TW201313463A - Apparatus and method for oil repellent microporous film - Google Patents

Abstract

In various embodiments, a microporous film for a fabric and method of producing the microporous film are provided. The microporous film may be treated with a treatment agent. In some embodiments, the microporous film may be treated prior to the film being applied to the fabric. In other embodiments, the treatment agent may be applied to an exposed side of the film after the film is laminated to the fabric. The treatment agent may include a relatively high concentration of an oil repellent (oleophobic) component to increase the oleophobicity of the film. Additionally, the treatment agent may include a high concentration of a wetting component, such as isobutyl alcohol (IBA) and/or isopropyl alcohol (IPA), to facilitate absorption of the oleophobic component by the film and/or penetration of the oleophobic component into the micropores of the film.

Description

Device and method for oiling microporous membrane

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a microporous film for fabrics, and more particularly to oil-repellent microporous films for fabrics.

Currently, several waterproof breathable (WPB) films are bonded to fabrics to make fabrics for outer garments that are generally not only waterproof and breathable. Examples of such materials include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyethylene (PE). Because these WPB films are generally lipophilic, they tend to absorb contaminants (such as oils, detergents, etc.), which in turn can damage the multiple micropores of the film. The effect of these contaminants is to make the film more hydrophilic, thereby significantly reducing the water repellency of the fabric.

These WPB films are treated with oil-repellent (eg, oil-resistant) chemicals. However, these WPB films are inherently resistant to water and repel chemicals, making it difficult to achieve high levels of oil repellency. In addition, the fabric bonded via the film will absorb and absorb most of the oil-repellent chemicals more readily than the film. This further reduces the amount of oil-repellent chemicals absorbed by the film and increases the hardness of the fabric.

The present invention provides a microporous film for fabrics and a method of preparing the microporous film. The microporous film can be treated with a treating agent to enhance its oil repellency. The treating agent may include a relatively high concentration of oil-repellent (oil-resistant) component to enhance the oil resistance of the film. In addition, the treatment agent may include a high concentration of a wetting component, such as isobutanol (IBA) and/or isopropyl alcohol (IPA), to promote absorption of the film against the oil component and/or penetration of the oil component into the film. A plurality of micropores of the film. Compared with the prior methods, the high concentration of the oil component and/or the wetting component can make the film have a higher absorption effect on the oleophobic component.

In some embodiments, the film can be applied to the fabric such that one side of the film is the exposed side. After the film is applied to the fabric, the treating agent is applied to the exposed side of the film. The fabric allows the film to be fixed to aid in the application of the treatment. In some embodiments, the treatment agent can be applied to the exposed side of the film by a tight roll. Coating the treatment agent to the exposed side of the film prevents And/or reducing the absorption of the treatment by the fabric. Therefore, a higher concentration of the oil-repellent component and/or the wetting component can be used.

In other embodiments, the treatment agent can be applied independently to the film (e.g., prior to bonding the film to the fabric), which prevents the treatment agent from being absorbed by the fabric.

The film can be attached to the fabric by any suitable method, such as spot-sticking, for example, by a hot glue dot, which can be attached to the fabric to apply heat and pressure to create a fit.

The film and fabric can be combined to form a multilayer waterproof and breathable material. In some embodiments, the additional layers can be laminated to the film and/or fabric. For example, the multilayer material can be a 2-layer material or a 3-layer material.

After being treated by the treating agent, the waterproof gas permeable material can be highly oil-repellent (such as having high oil resistance), and the oil repellency of the film can prevent contamination, thereby protecting the waterproof property of the film and/or fabric. The waterproof and breathable material can be adapted for a wide variety of applications, such as clothing (such as outerwear, footwear, gloves, hats, etc.) and/or outdoor sporting goods (such as tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, luggage).

In the following detailed description, reference will be made to the drawings, It is to be understood that structural or logical changes may be made in other embodiments without departing from the scope. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be construed as a limitation

Various operations may be described as a plurality of individual operations that are performed in sequence to facilitate understanding of the embodiments to some extent; however, the order of operations should not be construed as an order of the order of the operations.

This specification can be described using the angle of view, above/below, back/front, top/bottom. The descriptions are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the application of the embodiments of the present invention.

The terms "combination" and "connected" and their derivatives may be used. It should be understood that the terms are not intended to be synonymous with each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, "connected" can be used to mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. "Combined" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, "bonding" may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but still cooperate or interact with each other.

For the purposes of the present invention, the terms "A/B" or "A and/or B" refer to either (A), (B) or (A and B). For the purposes of describing the invention, the terms "at least one of A, B and C" are used to mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C) or Seven cases (A, B and C). For the purpose of describing the invention, the term "(A)B" refers to either (B) or (AB), ie, A is an optional element.

The term "embodiment" or "a plurality of embodiments" may be used in the present invention, wherein "a plurality of embodiments" may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Moreover, the terms "including", "comprising", "having", and the like, are used in connection with the embodiments.

In various embodiments, a microporous film for fabrics and a method of making the microporous film are provided. The microporous film can be treated with a treating agent to enhance its oil repellency. The treating agent may include a relatively high concentration of oil-repellent (oil-resistant) component to enhance the oil resistance of the film. In addition, the treatment agent may include a high concentration of a wetting component, such as isobutanol (IBA) and/or isopropyl alcohol (IPA), to promote absorption of the film against the oil component and/or penetration of the oil component into the film. A plurality of micropores of the film. Compared with the prior methods, the high concentration of the oil component and/or the wetting component can make the film have a higher absorption effect on the oleophobic component.

The treatment agent applied to the film produces a film having high oil repellency. For example, under the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists test method 118 (AATCC 118), the oil repellency of the films described herein can be increased by about one full point. In the tests performed using AATCC 118, it was found that the PE film treated according to the method described in the present invention has an oil repellency level of 6 A with respect to the oil repellency using the prior art 5B.

In some embodiments, the film can be applied to the fabric such that one side of the film is the exposed side. After the film is applied to the fabric, the treating agent is applied to the exposed side of the film. The fabric allows the film to be fixed to aid in the application of the treatment. In some embodiments, the treatment agent can be applied to the exposed side of the film by a tight roll. Coating the treatment agent to the exposed side of the film prevents and/or reduces absorption of the treatment by the fabric. Therefore, a higher concentration of the oil-repellent component and/or the wetting component can be used.

In other embodiments, the treatment agent can be applied independently to the film (e.g., prior to bonding the film to the fabric), which prevents the treatment agent from being absorbed by the fabric.

In various embodiments, the microporous film can be a waterproof, breathable (WPB) film (also known as a film). For example, in some embodiments, the WPB film can be made of polyethylene (PE) and/or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

The film can be attached to the fabric by any suitable method, such as spot-sticking, for example, by a hot glue dot, which can be attached to the fabric to apply heat and pressure to create a fit.

The film and fabric can be combined to form a multilayer waterproof and breathable material. In some embodiments, the additional layers can be laminated to the film and/or fabric. For example, the multilayer material can be a 2-layer material or a 3-layer material.

After being treated by the treating agent, the waterproof gas permeable material can be highly oil-repellent (such as having high oil resistance), and the oil repellency of the film can prevent contamination, thereby protecting the waterproof property of the film and/or fabric. The waterproof and breathable material can be adapted for a wide variety of applications, such as clothing (such as outerwear, footwear, gloves, hats, etc.) and/or outdoor sporting goods (such as tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, luggage).

The treatment agent can include ingredients designed to help enhance the oil and/or water resistance of the film. In one embodiment, the treatment agent comprises one or more oil resistant components (eg, oleophobic fluorocarbon), a crosslinked polymer (eg, TP-10), a wetting component (eg, IBA and/or IPA), and/or Or water. The concentration of the oil-repellent component and/or the wetting component in the treatment agent can be greatly increased with respect to the conventional treatment compound. For example, conventional treatment compounds include 10% oil resistant ingredients and 1% to 2% wetting agents. The treatment agents described herein may include an oil resistant component at a concentration of 25% or greater (e.g., 30% or greater in some embodiments), and/or a wetting agent at a concentration of 20% or greater. The concentration of the crosslinked polymer can be similar to that used in conventional treating agents, and the concentration of water can be lowered.

Because the film is treated without significantly contacting the fabric with the treatment agent (eg, by treating only the exposed side of the film and/or treating the film prior to bonding to the fabric), thereby allowing the use of higher concentrations of oil resistant ingredients and / or wetting into becomes possible. The film is significantly less absorbent than fabric. High concentrations of oil and/or wetting components are often avoided in textile mills because they allow the fabric to absorb too much chemicals, creating a fire hazard due to increased flammability. In addition, the fabric may become hard if it is exposed to high concentrations of oil and/or wetting components.

Thus, treating the film with a treating agent without contacting the fabric with a treating agent (eg, applying only the treating agent to the exposed side of the film and/or separating the fabric from the film) may allow for the use of higher concentrations of oil resistant ingredients and / or wetting ingredients. Higher concentration of oil and/or wetting components can make the film It absorbs more oleophobic ingredients, giving the fabric treated via the treatment agent better oleophobicity. For example, according to the AATCC 118 oil drop test, the oil resistance can be increased by about one full point.

In a non-limiting example, the concentration of the oil resistant component, as measured by weight percent and/or volume percent of the treating agent, can be greater than or equal to 25%, such as greater than or equal to 30%. Due to the water resistance of the film, the wetting component has a sufficiently high concentration to ensure penetration of the fluorocarbon-carrying water into the micropores of the film. If less than about 20%, an insufficient amount of wetting component will not achieve proper penetration. In some embodiments, the concentration of the wetting component is measured in weight percent and/or volume percent and can be greater than or equal to about 20%, such as about 25%. In an embodiment, the concentration of the wetting component can be greater than or equal to 30%, such as about 35%.

In one embodiment, the composition of the treating agent is as follows:

Any suitable oil resistant component, crosslinked polymer, and wetting component can be used. For example, suitable oil-repellent components may include AG-E060, a fluorinated oleophobic compound manufactured by AsahiGuard, E082 of AsahiGuard, and/or Unidyne TG5543 of Daikin Industries. / or TG-5541. The crosslinked polymer includes TP-10 manufactured by AsahiGuard, Meikanate ST of Meisei Chemical, and/or Faragent CL324 of Farsmat.

The wetting component can be, for example, IBA and/or IPA. In some embodiments, IBA is preferred for use as a wetting component because IBA is more stable than IPA because IBA has a higher boiling point of 108 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Celsius relative to IPA). The higher boiling point allows the IBA to evaporate slowly, which can help to maintain titration. In addition, IPA is more flammable than IBA.

Referring to Figure 1, a method of preparing a treating agent and applying the treating agent to a fabric is provided. In some embodiments, the treatment agent is prepared during at least two mixing operations. In a first mixing step 102, water and crosslinked polymer are combined and mixed. Then, in a second mixing step 104, the oil resistant component and the wetting component are mixed with the solution mixed by the first mixing step 102 to produce a treating agent. In some embodiments, the wetting component can be mixed in a first mixing step 102 and/or another mixing step. In some embodiments, the first mixing step 102 and/or the second mixing step 104 are performed at normal room temperature.

It has been discovered that mixing the crosslinked polymer and water prior to the addition of the oil resistant component can reduce and/or eliminate curing of the portion of the treatment agent that is initiated over time by the crosslinked polymer. For example, under some circumstances, the active agent of the crosslinked polymer can bind itself to change the titration of the solution and produce a cluster of oil resistant chemicals. Mixing the crosslinked polymer and water in the first mixing step 102 prevents/reduces its solidification prior to mixing the oil resistant component in the second mixing step 104, which is especially useful when processing a large number of films, such as greater than 500 yards. If the treating agent is mixed in an order different from the above order, the crosslinked polymer will initiate partial curing of the treating agent over time. The coagulum may adhere to the coating roll and may damage and/or interfere with the application of the treatment to the film.

In other embodiments, the treating agent can be prepared in a single operational step by simultaneously mixing all of the ingredients.

In the coating step 106, after the treatment is prepared, the treatment agent can be applied to a microporous film, such as a polyethylene film. The agent can be applied to one or both sides of the film using a roll member such as a tight roll member and/or another coating device such as a sprayable coating device.

The cured film is then dried and/or cured in a curing step 108. In some embodiments, the treated film is cured in an oven at a curing temperature. In embodiments in which the film is treated separately from the fabric (e.g., prior to bonding the film to the fabric), the curing temperature can range from about 55 degrees Celsius (55 ° C) to about 65 ° C, such as about 60 ° C. A cure temperature significantly above 60 ° C or 65 ° C will result in a substantial shrinkage of the film.

Prior to application of the treating agent, the film is applied to an embodiment of the fabric, and the treated film is cured at a curing temperature of from about 95 ° C to about 105 ° C, such as 100 ° C. In some embodiments, the treated film can be cured for about one to two minutes. Applying the film to the fabric prior to curing prevents the film from shrinking significantly.

In some embodiments, the coating step 106 and the curing step 108 of the processing agent are performed by an automated processing device. The processing apparatus includes one or more rollers for coating the treatment agent and transports the treated film to and/or through a drying oven/oven for drying and curing via a conveyor belt or other device.

In some embodiments, the coating step 106 and/or curing step 108 of the treating agent can be repeated one or more times. For example, the treatment agent can be applied and cured to the film twice. Repeating the coating step 106 and/or curing step 108 can increase the oil resistance of the film.

Figure 2 illustrates a close-in roll member 200 suitable for coating the treatment agent 202 as described in various embodiments. Treatment agent 202 can be placed in tank 204. In some embodiments, the treatment agent is prepared in the tank by one or more of the mixing operations described above. In other embodiments, the treatment agent 202 can be prepared and then placed in the tank 204.

The first roller 206 can be partially immersed in the treatment agent 202. In some embodiments, the first roller 206 can be a gravure roll. The first roller 206 can include a cushion, such as comprised of an absorbent material, that can be used to absorb the treatment agent 202. The film 208 can be placed over the first roller 206. In some embodiments, the film 208 can be applied to the fabric 210 first. In other embodiments, the film 208 passes independently through the snare roll 200 (eg, prior to bonding to the fabric 210). The first roller 206 is rotatable such that the treatment agent 202 contacts the exposed side 212 of the film 208. In some embodiments, the tight roller 200 can include a second roller 214 to aid in the application of the treatment agent 202 to the film 208.

Treatment agent 202 can include a high concentration of oil resistant compounds and/or wetting ingredients to promote absorption of film 208 against oil compounds. In some embodiments, the tight roll 200 can apply the treatment agent 202 to the exposed side 212 of the film 208 such that little or no treatment agent 202 penetrates the fabric 210. Therefore, the effect of preparing the film 208 having high oil repellency without hardening the fabric 210 can be attained. In an embodiment, the film 208 can have a oil repellency of about 6A.

In some embodiments, additional processing steps may be performed on film 208 and/or fabric 210, for example, film 208 and/or fabric 210 may be subjected to a durable water resistant (DWR) process. In some embodiments, the DWR process can be incorporated into the coating of the treatment agent 202. The DWR treatment can include a DWR chemical at a concentration of about 8% and a crosslinker at a concentration of about 1%. In some embodiments, the DWR chemical can incorporate the treatment agent described herein. Alternatively, the DWR treatment can be separated from the oil repellent treatment. The DWR process can be processed by any suitable means, such as a film The 208 and/or fabric 210 passes through the mat and/or the trough, and then utilizes one or more gripping rollers, a tight roll system, and/or a spray coating device.

In various embodiments, film 208 and fabric 210 can be combined to form a multilayer waterproof breathable material. In some embodiments, the waterproof gas permeable material can be a two or three layer material that is attached to the fabric by any suitable method, such as dispensing. For example, the film can be attached to the fabric by a hot glue fusion bonding process whereby heat and pressure are applied to create a fit.

The waterproof gas permeable material can be highly oil-repellent (e.g., highly oil-resistant) due to treatment with a treating agent. The oil repellency of the film 208 prevents contamination, thereby protecting the waterproof properties of the film 208 and/or the fabric 210. The waterproof and breathable material can be adapted for a wide variety of applications, such as clothing (such as outerwear, footwear, gloves, hats, etc.) and/or outdoor sporting goods (such as tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, luggage).

While the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and/or And the described embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments can be implemented in various ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations and variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is apparent that the embodiments are limited only by the scope of the patent application and equivalent embodiments.

The present application claims US Provisional Patent Application No. 61/591,728, filed Jan. 27, 2012, entitled "Apparatus and Method for Oil Repellent Micro-Porous Film" and US Provisional Issued on July 21, 2011. Patent Application Serial No. 61/510,428, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety in its entirety in its entirety in the the the the the the the the

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200‧‧‧Closed rolling parts

202‧‧‧Processing agent

204‧‧‧ slots

206‧‧‧First roll

208‧‧‧film

210‧‧‧ fabric

212‧‧‧Exposed side

214‧‧‧Second Rolling

1 is a method of preparing an oil-repellent treatment agent and coating the treatment agent to a microporous film according to various embodiments; and FIG. 2 is a view for coating the adhesion of the oil-repellent treatment agent to the microporous film according to various embodiments. Rolling pieces.

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Claims (17)

A method comprising: applying a treating agent to a microporous film, the treating agent having an oil resistant component of at least 25% concentration and having a wetting component of at least 30% concentration; and laminating the microporous film to a fabric To form a waterproof and breathable fabric. The method of claim 1, further comprising first mixing the wet component, water, and a crosslinked polymer, and then mixing with the oil resistant component to prepare the treating agent. The method of claim 1, wherein the wetting component comprises isopropyl alcohol. The method of claim 1, wherein the wetting component comprises isobutanol. The method of claim 1, further comprising curing the treated film. The method of claim 5, further comprising repeatedly coating the treatment agent to the film and curing the treated film. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating agent is applied to the microporous film before the microporous film is attached to the fabric. The method of claim 1, wherein after the microporous film is attached to the fabric, applying the treating agent to the microporous film comprises applying the treating agent to the microporous film. Exposed side. The method of claim 1, wherein the treating agent is applied to the film by a close-contact roll. The method of claim 1, wherein the microporous film comprises a waterproof Breathable microporous film. A method comprising: laminating a microporous film to a fabric having an exposed side; and applying a treating agent to the exposed side of the film, the treating agent having an oil resistant component of at least 25% concentration. The method of claim 11, wherein the treating agent is applied to the film by a tight roll. According to the method of claim 11, further comprising first mixing water and a crosslinked polymer, and then mixing with the oil resistant component to prepare the treating agent. The method of claim 11, wherein the treating agent has a wetting component of at least 20% concentration. The method of claim 14, wherein the wetting component comprises isobutanol. The method of claim 14, wherein the concentration of the oil resistant component is about 30%, and the concentration of the wetted component is about 21%. The method of claim 11, wherein the film comprises polyethylene.