WO2003040456A1 - Essuie-main en rouleau - Google Patents

Essuie-main en rouleau Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2003040456A1
WO2003040456A1 PCT/GB2002/005066 GB0205066W WO03040456A1 WO 2003040456 A1 WO2003040456 A1 WO 2003040456A1 GB 0205066 W GB0205066 W GB 0205066W WO 03040456 A1 WO03040456 A1 WO 03040456A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
fabric
towel
substrate
roll
roll towel
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2002/005066
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Thomas Brock
Ejvind Jensen
John Harold Lancashire
Peter Charles Brazier
Michael Ian Thomas
Original Assignee
Milliken Denmark A/S
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Milliken Denmark A/S filed Critical Milliken Denmark A/S
Publication of WO2003040456A1 publication Critical patent/WO2003040456A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D06—TREATMENT OF TEXTILES OR THE LIKE; LAUNDERING; FLEXIBLE MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • D06C—FINISHING, DRESSING, TENTERING OR STRETCHING TEXTILE FABRICS
    • D06C29/00—Finishing or dressing, of textile fabrics, not provided for in the preceding groups

Definitions

  • the present invention relates generally to hand drying roll towels and more particularly to roll towels made substantially or entirely of polyester.
  • the invention also relates to a process for manufacturing a roll towel.
  • Hand drying roll towels for use in public lavatories are well known.
  • roll towels are mounted in a wall hanging cabinet having supply and take up rolls such that tl e user can pull down a clean, unused section of the towel from the supply roll with the previously used section of the towel being conveyed back to the take up roll.
  • towels have typically been formed primarily of cotton so as to provide the user with the absorbency and texture benefits of such a product.
  • the roll towels are generally supplied to rental laundries, who install clean towels and reclaim soiled towels for cleaning and re-use.
  • the cotton roll towels of the prior art have anumber of disadvantages. These disadvantages include that a very high energy input is required during laundering, both in the high temperature wash cycle and subsequently in the drying cycle, owing to the very high moisture absorbency of cotton. In addition, cotton towels are easily discoloured or stained, with the result that used towels frequently have to be dyed a dark colour such as blue to hide the discolouration. The cotton fabric also tends to wear out relatively rapidly.
  • polyester towel fabric such as the woven fabric disclosed in EP 0842756 Al .
  • Polyester fabric can be washed at a lower temperature than cotton and it is more easily dried, and the energy requirement when laundering the product is consequently significantly lower. Also, polyester fabric does not stain readily and it can therefore retain a crisp white appearance for longer without needing to be dyed. Polyester has better wear characteristics and is lighter than cotton, so making it easier and cheaper to transport.
  • polyester fabric normally has poor wicking properties, with the result that it does not absorb water as readily as cotton. It is not therefore particularly effective as a towel material.
  • polyester fabric usually needs to have hemmed edges to prevent fraying. Since hemming doubles the thickness of the fabric, when the fabric is wound onto a roll the edges build up more rapidly than the central portion of the fabric, so that the fabric does not lie flat on the roll. This can make it difficult to wind the fabric neatly onto the roll and it limits the amount of fabric that can be stored in that way.
  • a roll towel that is made substantially or entirely of a polyester fabric having at least one hydraulically napped surface.
  • the hydraulically napped surface is produced by treating the surface of the fabric with high pressure water j ets.
  • polyester fabric with a hydraulically napped surface has significantly improved wicking properties as compared to untreated polyester fabric.
  • the fabric absorbs water far more readily than untreated fabric and it is therefore much more effective as a drying towel.
  • the fabric is preferably a knitted fabric, and may comprise a knitted substrate with at least one pile surface. Preferably, the fabric has pile surfaces on both sides of the substrate.
  • the substrate may be a warp knitted fabric and is preferably a Raschel knit fabric.
  • a hydraulically napped knitted polyester fabric is able to meet or exceed the wickmg and absorption performance of both woven polyester and cotton, whilst also offering the other advantages associated with polyester towels, such as lower laundering costs, improved stain resistance, increased durability and reduced weight. Further, some knitted polyester fabrics do not fray and can be used without either hemming or sealing the edges of the fabric.
  • the fabric may be a woven fabric having warp yarns and fill yarns, the napped surface being comprised of fibres from said warp yarns.
  • said at least one hydraulically napped surface includes a plurality of fibre tangles, said fibre tangles being comprised of fibres that are substantially intact and undamaged.
  • the fabric may have a Kawabata system MiU value greater than 0J95, preferably greater than 0.20 and more preferably greater than 0.21, and a Kawabata system LC value greater than 0.375, and preferably greater than 0.390. Such a fabric has a good feel and is particularly suitable for use as a hand towel.
  • the fabric may be chemically treated to improve the hydrophilic, wicking and/or soil release properties of the fabric.
  • the fabric may be treated with a hydrophilic agent, preferably an ethoxylated polyester.
  • the towel may have longitudinal edges that have been created by slitting with a hot knife.
  • the longitudinal edges of the fabric may have been sealed by welding, preferably by ultrasonic welding. Sealing the edges of the fabric by welding prevents the fabric fraying, without increasing the thickness of the edges. The fabric can therefore be wound easily onto a roll without causing increased edge thickness.
  • a process for manufacturing a roll towel in which a substrate made substantially or entirely of a polyester fabric is treated with water jets to produce a hydraulically napped surface on at least one side of the substrate.
  • the fabric may be a knitted fabric and is preferably a Raschel l nitted fabric.
  • the substrate is produced by knitting a fabric sandwich with two fabric layers joined by float yarns, and heat setting a slitting the sandwich to produce to a knitted substrate with a pile on a first surface thereof.
  • the first surface of the substrate may be treated with water j ets to force at least some of the pile yarns through the substrate and form a pile on a second surface thereof.
  • the fabric may be treated with a hydrophilic agent, preferably an ethoxylated polyester.
  • the longitudinal edges of the towel may be created by slitting with a hot knife.
  • the longitudinal edges of the towel may be sealed by welding, preferably ultrasonic welding.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic front view of a roll towel dispenser
  • Figure 2 is a schematic side view of a roll towel dispenser.
  • a conventional roll towel dispenser typically has an upper supply roll 2 and a lower take up roll 4, which are mounted in a wall hanging cabinet (not shown).
  • a strip 6 of towel fabric is wound around the supply roll 2 and the free end of the strip is attached to the take up roll 4, leaving a loop 8 of material hanging down beneath the rolls that is available for use.
  • the two rolls 2, 4 are linked to one another by a drive mechanism (not shown) that causes the take up roll to rotate with the supply roll when a fresh length of fabric is drawn from it, so that the used fabric is taken up by the take up roll.
  • the strip 6 of towel material is typically 40m long and 26.5cm wide, having two longitudinal edges 10.
  • the towel fabric is preferably a knitted fabric made of 100% polyester material with a hydraulically napped fabric surface.
  • a suitable knitted fabric and a process for manufacturing the fabric are described more fully in WO 02/15764 Al, the entire content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
  • That fabric includes a warp knitted substrate having a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface, a plurality of first free end pile yarns extending outwardly from the first substrate surface, and a plurality of second free end pile yarns extending from the second substrate surface.
  • the substrate is a Raschel knit fabric having course yams and wale yams.
  • the first pile yarns and the second pile yams are knotted into the first side of the substrate.
  • the first pile yams extend outwardly from tl e first surface of the substrate.
  • a portion of the second pile yarns extend through the substrate and emanate from the second surface of the substrate.
  • Another portion of the second pile yams emanate from the first surface of the substrate, pass over at least one course yam and/or one wale yarn, and then pass through the substrate to emanate from the second side of the substrate.
  • the wrapping of the second pile yams around and through yarns of the substrate is believed to provide additional security for inhibiting the ability of the pile yarns to be removed from the substrate.
  • the towel fabric is produced by knitting two Raschel knit fabrics face to face with float yams interlaced between the two, to fomi a knitted sandwich.
  • the knitted sandwich is heat set and then slit to produce two pile fabrics, each having a substrate with free end pile yams emanating from only one surface of the substrate.
  • a portion of the pile is forced back through the substrate using fluid jets, to produce a hydraulically napped surface with pile yarns on both sides of the substrate.
  • This fluid j et process is described in detail in US patent No. 5,235,733 the content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
  • the fabric is then chemically treated to improve the hydrophilic, wicking, and soil release properties of the fabric.
  • a preferred chemical treatment is an ethoxylated polyester.
  • ethoxylated polyesters include an anionic ethoxylated sulphinated polyester and high molecular ethoxylated polyester. Such agents are described in US Patent 5,935,484, the content of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by specific reference thereto. It is believed that the additional surface areas created by the open ends of the cut pile yams, combined with the chemical treatment, facilitates increased wicking and retention of liquids by the towel.
  • the towel fabric may be a woven fabric made of 100% polyester material with a hydraulically napped fabric surface comprised of tangled fibres.
  • the treatment of the fabric with high pressure water jets produces a hydraulically napped surface of intact, tangled but substantially undamaged fibres.
  • the strength of the fabric is not adversely affected by this treatment, but the aesthetic qualities of the fabric such as surface texture (hand), resistance to piling and drapeability are markedly improved.
  • wicking ability of the fabric is greatly enhanced, thereby giving the fabric the effective drying qualities demanded of a towel.
  • a suitable woven fabric and a process for manufacturing the fabric are described more fully in WO 01/00412 Al, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein.
  • the longitudinal edges 10 of the towel are preferably sealed by an ultrasonic welding process, for example as described in EP 0842756 Al, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein. This prevents the fabric from fraying and avoids the need for sewn side hems.
  • the fabric thus has a substantially uniformed thickness across its entire width, which allows it to be wound flat onto a roll without curling. If a fray resistant fabric is used, such as a Raschel knit fabric, sealing may be unnecessary.
  • the strips of fabric are preferably cut from a wider piece of fabric, which is slit into strips of the appropriate width using a hot knife.
  • the hot knife melts the ends of the cut fibres, thereby providing further protection against fraying.
  • a typical specification for a roll towel made from the knitted polyester material is as follows :
  • a roll towel of the above dimensions and made of the treated polyester material typically has a weight of approximately 2.2 kg. This compares with a cotton towel fabric with a fabric weight of 200-220 g/m 2 , which would typically have a dry weight of 2.35 kg and a weight of 4.6 kg after processing and before drying (with a moisture content of 2245ml/95J6%>).
  • the polyester towel fabric has a useful lifetime 3 to 4 times longer than that of a normal cotton roll towel. In addition, it provides reduced processing costs, owing both to the ability to wash the polyester material at lower temperatures and its reduced drying time, which results from the fact that the towel does not retain the same volume of water as cotton. In addition, the product retains a crisp white appearance much longer than cotton, thereby reducing the necessity to dye used towels to hide discolouration.
  • various towels including a towel according to the invention and two prior art towels, in order to assess water absorbency (the speed at which water is absorbed by the towel) and water absorption (the quantity of water that can be absorbed). Water absorbency and water absorption were measured using the JIS L 1907 water dropping method. The samples were washed once and line dried according to method JIS L 0217 103. The results of those tests are set out below:
  • roller towel made a hydraulically napped knitted polyester fabric is more effective than both a traditional cotton towel and the prior art polyester towel at removing dirt from the hands of a user.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Knitting Of Fabric (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un essuie-main en rouleau (6) constitué sensiblement ou intégralement de tissu polyester possédant au moins une surface lainée à l'eau. Le tissu est de préférence un tissu tricoté doté d'un substrat tricoté et d'au moins une surface en velours.
PCT/GB2002/005066 2001-11-09 2002-11-08 Essuie-main en rouleau WO2003040456A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0126958A GB0126958D0 (en) 2001-11-09 2001-11-09 Roll towel
GB0126958.8 2001-11-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2003040456A1 true WO2003040456A1 (fr) 2003-05-15

Family

ID=9925492

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2002/005066 WO2003040456A1 (fr) 2001-11-09 2002-11-08 Essuie-main en rouleau

Country Status (2)

Country Link
GB (1) GB0126958D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2003040456A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5235733A (en) 1984-09-28 1993-08-17 Milliken Research Corporation Method and apparatus for patterning fabrics and products
EP0842756A1 (fr) 1996-11-08 1998-05-20 Milliken Research Corporation Essuie-mains en rouleau joint par ultrasons
WO2001000412A1 (fr) 1999-06-25 2001-01-04 Milliken & Company Tissu laine et procede
WO2002015764A1 (fr) 2000-08-22 2002-02-28 Milliken & Company Matériau pour chiffonnette et serpillière

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5235733A (en) 1984-09-28 1993-08-17 Milliken Research Corporation Method and apparatus for patterning fabrics and products
EP0842756A1 (fr) 1996-11-08 1998-05-20 Milliken Research Corporation Essuie-mains en rouleau joint par ultrasons
WO2001000412A1 (fr) 1999-06-25 2001-01-04 Milliken & Company Tissu laine et procede
WO2002015764A1 (fr) 2000-08-22 2002-02-28 Milliken & Company Matériau pour chiffonnette et serpillière

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0126958D0 (en) 2002-01-02

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