GB1580192A

GB1580192A - Dry creasing

Info

Publication number: GB1580192A
Application number: GB1122576A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: IWS Nominee Co Ltd
Current assignee: IWS Nominee Co Ltd
Priority date: 1977-05-25
Filing date: 1977-05-25
Publication date: 1980-11-26

Description

(54) DRY CREASING (71) We, I.W.S. NOMINEE COM PANY LIMITED, a British Company, of Wool House, Carlton Gardens, London, S.W.1., do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to devices for sectir- ing creases or pleats in textile articles.

For many years the fashion trade in apparel, for both men and women, has been founded on the appearance Of aesthetic qualities of clothing. There are of course many purely functional garments sold but increasingly, with the owth of affluence, people are demanding good-looking and aesthetically pleasing clothes.

One result of this demand is the growth of a fashion industry which offers clothing in which functionality, although to a greater or lesser extent important, is secondary to appearance.

There has been expansion dn nearly all fields of textile technology to keep pace with the growth d the fashion industry. For example, there have been great advances in the field of dyeing and printing over the last seventy or eighty years, enabling new colours and designs to be easily applied to a great variety of fabrics. The growth of fashion-consciousness of men, in particular, has been marked, and men are now demanding fashionable and good-looking garments to a greater extent than ever before.

Along with the increase in fashion garments has come a growing requirement that garments, once purchased, should retain their attractive appearance without involving the purchaser in time-consuming or expensive operations. In other words, the clothing should possess 'easy care' properties. This is evidenced by the widespread use of complex textile finishing processes, including shrink-resist treatments and so-called 'permanent press' treatments.

The advent of synthetic fibres has con tributed to the expansion of the fashion indus try in ;providing a greater variety of fabrics.

However, natural fibres, and particularly wool, are still the first choice for top quality fashion fabrics owing to their superior attributes such as comfort, appearance and handle.

Great strides have been made in conferring easy-care properties on keratinous fibres, such as wool, but for rendering creases or pleats set in such fabrics durable to wear and possibly to washing or dry cleaning, i.e. so-called 'permanent press', the current processes are complicated and expensive to operate.

For example, one process of forming socalled permanent creases in men's trousers consists in applying to a pair of trousers in the area of a predetermined crease line, by means of spray, a solution of a reducing agent such as monoethanolamine sesquisulphite. The trousers are then pressed with a relatively long steam/bake/vacuum cycle and placed in an oven to dry. The basis of this process is the well-known disruption of disulphide bonds in keratin by a base or reducing agent. The fabric is then given a crease and the bonds allowed to reform with the fibres in the new configuration. However, this process requires fairly complex spray booths for the fabric, as well as a drying step after pressing.

Other processes depend on applying a resin or prepolymer to the fabric in its entirety and curing or cross-linking this on the fabric, which is set in the desired configuration. However, this also involves additional treatments in the textile finishing operations and therefore adds to the cost of the finished textile article.

Furthermore, although fabrics so treated are a great improvement over untreated keratinous materials, the durability of creases so set may leave something to be desired.

It has also been known to sew creases in certain articles, particularly men's jersey trousers, but this expedient is not satisfactory in that the creases tend to differ significantly in appearance from conventional pressed creases, and sewing can damage the material.

Older methods of attempting to render a pressed-in crease durable were also not very satisfactory. For example, the production of pressed creases containing such materials as wax, gum arabic, soap or celluloid was not successful since these materials when heated or during wear tended rapidly to lose their effectiveness and tended also to cause unsightly marks on the exterior of the garment. More over, such creases may easily be affected by moisture. Use of liberal amounts of such materials necessarily causes problems in the aesthetic qualities of the garment so treated; the appearance, drape or handle is affeoted and compares adversely with an untreated garment.

On the other hand the use of small amounts of such materials does not produce any sigr fi- cant durability in a pressed-in crease.

More recent work on the same lines has confirmed this view. For example, A.N. Davidson, in an article "Creasing and crease-resistance of all-wool fabrics" in "Textile Manufacture", February 1964, Page 76, says "In our work it was soon found that 'glueing' the fibres together by synthetic resins gave an unsatisfactory result because so much resin was required that the handle and draping properties of the fabric were adversely affected." It would therefore be advantageous to provide a simple and economical method which could produce creases which are both longlasting and similar in appearance to oonven- tional ironed-in creases.

As disclosed in our copending British Applications Nos. 18005/73 and 31451/73 (serial No. 1,472,852) a crease durable through many weeks of normal wear and dry-cleaaing can be formed in a textile article by applying along the desired line of the crease only a narrow line of an adhesive that when set is insoluble in dry-cleaning solvents and water, and pressing the article folded along the crease line to fix the crease. In the preferred way of carrying out the method of the invention the article is first given a temporary crease by suitable means, a thin line of the adhesive is guided along the inner apex of the crease, and the crease is then pressed to fix the crease.Not only can durable creases be formed in this way, but also by controlling the process conditions to give a thin, precisely controlled line of adhesive free from 'dry, patches or blobs along the line of each crease aesthetically pleasing fashion garments of outstanding appearance can be produced.

Furthermore, in our copending Application No. 49493/75 (Serial No. 1,565,199) we describe a method of preparing a keratinous textile article for the reception of a durable crease, by applying along the line of the crease, preferably along the inner apex of a prefonned temporary crease, a narrow line d an aqueous composition, preferably thickened, comprising a reducing agent capable of breaking the disuiphide bonds in keratin. This method likewise enables durable creases of excellent appearance to be produced.

However, in order to achieve these excellent results it is essential that the original applica- tion of adhesive or reducing agent be performed in a controlled fashion with precision.

Imprecise application will result in articles whose appearance is inferior, and as appearance is of primary importance in the field with which the invention deals, such articles must be considered failures.

The present invention concerns devices and methods adapted to be used in applying crease setting compositions efficiently and economically on a large scale, and to the required degree of accuracy.

The fundamental device according to the present invention is a guiding system comprising a surface having a channel contoured to receive the crease of a pre-creased textile article whereby the article can be supported and constrained in the area of the crease during application of the setting composition.

This device is especially suitable for use with a dispenser for the setting composition, preferably one comprising an applicator head in coinmuiicion with a reservoir for the setting composition. The invention thus provides apparatus for applying a setting composition to pre-formed creases in textile articles which comprises a device as defined above in epera- tive combination with such a dispenser.

By a "crease setting composition" is here meant a flowable composition capable of application in a narrow line to a textile article and of oonferring durability on a crease formed in the article along the line whether by chemical or physical action or otherwise.

In the case of a liquid composition, for example an adhesive composition, a convenient form of dispenser emWoys a rotary applicator member, as described in our Application No.

7229/717.

The invention further provides a method for the application of a setting composition which comprises forming a temporary crease in a textile article, placing the article on the device as defined, locating the temporary crease in the channel therefor, and moving a dispenser along the line of the channel with its applicator head in contact with the inner apex of the crease to deposit a controlled line of the setting composition therein.

The invention further includes the production of a creased or planted article by hot pressing of the article produced by the procedure just described and articles creased or pleated by such a methods A preferred aspect of the invention provides a stand carrying a spaced pair of elongate support arms or platforms, each arm being adapted to receive one leg of a pair of trousers, and the arms optionally being rotatable as a pair through at least 1800.

The arms or platforms are conveniently adapted to receive a pre-creased pair of trousers turned inside-out and each preferably has a longitudinal channel or slot contoured to receive the crease and stabilising the trousers so that the applicator can be run along the inner apex of the crease quickly and accurately.

Advantageously, the underface of each of the arms or platforms also carries an equivalent slot or channel so that, on rotation through 180 , the underside creases of the trousers can be treated. The trousers are then turned right way out, and pressed to fix the crease.

Preferably the platforms are smooth to allow swift handling.

Thus the device of the invention enables very quick handling of each pair of trousers on equipment having a very low capital cost.

It will be appreciated that although the method is applicable to all textile articles, its principal use will be for permanently creasing trousers.

Creases stabilised according to the process of the invention are very durable to normal wear and even to dry-cleaning. In fact we have found in certain cases that a good sharp crease was retained by a treated pair of trousers which had been dry cleaned no less than twelve times.

A line of adhesive is preferably from 0.25 to 5 mm in width, and especially from 1.25 to 2.5 mm. Even application of the adhesive is necessary lif an even crease is to be achieved.

The very small quantity to be used is capable of giving sufficient hold to make the crease permanent, without imparting undue stiffness to the crease or "striking" through the fabric to the outer surface and causing unsightly marks. For example, a typical line of adhesive for a fairly heavy fabric may be about 3 mm in width. The adhesive line may comprise from 0.02 to 0.05 gXmetre of adhesive, the smaller amounts being suitable for lighter weight fabrics.

A good long-lasting crease, of conventional appearance and stable to dry-cleaning, was produced on a test wool fabric using a line of adhesive 0.311 mm in width and containing 0.034 g adhesive per metre. The aesthetic properties of the fabric, drape, handle and visual appearance, were all indistinguishable from a similar fabric with a plain ironediin crease.

A variety of adhesives can be used, preferably in the form of a liquid composition that sets, by evaporation of solvent or otherwise, to a solid which is insoluble in water and drycleaning solvents. It is preferable for the set adhesive to be thermoplastic, or to retain a degree of thermoplasticity such that it is re activat,able by heat. This enables creases or pleats formed by means d the invention to be reset to their original sharpness and durability by occasional ironing, when some of the sharpness has been lost by prolonged wear. Pre ferried thermoplastic adhesives include synthetic rubbers and their derivatives, for example nitrile rubber adhesives such as are sold under the Trade Mark "Evostick".

The viscosity of the adhesive may range between 10 and 1100 poise, preferably from 30 to 70, with values of about 50 poise being particularly useful. If desired, the adhesive may be coloured or its surface properties otherwise altered so that it will be virtually unnoticeable even on the inside of the crease.

Where a reducing composition is used, it preferably has a viscosity between 10 and 100 poise, being thickened for example by conventional thickening agents employed in textile processing. Suitable reducing agents include alkali metal or amine sulphite or bisulphites and thioglycollates.

The width of the line or band of applied composition is not critical where a reducing setting agent is employed since there is no tendency of the fabric layers to be bonded together by the composition.

The process of the invention may be applied to fabrics made from any textile fibre. Examples of such fibres include polyester, poly amide, acrylic, regenerated cellulosic, natural cellulosic, silk or keratinous fibres. The process is particularly useful when applied to fabrics mane from keratinous fibres such as vicuna, alpaca cashmere, hair, llama, mohair and especially wool. Fabrics made from blends of fibres may be used with equal facility.

The fabrics used in the performance of the invention may be knitted, woven or non-woven from filament or yarn spun on the worsted, semi-worsted or woollen system.

However, the process of the invention is most advantageous when used on woven or knitted wool fabrics to impart durable or 'permanent' creases or pleats therein which are fast to long periods of normal wear and to dry-cleaning.

As mentioned above, it has been found that the technique of application of the setting composition is of paramount importance if the best, commercially acceptable, results are to be obtained. It is important that the means used to apply the composition should not "drag" the textile materials, since puckered creases might then result, especially in the case of adhesives.

Accordingly, the preferred applicators for applying an adhesive in the process of the invention conveniently comprise a nozzle attached to a reservoir of adhesive, a rotatable member retained within the nozzle and protruding therefrom, and a conduit within the nozzle whereby adhesive can flow from the reservoir to the surface of the rotatable member. The reservoir may be permanently attached to the nozzle and be refillable or it may be a disposable cartridge.

The rotatable member can conveniently be a milled or knurled wheel mounted on an axle within the nozzle. A sector of the wheel protrudes and this is used to apply a line of adhesive.

Such applicators may by themselves be suitable for relatively small scale usage, for example in a tailoring business. However, large uses such as trouser manufacturers will require machinery capable of handling large throughputs, with uniformly reproduoible results.

The devices and methods of the invention will be understood more clearly by reference to the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification and the following description, which is given by way of example. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a prespective view of a stand for a textile article according to the invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-section of the stand of Figure 1 in combination with an adhesive applicator; Figure 3 is a side elevation of another and preferred form of stand; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the stand of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a cross-section similar to Figure 2 but showing the stand of Figure 3.

Figure 1 shows a simple form of device according to this invention suitable for use in creasing trousers. An upright stand 10 carries a pair of elongate platforms 12 partly tapered at the tip, each being capable of receiving the leg of a pair of trousers. The platfonns 12 each have in their surface a central channel or groove 14 adapted to receive a creased portion of a trouser leg. Similar channels 15 may be provided on the opposite faces of the platforms 12, as shown in Figure 2. The same Figure also shows a suitable applicator 116 in the operative position in relation to the channel 14, the applicator comprising a housing 18 constituting a reservoir for adhesive and a knurled roller 20 rotatably mounted in a nozzle 22 and in communication with the reservoir.

A trouser leg inside-out and in position for the application of adhesive by the applicator is shown in chain dotted lines at 24. In this position the adhesive applicator 16 can be run accurately along the inner apex of the crease.

The platforms 12 may pivot at 26 through 1180 , for example on operation of a foot pedal 27, lin order that the underneath creases may be treated.

With the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 it may be desirable to clamp or otherwise restrain the trouser legs alongside the grooves 14. For example a relatively heavy template or stencil may be placed over the trouser leg, or it may be physically clamped by conventional methods, e.g. by means of load-spreading strips and Gclamps. An alternative method of temporarily restraining the trouser leg is to use light ferromagnetic restraining plates in conjunction with magnets or electromagnets within the platforms 12 to clamp the trouser leg 24 by the force of magnetic attraction. Switching off the electromagnets enables the lightweight plates to be handled and positioned easily.

Figures 3 to 5 illustrate a preferred form of device according to the invention with which external means of restraining the trouser legs is normally unnecessary. A stand 10 similar to that of Figure 1 carries support arms 28 which are diamond shaped in cross-section and have channels 30 and 3:1 at their upper and lower apices. The free ends of the support arms 28 are tapered at 29 to facilitate the passage of trouser legs over them. The latter are indicated at 24 in position in Figure 5, which also shows an applicator 1.6 in its operative position. The profile of these support arms is such that trouser legs 24 drape over them and the frictional contaot between the material and the platform is sufficient to provide restraint and prevent the trouser legs rucking up during application of adhesive.The support arms can be rotated together through 180 about the mounting 26 by operation of foot pedal 27 through a push rod 32 to enable the lower creases on the trouser legs 24 to be brought to the top for engagement with the lower channels 31 without removing the trousers from the support arms 28.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A guide device for use in the durable creasing of textile articles comprising a structure adapted to support a temporarily creased textile article and having at least one surface or side formed with a channel or groove contoured to receive the crease in the article, whereby the article can be constrained and an applicator guided along the crease during the application of a crease setting composition thereto.

2. Apparatus for applying a crease setting composition to textile articles for the formation of durable creases therein, comprising in operative combination a guide device accord mg to Claim '1 and a hand held dispenser for the setting composition including an applicator head in combination with a reservoir for the composition, the channel ar groove in the guide device being shaped and dimensioned to receive a temporarily creased textile article and the applicator head, the crease in the article being located in the channel or groove and the applicator head in the internal apex of the crease for guided movement along the crease.

3. A guide device or apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2 comprising a stand carrying a spaced pair of elongate support arms or platforms, each arm being adapted to receive one leg of a pair of trousers, and the arms optionally being rotatable as a pair through at least 180 .

4. A guide device or apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2 comprising a stand and an elongate support arm or platform adapted to receive the leg of a pair of trousers, the arm having a groove or channel on oppositely directed faces or apices thereof and being rotatable about its longitudinal axis through at least 1800.

5. A method of forming a durable crease in a textile article which comprises forming a temporary crease in the article, placing the article on a guide device according to Claim 1, 3 or 4, locating the temporary crease in the channel or groove and moving the dispenser along the line of the crease with the applicator head thereof in contact with the internal apex

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. to the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification and the following description, which is given by way of example. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a prespective view of a stand for a textile article according to the invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross-section of the stand of Figure 1 in combination with an adhesive applicator; Figure 3 is a side elevation of another and preferred form of stand; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the stand of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a cross-section similar to Figure 2 but showing the stand of Figure 3. Figure 1 shows a simple form of device according to this invention suitable for use in creasing trousers. An upright stand 10 carries a pair of elongate platforms 12 partly tapered at the tip, each being capable of receiving the leg of a pair of trousers. The platfonns 12 each have in their surface a central channel or groove 14 adapted to receive a creased portion of a trouser leg. Similar channels 15 may be provided on the opposite faces of the platforms 12, as shown in Figure 2. The same Figure also shows a suitable applicator 116 in the operative position in relation to the channel 14, the applicator comprising a housing 18 constituting a reservoir for adhesive and a knurled roller 20 rotatably mounted in a nozzle 22 and in communication with the reservoir. A trouser leg inside-out and in position for the application of adhesive by the applicator is shown in chain dotted lines at 24. In this position the adhesive applicator 16 can be run accurately along the inner apex of the crease. The platforms 12 may pivot at 26 through 1180 , for example on operation of a foot pedal 27, lin order that the underneath creases may be treated. With the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 it may be desirable to clamp or otherwise restrain the trouser legs alongside the grooves 14. For example a relatively heavy template or stencil may be placed over the trouser leg, or it may be physically clamped by conventional methods, e.g. by means of load-spreading strips and Gclamps. An alternative method of temporarily restraining the trouser leg is to use light ferromagnetic restraining plates in conjunction with magnets or electromagnets within the platforms 12 to clamp the trouser leg 24 by the force of magnetic attraction. Switching off the electromagnets enables the lightweight plates to be handled and positioned easily. Figures 3 to 5 illustrate a preferred form of device according to the invention with which external means of restraining the trouser legs is normally unnecessary. A stand 10 similar to that of Figure 1 carries support arms 28 which are diamond shaped in cross-section and have channels 30 and 3:1 at their upper and lower apices. The free ends of the support arms 28 are tapered at 29 to facilitate the passage of trouser legs over them. The latter are indicated at 24 in position in Figure 5, which also shows an applicator 1.6 in its operative position. The profile of these support arms is such that trouser legs 24 drape over them and the frictional contaot between the material and the platform is sufficient to provide restraint and prevent the trouser legs rucking up during application of adhesive.The support arms can be rotated together through 180 about the mounting 26 by operation of foot pedal 27 through a push rod 32 to enable the lower creases on the trouser legs 24 to be brought to the top for engagement with the lower channels 31 without removing the trousers from the support arms 28. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A guide device for use in the durable creasing of textile articles comprising a structure adapted to support a temporarily creased textile article and having at least one surface or side formed with a channel or groove contoured to receive the crease in the article, whereby the article can be constrained and an applicator guided along the crease during the application of a crease setting composition thereto.

of the crease and depositing a controlled iine of crease setting composition from the dispenser into the apex of the crease.

;

6. A method according to Claim 5 for producing durable creases in a pair of trousers wherein one or both legs of the trousers are drawn inside out and drawn onto the arm or pair of arms d a guide device according to Claim 3 or 4 respectively, and after application of crease setting composition to the crease or creases lying in the uppermost groove or grooves of the arm or arms the latter is rotated or are rotated as a pair, as the case may be, and the leg or legs of the trousers relocated with the other crease or creases in the groove or grooves now uppermost.

7. A guide device for use in the durable creasing of textile articles substantially as described with reference to and as shown in the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification.

8. A method of forming a durable crease in a textile article substantially as described with reference to the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification.