IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO BONDED FABRICS

Abstract: A fabric having a coating of adhesive thereon adapted to provide temporary bonding of the fabric to one or more other fabrics, wherein the adhesive is wholly or substantially soluble in or dissipable by a dry cleaning solvent, water or steam is described herein. The fabric is usable in clothing manufacture, especially for suits and jackets.

Description: IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO BONDED FABRICS This invention relates to improvements relating to bonded fabrics, particularly but not exclusively fabrics for use in clothing manufacture. In the manufacture of clothing such as jackets, several layers of material are brought together to give the jacket a good "shape" and "feel". In places, a jacket can have five layers: outer cloth; interlining, chest canvas, and felt (all known as 'interlinings'); and an innerlining. These layers must be held together to allow the stitching of the layers together and stitching of the fabrics to other parts of the jacket. Usually, at least some of the layers, especially the outer cloth and one or more of the interlinings, are permanently bonded, or "fused", by an adhesive added thereinbetween. However, fused interlinings can subsequently delaminate unevenly and differential shrinkage can occur upon cleaning, especially after a number of cleaning operations. As such unevenness affects the shape of the outer cloth, such delamination is undesired. There have been attempts to provide temporarily bonded interlinings, ie. bonded interlinings which are detachable subsequent to the stitching operation. Detachment of the interlining can provide a bespoke look and feel to the clothing, and create a soft handle following the trend towards wearer comfort. Moreover, frequency of cleaning would not be a problem. The initial bonding is still required to provide a fabric which can be immediately and easily sewn together, sewn to other layers and/or sewn to other parts of the jacket. US 3333280 of Hynek et al and US 4333980 of Russell disclose the use of small discontinuous quantities of polyvinyl acetate (pva) copolymer as a temporary adhesive for shirt collars and cuffs, removable by dry cleaning and/or laundering the garments in water. However, we have not been able to reproduce these inventions following the teachings in these documents. It is known that pva copolymer is not suitable and does not provide complete delamination of fabric layers for garments which are usually dry cleaned rather than laundered in water, because it is not substantially soluble in the common dry cleaning solvents (such as perchloroethylene). Nor is pva copolymer removed by or dissipated by steaming. The pva copolymer is not therefore completely removed from the garment, and continues to provide some (unwanted) adhesive action or possibly reattachment of the layers. Pressing such fabrics can also lead to unwanted and uneven reattachment of the layers. An object of the present invention is to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fabric having a coating of adhesive thereon adapted to provide temporary bonding of the fabric to one or more other fabrics, wherein the adhesive is wholly or substantially soluble in or dissipable by a dry cleaning solvent, water or steam. In one embodiment of the present invention the adhesive for use in the present invention is removable by dry cleaning, preferably a single dry cleaning operation, by being soluble in the dry cleaning solvent. Such adhesives can also be easily removed from the dry cleaning solvent, and leave little or no residue. Any adhesive or other polymeric material which is substantially or completely soluble in a dry cleaning solvent could be used in this embodiment. Suitable adhesives include ethylene vinyl acetate (eva) copolymers (Melt Flow Index 0.2 - 3000g/10 mins), polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadienestryrene (ABS), indene, coumarone, coumarone-indene copolymers, polyvinyl formals, polyvinyl butrals, polyvinyl ethers and polyvinyl pyrrolidones, polyvinyl pyrrolidone-acetate copolymers, polyacrylics and poiyacrylonitriles, polycaprolactam, polycaprolactone (of a molecular weight in the range 25,000 - 80,000), polyesters, natural and synthetic polyurethanes, polysilanes, ketones, shellac, rosin derivatives and polyterpenes. The preferred adhesives for this embodiment are polystyrene, ABS, the polyvinyl polymers, eva copolymer, polycaprolactone, ketones, shellac, rosin derivatives and polyterpenes. More preferably, the adhesive is either an eva copolymer or polycaprolactone. The solvents used for dry cleaning are usually per (or tetra) chloroethylene (PERC), trichloroethylene and white spirit. Some fluorinated and other hydrocarbon solvents have also been used. The most common solvent in Europe is PERC. The adhesive is preferably substantially or wholly removable by any normal dry cleaning operation, and the dry cleaning solvent can be easily recycled, e.g. by distillation. According to a second embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive is removable by laundering the fabric in water, because the adhesive is soluble in water. Any adhesive or other polymeric material which is substantially or completely soluble in water could be used in this regard. The term "water" as used herein includes any water used for the laundering of garments, possibly including one or more commonly used additives. Adhesives for use in this embodiment include those listed above known to be substantially or completely soluble in water. The prefered adhesives in this regard are the polyvinyl pyrrolidones and polyvinyl pyrrolidone-acetate copolymers. Laundering garments in water is increasing in popularity as there is a decrease in dry cleaning for environmental reasons. According to a third embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive is dissipable by steam. As most clothing garments are steam-pressed at the "pressing off' stage of garment manufacture, the removal of the temporary bonding in this way involves no further steps or equipment in the manufacturing process. The adhesive or other polymeric material for this third embodiment may be any one of the above listed adhesives known to be dissipable by steam. Preferably, the adhesive is a resin/wax mixture; more preferably, a mixture of ethylene vinyl acetate (eva) copolymer resin, and either an eva wax or paraffin wax or a combination thereof. Mixtures of eva copolymer resin and wax can be between 20:80% polymer/wax and 80:20% wax/polymer depending on the melt flow index of the eva polymer selected. The blending of the wax into the resin lowers the viscosity of the resin, allowing the blend to obtain greater flow and to wick into the fabric upon the application of steam. The different embodiments above are required because of the different nature of fabrics made and used. Some fabrics can only be dry cleaned, whilst others should only be laundered in water etc. (eg. due to shrinkage in certain solvents). The quantity of adhesive to be used in the present invention for the coating corresponds substantially to the quantity of adhesive used to provide a permanent bond in prior art multi-layered fabrics. For an interlining fabric for use in the manufacture of jackets, the quantity of adhesive may be 5 to 15 g/m 2 , preferably 5 to 10 g/m 2 . Usually, the minimum amount of adhesive necessary for effect is applied. The adhesive may be applied to the fabric by any suitable method. Suitable application methods include pastes, dispersions, scattercoat, hot melt and powder point printing or dry powder engraving. Where necessary or desired, the adhesive is coated onto the fabric, but requires 'activation' before being able to bond with other fabrics. Such activation includes heat treatment such as a hot press. The fabric of the present invention may be used for any suitable purpose including in the manufacture of other fabrics and/or garments. The fabric is particularly suitable for use in clothing manufacture, especially in the manufacture of multi-layered garments such as suits and jackets, where some or all of the interlinings could be similarly coated and bonded. The fabric can be adhered to other parts or layers of the garments before stitching, and then delaminated by dry cleaning, laundering with water or steaming. The garments may be cleaned or laundered before sale. Alternatively, the adhesive may be removed during the first dry cleaning or washing of the garment by the purchaser. Any number of layers of fabrics of the present invention can be held together as described above. According to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention, the fabric is an interlining, more preferably a haircloth. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of temporarily bonding two or more layers of fabric together wherein the layers are bonded by applying an adhesive thereinbetween, the adhesive being wholly or substantially soluble in or dissipable by a dry cleaning solvent, water or steam. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adhesive for use in the manufacture of a bonded fabric adapted to be temporarily bonded to one or more other fabrics, wherein the adhesive is wholly or substantially soluble in a dry cleaning solvent. Preferably the adhesive is an eva copolymer or polycaprolactone. According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adhesive for use in the manufacture of a bonded fabric adapted to be temporarily bonded to one or more other fabrics, wherein the adhesive is wholly or substantially dissipable by steam. Preferably the adhesive is a mixture an eva copolymer resin and either an eva wax or paraffin wax or combination of said waxes. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-layered clothing garment wherein two or more of the layers of the garment are or were temporarily bonded by an adhesive as described above. The present invention also extends to a method of manufacture of a multi- layered clothing garment as defined above wherein at least two if not all of the layers are temporarily bonded as herein described. The term "fabric" as used herein includes any woven or non-woven material. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only. A polycaprolactone is used as the adhesive. It is applied to one side of a roll of haircloth for use as a chest canvas in a jacket, using a dry powder engraving technique. The polycaprolactone is applied in a quantity of 10 g/m 2 . The haircloth and an outer cloth material are then cut to the required shape for the jacket, and temporarily bonded together by feeding the fabrics through a hot press to activate the adhesive. The fabrics are then sewn together, possibly together or thereafter with other layers of the jacket which may be similarly bonded together. If necessary or desired, the jacket can then be dry cleaned using e.g. PERC as the solvent. As polycaprolactone is soluble in PERC, the caprolactone is removed during the dry cleaning operation, so that the haircloth and outer cloth completely separate except where sewn together. The jacket now has a bespoke look and feel, which will not be affected by further dry cleaning. All layers of the jacket could be similarly provided. The adhesive is removed from the dry cleaning solvent by distillation to recycle the dry cleaning solvent. EXAMPLE 2 In this example, the adhesive is dissipable by steam. The adhesive is a combination or blend of synthetic polymer resin and wax. Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers having a vinyl acetate content between 8-40% and melt flow index between 0.2 - 3000g/10 mins have been found to be suitable polymer resins. Such resins are compatible with a wide range of waxes, especially eva waxes with a melting range of 70 - 120°C, and paraffin waxes with melting range of 50 - 70°C. A blend of the above was placed on an interlining base fabric in printed scatter or continuous form. The interlining was placed against an outer fabric and the two heated to a temperature between 60 - 80°C with applied pressure. The heat and pressure caused the blend to fiow and fuse to create a bond between the materials. The bond is sufficient to allow the make-up procedure of a garment to continue without detachment of the materials. The final "pressing-off ' stage of the garment production was a steam pressing process. The application of steam and steam pressure with a temperature in excess of 100°C caused the resin/wax blend to rapidly reduce in viscosity and dissipate into the materials. This dissipation or "wicking" action left no blend at the glue line between the materials, destroying the bond created. Variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention described above.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A fabric having a coating of adhesive thereon adapted to provide temporary bonding of the fabric to one or more other fabrics, wherein the adhesive is wholly or substantially soluble in or dissipable by a dry cleaning solvent, water or steam. 2. A fabric as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the adhesive is one or more of the following: ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (Melt Flow Index 0.2 - 3000g/10 mins), polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadienestryrene, indene, coumarone, coumarone-indene copolymer, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl butral, polyvinyl ether and polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl pyrrolidone-acetate copolymer, polyacrylic and polyacrylonitrile, polycaprolactam, polycaprolactone (of a molecular weight in the range 25,000 - 80,000), polyester, natural and synthetic polyurethane, poiysilane, ketones, shellac, rosin derivative and polyterpene. 3. A fabric as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the adhesive is wholly or substantially soluble in a dry cleaning solvent. 4. A fabric as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the adhesive is one of the following: polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadienestryrene, polyvinyl polymer, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, polycaprolactone, ketone, shellac, rosin derivative and polyterpene, preferably either an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer or polycaprolactone. 5. A fabric as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein the adhesive can be removed from the dry cleaning solvent. 6. A fabric as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the adhesive is wholly or substantially soluble in water. 7. A fabric as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the adhesive is a polyvinyl pyrrolidone or a polyvinyl pyrrolidone-acetate copolymer. 8. A fabric as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the adhesive is dissipable by steam. 9. A fabric as claimed in Claim 8 wherein the adhesive is a resin/wax mixture. 10. A fabric as claimed in Claim 9 wherein the resin/wax mixture is ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer resin and either an ethylene vinyl acetate wax or paraffin wax or a combination thereof. 11. A fabric as claimed in any of the preceding Claims wherein the adhesive requires activation before being able to bond with other fabrics. 12. A fabric as claimed in any of the preceding Claims for use in clothing manufacture. 13 A fabric as claimed in Claim 12 for use in the manufacture of suits and jackets. 14. A fabric as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims wherein the fabric is an interlining. 15. A fabric as claimed in Claim 14 wherein the interlining is a haircloth. 16. A method of temporarily bonding two or more layers of fabric together wherein the layers are bonded by applying an adhesive thereinbetween, the adhesive being wholly or substantially soluble in or dissipable by a dry cleaning solvent, water or steam. 1 . A multi-layered clothing garment wherein two or more layers of the garment are or were temporarily bonded by an adhesive as defined in any one ofthe preceding Claims. 18. A multi-layered clothing garment wherein one or more of the layers of the garment is or was a fabric as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 15. 19. A method of manufacturing a multi-layered garment as defined in Claim 17 or Claim 18 wherein two or more of the garment layers are optionally cut to shape, temporarily bonded together by the adhesive, and the layers sewn together, and wherein the garment once finished is then or is then ready to be dry-cleaned, water-washed or steam-treated to remove or dissipate the adhesive. 20. A method of manufacturing a multi-layered garment as defined in Claim 19 wherein the garment layers are temporarily bonded together by feeding the layers through a hot press.

Inventors: JUDD PETER THOMAS, MCCORD ROBERT GRAFFIN, JUDD, PETER, THOMAS, MCCORD, ROBERT, GRAFFIN
Applicants: JUDD PETER THOMAS, MCCORD ROBERT GRAFFIN, WILLIAM CLARK & SONS LIMITED, JUDD, PETER, THOMAS, MCCORD, ROBERT, GRAFFIN
Application year: 1996
Main classification: D06M17
IPC codes: A41D27, A41D31, D06M17