EP0150627A1 - Method for the treatment of fabrics and apparatus to carry out this method - Google Patents

Abstract

The method is for use particularly in the open-seam operation during the manufacture of clothing. The method involves ironing with the steam from a steam iron (11) followed immediately by the blowing of cold air from a fan (16) fixed to the back of the iron. This causes a sharp fall in the temperature and moisture content of the fabric. Application in the clothing industry. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a process for treating fabric, more particularly usable for carrying out the opening-stitching operations during the manufacture of a garment. The invention also relates to a device for implementing this method.

In the garment industry, the care taken in opening and stitching has a lot to do with the quality and finish of the garment. It is indeed, after a seam, to fold the edges of the pieces of fabric that have just been assembled on each side of said seam ensuring that the extra thickness is as visible as possible. This operation is delicate and takes time. It is often necessary to use pneumatic presses, which represents a significant investment in equipment.

The invention aims in particular to facilitate such operations, while improving the quality of the result. The invention derives from a new mode of treatment of the fabric, consisting in subjecting it to thermal shock simultaneously with a given operation, for example the opening-seams.

With this in mind, the invention therefore essentially relates to a process for treating fabric, characterized in that it consists in subjecting said fabric to a sudden drop in temperature and hygrometry.

This process may include including subjecting the fabric to steam ironing and then blowing cooler air.

The invention also relates to a device for treating fabric, characterized in that it essentially consists of a steam iron, the heel of which is extended by blowing means connected to a reserve of compressed air. According to a preferred embodiment, the blowing means consist of a hollow plate, the underside of which, located in the same plane as that of the steam iron, is provided with air ejection orifices.

• - la figure unique est une vue schématique en élévation d'un dispositif conforme à l'invention.

The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear better in the light of the description which follows of a currently preferred embodiment of a device according to the invention, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

• - The single figure is a schematic elevational view of a device according to the invention.

The device of the invention comprises a conventional steam iron 11, the lower heating plate 12 of which is provided with steam ejection orifices 13. The plate 12 is heated by an electrical resistance not shown and the orifices 13 are in communication with connection means 14 to a steam source not shown. The use of an external steam source makes it possible to better control the temperature of this steam, which for the envisaged application of opening-stitching, should preferably be from 130 to 140 °. Of course, one could also consider using a steam iron with independent production of steam, that is to say comprising a reservoir of water gradually transformed into steam by the electrical resistance. According to an important characteristic of the invention, the heel 15 of the iron is extended by blowing means 16 connected to a reserve of compressed air, not shown. These blowing means consist of a hollow plate 17, the lower face 18 of which is situated in the same plane as the lower facq of the heating plate 12 of the steam iron and is provided with ejection orifices 19 in communication with a nozzle. connection 20 to the compressed air reserve.

The use of the device which has just been described, for an opening-stitching operation, consists simply in using it like a normal steam iron, avoiding going back. It has been observed that the treatment applied to the fabric under these conditions gave an opening-stitching quality impossible to obtain with traditional systems using a simple vaporizing iron. This result is attributed to the sudden drop in temperature and humidity that the fabric is subjected to, thanks to the ejection of cold air (around 40 °) which dissipates much faster than in the past the accumulated moisture in the fabric by steam ironing, while suddenly bringing this fabric to a temperature close to room temperature. On the other hand, the blowing of air is accompanied by cold ironing, because the surface 18 is in the same plane as the lower surface of the heating plate 12.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment of the device which has just been described, but includes all the technical equivalents of the means involved if these are in the context of the claims which follow.

Claims (6)

1. A method of treating tissue, characterized in that it consists in subjecting said tissue to a sudden drop in temperature and hygrometry. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it consists in subjecting said fabric to a steam ironing, then to a blowing of cooler air. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that said air blowing is accompanied by cold ironing. 4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is applied to the opening-stitching operations in the making of a garment. 5. Device for treating fabric, characterized in that it essentially consists of a steam iron (11) whose heel (15) is extended by blowing means (16) connected to an air reserve compressed. 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that said blowing means (16) consist of a hollow plate (17) whose lower face (18) is located in the same plane as that of said steam iron and is provided with ejection orifices (19) in communication with a connection piece (20) to a source of compressed air.

Images