IE42195B1 - Method and apparatus for locally reinforcing a top cloth piece for a garment - Google Patents

Abstract

1528383 Stiffening garments CODAMA HOLDING SA 25 Nov 1975 [2 Dec 1974 23 July 1975] 48428/75 Heading A3V [Also in Divisions B6 and Dl] In a process wherein patterns of cross-linkable synthetic resin are applied to both garment pieces and cured to provide local reinforcement, the resin is applied in a fluid condition by a grooved cylinder so that the resulting lines of resin provide reinforcement effectively in one direction only. For example, a jacket panel 56, Fig. 6 receives lines 57 of reinforcing material parallel to the weft direction 53.

Description

The present ^invention relates to a method and apparatus for reinforcing a top cloth piece for a garment, wherein a pattern of reinforcing material is applied as a fluid, e.g. as a liquid, emulsion or suspension to the back face of the piece.

British Patent Specification No. 1,201,941 discloses printing a plastic onto the underside of a top cloth in order to form a substitute for an interlining. The resin is formed into a paste which is applied to the top cloth using an id apertured sheet or an apertured roller to whose interior the paste is supplied. The sheet or roller has a precisely defined pattern of 1.2 to 3 mm diameter holes which print on the part of the top cloth in question reinforcing material of different densities in order to represent the characteristics of different types of interlining.

It has been found that the method and apparatus described in British Patent Specification No. 1,201,941 fs not suitable for large scale production, mainly because the very specific printing patterns which are required mean that different printing or applying members are necessary for every different piece of a garment, and also for every different garment size. In addition, British Patent Specification No. 1,201,941 gives no details of the properties of the material being printed onto the fabric, and it is found in practice that 4219S the successful operation of the apparatus depends upon the properties of the material being applied, as well as on factors such as the printing pressure.

Furthermore, the specific printing patterns disclosed in British Patent Specification No. 1,201,941 are formed by two intersecting series of parallel lines with relatively large circular spots at the intersections of the lines. The lines need not be strictly at right angles, and in this case the pattern will have some directional characteristics, for example will have different tensional properties and springiness in different directions, but in general, the directional characteristics of the reinforcing will be relatively small compared with those imparted to a fabric by conventional interlinings.

It is a general object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus which can be used for the large scale application of reinforcing material to top cloth pieces for a garment, and also to improve the characteristics of the reinforcement itself.

According to one feature of the invention, a method is provided for locally reinforcing a top cloth piece for a garment, comprising: providing a continuously rotatable intaglio-printing cylinder having its cylindrical surface formed with a multitude of mutually parallel, continuous or discontinuous, closed-ended printing grooves uniformly distributed on the entire circumfer2b ence of the cylinder and directed longitudinally of the latter; inking said grooves with a cross-linkable synthetic resin composition in fluid conditions; continuously rotating the inked printing cylinder; moving past the latter the said cloth piece cut to shape; bringing the moving piece with its back face into printing contact with the continuously rotating cylinder when a (selected partial area on the piece travels past the cylinder thereby to obtain on said area a printed pattern of lines formed by said composition, said printing contact being t, produced by mutually approaching the cylindrical surface of the printing cylinder and a cylindrical surface of a co-currently rotating backing cylinder for said cloth piece until a limitgap is established between the two surfaces of a value such that the composition being printed onto the piece from said grooves penetrates into the piece through a part of the thickness of the latter; and cross-linking the said synthetic resin in the said printed pattern of lines to set the resin thereby to obtain the desired local reinforcement of the piece; the said longitud inally directed .grooves and corresponding printed lines being non-interconnected, or substantially non-interconnected, transversely, so that the reinforcement is prevailingly effective in one direction only.

It is therefore possible to obtain in an extremely easy manner a reinforcement which is highly directional in that it gives the fabric a different handle in different directions, enabling the reinforced fabric to have the characteristics of a fabric reinforced in a traditional manner with the traditional interlining such as what is known as canvas;' canvas interlining is a woven fabric with a warp and weft of different yarns in such a way as to have some elasticity in the weft direction but substantially no elasticity in the warp direction. The normal arrangement is to sew or bond the “canvas interlining behind for instance the front panel (forepart) of a jacket with its weft running horizontally. Using the invention, the continuous or discontinuous lines of the pattern can run horizontally (that would be parallel to the weft direction of the fabric of the top cloth), leaving the fabric supple when bent about horizontal lines but making the fabric very springy when bent about vertical lines. In addition, the reinforcing pattern lines can be applied specifically to for instance the cuff piece of a jacket or bottom of a trouser leg piece in order to make it easy to fold the cuff or bottom for shortening or lengthening the sleeves or legs, the fold line being between the lines of reinforcing material.

According to a preferred feature of the invention, the reinforcing composition being printed onto the cloth piece has a Brookfield viscosity, as defined hereafter, of between 13,000 and 20,000 centipoise. Using this range of viscosity, it is found that the penetration into the fabric can be controlled while printing rapidly and the operation can be carried out as a normal commercial operation.

The invention also provides an apparatus for locally reinforcing a top cloth piece for a garment comprising; a continuously rotatable intaglio-printing cylinder having its cylindrical surface formed with a multitude of mutually parallel, continuous or discontinuous, closed-ended printing grooves uniformly distributed on the entire circumference of the cylinder and directed longitudinally of the latter, said grooves having a depth of from 0.05 mm to 1 mm; inking means associated with the cylinder capable of inking said grooves with a cross-linkable synthetic resin composition in a fluid condition having a Brookfield viscosity (as hereinafter defined) from 10,000 to 25,000 centipoise; means on which a single, cut to shape top cloth piece for a garment can be moved past the printing cylinder, said means including a continuously rotatable backing cylinder for said piece, parallel to the printing cylinder, the two cylinders being geared for rotation at the same circumferential speed; manually or automatically controlled quickacting means capable of quickly displacing one of said cylinders towards and away from the other cylinder during their rotation thereby to bring the said cloth piece into printing contact with the printing cylinder during an optionally selected part of the travel of the piece past the printing cylinder; and adjustable stop means limiting the quick approach stroke of said one of said cylinders towards the other cylinder to a value providing a gap between the cylinders in the range of 0.1-0.5 mm; the said grooves in the printing cylinder being non-interconnected, or substantially non-ihterconnected, transversely, so that the reinforcement pattern of said resin in set condition obtained on the said cloth piece will be prevailingly effective in one direction only.

Types of Garments and Fabrics The invention is primarily applicable to men's and women's outer garments such as jackets and overcoats, but may also be used for garments such as shirts where the reinforcing material can be applied to the collar, cuff and button strip down the front, and for accessories such as ties. The invention is applicable to a wide range of weights of fabric, from shirt fabrics, through lightweight summer suiting to heavy-weight overcoat cloth.

The fabric can be constructed in any suitable manner, for instance woven, knitted or felted, and can be of any suitable material, such as wool, silk, cotton or mixtures of natural and synthetic fibres.

Pattern of Reinforcing Material Applied The preferred pattern is a pattern of continuous or discontinuous parallel lines, with no connections between the lines in a direction transverse to the lines, and the lines are equi-spaced.

In general, the groove configuration on the printing cylinder preferably includes grooves about 1 millimetre wide, and again preferably parallel grooves with a spacing of about 1 millimetre between the grooves, so that the pattern printed includes lines about 1 millimetre wide or slightly wider, depending upon the spread of the reinforcing material, and a spacing of about 1 millimetre, or slightly less, between the 1i nes.

In specific instances, such as at the collar of the back panel of a jacket, the lines may extend at an angle of less than 90° to both the warp and the weft directions of a woven 43195 fabric. Nonetheless it has been found that for most parts of a garment, it is best to have the lines extending parallel to the weft or nearly parallel to the weft, and for this reason, it is found preferable that the pattern should include parallel lines which extend transverse to the direction of movement of the cloth piece past the printing cylinder and it is relatively simple in practice to machine grooves running parallel to the cylinder axis Masking ' For pieces such as the breast pocket on the front panel of a jacket or for areas such as darts on jackets, a mask such as a piece of Teflon (trade mark) film can be positioned on the cloth piece, for instance using reference cuts on the fabrics before printing the reinforcement. Teflon does not usually pick up the reinforcing material, and can usually be re-used without washing. Needless to add that the mask has an aperture defining the area on which the reinforcing pattern of lines will be printed.

Amount of Reinforcing Material Applied In general, for lighter weight and finer fabrics, less rein forcing material or a thinner layer thereof is wanted, and the amount of reinforcing material depends upon factors such as the density of the fabric, the viscosity of the reinforcing material, the effective surface tension between the reinforcing material and the fibres of the fabric, and the pressure with which the reinforcing material is applied.

In general, it is however found that for a fabric, preferably a woven fabric, which may be used for instance for a jacket or trousers, the weight of the cured material on the reinforced area is preferably between 15 and 60 g/m (gms per square metre of the area), though in specific cases, such as for interlinings, this figure may rise to as much as 100 g/m .

Broadly, the ratio of the weight of the cured material to the weight of the fabric in the reinforced area (as weighted without the reinforcing material) is preferably between 7.5% and 20%, or even 30%, though for normal fabrics such as woven fabrics, this range is preferably between 9% and 15%.

The amount of set or cured reinforcing material on the fabric can be represented as the weight of the material per metre of line of the pattern and it is found that good results are obtained with a weight between 0.04 arid 0.15 gms per metre of line, a preferred range being 0.06 to 0.10 gms for a woven top cloth or even for felts.

To achieve these ranges of weight, the grooves in the printing cylinder are 0.05 to 1 mm deep, or preferably 0.25 to 0.35 mm deep, though the actual amount of reinforcing material transferred from the grooves to the fabric depends upon the pressure of the printing and upon the nature of the fabric itself.

The limit gap between the cylinders is from 0.1 to 0.5 mm and it has been found that with this range the reinforcing material can be applied satisfactorily to most normal fabrics, a somewhat smaller range having a maximum of 0.4 mm.

In general terms, the greater the pressure, the greater the penetration, and for very fine fabrics, such as shirt fabrics, no pressure need be applied by the printing cylinder to the piece being printed.

With the choice of a suitable gap, the same gap can be used for a relatively thick, open weave and for relatively thin, close weave fabrics, and it has been found that a gap of about 0.15 mm can be used for a wide range of fabrics, the thick fabrics being pressed strongly, thereby ensuring good penetration of the reinforcing materia! into the fabrics, and the thin fabrics having less penetration of the reinforcing material.

Printing Speed The maximum convenient printing speed is about 20 metres per minute, and the printing cylinder preferably has an adjustable peripheral speed up to chis maximum.

Reinforcing Material In general, any suitable cross-linkable synthetic resin may be used in form 319 5 of solution or dispersion, and setting of the printed pattern may be perfor· med by heating.

However, the reinforcing material is preferably applied in a form which is dispersible in water, is preferably heated for setting or curing, and is preferably set or cured below 150° to 160°, in -|ess than five minutes, the preferred arrangement being to set or cure at 140° to 150°C immediately or soon after applying the reinforcing material, the application being at room temperature. .

The preferred material is a heat-curable polyacrylic-type resin, i.e. a resin whose monomers contain the acrylic group, such as acrylic acid itself, acrylamide, acrylonitrile, or acrylates such as ethyl acrylate or butyl aery]ate.

Any suitable cross-linking agent can be added, the preferred cross-linking agent being a melaminic agent if the reinforcing material comprises a polyacrylic-type resin. The set or cured material should have a high degree of cross-linking, and preferably should not be sticky or tacky below 120°C. The set or cured material must be resistant to dry cleaning fluid.

If desired, the material can be foamed, for instance by bubbling air into the material before supplying the material to the printinq cylinder; however, foaming is not 2b preferred.

PENETRATION INTO THE FABRIC The strength of the reinforcing material is derived from a combination of the cured or set reinforcing material and the fabric fibres embedded therein, and in general, the greater the penetration, the greater the reinforcement and the springness of the fabric. With very light, nearly translucent fabrics such as shirt 43185 fabrics, there should be almost no penetration, the reinforcing material just englobing the fine nap or pile of the fabric. However, in general, a penetration of 10 to 33% of the thickness of the fabric is found most suitable.

As indicated above, the penetration depends on factors such as the viscosity of the reinforcing material, the type of fabric and the pressure of the printing cylinder.

VISCOSITY For liquid reinforcing compositions, the viscosity as measured varies with the type of apparatus used, and with the rate of deformation of the material because the material has thixotropic properties.

However, it has been found that a useful indication is given in accordance with A.S.T.M, D 1824-61T, though instead of the test conditions set out in the A.S.T.M. standard, a Brookfield Model RVK viscometer is used with spindle No. 4 and a speed of 5 r.p.m. and the temperature is the temperature at which the reinforcing material is to be applied. The term Brookfield viscosity as used herein means the viscosity measured in this manner. It has been found that the Brookfield viscosity should be broadly within the range of 10,000 to 25,000 centipoise, or in a narrower range of 13,000 to 20,000 centipoise. It has been found that operation within a range of 15,000 to 17,000 centipoise gives good results, the preferred Brookfield viscosity being about 16,000 centipoise. 17,000 centipoise can be used with very light pressure for very light fabrics and 15,000 centipoise used with heavy pressure for heavy fabrics. Other viscometers may give markedly different results. For instance, a type VT-OZ Haake viscometer with rotor No. 1 and scale No.1 gave a viscosity of 3,500 centipoise for a reinforcing material having a Brookfield viscosity of 16,000 centipoise, and, using such a Haake viscometer, a useful range was found to be 2,900 to -1 -1 3,700 centipoise. One poise is 1 cm gm s .

The viscosity can be controlled by the amount of inert liquid, such as water, added, or by adding a thickener such as a cured acrylic-type resin. Although a certain amount of viscosity is required to prevent undue penetration, it is found that if the material is too viscous, too much of the material will remain on the surface of the fabric and is tacky even when much filler is added; in addition, there may be difficulties in for'instance cleaning nonprinting areas of the printing cylinder.

The actual tackiness of the reinforcing material can be controlled by an inert filler such as a mineral like talc or titanium dioxide, or, less preferably, powdered asbestos alumina; the filler also controls the amount the reinforcing material spreads when applied to the fabric, that is to say the stability of the impression on the fabric. The filler preferably has over 90% w/w of its particles coarser than 1yu particle size and 50% thereof coarser than 5yu particle size as very fine powders do not alter the tackiness and spread appreciably, whilst the larger particle sizes impart more springiness but suppress the tackiness.

The admixture of a fine filler having substantially 43195 all its particles below a particle size of lyu, for instance pigment grade titanium dioxide, is found to be beneficial, apparently increasing the rigidity of the set or cured reinforcing material. The preferred amount of fine filler is 0.5 to 1% w/w of the fluid reinforcing material, or, if the coarser filler is also present, 5% to 100% of the weight of the coarser filler, preferably about 10%.

APPLICATION OF FLOCK OR POWDER Any suitable short fibre or particulate material, such as flock or powder, can be applied to the reinforcing material before the reinforcing material has been cured or set. The short fibre or particulate material can reduce tackiness, or increase the apparent thickness of the fabric, or give the fabric a softer handle.

EXAMPLE I The following is an example of a reinforcing material formulation which can be used in the practice of the invention. The parts and percentages are by weight. The material had a Brookfield viscosity, as defined hereinbefore,of 16,000 centipoise, the measurement being done at 20°C: water 20 talc, 8% <1 ,u, 9% 1-2 ,u, 29% 2-5,u, 40% 5-10 ,u, 14% 10-20 ,u, about 0.2% > 20,u (5/L MTIZO grade talc supplied by Talco Grafice Val Chisone S.p.A., of Pinero'lo, 'Italy) 11 titanium dioxide, pigment grade, particle size less than 1 ,u, namely about 0.3 to 0.4 iU (Tioxide R-HD4, supplied by Chimica Strola S.n.c., of Turin, containing 91% titanium dioxide, balance compounds of aluminium, zinc and silicon, specific gravity 4.0) 1 45:55 acrylic-type resin : water emulsion (Fiberfix HK resin manufactured by A.I.C. S.p.A. (Approwigionamenti Industrial! Chimici S.p.A. of Turin) - Fiberfix is a Trade Mark)* 76 melaminic cross-linking agent containing 60% of trimethoxy-trimethylol-melamine (Melasin 80 manufactured by A.I.C. S.p.A. - Melasin is Trade Mark) 3.5 Ao thickener in the form of an aqueous emulsion oontairting 28% of a cured (cross-linked) copolymer of methacrylic acid and ethyl acrylate (Thickener 56 manufactured by A.I.C. S.p.A.) 7.5 % oxalic acid: water solution (accelerator) 0.7 )5 ammonia, to adjust pH to 8 3 * This resin had a molecular weight of 40 to 80 million, and is formed by polymerization in aqueous emulsion of 83% butyl acrylate, 12% acrylonitrile and 57. of a cross-linking agent consisting of an acrylic 3o monomer carrying methylol groups. The emulsifying system is an anionic emulsifying system consisting of a mixture of alkylarylpolyglycolates, fatty alcohols condensed with ethylene oxide, and sulphonated surfactants.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Figure 1 is an end view of an apparatus in accordance 5 with the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section along the line II-II of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic side view, showing a modification of the apparatus; Figures 4 to 8 illustrate pieces of fabric which have been reinforced in accordance with the invention; and Referring to the drawings, the apparatus includes a roll stand 1, a feeding device 2 for feeding a top cloth piece cut to shape through the roll stand 1 and a heater 3 for curing the reinforcing material applied to the piece.

The heater 3 is not shown in Figures 1 and 2, but is indicated in Figure 3.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the roll stand 1 mounts 20 a rotary printing cylinder 4 and a backing cylinder in the form of a pressure roll 5. An adjustable speed motor drive 6 is provided for driving the printing cylinder 4. As an example, the printing 219 5 cylinder may be 60 cm long and have a diameter of 20 cm, the motor drive 6 being adjustable to give a maximum cylinder speed of 22 r.p.m., i.e. a maximum peripheral speed of 14 metres per minute. As an example of the printing configuration on the, printing cylinder 4, the printing cylinder 4 can be machined with a pattern of blind (closed ended) longitudinal grooves 7 (indicated in Figure 1) which extends all the way round its periphery and for substantially the whole of its printing length (leaving smooth end portions); the grooves may be 0.30 mm or 0.35 mm deep, be of rectangular cross-section, have a width of 1 mm and have a spacing of 1 rnm between the grooves.

The pressure roll 5 is mounted on movable mounting means in the form of two small pedestals 8 which are carried on a cross-beam 9 which is guided for strictly vertical motion by two guide sleeves 10 which are fixed to the cross-beam 9 and which slide on cylindrical guide columns 11 fixed to the roll stand 1.

A double-acting pneumatic ram 12 is connected to 20 the cross-beam 9 in order to act as a device for rapidly lowering the pressure roll 5 from the printing cylinder 4 and for returning the pressure roll 5 to a printing position. Two adjustable abutments are provided for limiting the upwards travel of the cross-beam 9 and pressure roll 5,. and therefore defining the roll gap, these abutments being manually adjustable to provide a roll gap of between 0.1 mm and 0.4 or 0.5 mm.

The adjustable abutments can be of any suitable type, but in the apparatus illustrated, each is in the form of a gear pinion 13 screwed onto a screw-threaded upper end 14 of the respective guide column 11 and forming a stop for an abutment member 15 on the upper end of the guide sleeve 10. A further gear pinion 16 meshes with each respective pinion 13, the pinion 16 being axially fixed but the respective axial lengths of the pinions 13 and 16 being such that the pinions remain in mesh as the pinion 13 is screwed up and down. Each pinion 16 is fixed to a vertical shaft 17, and the two shafts 17 are coupled by a cross-shaft 18 and two sets of bevel gears 19. The left-hand shaft 17 (as seen in Figure 1) is connected to a hand-wheel 20 by means of a bevel gear 21 and a short horizontal shaft 22 so that rotation of the hand-wheel 20 causes the abutment pinions 13 to rotate and move up and down the guide columns 11.

The pneumatic ram 12 can be connected to a manual control, in which case the operator judges by eye where the reinforcing material should be printed on the cloth piece, or to an automatic control actuated by the passage of the piece through the roll stand. The arrangement is such that when the cross-beam 9 is withdrawn, there is a sufficiently large gap between the pressure roll 5 and the printing cylinder 4 to prevent the fabric having the reinforcing material printed thereon.

A solution, emulsion or suspension of the reinforc25 ing material is supplied to a reservoir 31 which is retained byaductor blade 32, ensuring that the grooves 7 in the printing cylinder 4 are filled with reinforcing material and wiping clean the lands between the grooves.

If desired, though not essential, a hood 33 can be provided over the printing cylinder 4, and the hood 33 2185 can cover washing devices (not shown) for washing the printing cylinder 4 on shut-down. Likewise, though not essential, the pressure roll 5 can be mounted within a bath 34 of washing liquid, for continuously washing the pressure roll 5 during the operation of the apparatus; a wiper blade 35 bears against the pressure roll 5,. to remove any washing liquid adhering to the pressure roll 5.

The pressure roll 5 is driven from the printing cylinder 4 by a gear train 36 only part of which is illustrated in Figure 1 and which is only illustratedschematically in Figure 2. The gear train 36 is arranged to remain in mesh at all positions of the pressure roll 5 so that the pressure roll 5 continues to rotate even when it is lowered.

In Figure 2, the feeding device 2 is a stationary feed table, for passing the cloth pieces through by hand, a small receiving table 41 being indicated in Figure 2. The printed piece cart then be carried by hand and inserted into the heater 3 in any suitable manner. However, for larger scale production, the feeding device 2 illustrated schematically in Figure 3 is used, -the feeding device 2 being in the form of a conveyor belt which passes over the top of the pressure roll 5 and is driven by the pressure roll 5, the conveyor belt passing through a washing bath 42. In this case, the belt covers the surface of the pressure roll 5, and is raised by the pressure roll 5 when the pressure roll 5 is raised. It is not necessary to have any bath 34 for cleaning the pressure roll 5.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate an arrangement for 43195 preventing the cloth piece from sticking to the printing cylinder 4. Four rollers 43 extend across the width of the printing cylinder 4, and guide a number of loops of filamentary material 44 past the printing cylinder 4 so that they leave the surface of the printing cylinder 4 shortly after the position at which the periphery of the printing cylinder 4 is closest to the pressure roll 5, thereby ensuring that the cloth piece is detached from the printing cylinder 4. There may be four loops of the filamentary material 44, their lateral position being fixed by means of shallow annular grooves in the rollers 43. The filamentary material 44 may be 0.12 mm diameter nylon monofilaments, which have been found not to mark the fabric appreciably, even when the roll gap was only 0.1 mm.

The. heater 3 is shown in Figure 3 as being provided with a feeding device 45, but the heater 3 can be of any suitable type. For instance, the heater 3 can be a simple radiant heater which heats the reinforcing material to 140° to 150°C for three to five minutes, though if the reinforcing material cures or sets at a lower temperature or at the ambient tenperature, the dimensions and hence the through-put time, of the heater 3 can be correspondingly reduced. If the reinforcing material is selfcuring at the ambient temperature, it is still desirable to incorporate a heating step, to hasten the curing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REINFORCED FABRICS In Figures 4 to 6, the pattern of reinforcing material is shown on a larger scale than the piece of fabric Itself.

Figured illustrates the back face of a right-hand back panel 51 of a jacket which has been reinforced using the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2. The panel was cut before being fed through the roll stand 1, and was turned so that its warp direction was at about 12° to the longitudinal direction through the roll stand. For most of its passage through the roll stand 1, the pressure roll 5 was withdrawn, but the pressure roll 5 was brought lap for a brief moment in order to print parallel Lines 52 of reinforcing material at the collar of the panel 41* It will be seen that the lines 52 run at about 12° to the weft direction (indicated at 53), though this I angle could be increased to say 30° ‘if desired.

The lines 52 at the collar are not primarily for altering the handle of the fabric, but assist the tensile properties of the fabric in this area in the direction of the Tines.

It will be appreciated that the lines 52 of reinforcing material can run strictly parallel to the weft direction 53 in other pieces or panels, and this would be the most usual direction.

Figure 5 illustrates the back face of a sleeve 54 of a jacket, the weft direction again being indicated as 53. In this case, lines 55 of reinforcing material have been printed on the cuff, extending nearly parallel to the weft direction 53. For making up the jacket, and also for lengthening or shortening the sleeve, the fabric of the jacket can be folded between the lines 55 or reinforcing material, the lines 55 thereby providing a good guide for making the folds.

Figure 5 also illustrates that the lines need not be continuous and need not be equi-spaced, in particular to allow the fabric to retain more of its natural suppleness. The discontinuities between the lines 55 are distributed so that they do not line up in any direction save that aligned with the lines themselves. In this manner, the reinforcement has strong unidirectional character!stics, oriented parallel to the lines 55.

Figure 6 illustrates the back face of a left-hand front panel 56 of a jacket which has been reinforced using the apparatus of Figures 1 and 2. The panel 56 was cut prior to feeding it through the roll stand 1, and the lines 57 of reinforcing material extend parallel to the weft direction 53.

A shaped mask was placed on the panel to leave blank all areas which were not to be reinforced.

Figure 7 illustrates the piece 59 of fabric which is used to form the breast pocket of a jacket. A shaped mask is used to leave blank wide strips which correspond to fold lines and sewing lines, facilitating folding and sewing. The lines 60 of the reinforcing material are shown extending parallel to the weft direction 53.

Figure 8 illustrates the strip 60 of fabric which is used to form the belt or waist-band of a pair of trousers.

A pattern of parallel lines 62 is applied the length of the strip 61, leaving the marginal portions 63 blank, and the lines 62 preferably extend at approximately 45° to the weft direction 53 as such an orientation of the lines allows the bottom edge of the strip 61 to stretch slightly more than the top edge (to suit the shape of the waist) while somewhat increasing the strength of the strip 61 in the longitudinal direction and resisting any tendency for the top of the strip to curl over. The blank marginal portions 63 enable the edges of the strip to be sewn and folded without difficulty.

The pattern is applied to the strip 61 by turning the 5 strip 61 at 45° to the axis of the printing cylinder 4 and masking the marginal portion 63.

In general, the reinforcement imparted to the fabric can be increased by increasing the width of the lines relative to that of the spaces therebetween. ]θ Examples 2 to 8 In all the following Examples, the reinforcing material used was as set out in Example 1, and the apparatus used was as set out in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings. All parts are by weight unless stated otherwise. Ο q— P >» o X3 C c •Γ ’J'' o (/) P <1> -C P i. u « cn Q «r- «3· © cn co *3- o g XJ ·!- r— CM o t_ X) u 3 «3 IX υ q- c φ IZ) u * φ Ρ Φ u g = E O r*. ID lO co O *3· -σ r- ·*·» r— o o o o © Φ P U (Λ φ q- ε © o o o o o o 3 cl o cn O q- o P P -C C O UM 3 ·<- ε r*- σ» ID co co CM cn «ο u 00 o in S_ Φ JO o co CM o Φ φ $. io ε un CO CO CM «3· un ex co q- cn •σ 0) ε φ c P o >)X c i- cn φ ·«- S>r-O ι— CX o ro ε OS ©)E ΙΩ ό CM o (Λ Γ~“ o Φ c Ο.·ρH CL Φ *©) •i* £ £ k or ,O *i~ to fO Φ E U. 2 cn υ □ U’r•r- P U W X3 C to o Ll. U in CM CO p, in co ro in CM hm co r- C r- φ © > u q- c c ε ΙΛ ro Φ o o o 3 (/)A r> n Μ- 2 i_ O P Ό c ·© Ό Ι O c tp 3 c Φ Φ c Φ Φ Φ «*©>>© Φ C Φ p C Φ P © P © ι—“ φ 1— ι— P P r- -X © •r- ε (/) Φ V) Φ (/) Φ JO L> jQi r— (/) c i— O Φ P ro Ι- > o u > P > 3 (0 3 0$- o Ο <0 > © r“ Ο © o o © o O O Ο Φ OX o $- OX3 o O •P· 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 X T3 2Ό, 3 3 q- 3 3 © q- r— o U r- Ι- p O o Φ o Ο Φ o 3: P © o P Ϊ in 2 ΙΛ in Φ o c Φ &« in >> 2rS in o >> o O O >» o in *o o O o ro O *3* ex 1*— («. m l·. ex φ Φ (/) p O (0 U P w φ •I- u > <ΰ πτ <75~ u P Φ JS Xd P o o rtJ r— •3 O O O p- P o P ίΟ O u uo *© r0 (Jr- 7) cn p 5- S--r0 0 3 (Λ Μ- (Λ - fO σ> o Φ O -C (Λ Ο ΙΛ O •f- Φ ΙΛ S- «ι- ΙΛ X)S_X> Φ -OO (0 S. U_P r— “© ex ε * ro o xz

Claims (20)

CLAIMS 1. 2 1 3 5 of the latter, said grooves having a depth of from 0.05 mm to 1 mm; inking means associated with the cylinder capable of inking said grooves with a cross-linkable synthetic resin composition in a fluid condition having a Brookfield viscosity

1. A method of locally reinforcing a top cloth piece for a garment comprising: providing a continuously rotatable intaglio-printing cylinder having its cylindrical surface formed with a multitude of mutually parallel, continuous or discontinuous, closed-ended printing grooves uniformly distributed on the entire circumference of the cylinder and directed longitudinally of the latter; inking said grooves with a cross-linkable synthetic resin composition in fluid condition; continuously rotating the inked printing cylinder; moving past the latter the said cloth piece cut to shape; bringing the moving piece with its back face into printing contact With the continuously rotating cylinder when a selected partial area on the piece travels past the- cylinder thereby to obtain on said area a printed pattern of lines formed by said composition, said printing contact being produced by mutually approaching the cylindrical surface of the printing cylinder and a cylindrical surface of a co-currently rotating backing cylinder for said cloth piece until a limit-gap is established between the two surfaces of a value such that the composition being printed onto the piece from said grooves penetrates into the piece through a part of the thickness of the latter; and cross-linking the said synthetic resin in the said printed pattern of lines to set the resin thereby to obtain the desired local reinforcement of the piece; the said longitudinally directed grooves and corresponding printed lines being non-interconnected, or substantially non-interconnected, transversely, sq that the reinforcement is prevailingly effective in one direction only.

2. A method according to Claim 1, wherein the Brookfield viscosity (as hereinbefore defined) of said composition in fluid condition is from 10,000 to 25,000 centipoise.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the said 4. 319 5 on the cloth piece is from 0.04 to 0.15 gms per metre of line.

4. A method according to any one of Claims 1, 2 or 3, wherein the mutual spacing of said grooves is substantially 1 mm, and the mutual spacing of the lines in the pattern on 5. To a circumferential speed value of 20 metres per minute. 23. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 18 to 22, wherein the quickly displaceable cylinder is the backing cylinder. 24. Apparatus according to any one of Claims Ϊ8 to 23, moreover comprising at least one continuous loop or filamentary 5 (as hereinbefore defined) from 10,000 to 25,000 centipoise; means on which a single, cut to shape top cloth piece for a garment can be moved past the printing cylinder, said means including a continuously rotatable backing cylinder for said piece, parallel to the printing cylinder, the two cylinders

5. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the said gap is from 0.1 to 0.5 mm. 5 grooves are substantially 1 mm wide, so that the lines in said pattern on the piece are substantially 1 mm wide.

6. A method according to Claim 5, wherein the gap is ’ substantially 0.15 mm. 15

7. The method according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the synthetic resin in said composition is of polyacrylic type and the composition contains a cross-linking agent for the resin.

8. A method according to Claim 7, wherein the cross-linking 20 agent is of melaminic . type.

9. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the Brookfield viscosity (as hereinbefore defined) of said composition in fluid condition is from 13,000 to 20,000 centipoise. 10. Material guided past the cylindrical surface of the printing cylinder so as to leave the surface shortly downstream of the position at which the said surface is closest to the backing cylinder, so that a cloth piece leaving the gap between the cylinders will be prevented from sticking to the printing cylinder. 10 being geared for rotation at the same circumferential speed; manually or automatically controlled quick-acting means capable of quickly displacing one of said cylinders towards and away from the other cylinder during their rotation thereby to bring the said cloth piece into printing contact with the print15 ing cylinder during an optionally selected part of the travel of the piece past the printing cylinder; and adjustable stop means limiting the quick approach stroke of said one of said cylinders towards the other cylinder to a value providing a gap between the cylinders in the range of 0.1 -O.5 nm; the said grooves 2 θ cylinder being non-interconnected, or substantially '«oh- in the printing interconnected, transversely, so that the reinforcement pattern of said resin in set condition obtained on the said cloth piece will be prevailingly effective in one direction only. , 5

10. A method as claimed in Claim 9, wherein said viscosity 25 is from 15,000 to 17,000 centipoise. 10 the piece correspondingly is substantially 1 mm.

11. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the weight of the set resin composition in the lines of the pattern

12. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the weight of the set resin composition in the pattern on said selected partial area is between 15 and 60 gms per square metre of .said area.

13. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the weight of the set resin composition in the pattern on said selected partial area is between 7.5% and 20% referred to the cloth weight in said area (as weighed without the reinforcement).

14. A method according to any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein a mask is placed upon the said cloth piece before the latter is moved past the printing cylinder to prevent the said composition being applied from the cylinder to beyond said partial area. 15. 25. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 18 to 24, further comprising heater means downstream of the cylinders, arranged for heating and thereby setting the pattern printed on the cloth piece, and conveyor means arranged to convey to said heater means the printed piece leaving the cylinders.

15. A method of locally reinforcing a top cloth piece for a garment according to Claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. A cloth piece for a garment, whenever reinforced by the method according to any of Claims 1 to 15.

17. A garment made from at least one reinforced cloth piece according to Claim 16.

18. Apparatus for locally reinforcing a top cloth piece for a garment comprising: a continuously rotatable intaglioprinting cylinder having its cylindrical surface formed with a multitude of mutually parallel, continuous or discontinuous, closed-ended printing grooves uniformly distributed on the entire circumference of the cylinder and directed longitudinally

19. Apparatus according to Claim 18, wherein the printing grooves are substantially 1 mm wide. 20. Apparatus according to Claim 18 or 19, wherein the mutual spacing of the grooves is substantially 1 mm. 4S195 21. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 18 to 20, wherein the depth of the grooves is from 0.25 to 0.35 mm. 22. Apparatus according to any one of Claims 18 to 21, wherein the rotational speed of the cylinders is adjustable up

20. 26.. Apparatus according to Claim 18 hereinbefore described with reference to drawings.