TWI725409B - Knitted structure and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a knitted structure including a substrate and a fused knitted part. The fused knitted part includes a first fiber. The first fiber extends in a loop form through the substrate and bonds to the substrate. At least a portion of the first fiber is fused with another fiber portion. The present disclosure further provides a method for manufacturing the knitted structure, and a shoes structure including the knitted structure.

Description

Knitting structure and its manufacturing method

The present invention relates to a knitted structure and a manufacturing method thereof, and specifically, relates to a knitted structure and a manufacturing method thereof that can be applied to shoemaking.

The "knitted shoes" currently popular on the market are formed by knitting a single fiber to form an overall upper. This kind of knitted shoe upper has the advantages of softness and good elasticity, but its strength is relatively low, it is not easy to shape and deform, and it cannot form a high-dimensional shoe upper effect on the surface of the knitted shoe upper.

In addition, the strength and stretchability of such knitted shoe uppers are roughly evenly distributed, that is, it is difficult to provide support and locking effects at specific locations. If you need to provide support and locking in a specific position, you must change the fiber material, or you need to repeat the knitting to increase the thickness of the shoe upper. However, the support and locking effect that can be achieved by such methods still cannot meet the needs of high-intensity exercise.

Therefore, the present invention provides a knitted structure that can precisely control the overall strength and stretchability distribution.

The present invention provides a knitted structure, which comprises: A substrate; and A welded knitted portion, the welded knitted portion includes a first fiber, and the first fiber penetrates the base material in a loop form to be joined to the base material, and at least a part of the first fiber and another fiber part are welded to each other.

The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the aforementioned knitted structure, which comprises: (a) Provide a substrate; (b) Provide the first fiber, and make the first fiber penetrate the base material to form a loop, and be joined with the base material; (c) Heating the first fiber to weld at least a part of the first fiber to form a welded knitted part.

The present invention further provides a shoe structure, which includes the aforementioned knitted structure.

The present invention provides a knitted structure, which comprises: A substrate; and A welded knitted portion, the welded knitted portion includes a first fiber, and the first fiber penetrates the base material in a loop form to be joined to the base material, and at least a part of the first fiber and another fiber part are welded to each other.

For example, the knitted structure of the present invention can be clothing, shoes, hats, accessories, etc., or its raw materials or semi-finished products. Alternatively, the knitted structure may be a handicraft, or may be used for other purposes, and the present invention is not limited. In one embodiment, the knitted structure may be a part of a shoe structure, for example, it may be the entire shoe upper in the shoe structure, or may be a part of the shoe upper.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate can be any kind of cloth, for example, it can be a woven cloth or a non-woven cloth. What's more, the substrate may be a substantially continuous film, for example, a plastic film or the like. In one embodiment, the substrate may be a woven fabric to provide better structural strength and dimensional stability. For example, the substrate may include second fibers, and the second fibers are interwoven with each other. Preferably, the second fiber is made of at least one material selected from the group consisting of: polyamide, poly(p-xylylenediamine), polyolefin, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) ), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and their mixtures.

The "fiber" mentioned in this article refers to those whose length is greater than 1000 times its width. Preferably, the second fiber-based metal filaments (filament fiber), or said filaments (filament), a continuous length of fiber, for example, an aspect ratio of greater than 10 ⁸ or above.

The "interlacing" or "weaving" as used herein includes but is not limited to weaving between fibers by woven, knitting, weaving, crocheting or rope weaving, and is not limited to mechanical weaving or manual weaving. For example, the warp yarn and the weft yarn formed by the fiber are intertwined with each other; the multiple yarns formed by the fiber are interlocked, and the loop is continuously stacked.

In the knitted structure of the present invention, the welded knitted part is joined to the base material and includes the first fiber. The first fiber is preferably a long fiber, and may be a thermoplastic fiber, so that it is easy for another fiber part to be welded to each other. The "thermoplastic fiber" refers to a fiber containing a thermoplastic material, and the thermoplastic material is exposed on the surface of the fiber, so that the thermoplastic fiber can be welded under the action of heat (heat and pressure). Preferably, at least a part of the first fiber is a thermoplastic elastomer, such as, but not limited to, thermoplastic polyurethane (thermoplastic polyurethane, TPU for short), thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE for short), or thermoplastic polyolefin. (Thermoplastic polyolefin, TPO for short). The thermoplastic polyurethane, such as polyester-based TPU derived from adipic acid esters, or polyether-based TPU based on tetrahydrofuran ether ; Thermoplastic polyester elastomers, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT); thermoplastic polyolefins, such as polyethylene (polyethylene, (Referred to as PE), polypropylene (referred to as PP).

The first fiber penetrates the base material in the form of a loop and joins the base material. For example, the substrate may include a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. The first fiber can penetrate through the first surface and the second surface of the substrate in a manner similar to embroidery, and be combined with the substrate. Thereby, the first fiber can present a pattern on the first surface of the substrate. In some embodiments, the first fiber may also exhibit a pattern on the second surface of the substrate. Furthermore, in some embodiments, an auxiliary fiber may be further included to fix the first fiber, and the material of the auxiliary fiber may be the same as or different from the first fiber. For example, the first fiber may be substantially located on the second surface of the substrate, and the auxiliary fiber may be substantially located on the second surface of the substrate, and the auxiliary fiber may be entangled with the first fiber to fix the first fiber .

In the welded knitted part, at least a part of the first fiber and the other fiber part are welded to each other. As used herein, "welding" means that a part of the first fiber melts when heated (or heated and pressure) and partially adheres and/or coats the other fiber part, and after cooling, it is joined to the other fiber part. One fiber part. It should be noted here that the “welding” mentioned in this article and later does not limit whether the other fiber part is also melted when heated or pressure is applied. For example, it may be that the part of the first fiber and the other fiber part are both melted and joined to each other; or only the part of the first fiber is melted and adhered to and/or covered with the unmelted part of the other fiber, And form a bond.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned another fiber part may be another part of the first fiber, in other words, the another fiber part fused to at least a part of the first fiber is located on the first fiber. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the aforementioned another fiber part may be a part of another fiber, for example, it can be located in the second fiber or the aforementioned auxiliary fiber.

In the knitted structure of the present invention, since the first fiber forms the welded knitted portion on the base material, by adjusting the position of the welded knitted portion, the strength and stretchability distribution of the knitted structure can be adjusted to make the knitted structure It has different strength and flexibility in different positions to improve the applicability of the knitted structure. For example, the knitted structure can be used as a shoe upper, and by the arrangement of the welded knitted part, the strength, stretchability, etc. of the instep, ankle, etc. can be adjusted respectively to achieve the effects of support and locking.

In addition, in the welded knitted part, the relative position of the first fiber part and the other fiber part can be fixed by the aforementioned welding state, so the stretchability of the welded part can be reduced and the structural strength can be improved. That is, by adjusting the welding state in the welded knitted part (for example, the welding ratio of each position, etc.), the elasticity and strength distribution in the welded knitted part can be further fine-tuned. Thereby, the knitted structure of the present invention can have a precise distribution of strength and stretchability, and provide a good support and locking effect.

In one embodiment, the welded knitted portion may be formed by heating (or heating and pressing) the first fiber portion (and the other fiber portion). In this process, a release paper with a specific three-dimensional surface shape can be used, which is stacked on the welded knitted part, so that the surface shape of the release paper is transferred to the surface of the needle welded knitted part. Thereby, the welded knitted part can have a special three-dimensional structure, and have special colors and visual effects.

In one embodiment, the knitted welded portion may further include a welded area and a non-welded area. That is, the first fiber can penetrate through the welding area and the non-welded area, and be welded to another fiber part in the welded area, but not welded in the non-welded area. By adjusting the positions of the welded area and the non-welded area, patterns can be further formed in the welded knitted portion, and properties such as stretchability and strength of each area can be adjusted.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the welded knitted part may cover the entire substrate or only a part of the substrate. Alternatively, the knitted structure may include a plurality of welded knitted portions, each covering a portion of the substrate. The plurality of welded knitted parts may respectively include fibers of different materials or characteristics, and the degree and range of welding may also be different from each other.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first fiber may be a monocomponent fiber; that is, the first fiber is only formed of the aforementioned thermoplastic material. Alternatively, the first fiber may be a multi-component fiber, including a first component and a second component. For example, the first component may be the aforementioned thermoplastic material, and the second component may be other fiber materials without thermoplasticity. Therefore, when the welded knitted structure is formed, the first component is welded and the second component is not welded. For example, the first fiber may be a core/sheath composite fiber, a side by side composite fiber or a segmented pie composite fiber, etc., and the present invention is not limited.

The knitted structure of the present invention may further include an auxiliary layer located on a surface of the substrate. The first fiber penetrates the substrate and the auxiliary layer in the form of loops, so that at least a part of the auxiliary layer is connected to the substrate. Join. For example, the auxiliary layer may be located on the first surface of the substrate, and the first fibers may cover at least a part of the auxiliary layer. For example, the auxiliary layer can be used as a backing paper or cloth for embroidery, and the first fiber can completely cover the auxiliary layer. Therefore, the auxiliary layer can hardly be seen from the first surface of the substrate. Alternatively, the first fiber may be joined to the base material by at least a part of the auxiliary layer in a manner similar to "applique", that is, the first fiber may only cover and penetrate the edge of the auxiliary layer, and the auxiliary layer The central part of the layer is not covered.

With the use of the auxiliary layer, the structural strength and thickness of the covered area can be further adjusted, and the welded knitted part can be obviously raised on the surface of the substrate, increasing its three-dimensional feeling. In addition, the material of the auxiliary layer can be different from that of the base material, which can provide the effects of gas barrier, wear resistance, support and locking, and can prevent the first fiber from sliding when forming the welded knitted structure, thereby improving positioning accuracy . In addition, in another embodiment, the auxiliary layer may be located on the second surface of the substrate without being exposed on the first surface of the substrate.

The knitted structure of the present invention may further include a cushion layer located between the substrate and the auxiliary layer. For example, the liner layer is located on the first surface of the substrate, and the auxiliary layer is located on the liner layer and covers the liner layer. The size of the auxiliary layer may be slightly larger than the size of the cushion layer. As mentioned above, the first fiber may only cover the edge of the auxiliary layer, but not the central part of the auxiliary layer. The liner layer may be located at the central part of the auxiliary layer so that the first fiber does not penetrate the liner. Cushion. In one embodiment, the cushion layer may be a rigid material, so that the knitted structure of the present invention has the effects of anti-collision and anti-impact. In another embodiment, the cushion layer can be a soft and elastic material, which can provide a good cushioning effect of the knitted structure and a thick hand feeling.

In one embodiment, the knitted structure of the present invention may further include a covering layer, which covers the welded knitted part and welded to the welded knitted part. That is, the covering layer can be attached to the substrate by the welded knitted part. The material of the covering layer can be different from that of the base material to provide rich surface characteristics of the knitted structure.

The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the aforementioned knitted structure, which comprises: (a) Provide a substrate; (b) Provide the first fiber, and make the first fiber penetrate the base material to form a loop, and be joined with the base material; (c) Heating the first fiber to weld at least a part of the first fiber to form a welded knitted part.

In step (a), the substrate may be the same as described above, for example, may include second fibers, and the second fibers are interwoven with each other to form the substrate. In step (b), with the aid of, for example, a plateless digital design, the first fiber can penetrate through a specific position of the substrate in a manner similar to embroidery, and a pattern is formed on a specific position on the surface of the substrate.

Then, in step (c), pressure may be applied while heating, or a release paper stack may be used on the surface of the welded knitting part, so that the surface shape of the release paper surface can be transferred to the welded knit in this step section. In an embodiment of the present invention, the heating temperature/pressurizing pressure can be adjusted in this step to adjust the welding state of the welded knitted part, and then adjust its strength, stretchability, etc. In addition, the heating/pressurizing range can be adjusted, so that the welded knitted part has different characteristics in different areas.

The present invention further provides a shoe structure, which includes the aforementioned knitted structure. For example, the knitted structure may be the entire upper of the shoe structure, or may be a part of the upper. That is, the knitted structure can be combined with the sole and other components to form the shoe-shaped structure.

The above-mentioned embodiments only illustrate the principles and effects of the present invention, but do not limit the present invention. Modifications and changes made by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present invention to the above-mentioned embodiments still do not violate the spirit of the present invention. The scope of rights of the present invention should be listed in the scope of patent application described later.

Claims (11)

A knitted structure, comprising: a substrate including a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other; and a welded knitted portion, the welded knitted portion includes first fibers, and the first fibers are looped The form penetrates the first surface and the second surface of the substrate to be joined to the substrate, and at least a part of the first fiber and the other fiber part are welded to each other. The knitted structure according to claim 1, wherein the base material includes a second fiber, and the second fiber is interwoven with each other. The knitted structure according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the first fiber is a thermoplastic elastomer. The knitted structure according to claim 1, wherein the first fiber is a composite fiber, and the composite fiber is a core sheath composite fiber, a side-by-side composite fiber or a split composite fiber. The knitted structure according to claim 1, wherein the first fiber includes a first component and a second component, wherein the first component is welded and the second component is not welded. The knitted structure according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the other fiber that is welded to at least a portion of the first fiber is located on the first fiber. The knitted structure according to claim 1, which further comprises an auxiliary layer located on a surface of the base material, the first fiber penetrates the base material and the auxiliary layer in the form of loops, so that at least a part of the auxiliary layer and The substrates are joined. According to the knitted structure of claim 7, it further includes a cushion layer located between the base material and the auxiliary layer. According to the knitted structure of claim 1, it further comprises a covering layer which covers the welded knitted part and welded with the welded knitted part. A method of manufacturing a knitted structure according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: (a) providing a substrate, the substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other; (b) providing a first surface and a second surface; A fiber, and make the first fiber penetrate the first surface and the second surface of the substrate to form a loop, and be joined with the substrate; (c) heating the first fiber to make at least a part of the first fiber Weld to form a welded knitted part. A shoe-shaped structure comprising the knitted structure of any one of claims 1-9.