GB1579462A - Method for printing and flocking fabrics - Google Patents

Description

(54) A METHOD FOR PRINTING AND FLOCKING FABRICS (71) I, PILAR BERNABEU VIDAL, a Spanish Citizen, of Plaza Pintor Gisbert, 2, Alcoy (Alicante), Spain, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement : The present invention relates to a method for simultaneously printing and flocking fabrics.

Experts and persons skilled in the manufacturing of textile products are perfectly well-acquainted with the classic procedure used so far for printing and subsequently flocking fabrics, consisting of the two clearly differentiated phases performed separately: one involving the successive printing of the different colours scheduled to obtain the chosen design and another subsequent and separate one performing the flocking operation, which together constitute a serious drawback in that the textile product has to be handled twice in order to carry out work which can be simplified by synchronizing the two above-mentioned functions in a single run of the fabric.

Likewise, even the general consumer public are well aware that the printed fabrics available on the market frequently have printing and flocking faults where the colours and the flocking hairs applied do not exactly match the planned design. To achieve a perfect final product in this kind of fabric it is essential for both printing and flocking to match with absolute precision the planned design and to be superimposed or distributed with meticulous accuracy as, if not, the fabrics made available to the public with the above-mentioned faults, run the risk of being rejected due to their having a clear fault. This may damage the manufacturer's reputation, with repercussions on the retailer, if the consumer proves demanding.

The method described in the present Specification has been designed to overcome these kind of difficulties and probable losses by improving accuracy in the printing and flocking of fabrics, this being something which has so far proved to be extremely difficult with the conventional two-phase procedure.

According to the invention, there is provided a method for printing and flocking fabrics, wherein a visual design is printed on the fabric, an adhesive is applied to the areas of the fabric which are to be flocked, and the flocking is applied to the areas to which adhesive was applied, the steps of the method being carried out sequentially and without interruption, so that as one area of a length of fabric is being printed, other areas of the same fabric length are having respectively adhesive and flocking applied to them.

To this end, the fabric to be treated by the procedure of the invention during the course of its normal printing run shall receive, in a simultaneous and completely synchronized process each of the colours, planned to coincide with the designs created.

Next and without any interruption whatsoever, the adhesive product is applied to the fabric in the same way as each of the colours, in the areas to be flocked which may comprise the complete surface or certain parts of the same.

Subsequently, likewise without any interruption to the linear movement, the fabric passes on to the flocking process applied to precisely the areas mentioned in the preceding paragraph, whereby the three functions described, the printing, the intermediate process of the application of the adhesive product and the subsequent flocking have been previously calculated and meticulously synchronized with the movement of the product being treated.

Once the last of the said functions has been satisfactorily performed, the printed and flocked product goes through the normal drying and subsequent rolling process, by means of the conventional practice and is thus ready to be shipped and sold to the user.

My copending British Patent Application No. 22113/77 (Serial No. void) describes and claims a machine for simultaneously printing and flocking fabrics, the machine comprising a printing unit for printing visual designs on the fabric, and a flocking unit for applying adhesive and flock to the fabric, the printing and flocking units being synchronised in order for the respective printing and flocking functions to be performed consecutively and without interruption.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: - 1. A method for printing and flocking fabrics, wherein a visual design is printed on the fabric, an adhesive is applied to the areas of the fabric which are to be flocked, and the flocking is applied to the areas to which adhesive was applied, the steps of the method being carried out sequentially and without interruption, so that as one area of a length of fabric is being printed, other areas of the same fabric length are having respectively adhesive and flocking applied to them.

2. A method for printing and flocking fabrics substantially as herein described.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (2)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. comprising a printing unit for printing visual designs on the fabric, and a flocking unit for applying adhesive and flock to the fabric, the printing and flocking units being synchronised in order for the respective printing and flocking functions to be performed consecutively and without interruption. WHAT I CLAIM IS: -

1. A method for printing and flocking fabrics, wherein a visual design is printed on the fabric, an adhesive is applied to the areas of the fabric which are to be flocked, and the flocking is applied to the areas to which adhesive was applied, the steps of the method being carried out sequentially and without interruption, so that as one area of a length of fabric is being printed, other areas of the same fabric length are having respectively adhesive and flocking applied to them.

2. A method for printing and flocking fabrics substantially as herein described.