Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B68—SADDLERY; UPHOLSTERY
  • B68G—METHODS, EQUIPMENT, OR MACHINES FOR USE IN UPHOLSTERING; UPHOLSTERY NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B68G7/00—Making upholstery
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06B—TREATING TEXTILE MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS, GASES OR VAPOURS
  • D06B9/00—Solvent-treatment of textile materials
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A41—WEARING APPAREL
  • A41H—APPLIANCES OR METHODS FOR MAKING CLOTHES, e.g. FOR DRESS-MAKING OR FOR TAILORING, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • A41H43/00—Other methods, machines or appliances
  • A41H43/04—Joining garment parts or blanks by gluing or welding ; Gluing presses

Definitions

• This invention relates to a method of making a cushion assembly which includes a foam cushion and a cloth covering, such as a cushion article for vehicle seating.
• the conventional method of making cloth articles begins with cutting the cloth, in the flat, into a number of pieces which are arranged according to a predetermined, often complex pattern.
• many layers of cloth are cut to the desired pattern at one time.
• This procedure introduces size variations in the pieces, since the cutting knife may not hold precisely to the true pattern through the multiple layers of cloth.
• undesirable variations in the size and configuration of the final article occur.
• Conventional manufacture of cloth articles also requires that the cloth pieces of the pattern be joined or seamed, by sewing or welding, and darts are typically employed where necessary to shape the article. This is followed by pressing to improve fit and remove wrinkles. All of these steps are labor intensive and therefore expensive.
• Molded cloth articles require far fewer seams and darts than traditionally manufactured products. This reduces the problem of opened and puckered seams, and greatly improves the article's durability, particularly after extended use and cleaning.
• molded manufacture of cloth articles can provide improved appearance in the final product while at the same time reducing costs by minimizing both labor and the amount of material required to produce a finished product.
• EP-A-0072648 there is described a method of making garments, wherein a cloth shell is preformed from unfinished cloth and is placed onto a mold which is expanded to place the cloth shell under uniform tension, and the cloth shell and mold are immersed in a hot dyebath to dye the cloth and to heat-set the cloth so that it retains the three-dimensional shape of the mold when it is subsequently removed from the shell.
• a hot dyebath to dye the cloth and to heat-set the cloth so that it retains the three-dimensional shape of the mold when it is subsequently removed from the shell.
• the dyeing step in some instances involves the application of heat to the fabric, which in thermoplastic fabrics tends to set the intersections of the individual yarns.
• the tentering process involves the application of both tension and heat to set the intersections of the individual yarns.
• the fabric is set, dyed or tentered while in the general shape of the finished garment itself, significant advantages being obtained by working with goods which are not completely finished or greige goods which come off the loom or knitting machine prior to the application of any finishing processes.
• a method of making a cushion assembly comprising the step of constructing a cushion assembly including a foam cushion and cloth covering characterised in that the cloth covering is made from a flat blank of unfinished and undyed cloth, and while on the foam cushion the cloth covering is treated by being contacted with a dyebath, heated to a temperature above the cloth heat-set threshold and subsequently cooled to a temperature below the cloth heat-set temperature so that said cloth will be dyed and will retain the three-dimensional shape of said cushion, whereby the foam cushion of the final cushion assembly serves as a mold for the cloth covering during said treatment.
• the present invention provides a dramatic departure and advance over the prior art methods for making cushion articles. It utilizes unfinished cloth which may be cut into a specially configured pattern or blank, and then forming, finishing and dyeing the cloth to completely finish and set its dimensional memory while using as a mold the foam cushion which is an essential part of the final product.
• the method of forming and dyeing .the cloth cover can produce cushion articles of excellent appearance and having covers which will reliably hold their color and original shape.
• the dyeing can be performed at a temperature above the heat-set threshold of the cloth so that the cloth is dyed and simultaneously set. Alternately, the dye can be applied first and the heat then applied.
• the cloth used in the practice of the present invention is preferably a one-piece flat "blank" or three dimensional shell constructed from the fewest possible number of pieces (preferably one) and joined by the least amount of stitching or welding possible.
• the shape of the cloth blank or shell generally follows the shape of the mold.
• the cloth is an undyed polyester product which is dyed by first chemically treating the cloth to lower the fabric heat history characteristics and hence its ability to absorb dye and then dipping the cloth into a dye bath.
• the setting step may be performed at the same time the cloth is dyed by heating the dyebath above the heat set threshold of the polyester fabric.
• the method of the present invention may utilize a wide variety of cloth materials, such as that woven or knitted from man-made or natural yarns or fibers, including nylon, polyester, acrylic, linen, cotton, rayon, wool, silk or blends of these fibers.
• the present invention is particularly well suited to woven fabrics, but its advantages apply to knitted fabrics as well.
• the invention involves the use of unfinished cloth.
• unfinished cloth is intended to mean cloth that has not been subjected in the flat to the conventional treatments which impart to the cloth a permanent dimensional or shape memory or to set or fix the intersections of the yarn.
• finishing procedures such as tentering, crabbing, preshrink processes, chemical cross-linking processes and others well known in the art are not to be performed on the cloth prior to its use in practicing the present invention, to the extent that such procedures impart a permanent dimensional or shape memory to the cloth.
• finished cloth is intended to mean cloth that has been subjected to such permanent dimensional and shape memory procedures. Since unfinished cloth is employed in the process of the present invention, in practice, any thermoplastic synthetic cloth used will be exposed to its highest temperature during the molding and dyeing processes. Typically, the cloth used will have sufficient dimensional integrity to facilitate any prior cutting operations which may be required, but will otherwise have relatively little dimensional memory and the intersections of the yarn will not be permanently set or fixed.
• the cloth is subjected to a special treatment in the flat prior to use in the molding process in order to achieve a superior appearance free from even incidental wrinkling.
• the cloth is lightly tensioned in the warp direction but left without tension in the fill direction and then heated to an elevated temperature, but one that is below the heat set temperature or conventional tentering temperature of the cloth. It has been found that this preconditioning of the cloth prior to the molding process eliminates any light wrinkling that might otherwise appear in the finished article.
• finished cloth - that which has been treated in the flat to impart permanent dimensional memory to the cloth - is unsuitable for a number of reasons.
• Third, unfinished cloth, having yarn intersections that are free to move in both direction and dimension, can be properly orientated on the mold with the cloth distributed generally uniformly and without wrinkles, whereas finished cloth with relatively fixed yarn intersections prove difficult, if not impossible, to orientate without wrinkles on the mold.
• the cloth is treated and dyed while on the mold constituted by the foam cushion to both color the cloth and to set the cloth, that is, to impart to the fabric a permanent shape and dimensional stability or memory.
• the dyeing and treating steps may be performed simultaneously or successively.
• Heat setting of the cloth on the mold may be accomplished by passing the mold and cloth through an oven at a temperature sufficient to heat the cloth above its heat set threshold, which varies with the nature of the fabric.
• heating liquids or high pressure steam may be circulated around the mold and cloth in order to raise the temperature of the fabric above its heat set threshold.
• the present invention is directed to the dyeing of the cloth cover in combination with a heat treatment which will effect shape and dimensional memory in the cloth while it is on the foam cushion mold.
• the cloth cover is not only dimensionally set but is also dyed on the foam cushion in practice, greige goods have not been tentered or dyed may be cut into a properly shaped blank, mounted onto a suitable pre-prepared foam cushion and then dyed and set to provide a finished article.
• Any of the commonly used and conventional dyeing techniques known in the art may be employed in accordance with this aspect of the present invention. This approach has the advantage that the manufacturer may inventory the greige goods and then color the covers during manufacture to match the given demands of the marketplace.
• the specific cushion article will exhibit a greater color uniformity at the seam lines.
• the sequence of processing i.e. dyeing and then setting, vice-versa or simultaneous
• a woven polyester/nylon, undyed cloth was prepared at the mill without any treatments that would impart a permanent set to the intersections of the yarn.
• This cloth was washed, bulked and dried, laminated to a film laminate including a polyurethane layer and an open-cell polyester foam layer, and then cut into a flat blank suitable for use as a seat cushion covering.
• the cloth blank was then drawn by vacuum into a mold and a polyurethane resin was poured into the mold and foamed, in situ, at relatively low temperature of approximately 120°-150°F (49°-65°C) to provide an integral cushion and covering.
• the cloth covered cushion was then removed from the mold and immersed in a dye bath at approximately 320°F (160°C) for about 120 seconds.
• the polyurethane foam cushion serves as a mold and the cloth covering is both dyed and set in the shape of the cushion.
• the cloth covered cushion was washed in a suitable solvent and dried. The resulting cushion exhibited excellent color and the cloth was permanently shaped in the configuration of the foam cushion.
• a polyurethane resin is poured directly into a mold and cured to form the desired shape of a foam cushion article such as a seat cushion.
• the foam thereby is poured into the mold in its liquid state and cold cured.
• the cured foam cushion is removed from the mold and a cloth covering is placed over the cushion.
• the covering is of unfinished and undyed cloth.
• the cloth preferably is preformed into a shell complementary to the three-dimensional shape of the cushion article.
• the shell is held onto the cushion by any of a variety of means such as mechanical means or adhesive. Or an open cell foam can be employed and vacuum applied to a vinyl backed covering.
• the cloth covering then is contacted with a dyebath and heated while on the cured foam cushion so that the cloth will be dyed and will retain the three-dimensional shape of the cushion.
• the cloth covering then is cooled while on the cushion.
• the cured foam cushion itself acts as a male mold to hold the fabric of the cloth in contour as it is dyed and set.
• the cloth covering is thereby heated to a temperature above the heat-set threshold and cooled to a temperature below the cloth heat-set temperature.
• the foam cushion acts as a mold in treating or setting the cloth covering while dyeing, and actually becomes part of the final product.
• the cured foam cushion must be sufficiently rigid to withstand the slight shrinking of the cloth during setting. It has been found that at least a 35 pound (16Kg) deflection rating is acceptable. In other words, an "indention load deflection" rating is determined by the weight required to deflect the foam one inch (2.54cm) when spread over a fifty inch (1.27m) area.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
• Coloring (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=27068851

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1984
  • 1984-10-08 IE IE2571/84A patent/IE55887B1/xx unknown
  • 1984-10-12 AU AU34174/84A patent/AU580564B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1984-10-12 CA CA000465380A patent/CA1238456A/en not_active Expired
  • 1984-10-15 DE DE8484307053T patent/DE3479309D1/de not_active Expired
  • 1984-10-15 EP EP84307053A patent/EP0145168B1/en not_active Expired
  • 1984-10-30 BR BR8405530A patent/BR8405530A/pt unknown
  • 1984-10-30 IL IL73368A patent/IL73368A0/xx unknown
  • 1984-10-31 MX MX203236A patent/MX159466A/es unknown
  • 1984-11-01 SE SE8405496A patent/SE457720B/sv not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1984-11-02 KR KR1019840006859A patent/KR870000951B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1984-11-02 ES ES537356A patent/ES537356A0/es active Granted

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