EP0873442B1

EP0873442B1 - Process for finishing of clothes made of cotton fabric, in particular of so-called jeans

Info

Publication number: EP0873442B1
Application number: EP96937451A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Paolo Pignotti
Original assignee: Martelli Lavorazione Tessili Srl
Current assignee: Martelli Lavorazione Tessili Srl
Priority date: 1995-11-29
Filing date: 1996-11-22
Publication date: 1999-09-22
Anticipated expiration: 2016-11-22
Also published as: DE69604423D1; AU7503596A; TR199800975T2; TNSN96147A1; EP0873442A1; MA24243A1; IT1279690B1; WO1997020096A1; ITBO950560A0; ITBO950560A1; ATE184927T1

Abstract

The process for dry finishing of clothes made of cotton, particularly of jeans-like fabric, includes the following steps: turning the clothes inside out; introducing the clothes into a rotating container, together with predetermined quantities of sodium hydroxide flakes, pumice grains and perlite; dry treatment of the clothes in the container with the sodium hydroxide, pumice and perlite by mechanical action of shaking and/or mixing for a pre-established period of time; washing with water containing acetic acid in order to remove remains of caustic soda from the fabric.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to production of clothes made of cotton fabric, and in particular of fabric commonly known as jeans.
More precisely, the present invention relates to a finishing process, designed to obtain a characteristic aesthetic feature of these clothes, particularly requested by buyers.

BACKGROUND ART

It is known that the so-called jeans is usually produced from cotton cloth first dyed with indigo and then sized to obtain characteristic colour and consistence.
Then this fabric is used for producing clothes, like e.g. trousers, skirts, blouses or shirts.
These clothes are usually subjected to finishing treatment that gives them an aesthetic look, or image for which there is a call and which are in fashion at the moment.
The so treated clothes seem to be worn-out since the very moment of their purchase.
A commonly used process for jeans clothes artificial ageing and wear and tear includes firstly washing in suitable cylindrical rotating containers.
The clothes are usually washed with water, pumice grains, one or more oxidising agents, like chlorine or hydrogen peroxide, and one or more suitably chosen and mixed enzymes that catalyse the oxidising action.
Then the clothes are put into another rotating container, provided inside with blades which repeatedly shake the clothes so as to remove remaining pumice grains.
This operation is commonly called "sieving".
Finally, the clothes are washed with suitable detergents and softeners.
The ageing effect intensity is determined by types and doses of oxidising agents and enzymes used for washing.
Degree, to which jeans has been "softened" is determined by duration and intensity of oxidising action.
The publication EP-A-0 238 779 discloses a method of producing a random faded effect on cloth or made-up garments. The method is implemented in a machine with a rotating drum into which the garments are introduced together with granules impregnated with a fluid bleaching agent. To carry out the method, the granules have to be treated with a fluid bleaching agent before they can be used. The aim of this additional step, is to have the bleaching agent acting on the clothes surface in a more uniform way, and to avoid concentration of the bleaching action along the seams.
Publication US-A-5.114.426 deals with the problem of removing the residual of chemical and abrasive substances after the stonewashing treatment has finished. To solve the problem, a method is proposed according to which the substances to be used for the treatment are compacted to obtain tablets. The tablets are soluble in water or other rinse liquid, used at the end of the process to clean the clothes. Also in this case, the substances needed for the process are prepared in a pre-process step, to obtain the tablets.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to propose a finishing process for clothes made of cotton, and particularly of jeans, that gives the so treated articles a new look.
The above mentioned object, together with others which will appear from the description, are obtained in accordance with the content of the claims.
The characteristic features of the present invention are pointed out in the following description with particular reference to its application to jeans fabric and to some process embodiments.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The process includes a sequence of working steps performed on clothes made of raw fabric, from which the sizing has been previously removed.
According to a first embodiment, each article is turned inside out.
Then a predetermined quantity of clothes is introduced into a container, which can be of cylindrical and rotating type, commonly used for known treatments of artificial ageing.
Predetermined quantities of exothermic reagent substance in solid state, of solid abrasive and spongy substance and of inactive solid material are introduced to the same container.
The cylinder is rotated and therefore, the clothes are subjected to the action of the reagent substance, the abrasive substance and inactive material, combined with the mechanical shaking and mixing action.
The treatment is completely dry.
According to the first embodiment of the invention, the reagent exothermic substance is sodium hydroxide, commonly known as caustic soda, in the form of flakes.
It performs a chemical action, by reacting with the cellulose surface layers of jeans fabric, as well as a thermal action with the same fabric, since it reacts with humidity remaining therein, thus generating heat.
The abrasive substance is pumice in grains, preferably of a particular type produced in Italy; its main task is to accentuate the mechanical action performed on the fabric and to act as a carrier of caustic soda flakes, facilitating its better and uniform distribution on the fabric whole surface.
In this case the particular type of pumice produced in Italy is preferred, because it is particularly friable and its mechanical action performed on the fabric is gradual and delicate.
The inactive material is perlite, also in grains.
It performs a contrasting action to the caustic soda chemical action, substantially proportional to the used quantity.
This action retards and attenuates the aggressive effects of caustic soda on the fabric cellulose.
Afterwards, the clothes are taken out from the container and washed with water containing substances that completely neutralise caustic soda remains and remove the pumice and perlite remains.
According to the first embodiment of the invention, this bath is made with water containing a predetermined quantity of acetic acid.
The combination of mechanical, chemical and thermal actions performed on the clothes gives the fabric a very particular roughness, very similar to the one resulting from the clothes long use and repeated manual washing with water and soap.
Now, a dry finishing treatment, performed according to the present invention, will be described in a quantitative way as a pure example.
The following are introduced into the rotating container:
14 kg of jeans clothes (equivalent to about 20 pieces);
25 kg of Italian pumice, in grains of dimension included between 1 and 2 cm;
2.5 kg of perlite;
2.5 kg of caustic soda flakes.
Then the container is rotated and the clothes therein are treated for 20 minutes. Afterwards, the clothes are taken out and washed.
Generally, the degree of so obtained fabric roughness depends on the treatment duration.
An advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that the above described dry finishing treatment gives the treated clothes a completely new look, particularly pleasant and appreciable for buyers.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, which can be applied particularly in case of jeans trousers treatment, before turning the trousers inside out, their front part is subjected to mechanical action of rubbing and/or scratching.
These mechanical actions are performed horizontally, vertically or in both directions.
Horizontal rubbing is performed specially in trousers lateral parts, near their groin fastener, along substantially parallel action lines, so as to obtain a series of nearly parallel discoloration lines, commonly known as "whiskers" that simulate natural discoloration occurring as a result of trousers long use.
Vertical scratching is performed specially in the upper part of trousers legs and allows to obtain slightly shaded discoloration, also in this case a simulation of natural discoloration occurring as a result of trousers long use and repeated washing.
Then, the trousers are turned inside out and subjected to the dry finishing treatment, already described for the first embodiment of the invention.
Advantages of the finishing process described in the second embodiment derive from the fact that it gives the clothes a new look, consisting not only of roughness, absolutely similar to the one resulting from clothes long use and repeated washing with water and soap, but also discoloring effects, usually resulting from the same long use and repeated washing.
This look is particularly pleasant and appreciated by buyers.

Claims

Process for finishing of clothes made of cotton fabric, characterised in that it includes the following sequence of working steps:
turning said clothes inside out;
introducing the same clothes into a suitable container together with a predetermined quantity of an exothermic reagent substance in solid state, and a predetermined quantity of a solid, abrasive and spongy substance;
dry treatment of the clothes in said container with said reagent substance and with said solid, abrasive and spongy substance, to perform a mechanical action of shaking and/or mixing for a pre-determined period of time;
washing with water containing substances that remove remains of said reagent substance.
Process, according to claim 1, characterised in that said exothermic reagent substance in solid state is sodium hydroxide in flakes
Process, according to claim 1, characterised in that said abrasive substance is Italian pumice in grains.
Process, according to precedent claims, characterised in that it includes a contemporary dry treatment of said clothes with a predetermined quantity of a solid. inactive substance that regulates the action of said exothermic reagent substance.
Process, according to claim 4, characterised in that said inactive substance is perlite.
Process for finishing of clothes made of cotton, characterised in that it includes the following sequence of working steps:
turning said clothes inside out;
introducing the same clothes into a suitable container together with predetermined quantities of sodium hydroxide in flakes, of Italian pumice in grains and of perlite;
dry treatment of the clothes in said container with said sodium hydroxide in flakes, Italian pumice in grains and perlite by a mechanical action of shaking and/or mixing for a pre-determined period of time;
washing said clothes with water containing substances that neutralise and/or remove remains of said reagent substance.
Process. according to claims 1 or 6, characterised in that said substances removing remains of said reagent substance are predetermined quantities of water and acetic acid.
Process according to claims 1 or 6, characterised in that said clothes are in particular trousers made of jeans fabric and in that, before being turned inside out, said trousers are subjected to mechanical action of rubbing and/or scratching that create particular effects of discolouring.
Process, according to claim 8, characterised in that said mechanical action of rubbing and/or scratching is performed on the said trousers front part.
Process, according to claim 9, characterised in that said mechanical action of rubbing is performed on the lateral parts of said trousers near their groin fastener in a substantially horizontal direction according to a plurality of substantially parallel action lines.
Process, according to claim 9, characterised in that said mechanical action of scratching is performed on the upper part of said trousers legs in a substantially vertical direction.