GB2126612A

GB2126612A - Fabric decoration apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2126612A
Application number: GB08225535A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Stephen Haigh
Original assignee: Wool Development International Ltd
Current assignee: Wool Development International Ltd
Priority date: 1982-09-08
Filing date: 1982-09-08
Publication date: 1984-03-28

Abstract

An apparatus 10 for decorating textile fabrics, in particular woven wool fabrics, comprises a block 14 of barbed needles 16 of a restricted area reciprocal into and out of a working zone and at least one feeder 20 for supplying at least one fibre strand 22 into the working zone, drive means being provided for the reciprocation of the block 14, and the whole being contained in a portable unit 10 capable of manual manipulation. The apparatus of the invention may be hand held by an operative and passed over the surface of the textile fabric held on a former to produce any desired pattern thereon. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fabric decoration apparatus This invention relates to an apparatus for the decoration of fabrics and to fabrics so produced.

In our application No. 48657/79 (publication No.

2010350) we disclosed a method and apparatus for producing decorated fabrics by applying at least one fibrous net, strand or web to a predetermined area of a base fabric and consolidating it into the surface of the fabric by needle punching in the said area. The apparatus disclosed in that application comprised a fixed work station through which a fabric could be moved in a predetermined direction by an operative, an assembly of barbed needles arranged for reciprocation into and out of the working station, and a feeder or feeders for supplying at least one fibrous strand to the fabric within the working station.

The present invention is concerned with a mod ifiedform of apparatus for carrying out the method of our previous application which is highly portable and may be moved at will by an operative over an area of fabric to apply decoration thereto in a desired pattern.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus which comprises a block of barbed needles of a restricted area reciprocable into and out of a working zone and at least one feeder for supplying at least one fibrous strand into the working zone, drive means being provided for reciprocation of the block and the whole being contained in a portable unit capable of manual manipulation.

Conveniently, the apparatus can be based on a modified form of hand held carpettufting gun. The latter is about the size of a hand held electric drill and on operation causes a tufting needle to reciprocate pushing a carpet yarn into and out of backing material, and further has a cutting device for cutting the tufted yarn in between each tufting operation. In the modified form of apparatus in accordance with the invention the tufting needle is replaced with a block of suitable needle punching needles and the cutting mechanism is disconnected entirely. The supply of yarn is replaced with a supply of fibrous strands and a suitable strand guide, which includes a tensioning device, is preferably provided for guiding the fibrous strands through the working zone into and out of which the needles reciprocate.Passing this apparatus over the surface of a textile fabric held on a frame or former causes the fibrous strand to be needled in to the base fabric in whatever pattern is followed by the operator. Thus according to the skill of the operative, there is virtually no limit on the designs that can be produced.

In order to consolidate the needled fibrous strand into the fabric it is generally preferable to mill the fabric, in the case of wool, following application with the apparatus according to the invention as discus sed in the said previous application. Other types of fibres may require different treatment in order to obtain consolidation. For instance, the application of heat to cause 'spot welding' by the melting of synthetic fibres. Furthermore the apparatus of the invention is primarily, but not exclusively, suited to woven fabrics since these are dimensionally more stable and can therefore be mounted under tension without distortion during application of the fibrous strand using the apparatus of the invention.

The bl,ock of needles used in the apparatus of the invention should be small in relation to the dimensions of the fabric and is preferably only large enough to needle one strand or a small number of strands to the base fabric at any one time. The needles used may be any standard needle punching needle, for example 15-18-36 gauge 'close barb' Type A, no kick-up. The number mounted in the block may vary within wide limits, for example from 3 to 40, with about 10 being suitable for most purposes.

The textile fibres may be the same as or different from the fibres of the fabric being decorated and either may be chosen from natural or synthetic textile fibres, for example polyamides, polyesters, acrylics, vinyl, ethylenically unsaturated fibres, regenerated cellulosics, natural cellulosics and especially keratinous fibres such as wool.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the sole Figure is a partial diagrammatic side view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, part of a hand held carpettufting gun loins illustrated showing the crank 12 by which the carpet tufting needle is reciprocated.

The carpet tufting needle has been removed and replaced by a block 14 mounted on a steel rod, containing needle punch needles 16. Thus the needles 16 are capable of reciprocation into and out of a working zone generally indicated at 18. A guide 20 consisting of a channel and guide bar 21 is provided in order to guide a fibrous strand 22 which may be wool textile sliver or slubbing into the working zone 18. The base 24 of the guide 20 contains a rectangular slot large enough to allow passage of the array of needles 16 during reciprocation. The gun 10 has a pistol grip and trigger switch (not illustrated) and a steady grip 26 for hand holding in operation by the operative.

In use the apparatus is brought into contact with a fabric 28, preferably a woven fabric, which is stretched on a former. The operative then causes the needles 16 to reciprocate thereby punching the fibrous strand 22 into the fabric 28, normally following a pattern previously marked out on the fabric. An adjustable tensioning device 30 is provided in order to regulate the tension on the fibrous strand 22 for correct operation.

Awide range of patterns and designs can be produced depending on the skill of the operative and several patterns may be made with strands 22 differing in colour or some other property such as grade of fibre.

CLAIMS (Filed on 5.9.83.) 1. An apparatus for decorating textile fabrics which comprises a block of barbed needles of a restricted area reciprocable into and out of a working

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

Claims

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

SPECIFICATION Fabric decoration apparatus This invention relates to an apparatus for the decoration of fabrics and to fabrics so produced.

In our application No. 48657/79 (publication No.

2010350) we disclosed a method and apparatus for producing decorated fabrics by applying at least one fibrous net, strand or web to a predetermined area of a base fabric and consolidating it into the surface of the fabric by needle punching in the said area. The apparatus disclosed in that application comprised a fixed work station through which a fabric could be moved in a predetermined direction by an operative, an assembly of barbed needles arranged for reciprocation into and out of the working station, and a feeder or feeders for supplying at least one fibrous strand to the fabric within the working station.

The present invention is concerned with a mod ifiedform of apparatus for carrying out the method of our previous application which is highly portable and may be moved at will by an operative over an area of fabric to apply decoration thereto in a desired pattern.

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus which comprises a block of barbed needles of a restricted area reciprocable into and out of a working zone and at least one feeder for supplying at least one fibrous strand into the working zone, drive means being provided for reciprocation of the block and the whole being contained in a portable unit capable of manual manipulation.

Conveniently, the apparatus can be based on a modified form of hand held carpettufting gun. The latter is about the size of a hand held electric drill and on operation causes a tufting needle to reciprocate pushing a carpet yarn into and out of backing material, and further has a cutting device for cutting the tufted yarn in between each tufting operation. In the modified form of apparatus in accordance with the invention the tufting needle is replaced with a block of suitable needle punching needles and the cutting mechanism is disconnected entirely. The supply of yarn is replaced with a supply of fibrous strands and a suitable strand guide, which includes a tensioning device, is preferably provided for guiding the fibrous strands through the working zone into and out of which the needles reciprocate.Passing this apparatus over the surface of a textile fabric held on a frame or former causes the fibrous strand to be needled in to the base fabric in whatever pattern is followed by the operator. Thus according to the skill of the operative, there is virtually no limit on the designs that can be produced.

In order to consolidate the needled fibrous strand into the fabric it is generally preferable to mill the fabric, in the case of wool, following application with the apparatus according to the invention as discus sed in the said previous application. Other types of fibres may require different treatment in order to obtain consolidation. For instance, the application of heat to cause 'spot welding' by the melting of synthetic fibres. Furthermore the apparatus of the invention is primarily, but not exclusively, suited to woven fabrics since these are dimensionally more stable and can therefore be mounted under tension without distortion during application of the fibrous strand using the apparatus of the invention.

The bl,ock of needles used in the apparatus of the invention should be small in relation to the dimensions of the fabric and is preferably only large enough to needle one strand or a small number of strands to the base fabric at any one time. The needles used may be any standard needle punching needle, for example 15-18-36 gauge 'close barb' Type A, no kick-up. The number mounted in the block may vary within wide limits, for example from 3 to 40, with about 10 being suitable for most purposes.

The textile fibres may be the same as or different from the fibres of the fabric being decorated and either may be chosen from natural or synthetic textile fibres, for example polyamides, polyesters, acrylics, vinyl, ethylenically unsaturated fibres, regenerated cellulosics, natural cellulosics and especially keratinous fibres such as wool.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the sole Figure is a partial diagrammatic side view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, part of a hand held carpettufting gun loins illustrated showing the crank 12 by which the carpet tufting needle is reciprocated.

The carpet tufting needle has been removed and replaced by a block 14 mounted on a steel rod, containing needle punch needles 16. Thus the needles 16 are capable of reciprocation into and out of a working zone generally indicated at 18. A guide 20 consisting of a channel and guide bar 21 is provided in order to guide a fibrous strand 22 which may be wool textile sliver or slubbing into the working zone 18. The base 24 of the guide 20 contains a rectangular slot large enough to allow passage of the array of needles 16 during reciprocation. The gun 10 has a pistol grip and trigger switch (not illustrated) and a steady grip 26 for hand holding in operation by the operative.

In use the apparatus is brought into contact with a fabric 28, preferably a woven fabric, which is stretched on a former. The operative then causes the needles 16 to reciprocate thereby punching the fibrous strand 22 into the fabric 28, normally following a pattern previously marked out on the fabric. An adjustable tensioning device 30 is provided in order to regulate the tension on the fibrous strand 22 for correct operation.

Awide range of patterns and designs can be produced depending on the skill of the operative and several patterns may be made with strands 22 differing in colour or some other property such as grade of fibre.

CLAIMS (Filed on 5.9.83.) 1. An apparatus for decorating textile fabrics which comprises a block of barbed needles of a restricted area reciprocable into and out of a working zone and at least one feeder for supplying at least one fibrous strand into the working zone, drive means being provided for reciprocation of the block, and the whole being contained in a portable unit capable of manual manipulation.
2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the number of needles mounted in the block is between three and forty.
3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 in which the number of needles mounted in the block is ten.
4. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the needles are standard needle punching needles.
5. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 in which the textile fibres are in the form of a sliver or slubbing.
6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 in which the textile fibres are keratinous fibres.
7. A method of decorating textile fabric which coprises stretching the fabric on a former, and moving an apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 over the fabric to produce a pattern thereon and thereafter subjecting the patterned fabric to a consolidation treatment.
8. A method as claimed in claim 7 in which the textile fabric is keratinous fabric and the consolidation treatment is milling.
9. A method as claimed in either of claims 1,7 or 8 in which the fabric is a woven fabric.
10. A method as claimed in any of claims 7 to 9 in which the strand applied to the fabric is a keratinous textile fibre strand.
11. An apparatus for decorating textile fabrics substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
12. A method of decorating textile fabrics substantially as hereinbefore particularly described.