ITCO20110019A1 - COMPONENT IN NON-WOVEN TEXTILE FIBERS AND RELATED METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ITS PRODUCTION - Google Patents

Description

â € œComponent in non-woven textile fibers and relative method and machine for its productionâ €

DESCRIPTION FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a component in non-woven textile fibers and to the relative method and machine for its production.

STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE

Before going more into the merits of the present invention, it is good to make a general premise on textile fibers. Textile fibers are divided into two broad categories: natural fibers and â € œtechnofibresâ €; the natural fibers in turn are divided into fibers of origin: vegetable (for example, linen, hemp, jute, coconut, cotton, ...), animal (for example, silk, and wool of various animals such as sheep, camel, ...),

and mineral (for example those of asbestos, glass, ...) which in some ways are natural, as they derive from minerals found in nature, but which require thermal and / or chemical processes to be obtained.

The â € œtechnofibresâ € in turn are used to subdivide into:

- â € œartificialsâ € (for example, rayon, viscose, acetate, ...) produced starting from organic polymers of natural origin (for example, cellulose), and

- â € œsyntheticsâ € produced starting from synthetic polymers (for example, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, ...), typically obtained from petroleum.

It is important to remember that for the production of products made of textile fibers, it is common to combine different textile fibers, and that, at the end of the 70s, bi-component fibers, with a sheath core structure, entered the family of synthetic fibers. characterized by the different melting point between the two components.

Textile fiber products are used in various technical sectors as well as, of course, in the textile industry; for example, as heat-insulating and / or sound-absorbing components in the construction industry, as upholstery components in the furniture and automotive industries, as filter components for various applications, and in geotechnics.

In the textile industry, fibers are generally woven; in this way, the product acquires consistency and resistance; weaving is a technology known and used for millennia.

It is possible to firmly join textile fibers together in other ways as well. For example, in the 1950s, the â € œnon-woven fabricâ € technology was invented; this technology uses "synthetic" fibers (often different and mixed together), it is cheaper than weaving and allows very high production rates.

Textile fiber components are known which are suitable for performing thermal insulation, acoustic insulation, padding and filtering functions. To give consistency and resistance to this kind of products, binder material (for example, acrylic, styrene resins, ...) in aqueous solution is added to the textile fibers (raw material), which performs its function after a heat treatment. it is necessary, in particular, both for the evaporation of the wet part and for the polymerization of the same resin used.

In the 1980s, this process gradually began to be replaced with the insertion, in the fibrous mixtures of the products, of bi-component synthetic fibers which, thanks to the ability of one of the two components to melt at low temperatures, bind intimately with the other fibers; in this case the binding effect is given by the heat-melting part of the two-component fibers.

Such components provide good performance.

However, according to known technologies, the binder material and its heat treatment involve a rather complicated and expensive production process; in fact, for example, the heat treatment must not damage the raw material of the component and therefore compromise the quality of the finished product, it requires a special machine to be carried out, it uses a lot of energy (in part this energy is wasted because it goes to heat the raw material of the component and the surrounding environment), releases carbon dioxide (C02) and carbon monoxide (CO) into the atmosphere.

Furthermore, the presence of binder material, in particular heat-melting material, makes components of this kind not fully eco-compatible even if the raw material is made of natural textile fibers (and therefore eco-compatible); however, even the waste of energy and the emission of carbon dioxide (C02) and carbon monoxide (CO) into the atmosphere, due to the production process, contribute to the non-eco-compatibility.

SUMMARY

The general purpose of the present invention is to improve known components and technologies.

A first, more specific object of the present invention is to provide a component with a thermal insulation and / or acoustic insulation and / or padding and / or filtering function that does not require heat treatments for its production.

A second, more specific object of the present invention is to provide a component with a thermal insulation and / or acoustic insulation and / or padding and / or filtering function that can be produced in an eco-compatible way. A third, more specific object of the present invention is to provide a component with a thermal insulation and / or acoustic insulation and / or padding and / or filtering function that is made exclusively of eco-compatible material or materials.

A fourth more specific object of the present invention is to provide a component with a thermal insulation and / or acoustic insulation and / or padding function which is made exclusively of through wool and produced in an environmentally friendly manner.

These and other objects are achieved by the component and thanks to the method and the machine having the technical characteristics expressed in the appended claims which form an integral part of the present description.

The idea behind the present invention is to make the component starting from a web of textile fibers which is first "pleated" and then "needle punched" in the direction corresponding to the length of the web; in particular, the Needling is carried out in a transversal direction, preferably perpendicular, to the thickness of the pleated web: in this way, the component has a certain consistency and structure, but also has a remarkable elasticity, softness and lightness.

It should be noted that with â € œveilâ € we mean a set of textile fibers which are not firmly joined together and which are therefore soft, light and also transparent. In general, the non-woven textile fiber component according to the present invention comprises a web of carded textile fibers which is pleated in the direction of the length and / or width of the component and which is needled in the direction of the length and / or width of the component. component.

Said textile fibers can be natural, preferably all of wool.

Said textile fibers can be of two or more materials.

Said component can only comprise a veil of carded textile fibers.

Said needling direction can correspond to said pleating direction. The thickness of this component can be constant and correspond to the dimension of the pleating.

Said dimension of the pleating can have a value chosen between 4 millimeters and 40 millimeters.

In general, the method for producing a component in non-woven textile fibers according to the present invention comprises the steps of:

- continuously feed a long web of carded textile fibers towards a processing area,

- repeatedly carrying out pleating operations on said web in a direction corresponding to the length of said web by means of a pleating head in said processing area,

- repeatedly carrying out needling operations on said pleated web in a direction corresponding to the length of said web by means of a needling head in said processing area, and

- making said pleated and needle-punched web advance continuously away from said working area;

in this way, the folds of the pleating are in a transverse direction, more particularly perpendicular, to the length of said web.

Said pleating operations can be alternated with said needling operations.

Each pleating operation can be immediately followed by a needling operation.

Said pleating head can perform an alternating translational movement in a direction corresponding to the length of said web.

Said needling head can perform an alternating translational movement in a direction corresponding to the length of said web.

Said needling head can perform an alternating translational movement in a direction perpendicular to the thickness of said web after said web has been pleated.

The movement of said needling head can be such as to complete previous pleating operations.

Said needling head can comprise a plurality of needling needles with a density of 1-9 needles per square centimeter.

Said needling head can comprise a plurality of needling needles with a length of 4-8 centimeters.

In general, a machine for producing a component in non-woven textile fibers according to the present invention comprises:

- means for continuously feeding a long web of carded textile fibers towards a processing area,

- a pleating head placed in said processing area and able to repeatedly carry out pleating operations on said web,

- a needling head placed in said working area and able to repeatedly carry out needling operations on said pleated web, and

- means suitable for continuously advancing said pleated and needled web away from said working area.

The machine can also comprise means suitable for carrying out the method described above.

LIST OF FIGURES

The technical characteristics of the present invention as well as its advantages will become clear from the following description to be considered in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

Fig. 1 schematically shows a web of textile fibers,

Fig.2 schematically shows the veil of Fig.1 after it has been pleated, Fig.3 schematically shows the veil of Fig.2 after it has been needled, Fig.4 schematically shows a part of an example of realization of a machine according to the present invention, e

Fig.5 schematically shows the needling head of the machine of Fig.4 while it is needling a small section of a web of textile fibers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Both this description and these drawings are to be considered for illustrative purposes only and therefore not for limitation purposes; therefore, the present invention can be implemented according to other and different embodiments; furthermore, it must be borne in mind that such drawings are schematic and simplified.

An example of embodiment of a component 1 in non-woven textile fibers according to the present invention is shown in Fig. 3. It derives from a web 2 of carded textile fibers, in particular of carded wool shown in Fig.1 in a horizontal condition before the processing object of the present invention. Veil 2 has been pleated, as seen in Fig. 2, in a horizontal direction. Subsequently, the veil 2 was needled, as seen in Fig. 3, according to a horizontal direction.

The needling operation, carried out with a limited number of needles (in particular 1-9 per square centimeter), binds the web 2 in a horizontal direction even without any filler material, in particular without the use of thread, and compact the veil a little in the horizontal direction; in this way, component 1 has a certain consistency and structure; however, since the number of needles is limited, component 1 maintains a remarkable elasticity, softness and lightness similar to those of the web 2 from which it derives.

As can be understood from Fig.1, Fig.2, Fig.3, the needling direction advantageously corresponds to that of pleating, even if this is not strictly indispensable for the present invention.

Component 1 constitutes a kind of soft and pliable mattress of constant thickness S corresponding to the dimension of the pleating; this pleating dimension is 20 millimeters; alternatively, this pleating dimension can have a value chosen between 4 millimeters and 40 millimeters. It is not excluded that, according to alternative embodiments, the component could have a variable thickness (deriving from a variable pleating dimension) and constitute a shaped mat.

The present invention also relates to a machine for producing a component in non-woven textile fibers such as the one just described or an analogous component.

In the following we will describe, with the help of Fig.4 and Fig.5, only the part of this machine that carries out the most innovative processes, the remaining processes are then carried out in the traditional way.

Fig. 4 shows:

- means 3 adapted to continuously feed a long web 4 of carded textile fibers towards a processing area 5,

- a pleating head 6 placed in said processing area 5 and able to repeatedly carry out pleating operations on said web 4,

- a needling head 7 placed in said working area 5 and able to repeatedly carry out needling operations on said web 4 after it has been pleated, and

- means 8 for continuously advancing said web 4 after it has been pleated and needled away from said working area 5.

In Fig. 4, the web 4 is continuous, extends longitudinally from left to right, and moves progressively from left to right, passing through the processing area 5, while processing proceeds.

As said, methods and apparatuses for producing webs of carded textile fibers are known and already in use; therefore, they will not be described here.

After the processes shown schematically in Fig.4, the pleated and needle-punched veil can be, for example, rolled to form a roll or cut to form a plurality of squares.

The means 3 and 8 can be made, for example, by means of conveyor belts. The pleating head 6 is schematized, in Fig. 4, as a straight bar suitable for folding the web.

The needling head 7 is schematized, in Fig.4 and Fig.5, as a straight bar 71 equipped with a plurality of needles (needling) 72; the needles 72 are of such length as to pass through a plurality of layers of web 4; in Fig.5, the needles 72 pass through seven layers of veil 4 and reach the eighth layer. Not many details are given here on needling because this technique is known per se and used in the field of non-woven fabrics; It should be noted that, according to the present invention, the material to be needled is not squeezed between plates as is the case with non-woven fabrics.

According to the example of embodiment of Fig.4, the conveyor belt 3 makes the web 4 advance longitudinally towards the processing area 5 from left to right; the processing area 5 is located lower (for example 5-20 cm lower) than the web advancement area 4 defined by the conveyor belt 3.

According to the example of realization in Fig. 4, the pleating head 6 first moves from the top to the bottom from a predetermined upper position (Fig. 4) to a predetermined lower position and then from the bottom to the top from the predetermined lower position to the predetermined upper position (Fig.4) it first creates a fold of the web 4 downwards and then a fold of the web towards the top; in this way a pleating operation is carried out on the web 4 in a direction corresponding to the length of the web itself (ie the folds are transversal to the length of the web).

According to the example of embodiment of Fig. 4, the needling head 7 first moves from left to right from a predetermined position away from the web (Fig. 4) to a predetermined position adjacent to the web (Fig. 5) and then from right to left from the predetermined position adjacent to the web (Fig. 5) to the predetermined position far from the web (Fig. 4), it performs a needling operation on the pleated web in a direction corresponding to the length of the web itself. According to the example of embodiment of Fig. 4, the conveyor belt 8 continuously advances the web 4 from left to right, after it has been pleated and needled, moving away from the processing area 5.

In the preceding paragraphs precise directions and dispositions have been clearly indicated which are, in fact, the most typical and advantageous ones for implementing the present invention, even if they are not necessarily the only possible ones.

As can be understood from Fig.4, the pleating operations and the needling operations are repeated; in particular, the pleating operations are alternated with the needling operations; more particularly and advantageously, a needling operation immediately follows each pleating operation. According to the example of embodiment of Fig. 4, the pleating head 6 performs an alternating translational movement in a direction perpendicular to the web 4, the needling head 7 performs an alternating translational movement in a direction longitudinal to the web 4 as it moves (direction D1) in the machine towards the processing area and to that of the finished component as it moves (direction D2) in the machine away from the processing area (to be precise, the head 7 with its needles 72 works on the web 4 according to a direction perpendicular to the veil 4, but after the veil 4 has been pleated, ie folded several times); specifically, the needling head 7 is shaped and moves in such a way as to complete previous pleating operations, i.e. when a bar 71 of the head 7 moves towards the predetermined position adjacent to the web (Fig. 5), it squeezes a a little bit and highlights the folds of the pleating.

According to the example of embodiment of Fig.4 and Fig.5, the needling head 7 comprises a plurality of needling needles 72 with a preferred density of needles per square centimeter ranging from 1 to 9 and with a preferred length which ranges from 4 to 8 centimeters.

Claims (13)

CLAIMS 1. Non-woven textile fiber component (1) comprising a web (2) of carded textile fibers which is pleated along the length and / or width of the component and which is needled along the length and / or width of the component. component. 2. Component according to claim 1, wherein said textile fibers are natural, preferably all of wool. 3. Method for producing a component in non-woven textile fibers, comprising the steps of: - continuously feed (3) a long web (4) of carded textile fibers towards a processing area (5), - repeatedly carrying out pleating operations on said web (4) in a direction corresponding to the length of said web (4) by means of a pleating head (6) in said processing area (5), - repeatedly carrying out needling operations on said pleated web (4) in a direction corresponding to the length of said web (4) by means of a needling head (7) in said processing area (5), and - making (8) advance continuously, moving the pleated and needle-punched web (4) away from said working area (5). 4. Method according to claim 3, wherein said pleating operations are alternated with said needling operations. Method according to claim 4, wherein a needling operation immediately follows each pleating operation. Method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein said pleating head (6) carries out an alternating translational movement in a direction corresponding to the length of said web (4). Method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein said needling head (7) carries out an alternating translational movement in a direction corresponding to the length of said web (4). Method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein said needling head (7) carries out an alternating translational movement in a direction perpendicular to the thickness of said web (4) after said web (4) has been pleated . Method according to claims 7 or 8, wherein the movement of said needling head (7) is such as to complete previous pleating operations. Method according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein said needling head (7) comprises a plurality of needling needles (72) with a density of 1-9 needles per square centimeter. Method according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein said needling head (7) comprises a plurality of needling needles (72) with a length of 4-8 centimeters. 12. Machine for producing a component in non-woven textile fibers, comprising: - means (3) adapted to continuously feed a long web (4) of carded textile fibers towards a processing area (5), - a pleating head (6) placed in said processing area (5) and able to repeatedly carry out pleating operations on said web (4), - a needling head (7) placed in said working area (5) and able to repeatedly carry out needle punching operations on said pleated web (4), and - means (8) able to continuously advance said web ( 4) pleated and needled away from said working area (5). 13. Machine according to claim 12, comprising means suitable for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 3 to 11.