FR2883305A1 - Flock material for coating components, e.g. in automobile interiors, comprises support with fibrous flock layer fixed with polyurethane on one side and fusible film on opposite side - Google Patents

Abstract

In flock material comprising a fibrous flock layer fixed to a support, the support is of cotton or polyester-cotton fabric or polyurethane foam layer. The flock is fixed to one side of the support via a flexible PU resin layer. A heat-activated film of m.pt. 100-150[deg]C is located on the opposite side or surface of the support from the resin and flock layers.

Description

FLOORED MATERIAL FOR COATING PARTS

  The present invention relates, as its title indicates, to a flocked material for coating parts, said flocked material being of the type to be attached to parts to define a flocked coating.

  Currently, it is customary practice to achieve the coating of specific parts and profiles determined by fibers of various materials, to obtain a flock coating. These fibers may be of various materials, such as acrylic materials, polyester, polyamide, fibranne, rayon, etc. The use of flocked parts is used with a determined frequency in specific fields of industry and, more particularly, in the field of the automobile where the use of profiles, valances, glove boxes and flocked interiors is usual.

  Currently, the application of flocking on the part to be coated is particularly complex since it requires the following operations: initially sanding, washing and drying the surface to be coated, the application on said surface of a resin which acts as flocking union member, it being specified to subsequently perform the drying of the resin, once the flocking applied to the latter, and the final brushing to remove the remaining floc.

  This operation is particularly complex, significantly limits the production capacity of flocked parts and increases the price thereof.

  Therefore, the technical problem is to obtain a flocked material that can be applied to pieces of different materials and shapes, quickly and easily.

  In order to solve the technical problems set out above, the Applicant had already developed the invention disclosed in his Spanish Patent No. 200401435, in which the flocked material for coating parts included a fiber layer, forming the flocking itself. , and a support on which was fixed said layer of fibers forming the flocking.

  According to the invention described in the Spanish patent 200401435, the support mentioned comprises a layer of polyurethane resin of high flexibility, resistant to water and heat stable, to which are fixed: on one of its faces, the fibers constituting the flocking, and on the other side, a thermo-activatable film having a melting point between 100 and 150 C, arranged to be applied to any room on different materials.

  The material thus obtained allows the application of flocking whether hot or cold, even if it has been demonstrated that the resistance of said application to difficult conditions, such as rain or sudden differences in heat, must be improved. to achieve the 20 technical requirements imposed by the sector it is intended for.

  The present invention relates to a flocked material for coating parts, such as those intended to be fixed on parts to define a coating and which comprise: a layer of fibers constituting the flocking proper and a support to which is fixed said fiber layer; characterized by the fact that the support is composed of a cotton fabric, polyester cotton or a layer of polythene foam to which is attached, on one of its faces, and through a layer of resin high flexibility polyurethane, flocking, and, on the other side, a thermo-activatable film with a melting point between 100 and 150 C, said thermo-activatable film being disposed on the face or surface of the polyurethane resin layer opposite to the flocking face.

  The polyurethane resin layer is advantageously of high flexibility, resistant to water

and thermostable.

  The heat-activatable film is especially composed of: polyolefins, EVA (polyvinyl acetate), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), copolyester or other material depending on the nature of the material forming part 10 to be coated.

  The flocked material for the coating of parts, object of this invention, has a series of constructive features, oriented to solve the problematic exposed, both if the flocking is to be applied to cold parts, if it must be applied to hot on recently thermoformed parts.

  This flocked material is among those comprising a layer of fibers, forming the actual flocking, and a support to which is fixed said layer of fibers forming the flocking.

  According to the invention, the support mentioned can be cotton, polyester cotton or polythene foam, on one of its faces being fixed the fibers constituting the flocking, and on the other side a thermo-activatable film having a Melting point between 100 and 150 C arranged to be applied to any part of different materials.

  The constituent fibers of the flocking are fixed on the support with a layer of high flexibility polyurethane resin, resistant to water and heat stable.

  The introduction of a new support layer, made of the previously exposed materials, guarantees the flocked material greater strength and provides a solution to the problems that were detected in the tests of the product subject of the Spanish patent 200401435.

  The film or thermo-activatable layer may be composed of polyolefins, EVA (polyvinyl acetate), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), copolyester or other thermo-activatable materials, depending on the nature of the material forming the part to be coated, said thermo-activatable film having to present in all cases good adhesion to the material constituting the part to be coated mentioned. In this way, the thermo-activatable film can be formed by: polyfins which have good adhesion to wood, textile or polypropylene; TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) which has good adhesion to rubber, PVC (polyvinyl chloride), textile and wood; EVA (polyvinyl acetate) which adheres to EPDM (ethylene propylene-diene thermopolymer rubber), TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), TPV (thermoplastic vulcanizate), TPO (thermoplastic olefin), PP (polypropylene) ), textile and wood, or copolyester which has good adhesion to wood and textile.

  The low melting temperature of the thermo-activatable film makes it possible to considerably simplify the application of the flocked material to hot-formed parts and to preheated cold parts.

  In the first case, the application of the flocked material can be performed on parts at the outlet of the injection mold, the extrusion line or the molding machine taking advantage of the temperature of the latter, so that by simply applying the flocked material, with a slight pressure, it will remain glued to the desired part and allowing it to cool will be finalized.

  In the case where the flocked material will have to be applied to a profile or an already cold part, it will suffice to preheat the part until it reaches the melting point of the thermo-activatable film and to press the flocked material against the piece for to secure its fixation. To achieve the coating of parts of different geometries, will be carried out beforehand, obtaining, by stamping or cutting, a portion of the flocked material whose surface in development plane, coincides with the surface of the part to be coated.

  To complete the description that is being made and in order to facilitate understanding of the features of the invention, the present specification is accompanied by a set of drawings, illustrative and non-limiting, in which the Following figures are shown: Figure 1 shows a cross section of flocked material object of the invention; Figure 2 shows an exploded view in height of the various layers forming the flocked material; Figure 3 shows an example of applying the flocked material to a workpiece, the flocked material being shown facing the surface to be coated.

  In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the flocked material 1 comprises a layer of fibers of acrylic materials, polyester, polyamide, fibran or rayon, forming the flocking 11 itself, and fixed by a layer of polyurethane resin high flexibility 12 support 14, consisting of a cotton fabric, polyester cotton or polythene foam, which has, on the opposite side to that carrying the flock 11, a thermoactivable film 13 of polyolefins, TPU, EVA or copolyester and whose melting temperature is relatively low (between 100 and 150 C).

  The low melting temperature of the thermo-activatable film 13 allows the flocked material 1 to be applied hot to the thermoformed parts 2 and to be applied to the cold parts by preheating the part 2 beforehand.

  As can be seen in FIG. 3, to produce the flocked coating of a piece 3 of any geometry, it will suffice to obtain by stamping or cutting a portion of flocked material 1 of a geometry appropriate to the surface of the 3 to be coated and apply on said surface by exerting a slight pressure when the part 3 is hot, either because it has just been thermoformed, or because a pre-heating thereof has been performed.

  Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of a preferred embodiment, it is found for all practical purposes that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, provided and when this is done. does not imply a modification of the essential features of the invention which are claimed subsequently.

Claims (3)

  1 - flocked material for coating parts, such as those intended to be fixed on parts to define a coating and which comprise: a layer of fibers (11) constituting the actual flocking and a support to which is fixed said layer of fibers (11); characterized in that the support is composed of a cotton fabric, polyester cotton or a layer of polythene foam (14) to which is attached, on one of its faces, and through a layer high flexibility polyurethane resin (12), the flocking (11), and, on the other side, a thermo-activatable film (13) with a melting point between 100 and 150 C, said heat-activatable film (13) is located on the face or surface of the polyurethane resin layer (12) opposite to the flocking carrier face (11).   2 - flocked material according to claim 1, characterized in that the polyurethane resin layer (12) is high flexibility, water-resistant and thermostable.   3 - flocked material according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat-activatable film (13) is composed of: polyolefins, EVA (polyvinyl acetate), TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), copolyester or other material depending on the nature of the material forming the part (2) to be coated.