DE1504351A1 - Process for laminating and contouring the surfaces of foams - Google Patents

Description

Process for lamination and contouring of the surfaces of laminates. The invention relates to the ornamentation of sponge sheets covered with a fabric within certain boundary lines and in particular the production of a surface ornamentation on both sides of a multi-layered fabric that forms a quilt-like Material consists of a sponge sheet between two stretchable layers of fabric. According to the invention, a wide variety of surface colors, contours, - create contrasts and combinations of these. An exact congruence between the ornamentation on the two surfaces is easy or rush. The present invention is particularly useful with filler sheet fabrics which absorb moisture and which are resilient. The strength of the elasticity can vary considerably according to the tasks underlying the invention. There is therefore a wide range of hysteresis curves for the elastic material generally acceptable.

Among the fillers useful in the practice of this invention best suitable include open-cell foam sheet materials such as polyester and polyester-polyurethane, Natural rubber, synthetic rubber and vinyl plastics. Initially before the ornamentation process the cells are preferably connected to each other, but thought is also given to that substances with closed pores or. closed cells and the walls standing between the cells can mechanically e.g. B. by rolling or by heating, in which the gas expands in the cells, or by supplying it a solvent that penetrates into wall sections between the cells or these breaks down, to be broken up. Examples of fillers are foam or sponge rubber including foamed latex and foamed or expanded synthetic rubber polymers and copolymers, such as. B. butadiene-styrene, butadiene-alcrylonitrile, polyvinylidene, Isoprene polymers and copolymers, as well as polyvinyl chlorides and polyvinyl acetates and their copolymers and related compounds. The term "sponge sheet" like it is used below, designates all those substances, or their equivalents, to which this procedure is applicable. The applied fabric or the fabric strip is preferably stretchable. "Extensible" in this description and in the claims means "stretchable in one direction and not in another, as in a woven one Cloth that is stretchable under pretension "; the term also includes only under artificial conditions occurring extensibility, such. B. at elevated temperatures, and not under normal conditions, such as B. at room temperature. Generally will the sponge sheet simultaneously on both sides through a number of process steps contoured and deliberate, taking first selected spots on the surface the An adhesive is applied to the plate. The thickness of the plate is then uniformly degraded and the adhesive becomes at least partially brought to hardness while the plate is still under compression. That Curing of the adhesive can be done in any arbitrary manner, as described in the Adhesive technology is known, e.g. B. by the passage of time, evaporation of the solvent, Polymerization or copolymerization in situ or condensation of the individual components, Applying heat or pressure or by some other means or combination of the possibilities mentioned. At the same time there can be a stretchable fabric on both Sides of the plate are placed. The plate is then relaxed so that it does not selected areas take their original shape in contrast to the at least partially remaining deformation of the selected surface areas. Thus, in accordance with the invention, a quilt-like material is obtained with selected surface areas, the thickness of the plate in the selected Areas in the cross-sectional dimension deviates from the other areas of the plate. In the preferred embodiment, each cross section of the plate that includes a recessed Has surface area, an adhesive that the pores of the sponge at least holds under partial compression. The term "adhesive" as used herein includes well any connection, regardless of whether it is normally viewed as an adhesive will or not that has the ability to deform the walls of the cell structure to be maintained and preferably at elevated temperatures that occur during washing, machine drying or the like. Occur.

Various presently preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. 1 shows a schematic illustration of an apparatus for producing materials according to the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of another embodiment of an apparatus for producing materials according to the invention, FIG. 3 is an isometric view of an apparatus according to FIG Material produced according to the present invention and in particular such a material as it is produced with the device according to FIG. 2, FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a pressure roller which is intended for producing the contour pattern according to FIG Figure 5 is a partial section through another material made in accordance with the invention; 6 schematically shows a view of another embodiment of a pressure roller, FIG. 7 schematically shows a section through a sponge plate to which an adhesive is applied to form a contour pattern of different depths according to the invention, and FIG. 8 shows a similar view of the material according to FIG. 7 after the material has been compacted and partially cured. The method can be easily understood using the example of FIG. A plate 10 made of spongy, elastic material, e.g. ß. Polyurethane foam, which has interconnected pores 11, lies on a carrier layer 12, which is expediently a textile fabric or any other material that is suitable for supporting the sponge material 10. The layer 12 is preferably air-permeable in order to facilitate rapid drying of the sponge sheet 10. However, if desired, the layer 12 can also be impermeable. The composite plate from the base layer 12 and the sponge plate 10 is passed through a nip 14 between the rollers 15 and 16. The roller 15 is a gravure or engraved roller which is wetted in any suitable manner such as with an adhesive 17 applied through a squeegee 18. In the present example, the adhesive has a color that contrasts with that of the panel 10, although this is not always the case. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the roller 16 is a smooth-surfaced cylinder made of metal or rubber, or rubber-coated metal, or otherwise suitably constructed. As can be seen from further embodiments, the backup roller 16, if it is desired for surface ornamentation, can be an engraved roller similar to roller 15, with either a similar or a contrasting pattern being engraved or otherwise formed on it. The roller 16 is driven at a speed which is synchronized with that of the roller 15.

The surface of the roller 15 contains engraved or otherwise way formed recesses 1y. Each recess is made in some convenient way mitcbrii, colored adhesive 17 wetted by the adhesive action or capillary action or is temporarily held back in the recess on other tracks. Perform home of the plate 13 through the pinch point between the rollers, that Ausnehmurg en 1g and 20, which are colored, gradually with derri spongy material in Pressure contact brought what is near the compacted surface at position 22 starts with the glue at position 23 and 24 in the body of the spongy Material 10 is stored. The part of the adhesive pressed on in this way corresponds to the depth of the recesses from which the adhesive is deposited will. The depth to which the deposited adhesive compacted into the spongy plate 10 penetrates and impregnates it (these two designations are used alternately in the description and the claims) varies between the pressure points 22, 23 and 24, but at each point the adhesive penetrates transversely the depth of the spongy plate and impregnates this what of the volume depends on the adhesive applied with the correct viscosity. One recognizes from the wetted pressure points 26, 27 and 28 that these are all relatively straight Are lines that run across the thickness of the sponge material. One of the advantages of the present invention; @, especially when printing on black material, lies in the fact that the process reduces lateral migration of the adhesive, so that relatively sharp-edged, well-delimited patterns arise. Obviously has the relaxation of the sponge sheet after it emerges from the pinch point, the effect that the adhesive is limited to transverse paths and continues to flow of the adhesive: in a direction other than the transverse direction on a mini-turn is reduced.

After the adhesive has been applied, it is at least partially hardened by any suitable means. Is the adhesive z. B. in a volatile carrier or a solvent Can be hardened via a heater 29 to expel at least part of the solvent and the product is thus ready for the next step. Some glue then becomes sticky.

The plate is then fed to a printing device, e.g. B. two pinch rollers 20a and 29b, which are between them a pinch point Sponge tape lies. This second compression of the plate, after the colored adhesive has been made curable, reduces the strength of the plate at the pinch point. In the area of the sponge tape to which the adhesive has been applied, the selected sections of the plate be; _, _ tera their compacted lustand.bei and the unselected areas of the ez;.; Andieren due to the elasticity of the p- atte back to their original strength. This creates a certain contour on the plate that speaks. In order to prevent the printed areas of the plate from sticking to the squeegee roller 29a with which they are in contact, it has surprisingly been found to be sufficient to cool this roller with the usual adhesives, preferably to a temperature below 21o.

After passing through the rollers 29a and 29b, only those portions of the plate which are free of adhesive return fully to their original thickness, while the cells of the material in the adhesive-coated areas are kept in the deformed state, which is a reduction the thickness of the plate in these areas shown at 33. According to the invention, a fabric 34 is placed over the plate 13 so that it conforms to the contour of the top of the plate. In many cases it will be desirable that plate 34 be stretchable in at least one direction in order to better conform to the contour of plate 13, and in such a case a knitted fabric is used to advantage. It is a desirable feature of the present invention that the adhesive 17 used to contour the sponge material also be used as the sole means of securing the fabric 34 to the composite panel 13 in many instances. 1, the fabric 34 is fed from a supply roller (not shown) via a guide roller 35 to an overlay roller 36 which rolls the fabric 34 onto the plate 13 and exerts enough pressure to adhere the fabric 34 and the plate 13 cause. The roller 36 can be a heated steel roller to facilitate adhesion between the fabric 34 and the plate 13, if desired. Of course, additional adhesive can be used to secure the fabric 34 to the plate 13, such adhesive being sprayed or otherwise applied to the surface of the plate 13 between the passage under the roller 29a and under the roller 36a. A backup roller 36b cooperates with roller 36a to apply the proper pressure to secure the fabric 34 to the plate 13. The finished material exiting between the rollers 36a and 36b is accordingly contoured according to the pattern of the pressure roller 15 and has a fabric overlay 34 in accordance with this contour. In some cases, the fabric 34 can be partially transparent and the adhesive 17 colored. As a result, the pattern of the adhesive 17 on the sponge plate 10 is partially visible through the fabric 34 and a further decorative effect is created. Of course, the sponge sheet 10 or the fabric 34 or both can be printed with any desired pattern before or after the treatment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, by a conventional method to provide additional decorative effects. In the arrangement of FIG. 1, it is contemplated that the backing 12 be previously applied to the sponge sheet 10 by any of the numerous techniques known in the art, and that the thickness of the blackened sheet 10 and the nature of the backing 12 relative to the fabric overlay 34 are such that the contouring effect prevails on the top of the finished panel, as shown in FIG. Contour effects can be applied to both The somewhat more complicated technique of putting contoured panels back to back on a single side can also be used to achieve a surface that is contoured on the top and bottom.

Iri rig. 2, a sheet of elastic sponge material 210, e.g. B; open-cell polyurethane foam, through a pinch point 214 between rollers 215 and 216 performed.

The rollers 215 and 216 are gravure rollers or engraved rollers which are wetted with an adhesive 217 in any suitable manner. For example, the adhesive 217 is expediently applied by a doctor blade 218 to the roller 215 and to the roller 216 by partially immersing it in a container 211, the excess being removed with a further doctor blade 212. The surfaces of the rollers 215 and 216 contain engraved or otherwise formed recesses 21: 9. It is obvious that the adhesive 217 is temporarily in the recesses 219 od by adhesive action, capillary action, the like. is held back. When the plate 210 is passed through the nip 214 between the rollers, the recesses 19 are gradually brought into pressure contact with the plate 210, namely the recesses of the roller 215 in contact with the top of the plate and the recesses of the roller 216 in contact with the bottom of the plate. The recesses begin to deposit the adhesive in the body of the sponge material 10, essentially as explained with reference to FIG. The patterns on rollers 215 and 216 can be identical to one another and the rollers: can be driven synchronously with one another in order to produce contours on the corresponding sides of the plate 2L0 which correspond to one another and are in congruence with one another. Alternatively, different patterns can be used on the corresponding rollers or the patterns can be intentionally out of register and / or have different periods. After the adhesive has been applied, it is made at least partially curable by any suitable means. In Fig. 2 this is; Special means provided for this purpose an elongated furnace 229 with openings 231 and 232 for the entry and exit of the plate 210.

The plate 210 is then applied to a printing device, e.g. B. two nip rollers 233 and 234 fed., Which between them a pinch point of a certain dimension Include that is less than the normal thickness of the sponge tape.

The rollers 233 and 234 are also used to lay the fabric panels The second compaction of the plate 210 together with the fabric layers 235 and 236 reduces the strength of the plate 210 at the pinch point of the whales 233 and 234 and causes the fabric layers 235 and 236 to adhere to the sponge plate 210 in those areas 220 which are exposed to the adhesive 217 are coated. The rollers 233 and 234 are preferably heated rollers made of steel, aluminum or the like. The heating of the rollers 233 and 234 facilitates the adherence of the fabric layers 235 and 236 to the sponge sheet 210. The heating is carried out by steam, electrical or one of the many other known methods. The roller temperature is z. B. at 120 'or, more generally, in the range between 65 ° and 1750. In many cases it is advisable to heat the fabric overlay more strongly than the sponge filling layer as it passes between the rollers 233 and 234. (A stronger heating of the overlay serves the purpose of supporting the adhesion of the overlay to the sponge layer): A higher heating of the overlay results from the fact that it is made to run around a substantial part of the circumference of the rollers 233 and 234. The same adhesive deposited in the surfaces 220 causes the walls of the cells of the sponge sheet 210 to adhere to one another and remain permanently deformed. Accordingly, after passing between the rollers 233 and 234, these areas no longer take on their original thickness and as a result both sides of the composite plate 210, 235, 236 are deformed according to a pattern corresponding to the pattern applied by the pressure rollers - 215 and 216 is equivalent to.

Appropriately decorated plate material can thus be used with the device after. Fig. 2 produce e.g. B. the imitated quilt-like material according to Fig .._ 3.

As can be seen from Fig. 3, there is an imitation quilt-like Material 310 made of an open-pored elastic plate 31l, e.g. B. polyurethane foam, which is inserted between corresponding layers 312 and 313 of cloth material, the z. B. made of woven textile fabric, non-textile panels or knitted textile fabric The last-mentioned type of material is particularly desirable because it is elastic is extensible and therefore easily adapts to the scheme of the depressions 314 adjusts, which in the composite material panel 310 give the quilt effect. as An example of a non-textile plate can be a plastic plate, e.g. B. off Use polyethylene, polypropylene or polymers or copolymers of vinyl chloride. In such a case it may be desirable to be the last to take effect To keep rollers at a temperature that softens the plastic plate but does not melt.

When using a woven cloth as an overlay, it is desirable to the woven cloth opposite the elongated indentations in the pattern - like it in Fig. 3 is shown to bias.

Preferably, that is used to form the plate material 310 Adhesive 17 an adhesive which is not disadvantageous due to high temperatures (e.g. 1200) is affected so that the imitation quilted fabric 310 without harmful effects can be machine washed and dried.

The material of Fig. 3 has numerous advantages when used as a Bed covers, linings for items of clothing, etc., as they are very laborious and light Weight with good insulation properties. On a multiple needle sewing machine manufactured quilted material is relatively expensive due to the low cost Working speed of such a machine in comparison with a machine according to of the present invention. Furthermore, there are practically no restrictions in relation on the quilting pattern that can be achieved according to the invention, while with one on a multiple-needle sewing machine There are many restrictions on the quilting pattern produced.

Fiß. Fig. 4 shows one form of pressure roller which can be used for manufacture of Material according to Fig. 3 is suitable. The roller 320 has a generally cylindrical surface 321- with depressions 322 that form a pattern with generally square lattice-like Form structure that corresponds to the pattern shown for the finished one in FIG Material is desired.

While the device shown in FIG. 2 and the corresponding method deal with the immediate application of the adhesive to the sponge plate, In some cases it may be advisable to overlay the fabric with the adhesive to be printed, which is then when the tissue and the sponge material are brought together is applied to this so that essentially the same result as in Fig. 2 occurs.

Fig. 5 shows an embossed sponge sheet, e.g. Be fabricated on the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, the sponge layer 50 having depressions 51 and 52 suitably shaped as described above. An overlying layer of a surface upholstery fabric 53 consists of a knitted, woven or other fabric, a plastic sheet, such as, for. B. made of polyethylene, a vinyl sheet or other similar laminar material. In a preferred form, the material is extensible in order to facilitate deep contouring of the layered plate. The base layer 54 is attached or attached before or after the deformation process. It can also be omitted. To make the plate 50, the adhesive is first applied in the manner described above. The adhesive contains a color component only in the case of a transparent layer 53. The layers 50, 53 and 54 can be bonded to one another in the manner described above, so that a shaped body of material is produced which contains an upper layer that conforms to the contour, this conformability being achieved only by the adhesive that is present in the material 50 the contour effect causes. As shown in Fig. 6, the platen 61 may have long projections 62 and short projections 63 for receiving adhesive 64 from a rubber roller 64a. As the sponge rubber sheet 65 passes through the pinch point between the rollers 61 and 66, the adhesive is applied at 67, 68 and so on. The longer projections 62 take up less adhesive while the shorter projections 63 take up a larger amount, so that essentially the same result as with the device of FIG. 1 is achieved. Various other types of pressure rollers can be used to apply the adhesive @. @. Figure 7 shows a cross-section of a belt 70 carrying a sponge material 71 having a surface portion 72 extending the full depth of the sponge material and another wedge-shaped portion 73 or adhesive applied to another selected surface area or cross-section is applied. After the adhesive has been applied, as shown in FIG. 7, the layer is heated, whereby the adhesive becomes adhesive, and then passed through a cold pinch point. After the shape recovery, the material shown in FIG. 8 results. Here, the sponge layer 71 attached to the belt 70 has a compacted surface section 72 'which corresponds to the printed surface section 72, and another beveled surface section 73' which generally has a contour corresponding to the printing surface 73. In this way, contours of the desired slope as well as depth can be formed and essentially reproduced in an overlying layer (not shown). FIGS. 7 and 8 therefore explain the manner in which the depth and slope of the contour in materials according to the invention can be determined by influencing the density of the adhesive applied with the roller 15. The product according to the present invention is not me @ -itzlich as a decoration material, but can also be used as a heat and sound insulator, e.g. B. on the walls of aircraft cabins, in motor vehicles, on room walls, as a housing lining, as a bed cover, in clothing and in other cases where decoration or insulation or both is desired. In automotive linings, the flexibility and resilience of the invention greatly facilitates installation by untrained workers. Fire retardant or other coatings can be applied to the outside of the decorative fabrics, either before or after printing, embossing and treatment, as long as such application does not adversely affect the properties desired for the end product. Different types of color compounds can be used, dyes, colors, pigments, lacquers and other suitable coloring compounds producing the desired coloring or the desired hue. The adhesive can be rubber cement, rubber latex, synthetic rubber cement, cellulosic adhesives, heat sensitive adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives, and thermosetting compounds. Particularly advantageous results have been achieved when using epoxy resins, various catalytic converters known in adhesive technology being used. Any substance with adhesive properties and which can be injected into the body of the sponge material by the printing process can be used. The adhesive can be applied in a continuous process or with a flat plate process, such as. B. a silk screen (silk screenings), which is followed by a squeezing process with a flat plate or a press in order to obtain the necessary final contour of the material.

If desired, the method can be carried out to be the entire area or part of the area covered with your adhesive and then with a solvent (colored or clear) is overpressured in order to reduce the compressed Return the section to its original shape.

Although the invention is evident with a wide variety of Substances that can be carried out as indicated are the following Examples of preferred embodiments that have been used with success. if not otherwise stated, it is in each case parts by weight.

EXAMPLE I: The adhesive composition is in the following range: Almost any dye or pigment can be used to give the adhesive the desired color. The viscosities are in the range from 100 to 5000 centipoise, depending on the depth of the engraving, the operating speed and the desired drying times. The amounts of rubber and vinyl resin vary. If necessary, they can also be omitted. Also read the solvent. This depends on the consistency and requirements of the adhesive. Parts Polyester solution (Du Pont 46 951) 20% solids 25 Isocyanate solution (Du Pont ßC-807) 60% solids 7 The above resins are mixed and the paint is added. If necessary, these are either dyes or pigments. The viscosity is adjusted by adding either dioxane, methyl ethyl ketone or tetrahydrofuran to give a good printing viscosity, namely 150 to 300 centipoise.

B EI S P -.I E- L III .: Parts Epoxy resin (Shell Chemical Co. 1003), solid parts in a 70% solution 60 Polyamide treatment (polyamide yours) (General Mills Corporation 125), solid parts in a 70 ° ö solution 40 Pigment, e.g. B. Ti02 Solids 100 Total solids 200 EXAMPLE IV: Acrylic ester resin (Röhm 8c Haas B 72) 30 Tolu oil (solvent) 70 Mixtures of vinyl resins and acrylic resins can be used in adhesive bonds with suitable solvents.

BE I " SPIELV A linear thermoplastic polyester resin (Goodyear Rubber Co. such as B. toluene, so that a solution with about 20,% solids is formed. To increase the resistance to high temperatures and solvents, an isocyanate can be added, e.g.

B. Du Pont RC-807. An addition of about 10% isocyanate results in the desired one Temperature and solvent resistance. The magnitude of this persistence varies in general with the amount of isocyanate and the amount of isocyanate can therefore be used for Achieve a wide range of different properties.

EXAMPLE L-VI: Another adhesive composition results if the Du Pont adhesive 46 960 is used instead of Vitel PE-207 and as Isoeyanat Du Pont No. RC-805 used in Example 5.

Claims (3)

Patent claims 1. A method for layering and contouring a liquid-permeable, compressible and shape recoverable plate, wherein an adhesive is applied to selected surface sections of a broad side of the plate and a compression force is exerted on the selected and'andäre surface sections while the adhesive is at least is partially brought to the hardness, whereupon the compression force is reduced, whereby contours corresponding to the selected surface sections are formed in the broad side of the plate and a layer of a stretchable laminar material is attached to the surface of the plate provided with the contour, characterized in that, that the Zage from the laminar material is applied to the plate before the adhesive hardens and the adhesive is at least partially brought to hardness in order to give the plate a contour and at the same time this material layer in the selected surface sections on the To attach the plate, and the compression force is reduced so that 'the layer to adapt to the contours of the plate is stretched. 2. The method according to claim 1, the selected surface portions being elongated in shape, thereby characterized in that a laminar material is used, the extensibility of which a preferred direction, and the laminar material attached to the surface will that his preferred stretch direction mainly in the direction the short dimension of the elongated surface sections lies. 3. Procedure according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it also applies to the other broad side the disk is running. Method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized characterized in that a layer of laminar material is used, its elasticity is achieved temporarily before pressing against the plate, the compression force is removed while the layer is still stretchable.