Classifications

• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06M—TREATMENT, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE IN CLASS D06, OF FIBRES, THREADS, YARNS, FABRICS, FEATHERS OR FIBROUS GOODS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS
  • D06M10/00—Physical treatment of fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics, or fibrous goods made from such materials, e.g. ultrasonic, corona discharge, irradiation, electric currents, or magnetic fields; Physical treatment combined with treatment with chemical compounds or elements
  • D06M10/005—Laser beam treatment
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06M—TREATMENT, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE IN CLASS D06, OF FIBRES, THREADS, YARNS, FABRICS, FEATHERS OR FIBROUS GOODS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS
  • D06M10/00—Physical treatment of fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics, or fibrous goods made from such materials, e.g. ultrasonic, corona discharge, irradiation, electric currents, or magnetic fields; Physical treatment combined with treatment with chemical compounds or elements
  • D06M10/001—Treatment with visible light, infrared or ultraviolet, X-rays
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • D06M—TREATMENT, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE IN CLASS D06, OF FIBRES, THREADS, YARNS, FABRICS, FEATHERS OR FIBROUS GOODS MADE FROM SUCH MATERIALS
  • D06M10/00—Physical treatment of fibres, threads, yarns, fabrics, or fibrous goods made from such materials, e.g. ultrasonic, corona discharge, irradiation, electric currents, or magnetic fields; Physical treatment combined with treatment with chemical compounds or elements
  • D06M10/04—Physical treatment combined with treatment with chemical compounds or elements
• • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
  • D21—PAPER-MAKING; PRODUCTION OF CELLULOSE
  • D21F—PAPER-MAKING MACHINES; METHODS OF PRODUCING PAPER THEREON
  • D21F1/00—Wet end of machines for making continuous webs of paper
  • D21F1/0027—Screen-cloths

Definitions

• This invention relates to the treatment of industrial fabrics.
• papermaking machine fabrics including dryer fabrics, press felts (including
• the treatment may for example render at least one surface of the
• conditioning may be insufficiently durable in certain conditions, especially
• subjected to plasma treatment is treated during exposure to the plasma;
• embossing felt wherein a batt of fibres is subjected to ultrasonic energy to
• An object of the invention is to provide a method of treatment of industrial fabrics, as above defined, which enables at least some of the
• Preferred objects are to enable treatment to be carried out at
• the invention also provides an industrial fabric, as hereinbefore
• Such a fabric including a least
• the high energy electromagnetic radiation is preferably UV excimer
• the modification of the surface or part of a surface is preferably carried out at a submicron scale, by etching the surface using the laser.
• the etching may effect pitting or scoring the surface to provide grooves
• Such modification can alter the wetting characteristics of the surface, for example
• the intensity of laser irradiation may be varied to thereby alter the
• the process may be carried out in selected atmospheres, such as
• silane e.g. Si(CH 3 ) 4 ; a siloxane (Si (OCH 3 ) 4 ) or a
• perfluorocarbon eg 1 -6C perfluoroalkane
• tetrafluoroethylene ammonia
• such a fabric or yarn comprising exposing said part of said surface to
• the UV emitting device is preferably one with a relatively wide beam
• a plurality of such UV emitting devices may be provided in an array
• the fabric or a multiple yarn feed may be advanced at a preselected
• UV radiation As the wavelength of UV radiation is typically around 200-250nm, details such as spots on a micron or submicron scale may be
• UV treatment need not be undertaken under a special
• the UV treatment proceeds by way of dissociation of the molecules
• the UV excimer emitter or emitters can produce radiation in a narrow
• waveband may typically be emitted at 222nm.
• the treatment may for example create hydrophilic surfaces by
• the UV radiation may also or instead etch the surface in a submicron
• Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus used
• Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic cross-section
• Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig 2 of a second
• Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of apparatus used
• Fig. 5 is a slightly enlarged view of a fragment of
• Fig. 6 is a much enlarged view of a fragment of
• Fig. 7 is a view of a reflector device for enabling
• the invention comprises a fabric dispensing roll 10, and a fabric take up roll
• Untreated fabric 1 2 is unwound from roll 10, and passes through a
• treatment station 1 After treatment in station 1 3, the treated fabric is
• Treatment station 13 is shown diagrammatically as comprising an
• Laser means 16 are disposed at the treatment station 13, and may
• a further bank of lasers may be
• the lasers preferably comprise excimer lasers, but may be ablation
• lasers are preferably fourth harmonic UV lasers with a beam wave
• microns minimum size 1 micron, preferably masked to be larger or smaller
• lasers are used, these may be a harmonic YAG laser apparatus, preferably
• Quadrupling crystals e.g. Nd:YAG lasers.
• YAG lasers need no gas
• Excimer lasers require a
• the lasers operate in accordance with a predetermined program to
• Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through a sample of treated fabric
• Weft thread 21 a is shown in cross-section and is etched at 23, (scale exaggerated) by incident
• the other threads 21 b, 21 c etc. are similarly etched by the
• the pits 23 to provide a roughened surface at e.g. the submicron scale.
• Fig. 3 is a similar view of another sample of treated fabric, comprising
• the woven layer is provided on its
• the coating 32 by exposing the underlying fabric layer in treated areas of
• inventions may be used as filter fabrics, e.g. in belt filters, barrel-neck filters
• hydrophilic media is in papermachine forming fabrics or dryer fabrics to
• the laser means etch away the top surface layer or coating
• a polymer substrate which is either hydrophilic or hydrophobic, or
• the method according to the invention can also for example be used
• a papermachine fabric may be laser treated by the method according to the
• GB-A-2,233,334 describes the use of excimer lasers to ablate
• the invention may also be used to laser
• FIGs. 4 to 6 A further embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6.
• the fabric 1 10 is payed out from a dispensing roll 1 1 1 , and
• Treatment station 1 12 comprises shielding 1 14, to prevent excessive
• the shielding encloses a first bank of UV excimer lamps
• excimer lamps 1 16 is located below the part of the fabric 1 10 so that both
• surfaces of the fabric may be treated in one pass of the fabric through the
• treatment station 1 1 2.
• An optional mask 1 17 is located over the fabric 1 10, and this is used
• excimer lamps may be deactivated if only one surface of the fabric 1 10 is
• the path may be occupied by
• the yarns can be subjected to UV excimer radiation on the fabric 1 10
• Fig. 5 shows a small part of a mask 1 17, in the form of a net of
• Fig. 6 shows a fragment of a second mask 1 17, much enlarged.
• apertures 121 These allow UV excimer radiation to effect very small areas
• Fig. 7 suggests how a single bank of UV excimer lamps may be used
• a reflector such as a silvered or
• aluminised mirror 1 23 to reflect UV radiation passing between the yarns
• the reflector may be formed with
• the UV excimer lamps 1 15, 1 16 provide narrow band radiations, e.g.
• the invention also provides an industrial fabric as defined

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Textile Engineering (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Chemical Or Physical Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
• Treatments Of Macromolecular Shaped Articles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=26312335

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (14)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 1998
  • 1998-09-15 EP EP98942921A patent/EP1019578B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-09-15 WO PCT/GB1998/002785 patent/WO1999016964A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-09-15 DE DE69810499T patent/DE69810499T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-09-15 AU AU90884/98A patent/AU9088498A/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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