 is applied to the former 10, by immersion into a bath or trough 20 containing the first polymeric material 18. The first polymeric material comprises natural latex in this example. The former 10 is then withdrawn and may be rotated to drain off and evaporate excess first polymeric material 18.

[0144] At the fourth step a knitted liner 22 is dressed onto the former 10 that is already coated with the first coagulant 14 and the first polymeric material 18. In this example the liner 22 can be considered to be a cut liner since it is made from cut-resistant fibres (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene and fibre glass yarn) together with nylon yarn. In a conventional process a liner is dressed directly onto a former, rather than to a polymeric coating.

[0145] At the fifth step the former 10, which supports the liner 22, is immersed in a bath/trough 24 containing a second polymeric material 26 and then withdrawn to allow excess to drain. The liner 22 is coated such that interstices in the liner 22 are blocked. The second polymeric material comprises NR latex.

[0146] At the sixth step the former 10, which supports the liner 22 that is coated with the second polymeric material 26 is immersed in a bath/trough 28 containing a second coagulant 30. The former 10, now supports the liner 22 that is sandwiched between the first and second polymeric materials 18, 26.

[0147] The polymeric materials are then dried and cured (not shown) to provide a glove 32 that is stripped from the former 10. Cotton flock may be applied electrostatically before or after the glove is stripped from the former.

Example 1—NR Glove

[0148] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a specific method of making a natural rubber (NR) glove according to an embodiment of the invention. At a first step 40 a former having the shape of a hand (similar to the former 10 of FIG. 1) is heated for 20 minutes at a temperature of 50 to 60° C.

[0149] At step 42 the heated former is dipped into a first coagulant comprising water, calcium nitrate, talc powder, calcium carbonate, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and a surfactant. The former is removed and the coagulant it allowed to dry for 5 minutes (50 to 70° C. with air circulation and exhaust).

[0150] At step 44 the former is cooled with a fan for 3 minutes.

[0151] At step 46 the former is dipped up to the wrist (e.g. to a depth of 200 mm) in a first compound coating. The first compound coating is conventional; it comprises NR latex and has a viscosity of 1.0-1.5 Pa s @ 0.5 rpm Sp #01 (Brookfield Viscometer Model RVDV-E, 30-32° C.). The coated former is then drained and dried.

[0152] At step 48 the coated former is coated beyond the wrist (e.g. to a depth of 375 mm) with a second compound coating (NR latex; viscosity of 1.0-1.5 Pa s @ 0.5 rpm Sp #01, Brookfield Viscometer Model RVDV-E, 30-32° C.), drained and dried.

[0153] At step 50 the coated former is coated beyond the wrist (e.g. to a depth of 375 mm) with a third compound coating (NR latex; viscosity of 1.0-1.5 Pa s @ 0.5 rpm Sp #01, Brookfield Viscometer Model RVDV-E, 30-32° C.), drained and dried.

[0154] At step 52 a silicone emulsion is sprayed onto the hot former and then dried.

[0155] At step 54 a cut liner (e.g. the cut liner 22 shown in FIG. 1) is applied to the former, which is already coated with the compound coatings. The cut liner is knitted from 41% 100 D Dyneema® (UHMWPE), 22% 50 D fibre glass yarn and 37% nylon 6 yarn. The cut liner is knitted to a size smaller than is required, e.g. for the glove being made, and smaller than the former so that it stretches when fitted to the former.

[0156] The lining is stretched over the former such that the palm area, the cuff area and the back of the palm area have slightly different constructions (course and wale). The weight is 96 mg/inch.sup.2 (=14.88 mg/cm.sup.2) for the liner as knitted (i.e. the unstretched liner), 75.3 mg/inch.sup.2 (=11.7 mg/cm.sup.2) for the palm area, 71.7 mg/inch.sup.2 (=11.11 mg/cm.sup.2) for the cuff area and 60.9 mg/inch.sup.2 (=9.44 mg/cm.sup.2) for the back of the palm area.

[0157] At step 56 the cut liner is coated with a fourth compound coating (NR latex), drained and dried. The fourth compound coating can be considered to be a bonding coating since it bonds the liner in place. The bonding coating has a viscosity of 1.0-1.5 Pa s @ 0.5 rpm SP #01 (Brookfield Viscometer Model RVDV-E, 30-32° C.).

[0158] At step 58 the coated former is dipped into a second coagulant comprising water, alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) and calcium nitrate. The coated former is then drained and dried.

[0159] At step 60 fibres are applied to form a textile layer. The coated former is dipped in a fifth compound coating comprising NR latex and cotton flock (˜18% by dry weight; viscosity of 0.5-0.6 Pa s @ 2 rpm Sp #01, Brookfield Viscometer Model RVDV-E, 30-32° C.), drained and dried. The use of cotton flock provides the look and feel of a lining in the final glove.

[0160] At step 62 the glove is leached in water and allowed to drain.

[0161] At step 64 the glove is dried and then cured at elevated temperature (80 to 150° C.).

[0162] At step 66 a second silicone emulsion is applied to the hot former (120° C.).

[0163] At step 68 the glove (e.g. the glove 32 in FIG. 1) is cooled and then stripped from the former by turning it inside out. This means that the fifth compound coating comprising cotton flock becomes the innermost lining.

[0164] Various processes may be applied to the glove before it is sold/worn. For example, it may be cut to the relevant length and washed to remove any residues.

[0165] The complete glove (size 10) has a mass of 145 g±3 g.

[0166] Referring to FIG. 3 there is shown a cross-section of the NR glove produced by the method shown in FIG. 2. The first compound coating 70 is uppermost in this view and would be the outer-surface in use. This coating is uneven with peaks 72 and troughs 74, the peaks 72 having a greater thickness than the troughs. The maximum thickness is 0.32 mm. The first compound coating 70 may be known as an over dip and the variation in thickness provides better grip. Thicknesses are provided for the glove in the “relaxed” state i.e. without the application of pressure).

[0167] The second coating 76 is bonded to the first coating 70 on one side and to the third coating 78 on its opposite side. The second and third compound coatings 76, 78 have a combined thickness of 0.32 mm. The first, second and third coatings constitute a first layer that is built up from three sub-layers. The first layer therefore has a total thickness of 0.64 mm.

[0168] The cut liner 22 is embedded within the fourth compound coating 80, to provide a bonding layer (the second layer) with a thickness of 0.38 mm.

[0169] The fifth compound coating 82 (the textile layer) is lowermost in this view and would be the interior surface of the glove in use. The fifth compound coating 82 comprises cotton flock and has a thickness of 0.19 mm.

Example 2 NBR Glove

[0170] Referring to FIG. 4 there is shown a cross-section of an NBR glove produced by a method analogous example 1 and FIG. 2. The NR latex employed in the first and second compound coating in example 1 was replaced with a blend of acrylonitrile copolymers and polyurethane An additional coagulant dipping took place after the second compound coating and the NR latex employed in the third, fourth and fifth compound coatings was replaced with polychloroprene.

[0171] Each of the first, second and third compound coatings had a viscosity 2.5-3.0 Pa s @20 rpm Sp #01). The bonding compound coating has a lower viscosity of 1.0-1.4 Pa s @ 20 rpm Sp #01 to ensure that it soaks into the liner. The fifth compound coating (containing cotton flock) has a viscosity of 4-5 Pa s @20 rpm Sp #01. Viscosity was measured using a Brookfield Viscometer Model RVDV-E at 30 to 32° C.

[0172] The complete glove (size 10) has a mass of 155 g±3 g.

[0173] An NBR coating 90 is uppermost in this view and would be the outer-surface in use. This coating is uneven with peaks 92 and troughs 94, the peaks 92 having a greater thickness than the troughs. The maximum thickness is 0.31 mm and the minimum thickness is 0.10 mm. Thicknesses are provided for the glove in the “relaxed” state i.e. without the application of pressure). The NBR coating 90 may be known as an over dip and the variation in thickness provide better grip.

[0174] The next coating 96 is another NBR coating that is bonded to the NBR over dip 90 on one side and to a polychloroprene compound coating 98 on the other side. The NBR coating 96 has a thickness of 0.12 mm (relaxed state) and the polychloroprene coating has a thickness of 0.16 mm. The first three coatings build up to form the first layer, which has a thickness of 0.59 mm.

[0175] The cut liner 22 is embedded within the polychloroprene coating layer 100, to provide a bonding layer (the second layer) having a thickness of 0.42 mm (relaxed state).

[0176] The lowermost coating 102 (the textile layer) will be the interior surface of the glove in use. The lowermost coating 102 comprises cotton flock and has a thickness of 0.17 mm.

Properties

[0177] The properties of gloves made according to embodiments of the invention were determined and compared to commercially available products (NR and NBR supported gloves): [0178] Comparative example 1: Alto Plus 260 (Mapa) [0179] Comparative example 2: Stansolv AK-22 (Mapa) [0180] Comparative example 3: Sol-knit® 39-122 (Ansell). [0181] Comparative example 4: Alphatec® 58-530W (Ansell)

[0182] The mechanical performance was determined according to EN 388:2003 unless otherwise stated. This is the European standard for protective gloves.

NR Gloves (Ex. 1 and Comp. Ex 1)

TABLE-US-00001 Ex. 1 NR Comp. Ex. 1 Abrasion resistance Level 3 (cycles > 2000) Level 2 Blade cut resistance Level 3 Level 1 Tear resistance Level 4 (=75-100N) Level 2 Puncture resistance Level 1 (=40-45N) Level 0 ISO 13997 Cut resistance Level B (=9.5N)
NBR Gloves (Ex. 2 and Comp. Ex. 2, 3 and 4)

TABLE-US-00002 Comp. Comp. Comp. Ex. 1 NR Ex. 2 NBR Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Abrasion Level 3 Level 4 Level 3 Level 4 Level 4 resistance (cycles > (cycles > 2000) 10000 Blade cut Level 3 Level 3 Level 1 Level 1 Level 1 resistance Tear Level 4 Level 4 Level 2 Level 1 Level 2 resistance (=75-100N) (=75-85N) Puncture Level 1 Level 1 Level 1 Level 1 Level 1 resistance (=40-45N) (=50-65N) ISO 13997 Cut Level B Level B resistance (=9.5N) (=5.4-6.4N)

[0183] The tear resistance for examples 1 and 2 (level 4) is greater than for the comparative examples (level 2 or 1).

[0184] The blade cut resistance for examples 1 and 2 (level 3) is greater than for each of comparative examples (level 1).

[0185] The abrasion resistance and puncture resistance of the examples is similar to that of the comparative examples.

[0186] The mechanical performance was also determined according to ASTMF 1970-05 and ISO 13997 for examples 1 and 2.

TABLE-US-00003 Example 1 Example 2 NR glove NBR glove ASTM Cut resistance Level 02 (=900-975 g) Level 02 (=550-650 g) Blade Cut Resistance level B (=9.5N) Level B (=5.4-6.4N) (ISO 13997)

[0187] Chemical performance was determined against a range of chemical products. The EN374 category is provided in brackets. The breakthrough time (minutes) is provided with the corresponding level (e.g. L6=level 6).

NR Gloves (Ex. 1 and Comp. Ex 1)

TABLE-US-00004 Chemical product Ex. 1 Comp. Ex. 1 Acetone 99% (ketone) 16 18 L1 L1 Acetic acid 40 L2 Hydrochloric acid 37% 414 L5 Methanol 99% (primary alcohol) 109 108 L3 L3 Nitric acid 70% 197 L4 Sodium hydroxide 40% (inorganic base) >480 >480 L6 L6 Phosphoric acid 85% >480 L6 Potassium hydroxide >480 L6 Sulphuric acid 96% (inorganic mineral acid) 232 93 L4 L3
NBR Gloves (Ex. 2 and Comp. Ex. 2, 3 and 4)

TABLE-US-00005 Comp. Comp. Comp. Chemical product Ex. 2 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 2-propanol (isopropanol) 99% >480 >480 >480 >480 L6 L6 L6 L6 Acetone 99% (ketone) 19 3 <5 6 L1 L0 L0 L0 Ethyl acitate (ester) 7 7 <5 15 L0 L1 Ethanol 95% 221 288 118 208 L4 L5 L3 L4 Hydrochloric acid 37% >480 >480 >480 L6 L6 L6 Hexane >480 >480 >480 >480 L6 L6 L6 L6 Hydrogen peroxide 30% >480 >480 L6 L6 Methanol 99% (primary 70 72 4 40 alcohol) L3 L3 L0 L2 Methyl ethyl ketone 5 3 1 7 (2-butanone) 99% L0 L0 L0 L0 Nitric acid 70% 180 8 53 L4 L0 L2 Sodium hydroxide 40% >480 >480 >480 >480 (inorganic base) L6 L6 L6 L6 Phosphoric acid 85% >480 >480 L6 L6 Sulphuric acid 40% >480 >480 L6 L6 Sulphuric acid 50% >480 >480 L6 L6 Sulphuric acid 96% (inorganic 101 97 21 114 mineral acid) L3 L3 L1 L3

[0188] Example 2 (the NBR glove in accordance with an embodiment of the invention) provides excellent chemical performance (level 6) against 2-propanol, hydrochloric acid, hexane, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, and sulphuric acid. This performance is as good as the commercially available products.

[0189] Moreover example 2 provides better protection than the commercial products with respect to acetone and nitric acid.