EP0334574A2 - Article de nettoyage - Google Patents

Article de nettoyage Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0334574A2
EP0334574A2 EP89302715A EP89302715A EP0334574A2 EP 0334574 A2 EP0334574 A2 EP 0334574A2 EP 89302715 A EP89302715 A EP 89302715A EP 89302715 A EP89302715 A EP 89302715A EP 0334574 A2 EP0334574 A2 EP 0334574A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fibrils
pile
tack
spun
cleaning product
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP89302715A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0334574A3 (fr
Inventor
Colin George Fossett Knight
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0334574A2 publication Critical patent/EP0334574A2/fr
Publication of EP0334574A3 publication Critical patent/EP0334574A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47L13/00—Implements for cleaning floors, carpets, furniture, walls, or wall coverings
    • A47L13/10—Scrubbing; Scouring; Cleaning; Polishing
    • A47L13/16—Cloths; Pads; Sponges
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H11/00—Non-woven pile fabrics
    • D04H11/08—Non-woven pile fabrics formed by creation of a pile on at least one surface of a non-woven fabric without addition of pile-forming material, e.g. by needling, by differential shrinking

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to cleaning products and their production.
  • the polymeric material is a thermoplastic and cold air or another cooling medium is blown into the nip formed between the heated roll and the thermoplastic material as the thermoplastic separates from the roll.
  • this type of process it has also been proposed in UK patent specifications 1329426, 1378638, 1378639, 1378640, 1451311, 1451312, 1451313, and 1481224 to feed the thermoplastic to the roll together with a backing web with the thermoplastic between the heated roll and the backing so that the thermoplastic softens and one side bonds to the backing web under the influence of the heated roll whilst the fibrils are drawn out from the other side of the thermo­plastic.
  • thermoplastic pile is collapsed in selected areas by application of heat preferably above the melting point of the thermoplastic material to the areas of the pile where collapse is required.
  • the embossing may be achieved for example by use of a heated embossing roll or by heating selected areas using for example a stencil; the pile may be collapsed by heating the pile side or from the reverse side.
  • Embossing may also be achieved by the method described in UK patent specification 1451322 in which the tack-spun pile-­surfaced product is deformed between two co-operating, intermeshing surfaces. In this process the pile remains essentially unchanged and the backing sheet is permanently deformed.
  • tack spun pile surfaced product having a backing web is heated from the back after completion of the tack spinning process at a temperature insufficient to cause collapse of the pile so that abrasion resistance of the pile and adhesion of the pile to the backing is improved.
  • the pile is said to retain its original feel, texture and appearance.
  • a cleaning product comprises fibrils of a synthetic thermoplastic polymer characterized in that the layer has an outer surface at least a part of which comprises coalesced fibrils.
  • the tips of substantially all the fibrils are coalesced with one or more other of the fibrils.
  • the layer is preferably bonded to a substrate, which is conveniently the backing material on which the fibrils are formed in the tack-spinning process.
  • the coalescence of the fibrils is preferably by their being “welded” together, that is joined by the same thermo­plastic polymer as that of the fibrils themselves.
  • the coalescence of the fibrils tends to form bunches or tufts of coalesced fibrils resulting in an irregular "honeycomb" structure, the major part of the coalescence being at the tips of the fibrils. This tends to lead to agglomerations of polymer which give the upper surface a harsh feel.
  • the pilous form of the fibrils is generally retained in the structure of the layer, the major part of the original fibrils being attached by one end to the substrate. It is preferred that the major part of the tufts of coalesced fibres are substantially erect, that is generally upstanding rather than flattened or felted.
  • the layer of at least partially coalesced fibrils may be any thickness convenient for the cleaning application envisaged, typically from about 1mm. to about 10mm., usually about 5mm.
  • the thermoplastic polymer may include addition polymers, for example polymers and copolymers of ethylene, propylene, butadiene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, vinylidene chloride, acrylonitrile and styrene and condensation polymers, for example polyamides and polyesters e.g. of glycols and aromatic dicarboxylie acids. Blends of polymeric compositions may be used.
  • thermoplastic polymers that can be employed include polyethylene, nylon, polyethylene terephthalate and polyvinyl chloride.
  • the particularly preferred polymeric material is low-density polyethylene, or a blend of low-density polyethylene and a minor proportion of high-density polyethylene.
  • the substrate to which the layer of coalesced fibrils may be bonded can be of any material suitable for the cleaning application envisaged, provided it can withstand the process by which the cleaning product of the invention is prepared.
  • Porous or non-porous materials may be used, although we prefer to use a porous or perforated material.
  • particularly suitable materials include woven and non-woven textile webs such as hessian, cotton net, glass-fibre scrims and linen scrims: leather e.g. chamois leather may also be used.
  • the substrate may also be of paper or other material e.g. metal or cardboard having holes formed therein. Expanded or knitted metal, metal mesh, expanded plastics or plastics net may also be used. Plastics foam sheeting e.g. of polyurethane or polyester particularly the open cell variety, is also advantageously useful in the invention.
  • the layer of coalesced fibrils of a synthetic thermo­plastic polymer may be combined, for example by lamination or other joining method, with further such layers to build up a thickness desired for a particular product according to the invention.
  • the layer may be bonded to other materials which might be advantageously employed as part of the cleaning product, for example sponge pads and cork blocks. This is especially convenient when the layer is bonded to a substrate which is itself bonded to such further material.
  • the layer of coalesced fibrils and/or the substrate and/ or further materials joined thereto may contain ingredients useful in the cleaning use to which the product is put, for example, soaps and detergents, abrasives and disinfectants.
  • the invention also includes a method of producing a cleaning product comprising the step of heating a tack-spun pile surfaced material at such a temperature and for such a time that at least some of the fibrils of the pile are softened sufficiently for at least partial coalescence of the fibrils to take place without causing complete collapse of the pile.
  • the heating may be carried out on tack-spun material at any time after its manufacture, but it is preferred to do so on freshly-made material. It is convenient, therefore, to carry out the process in a continuous manner as a further step in the tack-spinning process after the fibrils have been hardened by cooling.
  • Heating of the pile may be effected in a variety of ways, preferably by heating in such a way that the heat source does not make contact with the pile.
  • the pile-surfaced side of the material is heated, for example by passing it into a heating zone in which a hot air stream or infra-red radiant heat is allowed to impinge on the pile, or the material may be brought close to, but not sufficiently close to make contact with, a heated surface.
  • Heating may be concentrated on certain defined regions of the pile surface, for example by localised or intermittent heating.
  • the intensity and duration of the heating step depend upon the degree of coalescence of the fibrils desired for the cleaning product having regard in particular to the degree of harshness required at its surface.
  • the length of the fibrils in the pile of the tack-spun material to be heated is not critical, but it is preferred to use a material having long fibrils, for example between about 5mm. and 50mm. Very short fibrils do not normally provide a coalesced layer sufficiently deep to be effective in a cleaning application. A "shaggy" pile is preferred such as that normally available in tack-spun pile surfaced materials known as "grass", "lawn” or "mop" varieties.
  • the tack-spun material has a backing
  • the fibrils of the tack-spun material it is also preferred for the fibrils of the tack-spun material to have been hardened by passing coolant e.g. cold air, through the non-pile side of the backing.
  • coolant e.g. cold air
  • the filament-forming thermoplastic polymers used in the formation of the tack-spun materials used in the process are as hereinbefore described, particular preference being given to tack-spun materials which have been made from polyethylene, especially low-density polyethylene or blends of low-density polyethylene with a minor proportion of high-density polyethylene.
  • Colour may conveniently be introduced into the products of the invention by employing a coloured filament-forming thermoplastic polymer in the tack-spinning process to produce the tack-spun material from which the cleaning product is made.
  • the cleaning products of the invention in their various forms as hereinbefore described, find uses primarily in the household scouring field. Thus they may be used as pan scrubbers, especially for pans and other cooking utensils having a non-stick surface which may be damaged by more abrasive materials.
  • FIG. 1 One embodiment of apparatus for producing products of the invention is illustrated diagrammatically in side elevation in Figure 1.
  • a sheet of polymeric material in film form 1, and a backing web 2 are fed between two guide rolls 3 and 3a, contact a hot roller 4 and fed into the nip between this and a contra-rotating pressure roll 5.
  • the backing On the exit side of the nip the backing is led over a hollow bar 6 having holes 7 through which cooling air is passed to cool and stabilise the pile 8.
  • the tack-spun pile surfaced material 9 is led under hot air jets 10 which serve to coalesce most of the fibrils in the pile into tufts to form the product 11.
  • Fig. 2 is a plan view and Fig. 3 is a section of an example of a product according to the invention.
  • white areas such as 20, 21 are regions of fibril coalescence, and dark areas such as 22, 23 are hollows where, in some cases, the backing 2 is visible.
  • Coalescence occurs principally at the tips of the fibrils and provides a relatively rough surface feel compared to the soft feel of the uncoalesced pile.
  • the uncoalesced portions of the fibrils retain a pile characteristic and provide a spring feel to the pile layer as a whole.
  • the product is pliable and has a generally open-topped cellular type structure with cells or voids communicating through the spaces between uncoalesced portions of the fibrils.
  • the whole area is heated to form the product but in some cases only parts of the pile are heated to produce coalescence.
  • the heater may be turned on and off to produce the desired product.
  • the product can be described as having open-topped cavities which are interconnected between the uncoalesced parts of the fibrils.
  • a hot air gun was traversed over the pile surface of the "Vivelle" lawn material, the nozzle of the air gun being about 5cm from the surface of the pile.
  • the temperature of the air at or near the surface was about 90-­95°C.
  • the speed of traverse was such that the area on which the air impinged at any time was heated for about 2 to 3 seconds.
  • Heating can conveniently be done at or just above the Vicat softening temperature of the thermoplastic polymer.
EP89302715A 1988-03-23 1989-03-20 Article de nettoyage Withdrawn EP0334574A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8806949 1988-03-23
GB888806949A GB8806949D0 (en) 1988-03-23 1988-03-23 Cleaning products

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0334574A2 true EP0334574A2 (fr) 1989-09-27
EP0334574A3 EP0334574A3 (fr) 1990-08-29

Family

ID=10633980

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89302715A Withdrawn EP0334574A3 (fr) 1988-03-23 1989-03-20 Article de nettoyage

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0334574A3 (fr)
JP (1) JPH01310636A (fr)
GB (2) GB8806949D0 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6592960B1 (en) * 1999-05-07 2003-07-15 Japan Absorbent Technology Bulky non-woven fabric and method for manufacturing the same
US6964726B2 (en) * 2002-12-26 2005-11-15 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Absorbent webs including highly textured surface
US7070727B2 (en) 1997-07-29 2006-07-04 3M Innovative Properties Company Methods for making microstructured polymer substrates

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5618583A (en) * 1994-08-29 1997-04-08 The Procter & Gamble Company Sheet material having a fibrous surface and method of making the same

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2115298A1 (fr) * 1970-11-20 1972-07-07 Ici Ltd
FR2245482A1 (fr) * 1973-09-27 1975-04-25 Ici Ltd
GB1573270A (en) * 1976-12-08 1980-08-20 Teijin Ltd Fabric filter and process for producing the same
GB1593256A (en) * 1976-10-07 1981-07-15 Ici Ltd Pile surface products

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1271238A (en) * 1968-07-30 1972-04-19 Dunlop Holdings Ltd Surface covering material
GB1539477A (en) * 1977-12-07 1979-01-31 Flock Dev & Res Co Ltd Cleaning product
US4477938A (en) * 1982-02-18 1984-10-23 Samuel Rogut Material which has abrasive properties and method of making same
DE3878343T2 (de) * 1987-02-27 1993-07-22 Toray Industries Dreidimensionales gewebe mit spezialer struktur und verfahren zu dessen herstellung.

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2115298A1 (fr) * 1970-11-20 1972-07-07 Ici Ltd
FR2245482A1 (fr) * 1973-09-27 1975-04-25 Ici Ltd
GB1593256A (en) * 1976-10-07 1981-07-15 Ici Ltd Pile surface products
GB1573270A (en) * 1976-12-08 1980-08-20 Teijin Ltd Fabric filter and process for producing the same

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7070727B2 (en) 1997-07-29 2006-07-04 3M Innovative Properties Company Methods for making microstructured polymer substrates
US6592960B1 (en) * 1999-05-07 2003-07-15 Japan Absorbent Technology Bulky non-woven fabric and method for manufacturing the same
US6964726B2 (en) * 2002-12-26 2005-11-15 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Absorbent webs including highly textured surface

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8806949D0 (en) 1988-04-27
GB2216556A (en) 1989-10-11
JPH01310636A (ja) 1989-12-14
GB8906365D0 (en) 1989-05-04
EP0334574A3 (fr) 1990-08-29

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