IT202100008042A1 - PADDED KNITTED FABRIC AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING THIS FABRIC - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

Title

PADDED KNITTED FABRIC AND PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING THIS FABRIC

Technical field

The present invention relates to the knitwear sector and to articles made using this technique, in particular clothing items and household linen. Pi? specifically, the invention relates to a swollen multi-layered knitted fabric, internally padded with a special heat-expandable thread.

The present invention also relates to a process for making a textile product made of such padded knitted fabric, using a suitably modified knitting machine.

State of the art

Padded or quilted textile articles are known, essentially consisting of a multilayer fabric formed by two external layers of fabric, facing each other, between which interposed padding. The latter can? be made of a material of a synthetic or natural nature, generally soft, swollen and heat insulating. The two outer layers are joined with stitching, i.e. seams that pass through the different layers of fabric and guarantee their union, the stitching always joins the outer edges of the fabric, but they are often repeated crossing it, in order to keep the internal padding.

Examples of such textile articles are various types of winter garments, such as duvets, as well as numerous household linen articles, such as quilts and duvets.

This type of fabric? particularly appreciated from an aesthetic point of view for the three-dimensional swelling effect given by the internal padding, as well as for the fact that they effectively retain the body heat of the person using them.

Normally, the outer layers are obtained by weaving, i.e. they are made on the loom by weaving weft and warp threads perpendicular to each other. The padding is inserted between the outer layers in a second step, after which? the external layers and the internal padding are sewn together or stitched, of talch? the padding remains tied to the external fabric.

? the need to obtain a knitted and padded fabric that is soft and warm as well as appreciated from an aesthetic point of view and which can also be made without having to resort to multiple distinct production processes is particularly felt.

It should be premised that in the present patent text the term knitted fabric means a fabric obtained by means of a knitting process and not instead a fabric proper, i.e. made on the loom by combining warp and weft threads.

To optimize production process times for the production of padded textile articles, yes? thought of making three-dimensional knitted fabrics, these fabrics are formed by a succession of protruding surface areas.

An example ? described in European patent application EP 2474653 which illustrates a three-dimensional fabric comprising an outer knitted fabric layer and an inner knitted fabric layer, the latter being connected to each other by means of a third connecting yarn which in a preferred embodiment ? in heat shrinkable material. The third connecting yarn binds the outer fabric and the inner fabric, especially at the protruding convex areas.

Similarly, the international PCT patent application WO 03042441 describes a three-dimensional fabric in which the two outer layers are interconnected by means of rows (rows) of heat-shrinkable connecting yarns which, when subjected to heat, shrink causing the two layers to approach each other.

A similar solution? described in Japanese patent application JP 2001164444 relating to a three-dimensional knitted fabric consisting of a front knitted fabric and a back knitted fabric which are joined together by a third elastic yarn. A very similar example? also described in Japanese patent application JP 2002235264 .

The international PCT patent application WO2020106389A1 describes a knitted fabric incorporating fibers of thermoplastic material which contract following an increase in temperature.

All the known solutions described up to now illustrate three-dimensional knitted fabrics in which a third connecting yarn is used to connect the front outer fabric with the rear outer fabric. The effect swollen cos? obtained ? moderate and consequently the aesthetic yield? lower than and compared to padded fabrics properly so-called. Another disadvantage of this type of three-dimensional fabrics? which do not incorporate a padding voluminous enough to provide adequate thermal insulation.

In the known solutions described above, the third connecting yarn connects the front knit fabric and the back knit fabric, therefore the padding is not? made up of loose yarns; in many of the known solutions this third yarn ? made with a heat shrinkable material and is treated with heat in order to make it shorten and make it adhere to the fabric. It follows that this third yarn is not? suitable for making a swollen and soft padding.

? therefore felt the need? to create a padded and puffy knitted fabric as well as thermally insulating, using functional and efficient production processes suited to the needs of the modern textile industry.

Purposes and summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a knitted padded fabric, therefore swollen, soft and comfortable, as well as capable of effectively retaining the user's body heat. ? obviously the object of the present invention is also any textile product made at least in part with this fabric.

Another purpose of the present invention ? that of providing a manufacturing process for making the subject padded knitted fabric and a textile product made from said fabric, using a suitably modified knitting machine.

These and other purposes, which will become clear to the person skilled in the art upon reading this document, are achieved thanks to a multilayer knitted fabric, padded with at least one heat-expandable thread unrelated to the outer fabric.

The multilayer knitted fabric object of the present invention comprises a first front layer of knitted fabric and a second back layer of knitted fabric. The two outer fabrics are bound together at their respective side edges, although it is possible to provide further binding or crossing points for the two fabrics in order to create decorations or surface designs.

Between said front and back external fabrics ? interposed at least one loose thread consisting of a thermolabile material, ie a material which undergoes modifications under the action of heat, in particular by swelling and increasing in volume. It should be noted that such at least one internal thread? always loose and free, that is not ? never bonded or woven into the yarns that form the front fabric and back fabric.

Preferably, this swelling thread ? made of a heat-expandable polymer. Under certain temperature and humidity conditions, in particular during a fabric ironing operation, the internal thread swells giving the fabric the appearance and features of a padded garment.

This particular feature of the internal wire is very advantageous because? in a single operational phase ? It is possible to knit the front and back fabric and simultaneously insert at least one untied internal thread in the space between the two external fabrics, before this internal thread has undergone swelling and only subsequently the multilayer fabric so? padded is heated up to exceed a certain temperature, to cause the expansion of the internal thread and obtain a three-dimensional swollen fabric.

Very advantageously, according to some embodiments of the invention, the front mesh fabric and/or the back mesh fabric are each composed of a main yarn joined to a secondary yarn in elastic fiber such as elastane or spandex, also known under the commercial name Lycra <?>. The multilayer padded fabric is so? accomplished ? more easy to process and furthermore the structure of the fabric does not remain deformed after the swelling of the internal thread. ? It is also possible to make the front knit fabric and/or the back knit fabric integrally with an elastic or stretch yarn.

Although the swelling inner thread is never connected with the two outer tissues, it is possible to make textile products with a ?quilted? effect? and draw any three-dimensional shape or decoration in bas-relief on the surface of the fabric, ?crossing? the threads constituting the two external fabrics, i.e. exchanging the loops of the yarn forming the front fabric with those of the yarn of the rear fabric and vice versa, without this weaving involving the swelling internal thread which always remains free and untied.

The padded knitted fabric object of the present invention is made in a single continuous process, thanks to a suitably modified straight knitting machine, equipped with two thread guides which feed the needles on two parallel needle beds and a third thread guide which at each stroke deposits at least one heat-expandable yarn.

Preferably, the textile machinery used? of the type for knitting, in particular a flat knitting machine with at least three thread guides. This machine comprises two traditional-type thread guides which feed the needles of the two needle beds in parallel to produce the outer knit fabrics and a third special thread guide which, by lowering itself within the working range between the two aforementioned thread guides, deposits at least one swelling thread that forms the padding of the fabric. The padded multilayer fabric object of the present invention is produced in a single operating step, by knitting the front fabric and the back fabric and simultaneously depositing the swelling yarn padding and subsequently the product is heated, for example it is stretched, to cause the swelling of the internal wire and create cos? the desired three-dimensional padded effect.

It should be noted that in this patent text the term textile product means both a semi-finished product, for example a piece of fabric to be subjected to subsequent cutting and finishing operations, and a finished textile product, already cut to size and sewn, ready to wear or use.

Further advantages, characteristics and possible embodiments of the padded multilayer fabric of the process for making a textile product in such fabric are described below with reference to the drawings and the attached claims.

Brief description of the figures

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of an outerwear whose bust? made up of the padded multilayer fabric object of the invention in this case presenting a ?quilted? effect? horizontal lines.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic section along a transversal plane of a possible embodiment of the padded multilayer fabric object of the present invention with the front knitted fabric (1) intertwined with the rear knitted fabric (2) at the respective ends? side while between the two external fabrics (1, 2) are piled a plurality? of internal wires (3) after they have undergone swelling due to heating.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic section according to a sagittal plane of an embodiment of the multilayer padded fabric in question, the crossing points (12) are visible in which the front fabric (1) binds with the rear fabric (2), without intertwining or bind the internal wires (3).

Detailed description of preferred embodiments The padded multilayer fabric object of the present invention comprises a layer of knitted front fabric (1) and a corresponding flap of rear fabric (2) also knitted between which ? interposed a padding consisting of at least one heat-expandable internal thread (3) which one occupies the volume between the two layers of fabric and which, once subjected to heat, swells giving the multilayer fabric a three-dimensional swollen effect.

It should be stated that the same inventive concept also includes any finished and packaged garment or textile article made of the subject padded multilayer fabric, whether it is a semi-finished textile product to be cut and/or sewn with other fabrics, even different ones, to make the finished product.

The space included internally between the front flap (1) of knitted fabric and the rear flap (2) ? filled with a filament mass consisting of at least one heat-expandable internal thread (3). Preferably such a filamentous cluster ? made up of three heat-expandable internal wires (3). Each internal wire (3) is not ? n? sewing n? woven into the front knit fabric (1) or the back knit fabric (2), therefore it remains independent of these external fabrics. Such at least one heat-expandable internal wire (3) ? preferably made of a polymeric material which increases in volume once a certain temperature and/or certain humidity conditions have been exceeded.

In a very advantageous embodiment, at least one internal wire (3) is such? made up of polyester, in particular ? a polyester microfibre with multiple interstices which, by incorporating air, increase in volume, swelling.

The front flap (1) and the rear flap (2) made of knitted fabric are mutually joined at the respective right and left side edges; the processing? of the ?tubular? or ?tube? with an interlocking stitch and stitching only at the lateral outer edges. Alternatively, for example if woven pieces of a width smaller than the stroke of the machine are required, the tubular multilayer fabric can be cut and in this case temporary side seams are made, to prevent the internal thread from coming out (3); these seams are then eliminated with the cut and overlock machine in the finishing and packaging operations of a finished textile item comprising the padded multilayer fabric object of the invention.

Below the padded multilayer fabric has a tubular start, of talch? the front flap (1) of knitted fabric ? tied to the rear (2); alternatively a portion of multilayer fabric at the lower edge can be made without padding or pu? a flounce finish or other types of known finishes can be achieved, made using the same machinery used to create the padded multilayer knitted fabric object of the present.

To make the padded multilayer knitted fabric object of the present invention, said at least one internal thread (3) is laid between the external flaps (1, 2) when it is still in its contracted form, ie? before undergoing swelling. Subsequently, after having made the padded multilayer fabric, the product is subjected to heating so as to cause swelling of the internal thread (3) which, by expanding, gives the fabric a swollen appearance. For example, the swelling of the internal yarn (3) occurs thanks to the heat and steam absorbed during an ironing operation to which the multilayer fabric is subjected.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the front flap (1) and/or the rear flap (2) of knitted fabric are made by coupling a substantially inelastic or scarcely elastic main yarn with a secondary yarn of elastic or elasticated material, such as for example elastane or spandex, known under the trade name Lycra<?>. The coupling ? made using the known technique called ?vaniset?.

Surprisingly, the use of one or more? elastic fibers allows to obtain various advantages, first of all the padded multilayer fabric, before having undergone swelling, can? be worked, cut and sewn pi? smoothly; moreover, the swollen padded knitted fabric obtained after having expanded the internal thread (3) is aesthetically more? valuable because? the structure of the knitted fabric of the external flaps (1, 2) does not deform due to the expansion of the internal yarn (3); finally the Lycra? does it have a typical heat shrink behavior of talch? when subjected to heating, it shrinks and shortens, recompacting the entire fabric and slightly reducing the swelling of the padding. According to an alternative embodiment, the knitted fabric of the front flap (1) and/or of the rear flap (2) are made solely with one or more? elastic or stretch yarns. Note how the swollen internal threads (3) are never intertwined or connected with the fabric constituting the two external flaps (1, 2) but always remain loose and free. As shown in the attached figures, the yarns constituting the knitted fabric of the external flaps (1, 2) can be crossed with each other, exchanging the loops of the yarn forming the front flap (1) with those of the rear flap (2) and vice versa, to create an upholstered multilayer fabric with a "quilted" surface effect, for example with diamond patterns or transversal lines, or to draw any shape or three-dimensional decoration in bas-relief on the surface of the multilayer fabric itself. The weaving between the fabric yarn of the front flap (1) and the rear flap (2) never involves the swelling internal yarns (3) which always remain free and released.

In the embodiment shown in figure 1, the bust of the outerwear is made up of the swollen padded multilayer fabric object of the invention, worked to create a ?quilted? horizontal lines. The latter are not made with stitching, but by crossing the knitted fabric of the front flap (1) with that of the rear flap (2) and in particular, in the embodiment shown, each crossing (12) ? made in the form of a horizontal line and each line ? equidistant from the next and previous lines.

The textile machinery used to make the padded multilayer fabric object of the invention? a flat knitting machine, in particular a double needle bed machine for "tubular" knitting, suitably modified. This machine comprises two yarn guides which alternatively feed the front needle bed and the rear needle bed and a third special yarn guide suitable for depositing the swelling internal yarns (3), lowering themselves within the working range between the two needle beds. This special thread guide ? a particular type of yarn guide used in other application sectors to make shoe uppers and ? able to bring one or more? yarn. The special thread guide preferably carries three swollen inner threads (3), two of which are deposited in the stroke of the thread guide from left to right, while the third thread is deposited during the stroke to the left. ? obviously it is possible to envisage making the padding using more? of three yarns or using a smaller number.

Preferably the machinery used? a lowered knitting machine, thanks to which ? is it possible to make parts already? suitably shaped according to a model and ready to be joined to create a finished garment, without the need for? of further finishing operations on the edges of the fabric using a cut and overlock machine.

The process for making the padded knitted fabric object of the invention, in its most recent version? elementary, includes the following main stages:

(a) knitting of the continuous type by making the front flap (1) of the knitted fabric and the rear flap (2) linked together at the respective lateral and lower outer edges and simultaneously depositing a filamentary mass consisting of at least one heat-expandable inner thread (3) in the space delimited between said front flap (1) and said rear flap (2) of the knitted fabric, to form a padded multilayer fabric which is then closed at the top by means of a stitching;

(b) heating the padded multilayer fabric until it exceeds the temperature above which at least one internal thread (3) swells and expands, thus obtaining a swollen padded multilayer fabric.

Preferably this heating step (b) consists of a steam ironing operation of the padded multilayer fabric.

The heating phase (b) can? be preceded by the phase (a1) in which one or more? padded multilayer fabrics are optionally cut to size and sewn with other padded multilayer fabrics of the same type or with other types of fabrics so as to make a finished textile product. In this case, in the subsequent heating phase (b) only the parts of the garment made of padded multilayer fabric or the entire textile garment can be subjected to heating.

In some versions of the method ? a further optional washing phase is provided, immediately preceding the heating phase (b).

According to an alternative version of the process, the heating step (b) precedes the textile item packaging step (a1). In this case the padded multilayer fabric produced in step (a) is first optionally washed and heated (b) causing it to swell and only subsequently is the swelled fabric used to form a finished textile item (a1).?

Claims (10)

1. Padded multilayer knitted fabric comprising a front flap (1) of knitted fabric and a rear flap (2) of knitted fabric, connected to each other at the respective perimeter edges, between which ? interposed a padding made up of a filamentous mass made up of at least one internal thread (3) characterized in that said at least one internal thread (3) ? heat-expandable. 2. Padded multilayer knitted fabric as per claim 1 above, characterized in that said at least one internal yarn (3) ? swollen, i.e. it is in its expanded state, having been subjected to a heat source. 3. Padded multilayer knitted fabric as per one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one internal thread (3) ? made of a polymeric material. 4. Padded multilayer knitted fabric as per one of the preceding claims characterized in that said at least one internal thread (3) is not? bound n? to said front flap (1) n? to said back flap (2) of knitted fabric. 5. Padded multilayer knitted fabric according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that said front flap (1) and/or said rear flap (2) of knitted fabric consist at least in part of an elastic or elasticised yarn. 6. Padded multilayer knitted fabric according to claim 5 above characterized in that said front flap (1) and/or said rear flap (2) of knitted fabric are made by coupling an inelastic or scarcely elastic yarn with an elastic yarn. 7. Padded multilayer knitted fabric according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that it comprises one or more? crossing points or segments (12) in which the thread constituting said front flap (1) ? crossed with the thread constituting said rear flap (2) without binding said at least one internal thread (3). 8. Manufacturing process of a padded multilayer knitted fabric according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that it comprises the following operating steps: (a) continuous-type knitting of a knitted fabric by making said front flap (1) and said rear flap (2) tied at the respective lateral and lower outer edges and simultaneous deposition of a filamentary mass consisting of said at least one internal thread (3) in the space delimited between said flaps (1, 2) to form a padded multilayer fabric which is then closed at the top by means of a stitching; (b) heating said padded multilayer fabric up to exceeding the temperature beyond which said at least one internal thread (3) swells and expands, thus obtaining a swollen padded multilayer fabric. 9. Manufacturing process according to claim 8 above, characterized in that said knitting step (a) ? followed by the packaging phase (a1) of a finished textile product consisting of one or more parts of padded multilayer fabric, cut to size and sewn with other parts of fabric of the same type or with other types of fabrics; in this case, in the subsequent heating phase (b) only the parts of the textile product made of padded multilayer fabric or the entire textile product can be subjected to heating. 10. Manufacturing process according to claim 9 above characterized in that said packaging step (a1) is subsequent to said heating phase (b).