Patent GB-615882-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in the production of narrow width fabrics
IPC: D06H7/22
Filed: 1946-08-21
Abstract: 615,882. Severing fabrics. WALL, C. L. Aug. 21, 1946, No. 24894. [Class 31(i)] Narrow width fabrics are produced from wide material by printing the latter alohg the warp with a plurality of stripes of a plastic or cementing material which gives a film of approximately the same extensibility as the fabric, treating the fabric so as to weaken it along lines between pairs of stripes or along lines centrally of the stripes, either simultaneously with or subsequently to the printing operation and subsequently dividing the fabric along the weakened lines into a plurality of ribbons. The fabric is preferably printed with the plastic or cementing material which forms the selvedges of the ribbons, treated to form the weakened dividing lines and printed with a design simultaneously or all in one machine, whereby the pattern can be kept accurately in register with the edges of the ribbons. The weakened dividing lines may be formed by chemical, physical or chemical means or by combinations thereof. Cellulose fibres may be weakened by printing the lines with acid or an acid producing salt and subsequent drying, steaming or heating protein fibres by caustic alkali together with an oxidizing agent; thermoplastic materials by a mixture of solvent and plasticizer. Alternatively, fibres of any type of fibre can be weakened by cutting partially through the fabric preferably after the application of a swelling agent; the cutting roller is preferably heated and it may be moistened with a liquid such as glycol, butyl alcohol, oleic acid or silicone oil to prevent colour and fibres adhering thereto, and its cutting edge is preferably level with the surface of the roller, grooves being cut in the roller on either side of the cutting edge to prevent the roller picking up plastic from the selvedge stripes. In Example 1, a viscose georgette is treated with the components of methylolurea resin and is then printed with a plurality of fine stripes of a colour containing 20 per cent phosphoric acid thickened with British gum and china clay and with the same number of pairs of wider stripes of a printing colour containing 10 per cent of ethyl cellulose and 4 per cent butyl acetyl ricinoleate and other rollers may be used to print colours; after drying and, if necessary, ageing, the fabric is baked to condense the resin; after baking the phosphoric acid' stripes are weakened and the fabric may be divided by severing rollers and finally washed. 2: A natural silk georgette dyed' and prepared as in Ex. 1 is printed with a plurality of fine stripes of a printing pastecontaining 30 per cent sodium hydrate thickened with hydrolysed rye flour and china clay; wider stripes are printed on' either side of each fine stripe with an ethyl cellulose paste as in Ex. 1; after drying and heating at 170‹C. for 5 minutes and' washed, the stripes printed with alkali are very weak and the fabric is divided on a cutting machine with floating cutters. 3: A cellulose acetate georgette is printed with a plurality of fine stripes of a paste containing 50 per cent cyclohexanone, 30' per cent 1-nitropropane, 15 per cent ethyl alcohol and 5 per cent ethyl cellulose, and with a plurality of pairs of wider stripes one on each side of the narrow stripes, of a paste containing 10 per cent ethyl cellulose, 5 per cent butyl acetal ricinoleate dissolved in 70 parts of toluene and 15 parts of n-butyl alcohol; before leaving the printing machine the fabric is cut or partially cut along the fine stripe by applying pressure to the swollen fine stripe with an edge between two grooves; to prevent the cellulose acetate sticking to the backgrey, a blanket surfaced with poly-ethylene should be used.