MATERIAL OBTAINED BY MEANS OF SAID METHOD"

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TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method for producing a composite material.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for producing a material which is particularly suitable to be used in footwear manufacturing, specifically for cork soles and/or vamps and/or toes production, as well as for other applications such as spectacle-cases or the like, panellings, suitcases or leather-goods, or chairs or sofas components .

Moreover, the invention relates to a material obtained by using said method.

The invention is mainly applied in the fields of footwear industry or to the manufacturing of natural or synthetic leather or hides, as well as to the manuf cturing of furnishing elements. BACKGROUND ART

Footwear cork soles are usually obtained from sheet or roll supporting materials, which are generally constituted by cellulosic material or rigenerated leather.

Said material represents the cork sole support, and a mixture of resins together with a suitable dyestuff is sprayed or spreaded on one side of said material in a suitable industrial plant.

Thereafter, if necessary, the treated surface of the supporting sheets undergoes an embossing operation; finally, said surface is then treated with a paint layer, usually a nitro paint.

Said manufacturing method, as well as the material obtained therewith, involves some disadvantages and

drawbacks, among which a low surface resistance of the treated layer, and relatively high production costs can be principally mentioned.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to give a simple and economic solution to the above-mentioned problems and, thus, to provide for a low-cost method for producing a composite material, said method being suitable for producing a material having a high surface resistance, thus being particularly suitable for a plurality of applications, such as footwear cork soles or toes, and also parts of suitcases, brief-cases, spectacle-cases, chairs components or structures, etc., as well as for recycling and regenerating stocks of synthetic leather materials, said composite material being non-toxic and thus usable for contacting the skin also for a long period of time.

This is obtained by means of a method having the features disclosed in the main claim.

The dependent claims describe particularly advantageous forms of embodiment of the method according to the invention.

Furthermore, claim 9 discloses a composite material obtained by means of the method according to the present invention. The method according to the present invention is carried out by providing a suitable supporting material available in sheets or rolls, with a polyethylene or Surlyn® covering layer, said layer being advantageously constituted by a thin film. The coupling of said layer with the supporting material can be obtained with a cold-working, for instance interposing a suitable double adhesive film between the supporting material and the film made of polyethylene or

Surlyn®, or by means of a sprayed or spread adhesive; alternatively, the coupling of the film can be obtained with a hot-working.

Moreover, the coupling between the supporting material and the film made of polyethylene or Surlyn® can be obtained by interposing an intermediate layer between the supporting material and the covering film, said intermediate layer being constitued of, e.g.: either a rolled section in paper treated with a solution (for instance impregnated with resins of melaminic type or others) , of the type generally used for the veneering and/or the lamination of furniture; or a rolled section in inlaid wood; or a multilayer film, for instance consisting of a layer made of polyethylene, a layer made of aluminium or copper, a layer made of polyester and a layer made of polyethylene (or other combinations of said components) ; or a film containing ferromagnetic elements; or a film consisting of a layer made of polyvinyl reactive acetate, a physic transfer film on polythene paper and a layer constitueted by an UV or a polyurethan protection paint; or a polyethylene/polypropylene film; or a polipropylene or polyester film provided, when necessary, ^' with a barrier layer; or a double adhesive polyethylene layer of the type

"skin-pack"; or an insulating air cushion layer made of a synthetic material. Said supporting material can be constituted by one of the following materials: either cellulosic material in sheets or rolls (for instance Bon ex® or Texon®) ;

or paper treated with a solution; or melaminic paper; or a mixture of leather regenerated materials or derivatives thereof (for instance Salpa) ; - or cardboard or cardboard fiber; or needled fabrics (for instance of the type Orsa or Biagioli) ; or synthetic or natural rubber (latex, foam, Polilatex®, foam rubber, Moltopren®) ; - or foam made of reticulated polyethylene with closed cells; or leather, natural or synthetic leather, even from stock; or non-woven fabric, neoprene, masonite, ricycled polyethylene, nylon, Lilion®, Tyvec®, polyester or a net made of synthetic material; or cork or wood; or coagulated materials; or felt; - or foamed polyurethane, foamed polyethylene, foamed polystyrene, or an agglomerated stone-like material, preferably having a tile-like shape. According to an essential feature of the invention, the coupling operation of the polyethylene or Surlyn® covering layer to the supporting material is carried out simultaneously with an embossing operation of the polyethylene or Surlyn® upper surface.

The method according to the invention is extremely advantageous since it allows, through the embossing operation, a coupled product to be obtained, which is characterised by a very high degree of similarity in respect

of the imitated material, which is non-toxic, and which at the same time has extraordinary mechanical properties, for instance a very high surface resistance to abrasion or scraping. Furthermore, according to a form of embodiment, a wool layer or a net is placed over the covering layer.

According to a further form of embodiment, a latex foam supported by a suitable fabric or cloth can be placed between the supporting material and the superimposed covering layer.

Besides, a dyestuff layer (physical or sublimatic) can be interposed between the supporting material and the transparent polyethylene or Surlyn® covering layer.

Following to the coupling operation, the resultant composite material may immediately be cut so as to obtain the desired shapes, for instance cork soles or other footwear elements (heels or toes), or wall-paper sheets, suitcase elements, furniture articles, etc.

In this context, it is useful to remark that the composite material according to the invention includes a polyethylene surface layer, which makes it non-toxic and it may freely be used in any applications which come into contact with the human skin, which operation is not possible, for instance, with known composite materials having surface ^' layers made of polyvinylchloride PVC.

A composite material obtained by means of the above- mentioned method has a very high surface resistance and can be used in many applications, above all in the footwear field. In fact, tests demonstrated that this material is particularly suitable for manufacturing cork soles, which show higher mechanical resistance than those which are typical of the known cork soles, having a paint surface

layer; other interesting applications are those concerning the manufacturing of heels or toes or vamps.

In this context it is appropriate to note that, in the case where the supporting material is a leather, the application of the polyethylene surface layer gives stability to the supporting material surface, thereby preventing the formation of ashlars, concavities, etc.

According to a further form of embodiment of the invention, the supporting material can be sprayed with a leather-like scent prior to embossing. In this case the resulting material cannot be distinguished from real leather any more.

Concerning the manufacturing of suitcases and/or brief¬ cases and/or spectacle-cases or the like, as well as of other natural or synthetic leather goods, other appliactions have demonstrated the absolute reliability of the material according to the invention.

Furthermore, the material according to the invention may advantageously be applied to the production of chairs or sofas elements or structures.

According to a particular form of embodiment of the material according to the invention, the material itself is provided with a series of perforations or microperforations, which are usually carried out on the sheet or roll before the final cutting according to a predeterminated shape or simultaneously to the embossing operation.

In this case the composite material has shown a particular effectiveness in being used as cork sole, since it allows a membrane made of unidirectional transparent material to be arranged between the cork sole and the sole of a footwear, thereby maintaining the foot always dry.

Moreover, the film provided with perforations can be coupled by means of hot-working with a material of the

impermeable perspiring type , for instance Goretex® or

Simpatex® .

A coupling of this type is particularly advantageous since it avoids the perspiring material to be joined to its carrier in a spot-like fashion, as it normally happens according to the known methods.