GB2052384A - Process and apparatus for making wall coverings - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for the manufacture of a wall covering comprises a circular weaving machine 10 means for advancing the resultant fabric to a cloth accumulator 141, means 12 for supplying a sheet material e.g. paper and means e.g. rollers 128 for bonding the fabric and paper. The weaving machine comprises a creel 18 having a plurality of racks 182 for cheeses 184, the yarns passing down warp tubes 188. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Processes and apparatus for making wall coverings The invention relates to apparatus and processes for the manufacture of wall coverings comprising a sheet of paper, paper-like or plastics material to form a substrate and woven fabric adhering to the substrate to give an external layer.

Background Wall covering comprising substrate and woven fabric have previously been produced by weaving and laminating separately.

The invention has as the object to produce a novel form of process apparatus in which weaving and lamination are effected simultaneously. It is a further object of the invention to reduce storage requirements, reduce material handling and/or permit more delicate fabrics and materials to be used in the maufacture of substrate-fabric laminates.

The object or objects of the invention are realized by the incorporation in a laminating apparatus or process of a weaving loom according to U.S. Patent Specification 4,129,153 which is surprisingly suitable for the purpose.

Summary ofinvention Apparatus according to the invention comprises an orbital weaving loom for producing woven fabric and having a shed-forming drum rotatable in the direction of fabric take up, means for supplying sheet material, means for advancing the fabric produced by the loom and the sheet supplied at the same rate, and means for bonding together the sheet and the fabric. The weaving machine preferably precedes the advancing means immediately.

The apparatus preferably includes yarn supply means such as a creel, preferably of rectilinear or box structure, so that the apparatus as a whole can manufacture the wall covering directly from yarn and sheet material and so that operation need not be interrupted for changing warp beams. The bonding means may include a paste applicator and a drying and/or heating or setting drum around which the laminate wall covering may be passed before rolling up as finished produce. The invention also provides a process for manufacturing wall covering on the above apparatus.

The development of rotary weaving machines of the kind described and claimed in United States Patent Specification 4,129,153 of Danillo Bonetti, are capable of much higher speeds than conventional machines and so can operate at lamination speeds.

Thus for the first time a weaving machine is combined with lamination equipment, yet a practicable combination of process conditions can be provided. Such machines can produce fabric of suitable quality and can be laminated directly with sheet material. No complete relaxation of the tension existing in the fabric occurs as it is advanced from the loom to the laminator and so the fabric structure is more easily preserved. Thus surprisingly loose weave structures can be processed, aided further by the low take up fabric tensions possible with orbital looms and the avoidance of intermittent motions in fabric take-up. A single source of woven fabric at high speed feeding the advancing means without storage obviates handling and distortion of the fabric.

Fancy effects on the wall covering can be achieved by weaving patterns into the fabric, by altering the fabric quality and using for example slub yarn and/or by printing a coloured pattern on the sheet material prior to bonding. The edges of the wall covering can be finished by cutting to a standard width to remove any inequality between the sheet material and the fabric.

Drawings Figure 1A in combination with Figure 1B is a side elevation from one side of apparatus according to the invention; Figure2A in combination with Figure 2B is a side elevation from the other side of the apparatus of Figure 1; and Figure 3A in combination with Figure 3B is a plan corresponding to Figures 1A and 1 B and Figures 2A and 2B.

Specific embodiment With particular reference to Figure 1, the apparatus comprises a rotary weaving machine 10, means 12 for supplying sheet material, means 14 for advancing the fabric and sheet at the same rate, and means for bonding the sheet and fabric. The apparatus includes a creel 18 for supplying yarn.

Working from left to right across the drawings, the creel 18 comprises a number of racks 182 for cheeses 184 of yarns with gangways 186 for operatives to replace exhausted cheeses. The yarns pass down warp tubes 188 to the weaving machine 10 as shown. The machine has a shed forming drum formed by a number of rotatable rollers with warp supporting parts and recessed parts. The drum rotates as shown by arrow A. The warps and fabrics move as shown by arrows B.

Fabric produced by the weaving machine 10 is passed directly to a cloth accumulator 141 as shown.

This comprises two rows of rollers 142 along which the fabric passes in a zig-zag manner, one of the rows of rollers being resiliently mounted so as to enable the fabric to be advanced at a constant speed the same as the sheet material and to take up and equalize any differences in the tension of the fabric as produced. It is followed by a further arrangement of rollers 144 for squaring up and aligning the fabric with the sheet material.

The sheet supply means 12 comprises alternative mountings 122 for rolls of paper or like sheet material. The sheet material is passed over a number of guide rollers 124 to a paste applicator 126, thence to bonding rollers 128, drying rolls 130, and finally to a wind up station 132 for despatch. Inspection duck boards are provided between the guide rollers 124 and the applicator 126, and between the rolls 130 and 132.

The weaving machine can be constructed to have two weaving zones, with double ended rapiers moving through the respective sheds on a pair of shed-forming drums. The loom then has a cam track for advancing one end of a rapier in one shed in one weaving zone as the other end of that rapier in the facing shed in the other weaving zone retracts.

By simply redirecting the fabric, both weaving zones can be utilised as illustrated in the Figures.

Claims (6)

1. Apparatusforthe manufactureofawall covering which comprises an orbital weaving loom machine for producing woven fabric, means for supplying sheet material for a substrate, means for advancing the fabric produced and the sheet substrate supplied at the same rate, and means for bonding together the sheet and the fabric.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the weaving machine immediately precedes the advancing means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 which includes a creel for supplying warp.

4. Process for the manufacture of wall covering which comprises weaving a fabric using an orbital loom, taking up the fabric through a take-up roller means at a speed and tension suitable for lamination, bonding a substrate supplied from a supply roll and the fabric emerging from the pinch rollers so as to produce a laminate.

5. Process according to claim 4 in which the fabric is supplied to a cloth accumulator by the take-up roller means before being bonded to the substrate.

6. Apparatus for the manufacture of a wall covering as described with reference to the drawings.