EP0012286B1 - Process for producing relief effects on originally flat textile webs and for partially printing them - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing structured patterns in fabric webs, in which the originally smooth fabric web is first subjected to a mechanical pleating treatment.

In women's fashion, pleated fabrics are continuously used for further processing into skirts, dresses, blouses, etc., although - to a greater or lesser extent - influenced by the changing fashion trends. In particular, machine-pleated fabrics are used, although in recent times, in addition to the so-called flat and standing pleats, fabrics have also been introduced that are provided with fold patterns of different types instead of uniformly wide or deep folds running across the entire width of a fabric web. Such fabrics can have, for example, in addition to a number of narrow straight pleats, wavy folds, which alternate with straight folds and then again wavy folds, or a short, narrow row of folds can have a similar, but offset by half the fold width Connect rows of folds, etc. Such fabrics, which can be described as »irregularly pleated, are known, as is the way in which they are produced, and in addition to the aforementioned fold patterns, a large number of other possible arrangements of irregular pleats on fabric webs exist and are carried out. Compared to garments made from smooth fabrics, the use of pleated fabrics of the aforementioned type - depending on the type of pleated fabric used - results in a significantly higher consumption of fabric, which inevitably also affects the cost of the garments made from pleated fabrics. In addition, the processing of pleated fabrics into garments is difficult and expensive, since starting with the cutting of the pleated fabric, care must also be taken in subsequent work steps that the course of the pleats corresponds to the design, and that when sewing cut pieces of fabric there is no accidentally one Tension is exerted on the fabric, which - contrary to the intended design - pulls the folds apart. In order to avoid this, the processing of an underlying thin paper web is necessary at least for thinner machine-pleated fabrics.

In contrast, the invention is based on the object of specifying a method for the production of fabric webs which are patterned in the fabric itself, but can be processed in comparison to pleated fabrics in the manufacture of clothes with reduced fabric consumption and without the difficulties described. In addition, the method according to the invention is also intended to enable the partial printing of the fabric web, which is aligned with the fabric structure produced, with a color deviating from its basic color and / or a deviating pattern.

Starting from a previously subjected to a mechanical pleating treatment, this object is achieved according to the invention by continuously heating the machine-pleated fabric and deforming its pleated folds, whereupon the deformation of the folds is fixed by cooling the fabric. The structure created in the fabric is thus formed by the pattern of the deformed pleated folds. The pleated folds are deformed differently, depending on the type of pleated blind, but in any case expediently such that at least part of the fabric material folded into the pleated folds is deformed back into the plane of the fabric web.

The partial printing of the fabric in such a way that the printed areas are aligned with the structural pattern takes place in a further development according to the invention in that a web of thermal printing paper is guided onto the machine-pleated fabric before it is heated and the two webs are then pressed together and simultaneously onto the one for transfer the color and / or the pattern of the thermal printing paper are heated to the required temperature on the fabric web, and that the web of thermal printing paper is removed again after the pattern has been transferred to the fabric web. The material heated during the transfer printing process is then expediently deformed in order to save the heating that would otherwise be necessary for the structuring process.

The method according to the invention is preferably carried out for fabrics with flat pleated folds so that the machine-pleated fabric web is stretched in the heated state in such a way that the pleated folds are essentially pulled smooth, whereupon the tensioned fabric web is wound up into a roll and cooled in the rolled-up state . As the fabric is cooled in the rolled-up state with the pleats pulled apart, the folds do not pull back into their original position during the subsequent processing, but the fabric remains essentially smooth, although the ones created during the original pleating process by the action of heat and pressure Folded edges are retained as an edge pattern, which structures the fabric in the desired way.

In its simplest form, the process can be carried out in such a way that the machine-pleated fabric web is still in the pleating treatment originating in the heated state, that is, immediately after the pleating treatment, tensioned and rolled up. Alternatively, a cooled machine-pleated fabric web in the form of a roll can also be assumed, in that it is continuously unwound and heated from the roll, then tensioned and rolled up again. A suitably designed calender with a heatable roller can then be used for the heating and tensioning and the subsequent rolling up of the fabric web, on which a winding device with an adjustable winding speed is arranged.

With this procedure, it is also possible to print on the fabric during the heating process in the transfer printing process by leading a web of thermal printing paper onto the machine-pleated fabric web unwound from the roll before the continuous heating, then pressing the two webs together and simultaneously at the same time Transfer the color and / or pattern of the thermal printing paper to the required temperature web, the web of thermal printing paper is then removed from the web before the subsequent tensioning and rolling of the web. In the technical implementation, the aforementioned calender is then used again, which then additionally only has a receiving device for the thermal printing paper to be applied to the top of the pleated fabric web to be printed and expediently also a winding device for the thermal web paper web to be separated from the web after the printing process is provided.

If the method according to the invention is to be carried out on a web of material into which, after covering on both sides with a top and bottom paper, machine-made standing pleats have been folded in, then the folded web of material has been rolled up and the pleats have been permanently fixed by subsequent heat treatment of the roll, the method according to the invention proceeded in such a way that the web of fabric previously freed from the top paper web, provided with standing pleats, is unrolled from the roll and a web of thermal printing paper is applied to its free upper side, that the two webs are then pressed together in such a way that the web pleats of the web are partially pressed in and with the pressed-in areas lie flat on the thermal printing paper web, thermal energy being brought to bear on the back of the thermal printing paper web facing away from the fabric web, which are applied to the color and / or the pattern of the thermal printing paper web transfers the areas of the fabric, and that the thermal printing paper web is then separated from the fabric. Surprisingly, it has been shown that there is no crushing of the folds when the pleated folds are partially pressed in, and that the pressed-in regions in which the thermal printing paper rests can be printed with a clear printed image, the width of the printed regions of the folds even by varying the pressure of the Thermal printing paper can be changed to a certain extent, so that more or less wide strip-shaped areas of the pleats can be printed, which results in particularly attractive effects when using single or multi-colored patterned printing paper. Due to the heat exerted on the areas to be printed during the printing process, the originally sharp-edged standing pleats are rounded off somewhat, which is why the structuring of the printed fabric is also referred to as »corrugated pleated blind«.

When carrying out the above-mentioned method, the top paper web is preferably removed from the fabric web before the heat treatment for the purpose of permanently fixing the standing pleats, and during the subsequent roll-up operation of the folded fabric web, a smooth, i.e. H. idler paper web not lying on the flanks of the pleated standing pleats rolled into the roll of web material, the idler paper web being removed during the subsequent printing process before the thermal printing paper web is applied.

A rational method of operation in the continuous continuous flow process is achieved if the fabric web provided with standing pleats and the thermal printing paper web lying thereon are continuously guided onto the circumferential surface of a rotating heated printing roller in such a way that the rear side of the thermal printing paper web lies against the printing roller, and then the adjacent webs are pressed against the thermal printing paper web by a web of felt-like material lying on the back of the fabric web provided with the underpaper web and wrapping the printing roller over a predetermined angular range and running in this wrapping range with the angular velocity of the printing roller. The heat-resistant felt web rotating in the printing area with the angular velocity of the printing roller prevents the web from shifting relative to the thermal printing paper web, so that a clear print image is produced. The above-mentioned change in the width of the printed areas can be adjusted by changing the (relatively low) tension of the felt web.

A material made of creped paper is expediently used as the material for the base paper web, which web is stiffer in comparison to the base paper used in pure standing pleating. The creping of the paper ensures that there are no displacements between the felt web and the bottom paper web, while the increased rigidity it makes it possible to generate the minimal pressure of the web of material on the thermal printing paper required for a perfect transfer printing, without any wrinkling of the folds occurring.

In an advantageous development of the invention, the fabric web provided with standing pleats can be stretched in the longitudinal direction of the web before the thermal printing paper web is applied, so that the standing pleats are slightly pulled apart from the untensioned state.

The finished printed web then has lower, flatter waves compared to a printing process without such additional tension.

A similar effect can also be produced in that the pleated fabric web is immediately separated from the base paper web after printing and the removal of the thermal printing paper web and is rolled up on a roll while still warm under such longitudinal tension that the wave-like folds remaining in the web are in rolled up smooth. A piece of fabric unrolled from this roll then adopts the wave shape again, but these waves have lower and wider waves compared to a web of material that was rolled up in untensioned condition after printing together with the base paper. The material consumption, which is otherwise significantly increased when processing pleated fabrics compared to unpleated fabrics, depending on the depth of the folds, is thus reduced. In the borderline case, d. H. with very flat waves, the material consumption of unpleated fabrics is practically achieved.

• Fig. 1 schematisch eine Seitenansicht eines kurzen Abschnitts einer in bekannter Weise maschinell mit Flachplissee versehenen Stoffbahn, auf der ein Abschnitt einer Thermodruckpapierbahn aufgelegt ist;
• Fig. 2 eine Seitenansicht des in Fig. 1 gezeigten Abschnitts der Stoffbahn nach Durchführung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens;
• Fig. 3 eine Draufsicht auf den in Fig. 2 gezeigten Stoffbahn-Abschnitt, der zusätzlich im Transfer-Druckverfahren mit einem zu den erfindungsgemäß erhaltenen Faltenkanten ausgerichteten streifenförmigen Druckmuster bedruckt ist;
• Fig.4 eine schematische Seitenansicht eines zur Durchführung des erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens verwendbaren Kalanders;
• Fig. 5 eine schematische Seitenansicht eines kurzen Abschnitts einer mit einer Unter- und einer Oberpapierbahn abgedeckten, in der erfindungsgemäßen Weise zu strukturierenden und zu bedruckenden Stoffbahn;
• Fig. 6 eine Seitenansicht der in Fig. 5 gezeigten Bahn nach dem maschinellen Legen von Stehplisseefalten;
• Fig. 7 eine der Fig. 6 entsprechende Seitenansicht, wobei das Oberpapier jedoch entfernt ist;
• Fig. 8 eine Seitenansicht der in Fig. 7 gezeigten Unterpapier-/Stoffbahn während des Verformungs- und Transfer-Druckvorgangs;
• Fig. 9 eine Seitenansicht einer in der erfindungsgemäßen Weise bedruckten fertigen Stoffbahn mit relativ engen wellenförmigen Falten;
• Fig. 10 eine Seitenansicht einer fertig bedruckten Stoffbahn mit relativ breitgezogenen wellenförmigen Falten, und
• Fig. 11 eine schematische Seitenansicht eines zur Durchführung des in Verbindung mit den Figuren 5 bis 10 erläuterten erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens verwendbaren Kalanders.

The invention is explained in more detail in the following description in connection with the drawing, namely shows

• 1 schematically shows a side view of a short section of a web of fabric, which is provided with flat pleated fabric in a known manner, on which a section of a thermal printing paper web is placed;
• FIG. 2 shows a side view of the section of the fabric web shown in FIG. 1 after carrying out the method according to the invention;
• 3 shows a plan view of the section of fabric web shown in FIG. 2, which is additionally printed in the transfer printing process with a strip-shaped printing pattern aligned with the fold edges obtained according to the invention;
• 4 shows a schematic side view of a calender that can be used to carry out the method according to the invention;
• 5 shows a schematic side view of a short section of a fabric web covered with a bottom and a top paper web that is to be structured and printed in the manner according to the invention;
• Fig. 6 is a side view of the web shown in Fig. 5 after machine pleating of standing pleats;
• Fig. 7 is a side view corresponding to Fig. 6, but with the top paper removed;
• Figure 8 is a side view of the bottom paper / fabric web shown in Figure 7 during the forming and transfer printing process;
• 9 is a side view of a finished fabric web printed in the manner according to the invention with relatively narrow undulating folds;
• Fig. 10 is a side view of a finished printed fabric web with relatively wide wavy folds, and
• 11 is a schematic side view of a calender that can be used to carry out the method according to the invention explained in connection with FIGS. 5 to 10.

In Fig. 1 is in a known manner with flat pleats, i.e. H. Folded fabric web section 10 lying flat on top of one another laterally offset from one another is shown, which in the manner according to the invention results in an essentially smooth fabric web section 10 provided with parallel fold edges 12 'and 14' in the area of the fold edges 12 and 14 of the original flat pleated blind 'is further processed, as shown schematically in Figs. 2 and 3. On the web section 10, a thermal printing paper section 16 is shown, wherein the arrows a pointing to this thermal printing paper section 16 are intended to indicate how the color and / or the pattern of the thermal printing paper by simultaneous action of heat and pressure on the Fabric web section 10 can be transferred, only those facing the thermal printing paper 16, but not the fold-in area of the pleated folds lying in the fabric web section 10, being printed. In Figure 3, the printed areas 18 of the fabric section 10 'are illustrated by cross hatching.

The implementation of the method according to the invention will now be explained in connection with FIG. 4, which schematically shows a calender 20 with a large, rotatable steel roller 22, the peripheral surface of which can be heated to a temperature required for carrying out the method according to the invention by means of a heated oil filling. At the roller 22 is an endless web 24 of heat-resistant felt, which is guided by deflection rollers 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 and 36 so that it wraps around the peripheral surface 38 of the roller 22 over an angle of more than 180 °. The deflecting roller 26 is expediently not mounted in a fixed position, but rather displaceably in the calender frame (not shown), so that by changing the pressure in a compressed air cylinder (also not shown) acting on the axis of rotation of the deflecting roller 26, the tension with which the felt web 24 can be changed is pressed on the peripheral surface 38 of the roller 22. The flat-pleated fabric web 10 wound into a supply roll 40 is unrolled from this supply roll 40 and into the Felt web 24 wrapped area of the peripheral surface 38 of the roller 22 out. Between the circumferential surface 38 and the fabric web 10, the thermal printing paper 16 unrolled from a roll 42 is also guided. Due to the pressure exerted by the felt web 24 on the fabric web 10 and the thermal printing paper web 16 lying on it, the driven fabric 22, the web 10, the thermal printing paper web 16 and the felt web 24 run at a speed corresponding to the peripheral speed of the roller 22 without it Shifts between the individual webs comes. By heating the roller 22, a transfer print is obtained from the thermal printing paper 16 on the fabric web on the one hand and the fabric web is heated on the other hand. The exiting thermal printing paper is wound on roll 44, while the printed and heated fabric web is wound on a roller 46, which is deliberately driven at a higher speed than the peripheral speed of roller 22, thereby tensioning the heated fabric web so that the pleats are substantially be smoothed out. The web of material 10 'is therefore wound on the roll 46 without folds.

If the fabric web 10 'now cools in this smoothly drawn wound form, the substantially smooth fabric web 10' shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is obtained, on which, however, the original pleated folds 12 and 14 as fold edges 12 'and 14' are still structured to mark.

If a fabric web is only to be provided with a structured pattern of fold edges according to the method according to the invention, the thermal printing paper 16 can also be omitted.

It should also be mentioned that the method described is not limited to machine-made flat pleated blinds, but can also be used in a corresponding manner for webs of fabric provided with so-called standing pleated blinds or irregularly pleated, with an interesting effect particularly in the case of the last-mentioned irregularly pleated fabrics. if they are still printed in the manner described using the transfer printing process before the pleats are pulled out.

If webs of material provided with standing pleats are used as the starting product for the method according to the invention, the method according to the invention can also be carried out in the manner described below. Since the mechanical production of pleated blind and the pleating machines used for this purpose are known, it is sufficient to briefly point out some of the essentials that are essential for the subsequent shaping and printing process.

On the fabric web 110 to be pleated and later to be deformed and printed, a bottom paper web 112 and a top paper web 114 are placed in the manner schematically illustrated in FIG. 5, and the then three-ply web 112, 110, 114 is fed into the plier in a known pleating machine Fig. 6 shown folded form with standing folds. The folds are fixed in a warming cabinet or autoclave, for which the fold of fabric is rolled up beforehand. The top paper 114 is expediently not rolled in, but removed, and instead a smooth (not shown) tracking paper is rolled in to separate the folded layers. This role is then placed upright in the heating or steaming cabinet and held there for the required duration of treatment. After the roll removed again from the heating cabinet has cooled, the standing folds are fixed in the form shown in FIG. 7. For the subsequent treatment, the fabric web 110 is unrolled again together with the bottom paper web 112, the idle paper which is then no longer required being removed again. The thermal printing paper 116 (FIG. 8) is applied to the free upper side of the fabric web 110. The underside of the fabric web covered with underpaper 112 rests on a web 118 made of a heat-resistant felt-like material and on the back of the thermal printing paper 116 is exerted such pressure by means of a heated surface 120, which is only schematically indicated in FIG. 8, that the folds of the composite web 110 , 112 deform in the manner illustrated in FIG. 8 8. It can be seen that then strip-shaped areas 122 lie flat on the thermal printing paper 116 on both sides of the original front edges of the standing folds. The printing pattern of the thermal printing paper is transferred to the regions 122 by the heat transferred from the area 120, for example formed by the peripheral surface of a heated printing roller, to the thermal printing paper. Depending on how the printing process is carried out, the corrugated-pleated fabric webs 110 shown schematically in FIGS. 9 and 10 with narrower and deeper or wider and lower corrugated pleated folds are produced. The printed areas 1.22 extend as can be seen from these drawing figures; over the rounded upper wave crests, while the in between? lying. The bottom of the wave is unprinted. The printed, wave-pleated fabric panels produced in this way represent a fashionably extraordinarily attractive starting product for the production of dresses, skirts, blouses and the like. the like.

FIG. 11 schematically illustrates a calender 130 for carrying out the method described above. This calender 130 essentially consists of a large, rotatable steel pressure roller 132, the peripheral surface of which serves as the pressure surface 120 is brought to the required temperature by a heated oil filling. The felt web 118 is designed as an endless web, which is guided by deflection rollers 134, 136, 138, 140, 142 and 144 so that it wraps around the peripheral surface 120 of the pressure roller 132 over an angle of more than 180 °. The deflecting roller 134 is expediently not mounted in a fixed position, but rather displaceably in the printing machine frame (not shown), so that by changing the pressure in a compressed air cylinder (also not shown) acting on the axis of rotation of the deflecting roller 134, the tension with which the felt web 118 can be changed is pressed onto the peripheral surface 120 of the pressure roller 132.

The pleated composite web 110, 112 composed of the fabric web 110 and the lower paper web 112 is unrolled from the supply roll 146 and guided into the area of the peripheral surface 120 of the pressure roller 132 wrapped by the felt web 118. The thermal printing paper 116 unrolled from the roll 148 is also guided between the peripheral surface 120 and the web 110, 112. Since the felt web 118 rotates in the wrapping area at the same angular velocity as the printing roller 132, there is no relative displacement of the thermal printing paper relative to the web 110, 112 in the printing area, so that a clear transfer print is obtained. The emerging thermal printing paper 116 is wound onto the roll 150, while the printed web 110, 112 is wound onto the roll 152. The now printed fabric web cools down on the path lying between the exit from the printing nip and the roll 152. this cooling can also be promoted by blowing cooling air. Before rolling onto roll 152, the base paper can still be removed, or it can also be rolled up.

It should be pointed out that the composite web 110, 112 composed of the fabric web 110 and the lower paper web 112 is shown in the drawing as a flat web for reasons of simplification of the illustration. In fact, at the entrance it is the shape shown in FIG. 7 with the sharp-jagged standing pleats, while after the exit from the pressure nip it has the corrugated shape shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively.

If the flatter shafts are to be produced according to FIG. 10, the roller 146 can be provided with an adjustable brake, so that the web 110, 112 must be pulled off the roller 146 against the braking force, the standing pleats pulling apart. Winding up on roll 152 under tension such that the wave-pleated printed fabric web is wound smoothly on the roll itself also promotes the formation of wider, shallower wave-pleats. Such webs of fabric with flatter waves have the advantage of lower fabric consumption compared to the fabrics provided with a deeper "wave pleated blind". H. in the case of very flat waves, practically approximates consumption when processing unpleated fabrics.

On the other hand, the fashionable effect achieved in garments made of fabrics with deeper corrugations is that when the wearer moves by stretching or relaxing individual sections of fabric, the unprinted sections of fabric appear more or less strongly in the underside of the wave, compared to flatter corrugated fabrics.

Claims (12)

1. Method for making textured patterns in originally smooth webs of fabric, in which the smooth web of fabric is first subjected to a mechanical pleating treatment, characterized in that the mechanically pleated web of fabric is continousJy pleated and the pleated pleats are deformed, whereupon the deformation of the pleats is fixed by cooling of the web of fabric.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a web of thermal printing paper is fed onto the mechanically pleated web of fabric prior to its being heated and that both webs are pressed together in a superimposed position and are heated simultaneously to the temperature required for transferring the color and/or the pattern of the thermal printing paper, and in that the web of thermal printing paper after transfer of the pattern to the web of fabric is removed again.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mechanically pleated web of fabric in heated condition is so tensioned that the pleated pleats are essentially smooth whereupon the thus tensioned web of fabric is wound into a roll and is cooled in the wound up condition.

4. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the mechanically pleated web of fabric when still in a heated state from the pleating treatment is immediately following the pleating treatment tensioned and wound up.

5. Method according to claim 3, characterized in that the cooled, mechanically pleated web of fabric in the form of a roll is continuosly drawn off from the roll and is heated and then tensioned and wound up again.

6. Method according to claim 2 and 5, characterized in that the web of thermal printing paper is fed onto the web of fabric drawn off from the roll and mechanically pleated prior to its continuous heating, that the two webs are then pressed together in superimposed position and are simultaneuosly heated to the temperature required for transferring -the color and/or pattern of the thermal printing paper onto the web of fabric, and that the web of thermal printing paper is removed again from the web of fabric prior to the subsequent tensioning and winding up of the web of fabric.

7. Method according to claim 1 and 2, in which first mechanically low upright pleated pleats are pleated into the smooth web of fabric which is covered with an upper and a lower web of paper, the pleated web of fabric is wound up on a roll and the pleated pleats are permanently fixed by a subsequent heat treatment of the roll, characterized in that the web of fabric freed from the upper web of paper and provided with upright pleated pleats is drawn off from the roll and that the web of thermal printing paper is placed on its free upper side, that the two webs are pressed together such that the upright pleated pleats of the web of fabric are partially pressed in and engage areally the web of thermal printing paper, while heat energy is applied to the backside of the web of thermal printing paper facing away from the web of fabric which transfers the color and/or the pattern of the web of thermal printing paper onto the engaging areas of the web of fabric.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the upper web of paper prior to the heat treatment is removed from the web of fabric for purposes of permanently fixing the upright pleated pleats and during the subsequent winding up of the folded web of fabric a smooth follower web is rolled into the web of fabric roll, and that the follower web of paper is removed again prior to the application of the web of thermal printing paper.

9. Method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the web of fabric provided with the upright pleated pleats and the web of thermal printing paper placed thereon are continuously fed onto the circumferential surface of a rotating heated pressure roller such that the backside of the web of thermal printing paper rests on the pressure roller, and that the webs engaging each other are pressed against the web of thermal printing paper by a web of felt-like material which engages the backside of the web of fabric provided with the lower web of paper, which winds around the pressure roller over a predetermined angular range, and which rotates over this angular range with the angular velocity of the pressure roller.

10. Method according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that a web of creped relatively stiff paper is used as the material for the lower paper web.

11. Method according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that the web of fabric provided with the upright pleated pleats prior to application of the web of thermal printing paper is tensioned in the longitudinal direction of the web such that the upright pleated pleats are somewhat pulled apart compared to the non- tensioned state.

. 12. Method according to one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that the pleated web of fabric after the printing and removal of the web of thermal printing paper is also immediately separated from the lower web of paper and is wound up onto a roll under such longitudinal tension that the wave-like folds remaining in the web of fabric are smooth in the wound up state.

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