A METHOD TO MANUFACTURE A TEXTILE PRODUCT, A USE THEREOF AND A DEVICE FOR APPLYING THE METHOD

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a method to manufacture a textile product comprising a first sheet having a width and a length, and polymer yarns fastened to this sheet to form a pile thereon, the method comprising providing the sheet, stitching the polymer yarns through the sheet to form the pile on a first surface of the sheet and loops of the yarns at a second surface of the sheet, transporting the sheet in a direction parallel to its length along a heating element, the heating element being directed to the second surface of the sheet, heating the second surface with the heating element to at least partly melt the loops of the yarns to fasten the yarns to the sheet, wherein the method comprises transporting the sheet in contact with the heating element, wherein the heating element is a stationary rigid plate-like element having a width corresponding to the width of the sheet, and a length that extends parallel to the length of the sheet, the plate being curved in its length direction, wherein the outer circumference of the plate is contacted with the sheet. The invention also pertains to a method to use a textile product obtained with the new method and a device for applying the said method.

Claims

1. A method to manufacture a textile product comprising a first sheet having a width and a length, and polymer yarns fastened to this sheet to form a pile thereon, the method comprising: providing the sheet, stitching the polymer yarns through the sheet to form the pile on a first surface of the sheet and loops of the yarns at a second surface of the sheet, transporting the sheet in a direction parallel to its length along a heating element, the heating element being directed to the second surface of the sheet, heating the second surface with the heating element to at least partly melt the loops of the yarns to fasten the yarns to the sheet, wherein the method comprises transporting the sheet in contact with the heating element, wherein the heating element is a stationary rigid plate-like element having a width corresponding to the width of the sheet, and a length that extends parallel to the length of the sheet, the plate being curved in its length direction, wherein the outer circumference of the plate is contacted with the sheet.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein while the sheet is contacted with the heating element, the pile is left uncompressed for at least half of the contact length between the heating element and the sheet.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a radius of the curved plate is between 0.1 and 10 meters.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a radius of the curved plate is between 0.2 and 2 meters.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein in the method, the contact length between the sheet and the curved plate is variable.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plate is heated using a warm liquid that is forced to travel in thermal contact with the plate.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the liquid flows through one or more separate canals in thermal contact with the plate, wherein the liquid is forced to travel in at least a first and a second neighbouring canal, wherein the direction of the flow of the liquid in the first canal is opposite to the direction of the flow rate of the liquid in the neighbouring second canal.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein at a section distal of the heating element, the first sheet is transported through a calendering nip.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the temperature of the at least partly molten polymer yarns at the calendering nip is below the melting temperature of the polymer of the yarns.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises measuring a roughness of the second surface with the at least partly molten loops of the yarns thereon, after these at least partly molten loops have solidified and, if the roughness differs from a predetermined surface roughness, adapting the heating of the second surface with the heating element, in order to obtain a different surface roughness.

11. Use of a textile product obtainable according to claim 1 to cover a surface of a building or any other artificial or natural construction.

12. A device for use in manufacturing a textile product comprising a first sheet having a width and a length, and polymer yarns fastened to this sheet to form a pile thereon, the yarns being stitched through the sheet to form the pile on a first surface of the sheet and loops of the yarns at a second surface of the sheet, the device comprising: a heating element for heating the loops of the yarns at least partly to a temperature above the melting temperature of the polymer, transport means for transporting the sheet in a direction parallel to its length along the heating element in contact therewith, wherein the second surface of the sheet, is directed to the heating element, wherein the heating element is a stationary rigid plate-like element having a width corresponding to the width of the sheet, and a length that extends parallel to the length of the sheet, the plate being curved in its length direction, the outer circumference of the plate being directed to the sheet.

13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the device is constituted to leave the pile uncompressed while the sheet is contacted with the heating element, at least for half of the contact length between the heating element and the sheet.

14. A device according to claim 11, wherein the contact length between the sheet and the curved plate is variable.

15. A device according to claim 11, wherein the plate is in thermal contact with at least one canal to allow a heated liquid to flow in thermal contact with the plate.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein the plate comprises two separate neighbouring canals that have an opposite direction for the flow of the liquid.

17. A device according to claim 11, wherein at a section distal of the heating element, the device comprises a calendering nip.

18. A device according to claim 11, wherein the device comprises a sensor for measuring a roughness of the second surface at a section distal of the heating plate, and a CPU that controls the heating of the sheet based on surface roughness data measured using the sensor.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0040] FIG. 1 schematically shows a cross section of a textile product manufactured according to the invention

[0041] FIG. 2 schematically shows details of a textile manufacturing process according to the invention

[0042] FIG. 3 schematically represents a laminating configuration

FIG. 1

[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of respective layers of an embodiment of a laminated textile product 1 manufactured according to the invention, in this case a carpet tile. The tile comprises a first sheet 2, the so called primary backing, which may be a tufted nonwoven sealed polyester backing. The polyester yarns 5 extend from the first surface 3 of this first sheet and are sealed to the second surface 4 of the sheet using the yarn melting method as described with reference to FIG. 2. The weight of this first sheet is typically about 500-800 g per m.sup.2. In order to provide mechanical stability, the tile 1 comprises a second sheet 6, in this case a polyester needle felt backing. The weight of this second sheet is typically about 700-900 g/m.sup.2. In between the first and second sheet is an optional resilient layer 10 (which could for example be a polyester expansion fleece having a weight of 330 g/m.sup.2, obtainable from TWE, Emsdetten, Germany as Abstandsvliesstof). The three layers (first and second sheet and intermediate layer) are laminated together using a glue, which may be a polyester hot melt glue as obtainable from DSM, Geleen, the Netherlands, applied as layers 11 and 12 at a weight of about 300 g/m.sup.2.

FIG. 2

[0044] FIG. 2 which schematically shows details of a textile manufacturing process according to the invention. In the configuration shown in FIG. 2 rigid curved heating plate 500 is present. In this embodiment the plate is an aluminium plate having a radius of 0.37 meter, a length of 40 cm and a thickness of 1 cm. The plate is provided with two sided heating by having external canals 501 and 502, which feed a hot oil of 295 C. in opposite directions. The oil is heated in heating bath 503, pumped to the plate and returned to the heating bath 503 after circulation through the volume of the plate (conduits external of the plate towards and from the heating bath are not shown in FIG. 2). The heated outer circumferential (convex) surface 510 of this plate 500 is brought in contact with a product to be processed, of which product the first sheet 2, typically a primary carrier to which yarns are applied via a stitching process such as tufting, is shown. The first sheet is transported face up such that the pile is directed away from the heating plate 500. In operation, the heating plate is stationary and the product is transported relative to the plate in a direction from nip 301 to sensor 300.

[0045] The device comprises an entrance nip 301 for the plate, the nip being formed between two rollers 304 and 304. The nip is displaceable in vertical direction, indicated by double arrow A. This way, the contact length between the plate and the product can be varied. At the lowermost position of the nip, the contact length is at maximum (i.e. the complete length of the curved plate 500), at the highest position of the nip, the contact length is at minimum (in this case one third of the length of the plate 500). At the end of the plate, the sheet 2 is guided by roller 302 towards a calendering nip that consists of cold stationary bar 305 and roller 306. The temperature of the cold bar and roller (which are controlled via CPU 320) is such that the product, in the nip, will have a temperature between the Tg (glass transition temperature) and Tm (melting temperature) of the polymer material of the yarn. This nip can be used to effect an additional calendering action on the textile product, or actually, the back of the textile product.

[0046] The position of the entrance nip 301, the heat of the heating bath 503 and the pressure and temperature of the calendering nip (305, 306) are controlled with CPU (central processing unit) 320. This unit controls these various parts using i.a. surface roughness data of the back of the textile product as measured by sensor 300. For this, the sensor is connected to the CPU via line 315. The nip 301, bath 503 and the calendering nip are connected to the CPU via lines 316, 317 and 318 respectively.

[0047] The (intermediate) textile product to be processed with the above described configuration may consist of a primary sheet provided with a cut pile of polyester yarns, tufted into the sheet. The yarns typically have a melting temperature of about 260-280 C. This product is processed using a temperature of the heating element 500 of 285-300 C. in order to heat the product. The product, having a width of about 4 meters, corresponding to a width of 4.20 meters of the curved heating element 500, is supplied at a speed 2 metres per minute or higher. Due to the curved constitution, the pressure with which the product is pulled onto the heating element is about is 1.25 Newton per square centimetre. This way, the loops of the yarns at the second surface of the sheet are partly molten and mechanically spread over the second surface to form a semi-continuous layer of molten material that locks the yarns into the first sheet. Depending i.a. on the temperature of the heating elements, the position of the nip 301 and the use of the calendering nip, this will result in a second surface having a more or less smoothed surface with some noticeable surface texture.

[0048] Downstream (distal) of the heating blocks, at a section where the molten material will be sufficiently solidified, directed to the second surface of the product 2, is an optical surface roughness measurement sensor 300. With this sensor the 2D surface roughness of the second surface can be measured and data corresponding to this surface roughness are send to CPU 320 via line 315. In this CPU, the actual surface roughness data are compared to predetermined values. If the data match these values, no adaptation of the manufacturing process will follow. If however the data indicate that the roughness is either too small (surface too smooth) or too large (surface too rough), the contact length between the product and the plate may be adapted. Also the heating temperatures of the oil may, the flow rate of the oil through the plate, or the action of the calendering nip may be adapted in order for a next section of product to meet the predetermined surface roughness data.

FIG. 3

[0049] FIG. 3 schematically represents a laminating configuration for applying a second sheet, in this case a dimensionally stable secondary backing sheet, to the back of the first sheet that is produced with a method as described in conjunction with FIG. 2. In this embodiment the term target sheet denotes either the separate resilient layer and second sheet applied one after the other in that order, or the combined laminate of them both applied together to the first sheet. Both the second sheet and the resilient layer may be of polyester. In this figure a first roller 600 is depicted on to which roller is wound a 2 metre wide web of the said (pre-fabricated) product made according to the method described in conjunction with FIG. 2. The product is unwound from the roller 600 to have its back-side 217 to come into contact with a second roller 601. This roller is provided to apply a layer of hot melt adhesive (HMA) 219 to the back side 217. For this, a bulk amount of HMA 219 is present and heated between the rollers 601 and 602. The thickness of this layer can be adjusted by adjusting the gap between these two rollers. Downstream of the section where the HMA is applied is the target sheet 215, which sheet is unwound from roller 603. This sheet is pressed against the hot and tacky adhesive and cooled in the unit 700. This unit consists of two belts 701 and 702 which on the one hand press the target sheet 215 against the primary product (i.e. the first sheet with yarns bound thereto), and on the other hand cools down the adhesive to below its solidification temperature. The resulting end product 201 (corresponding to textile product 1 of FIG. 1) is thereafter wound on roller 604. In an alternative embodiment the fibre-binding process as described in relation with FIG. 2 and the lamination process take place in line. In that case, the fibre-binding set-up as shown in FIG. 2 could be placed between roller 600 and roller 601. In this embodiment the applied HMA is the polyester of Example D as described in the Research Disclosure RD591084 as mentioned herein before. A suitable temperature of the roller 601 at the site where this HMA is applied to the back-side of the primary backing is 140 C. By having a gap of 2 mm, the HMA, at a web speed of 2 m/min, roller 602 not revolving and roller 601 having a circumferential speed of 1.6 m/min, will be applied with a thickness of about 500 g/m.sup.2. This is adequate to glue the target sheet 215 to the primary backing (i.e. the first sheet).

[0050] The hot melt adhesive may be optionally provided as a layer having a thickness of less than 1 mm, usefully less than 0.5 mm, more usefully from 0.2 to 0.4 mm. Whereas in the prior art carpets on the market, the hot melt layer typically has a thickness well above 1 mm, applicant found that when reducing the thickness of this layer to 1 mm or below an adequate adhesion can still be obtained. Therefore, the adhesive layer present in textile products of the present invention may have preferred mean thickness of from 50 microns to 1 mm, more preferably from 0.1 mm to 0.8 mm, most preferably from 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm. The amount of HMA used to form the adhesive layer in textile products of the present invention may be from 0.01 to 1000 g/m.sup.2 of HMA per area of the adhesive layer. In another embodiment the HMA may be applied in an amount of from 0.05 to 800 g/m.sup.2. In a still yet other embodiment HMA may be applied in an amount from 0.1 to 600 g/m.sup.2.