WINDPROOF TECHNICAL FABRICS

The present invention refers generally to a coupling plant for the realization of windproof technical fabrics, which can be used, especially, for winter and/or technical-sports clothing.

More particularly, the invention relates to a coupling line of fabrics and foams, which provides the steps of unwinding silicon-based paper (release paper), coating of thick adhesives to which graphene is added, coupling of a first fabric to the exit from the drying oven (in the calender), release and winding of the release paper, unwinding and coupling of a second fabric (in a calender with silicone felt) and winding of the finished product.

There are still known plants with which, by coating and subsequent joining, a large range of coupled products can be produced.

The coatings can be of different types and, generally, we use air-blade coating(resin coating), cylinder or blade coating on a counterpart cylinder or hot-melt coating with controlled deposition and film extrusion (to obtain widths and dimensions of the variable coating and coat lines, stitches and drawings of various types), with heated cylinders or with dust deposition, which, after being distributed in plane on the support, are subsequently melted and then proceeded with the coupling of a second material.

There are also many configurations of plants for coupling laminar materials, the choice of which is designed according to the items to be manufactured.

All systems are designed to obtain a great variety of coupling processes, including self-adhesive and thermo-adhesive materials, for use in particular in furniture, clothing or leather goods, however, systems for obtaining special technical fabrics, such as the windproof fabrics used in winter and/or technical-sports clothing are not yet known.

The object of the present invention is therefore that of realizing a coupling plant for the realization of windproof technical fabrics, which is extremely reliable and performing, above all, with regards to the functionality of the obtained fabrics.

This and other purposes are achieved by a coupling plant for the realization of windproof technical fabrics, according to the attached claim 1 .

Further detailed technical features of the coupling plant according to the invention are reported in the subsequent dependent claims.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the following description, relating to an exemplary and preferred but not limiting embodiment of the coupling plant for the realization of windproof technical fabrics, according to the present invention, and from the figures attached, in which:

- figure 1 shows a schematic front view of the coupling plant, according to the present invention;

- figure 2 shows a schematic top plan view of the coupling plant, according to the present invention.

With reference to the aforementioned figures, reference numeral 1 indicates a trolley for unwinding silicon paper or release paper 21 , which is composed of a movable structure on wheels with bar holding supports, with pneumatic braking, and a centering and blocking guide of the trolley, and which can be coupled to a junction table 2; the junction table 2 has a supporting structure complete with a pair of return cylinders and pneumatic presser devices for blocking of the material, an inclined surface for manual cutting, devices for lifting the trimmed material and devices for unwinding an adhesive film adaptable to the junction.

The silicone paper 21 is driven towards a coating machine 3, which makes use of a rubberized cylinder, horizontally movable and motorized for correction of the table, and a blade holder arranged for two coating blades in air and a thickness, with pneumatically controlled vertical movement; in particular, the coating machine 3, which is used, according to the invention, to deposit a glue additive or doped with graphene on the paper 21 , makes use of an intake cabin with an independent aspirator, of suitable return cylinders for maintaining the draw on the material and for the synchronism of the speed and of a work angle adjusting system and is equipped with a collecting tank of the material to be smeared in case of damage of the paper 21 . The coating machine 3 also has an orientation system for the blade-holder support, which allows to eliminate a cross-member which is higher than the coating position, thus allowing an excellent view of the operator; moreover, the orientation of the blade-holder eliminates vibrations and jamming, which causes over time a reduction in precision.

The coupling plant according to the invention further comprises a double ventilation drying tunnel 4, heated by oil and having a motorized conveyor belt 44 for feeding the glue-coated paper; the drying tunnel 4 is constituted preferably by three drying modules 41 , 42, 43, each of which having an internal fan and a double ventilation structure (above and below the paper 21 coated with the glue additive with graphene), with shutters of the air volume at the upper and lower blowers. Each module 41 , 42, 43 also has a system for inserting the paper 21 , supporting cylinders of the paper 21 , an insulating system with laminar panels filled with rock wool, an automatic heat regulation unit with valves and appropriate instrumentation, a suction duct 45, a fan 46 for expelling the saturated air, control groups for the solvent concentration present in the glue smeared, complete with an automatic regulator of the speed of the fan for expelling the fumes, and an alarm and stop system line in case of detection of levels of solvent concentration beyond the legal thresholds, by means of successive alarms.

Exiting the drying tunnel 4, the paper 21 is coated with a glue additive with graphene and a first fabric 71 , which is unwound from a unwinding trolley 7 with unwind brake and a centering and blocking guide of the trolley; in particular, the coupling takes place by means of heated upper metallic return cylinders 5 (hot transfer calender) and a rubberized and Teflon lower return cylinder 51 , which incorporate thickness control devices between the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder and calendering pressure control devices.

The material 72 thus coupled at the outlet of the coupling assembly is sent to a second coupling calender 8, composed of an oil-heated Teflon cylinder complete of joint and motorization, a return cylinder with centering device and a fiber pressure belt, complete with tensioner, with rectified silicone cover, as well as a separation unit which allows the removal of the paper 21 , which is wound on a motorized trolley 6; in this way, the coupling to the first fabric 71 , on which the glue additive with graphene is transferred, of a second fabric 91 , carried out by an unwinding trolley 9 with unwinding brake, a centering and locking guide of the trolley and the tensioning system of the fabric 91 in unwinding, by means of a two-bar unit and rotation knob.

In this way the simultaneous separation of the paper 21 and the coupling between the two fabrics 71 , 91 with the interposed glued additive substance or doped with graphene is obtained; the sandwich 92 of the two fabrics 71 , 91 coupled, after having passed the motorized cutting unit 10 of the selvedges, is finally wound in correspondence with motorized rolling or winding stations 1 1 of the finished product. The winding stations 1 1 can be double reel with fixed position and/or with revolver, with two expandable shafts and roll-holding arms, with rotation system of the arms and gear- motor.

The entire plant is completed by a support structure 13, complete with return cylinders, access stairs and access walkways to the modules 41 , 42, 43 of the drying tunnel 4 and to the coating machine 3, and a general electrical panel 12 of control with control pushbutton and safety devices of the various machines of the plant.

It has thus been found that the coupling plant according to the present invention allows to obtain, in an efficient and reliable manner, a winter and/or technical-sportswear item which is particularly performing as an anti-rain and windproof fabric, simply by inserting an adhesive compound with graphene added between two layers of fabric, even with different technical and/or aesthetic characteristics.

From the above description the characteristics of the coupling plant for the realization of windproof technical fabrics, which is the object of the present invention, are clear, as well as the advantages are clear.

Finally, it is clear that many other variations can be made to the coupling system in question, without departing from the principles of novelty inherent in the inventive idea, as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the invention, the materials, the shapes and the dimensions of the illustrated details may be any according to the requirements and the same can be replaced with other equivalents.

In particular, the adhesives used can also be water-based and the coating technique can be a blade or a cylinder.