Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C14—SKINS; HIDES; PELTS; LEATHER
  • C14B—MECHANICAL TREATMENT OR PROCESSING OF SKINS, HIDES OR LEATHER IN GENERAL; PELT-SHEARING MACHINES; INTESTINE-SPLITTING MACHINES
  • C14B1/00—Manufacture of leather; Machines or devices therefor
  • C14B1/44—Mechanical treatment of leather surfaces
  • C14B1/56—Ornamenting, producing designs, embossing
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C14—SKINS; HIDES; PELTS; LEATHER
  • C14B—MECHANICAL TREATMENT OR PROCESSING OF SKINS, HIDES OR LEATHER IN GENERAL; PELT-SHEARING MACHINES; INTESTINE-SPLITTING MACHINES
  • C14B1/00—Manufacture of leather; Machines or devices therefor
  • C14B1/26—Leather tensioning or stretching frames; Stretching-machines; Setting-out boards; Pasting boards
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C14—SKINS; HIDES; PELTS; LEATHER
  • C14B—MECHANICAL TREATMENT OR PROCESSING OF SKINS, HIDES OR LEATHER IN GENERAL; PELT-SHEARING MACHINES; INTESTINE-SPLITTING MACHINES
  • C14B1/00—Manufacture of leather; Machines or devices therefor
  • C14B1/58—Drying

Definitions

• the present invention is generally applicable to the technical field of hides working, and has as object a method and a plant for printing hides, in particular for the relief printing of industrial hides.
• industrial hides can be subjected to an operation of printing on the full-grain side in order to confer an aesthetically improved aspect thereto, eliminating the typical surface irregularities.
• the printing is executed subsequently to the step of drying the hides, with the same already heat-set and stabilized, by using heated printers.
• this step involves a non-negligible increase of energy consumption, with clear repercussions on the final product cost.
• the execution of the printing after drying requires further handling of the hides to be worked, with an increase of the working times and with work cycles that are naturally more complex.
• the same Applicant obtained a plant for the relief printing of industrial hides in which the printing is at least partly executed at the same time as the drying step.
• Such plant is described in its most essential parts in the Italian patent IT1280291 and is essentially composed of a common vacuum drying plant with heating plates, i.e. a plant provided with a vacuum drying chamber internally housing a support surface that is intended to receive a hide to be treated.
• a matrix is arranged that is adapted to come into contact with the full-grain side of the hide in order to print an ornamental pattern thereon, such pattern reproduced in negative on the matrix itself.
• the printing is executed at the same time as the vacuum drying, reducing energy consumption and cycle times and ensuring a higher quality of the final product, since the printing of wet fibers allows stabilizing their form without damaging them.
• the side of the hide to be printed will be subjected, at the same time as the drying, to a greater overpressure than the action produced by its weight alone, with an improved and more defined printing effect.
• FIG. 1 is an exploded view in section of a plant according to the invention in a first preferred configuration
• FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the plant of Fig. 1 in operating condition
• FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in section of a first detail of the plant of Fig. 2, illustrating a matrix lying on the support plane;
• FIG. 4 is an enlarged view in section of a second detail of the plant of
• FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the detail of Fig. 5 along the trace plane 6-
• FIG. 7 is a top view of a support surface of a plant in a third preferred configuration
• FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a detail of Fig. 7;
• FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the detail of Fig. 7 along the trace plane 9-
• FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the detail of Fig. 8 along the trace plane
• a plant for printing industrial hides can be integrated in a hide working line, the drying station forming a part thereof.
• heating means 6 Associated with the support plane 3 are heating means 6 adapted to bring it to a predetermining drying temperature.
• the heating means 6, simply schematized in the figures, can be configured in accordance with any one known manner for industrial hide exsiccation or drying plants.
• the heating means 6 will comprise an electric heating element or coil arranged on the lower side of the support plane 3 or integrated in the same.
• the coil 6 can be crossed by a heating fluid for heating the upper surface 7 of the support plane 3, the hide P to be exsiccated or dried are arranged on the top thereof.
• it can comprise, or it can be constituted by at least one plate made of a material with high thermal conductivity, e.g. copper, nickel, aluminum, on whose upper surface 5 projections 8 and/or recesses 9 are made in accordance with a scheme such to define in negative the pattern to be printed on the hide P.
• the upper surface 5 of the matrix 4 can also be shaped for obtaining surface finishes of the hide P, such as satinizing or sandblasting.
• the shaping of the matrix 4 can be obtained according to any one chemical, mechanical or similar working, without any limitation of the protective scope of the present invention.
• the matrix 4 can have a thickness s comprised between few millimeters, e.g. 5mm, and few centimeters.
• the drying chamber 2 will then be connected to pressure means 13 adapted to define a determinate pressure therein to promote the printing of the ornamental pattern on the lower side P" of the hide P placed in contact with the upper surface 5 of the matrix 4.
• the chamber 2 comprises a flexible membrane 14 placed on the upper part of the matrix 4 in order to divide the chamber 2 into an upper portion 2' and a lower portion 2" enclosing the matrix 4.
• the membrane 14 will be made of any one material that is impermeable to air and water, in order to fluidly isolate the two portions 2', 2" from each other.
• it can be made of a polymer material, such as PVC.
• the pressure means 13 will be configured for defining a pressure difference between the two portions 2', 2" so as to promote the compression of the hide P on the matrix 4 and the printing of the ornamental pattern on the lower side P" thereof.
• the membrane 14 can be fixed to the upper frame 10 at a perimeter portion 14' thereof.
• a profile 12 fixed to the perimeter of the lower edge 11 of the upper frame 10 will delimit the drying chamber 2 promoting the adherence of the membrane 14 on the support plane 3 and ensuring the necessary hermetic seal.
• the pressure means 13 will be connected to the drying chamber 2 to define a higher pressure in the upper portion 2' with respect to the lower portion 2", i.e. a higher pressure at the upper side P' of the hide not affected by the printing.
• the pressure means 13 will be vacuum means adapted to create a vacuum inside the lower portion 2" of the chamber 2.
• the vacuum means 13 will preferably be connected to the lower portion 2" of the chamber 2 in order to define a predetermined reduced pressure therein.
• the upper portion 2' of the chamber 2 will instead be maintained at a pressure substantially equal to atmospheric pressure.
• the pressure means 13 can be connected to the upper portion 2' in order to produce an overpressure in the same. Nevertheless, the creation of an at least partial vacuum in the drying chamber 2 will allow simplifying the drying operation, which can be executed at lower temperatures than those typical for the industrial hide drying plants.
• the pressure means 13 can be configured to combine both of the above-described effects, i.e. producing an overpressure in the upper portion 2' and an at least partial vacuum in the lower portion 2".
• the pressure means 13 are provided for defining the vacuum in the lower portion 2" they can comprise a suction line 15 connectable to a pump 16 for the vacuum or another similar device.
• the lower portion 2" of the chamber 2 will in turn have one or more suction passages 17 obtained in the support plane 3, or in an edge portion 3' thereof, in a position facing the lid 10 for the fluid connection of the lower portion 2" of the chamber 2 with the suction line 15.
• one or more laminar support elements can also be provided, as a non-limiting example two elements 18, 18' as is clearer in Fig. 4, which will be suitably permeable.
• the laminar elements 18, 18' will be interposed between the matrix 4 and the membrane 14 in order to maintain the latter spaced from the suction passages 17, so as to prevent these latter from being obstructed, thus hindering the correct functioning of the plant 1.
• the laminar elements 18, 18' can be configured for example as nets or grids.
• the upper laminar element 18 will be a relatively wide mesh net, e.g. mesh on the order of one or a few centimeters, while the lower element 18' will be a narrow mesh net, e.g. mesh on the order of few millimeters.
• laminar elements 18, 18' can be fixed to a lower frame 19 by means of spacing blocks 20 which maintain them spaced from the support surface 3 in order to prevent the obstruction of the suction passages 17.
• Each of the blocks 20 will comprise one or more hooks 21 , 22 which will engage respective eyelets made at corresponding edge portions of the laminar elements 18, 18'.
• FIGs. 5 - 10 two further preferred but not exclusive configurations are illustrated for plant 1 according to the invention, in particular for the assembly constituted by the support plane 3 and the matrices 4.
• the matrices 4 will be stably positioned on the plane 3, preventing even minimal undesired movements thereof due to the effect of the pressure of the membrane 14 on the hide P and also deformations of the matrix 4, e.g. bending of the same, which can especially occur in the presence of matrices 4 with reduced thickness s.
• a fixing frame 24 formed by a pair of longitudinal elements 25', 25" joined by at least a pair of transverse elements
• 26', 26" adapted to be positioned at the edge portion 3' of the plane 3 in order to abut against the peripheral portion 4' of the matrix 4.
• the frame 24 can comprise additional intermediate transverse elements 26"', 26 IV designed to be positioned on corresponding edges of the matrices 4.
• the anchoring means 23 will comprise a plurality of first coupling elements 27 associated with the peripheral portion 3' of the support plane 3 and a plurality of second coupling elements 28 associated with the frame 24 and adapted to removably engage corresponding first coupling elements 27.
• the frame 24 will have a cross section that is constant over its entire extension, with an external portion 24' in which the through holes 29 are made, such portion having thickness s' greater than that s" of the internal portion 24" thereof.
• a peripheral interspace 31 is defined for the positioning of the peripheral portion 4' of the matrix 4, which will be retained due to the tightening/shutting of the frame 24.
• a further preferred variant is illustrated for the plane 3 and the matrix 4.
• the support plane 3 has a substantially flat peripheral portion 3' and at least one hollow seat 32 with shape complementary to that of the corresponding matrix 4, more clearly visible in Fig. 9.
• This particular configuration will have the advantage that the membrane 14 will not press on the edge, generally with sharp corner, of the matrix 4, in the other configurations causing possible damage of the membrane 14 after a high number of work cycles.
• the matrix 4 will be formed by a lower support layer 39 made of a first base material, e.g. aluminum, and an upper layer 40 made of a second base material, e.g. copper or nickel, made integral with the first layer 39 by means of welding, gluing or mechanical anchoring.
• a first base material e.g. aluminum
• an upper layer 40 made of a second base material, e.g. copper or nickel, made integral with the first layer 39 by means of welding, gluing or mechanical anchoring.
• anchoring means 32 described herein could be substituted by equivalent means, e.g. of screw type.
• the hide P to be treated is positioned with its side to be printed P" in contact with the shaped surface 5 of the matrix 4 in order to identify an upper portion 2' and a lower portion 2" in the chamber 2.
• any one mechanical or fluid pressing means adapted to interact directly with the hide P, with or without the interposition of the membrane 14 and/or possible interface elements.
• the invention attains the pre- established objects and in particular that of providing a plant for printing industrial hides which is particularly economical and which allows increased working quality and stability with respect to the known solutions.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
• Treatment And Processing Of Natural Fur Or Leather (AREA)
• Agricultural Chemicals And Associated Chemicals (AREA)
• Printing Methods (AREA)
• Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=43334415

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2010
  • 2010-05-05 IT ITVI2010A000124A patent/IT1400014B1/it active
• 2011
  • 2011-05-05 ES ES11727767.3T patent/ES2473571T3/es active Active
  • 2011-05-05 AU AU2011249456A patent/AU2011249456B2/en active Active
  • 2011-05-05 EP EP11727767.3A patent/EP2566987B1/en active Active
  • 2011-05-05 BR BR112012028262A patent/BR112012028262B1/pt active IP Right Grant
  • 2011-05-05 KR KR1020127030105A patent/KR101850766B1/ko active IP Right Grant
  • 2011-05-05 WO PCT/IB2011/052002 patent/WO2011138760A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2011-05-05 CN CN201180029664.5A patent/CN102947469B/zh active Active
  • 2011-05-05 PT PT117277673T patent/PT2566987E/pt unknown

Patent Citations (7)

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