YARNS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to yarn and textile fabrics manufactured using olefin fibers or yarns modified to accept dyes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] One skilled in the art of fiber extrusion understands that an extruder melts a polymer and a barrel screw forces the melted polymer through a spinneret. The spinneret is similar to a shower head and contains many fine holes. The melted polymer exiting these holes is in the form of molten filaments. These filaments have a diameter. The diameter of the filaments range in size from diameters similar to cotton filaments and increase in size to the diameter of wool. The finer holes produce filaments suitable for apparel and as the holes increase in size the filaments are suitable for carpets and home furnishings such as upholstery, draperies and rugs.

[0003] When the polymer used to create these filaments is nylon, the resultant fibers or yarn will be manufactured into textile products that can be dyed using a nylon dye system. The nylon dye system is performed at atmospheric pressures , at a temperature range of between 175-200°F using water as the solvent along with other chemicals known to one skilled in the art of nylon dyeing. It is very desirable and

economical to dye at atmospheric pressures.

[0004] If the polymers used to create filaments or fibers are polypropylene (PP), they will not dye using the nylon dye system.

[0005] The dye system using the present invention is the same as the system used to dye nylon. Anyone skilled in the art of dying nylon will be able to dye the modified yarns and fabrics made using this invention. The nylon dye system is unique because the dye is applied at normal atmospheric pressures. The solvent is water and is effective at temperatures from 175°F to 212°F. The normal nylon dye cycle is an hour. Polypropylene is usually dyed by the pigment dye system which colors the polymer during extrusion. The present invention greatly increases energy savings and increases productivity. Solid shades or multiple tones of a shade are achieved in a single dye bath or print application. Fabrics using the yarns of this invention are manufactured into greige goods produced by the knitting, weaving, tufted or non-woven process. Solid shades are achieved by melt blending a dye enhancing additive (sometimes referred to herein as a "master batch") into the yarn or fiber and subjecting the fabric to dye bath. The dye enhancing additive used in the process is composed of polymers that are readily available to one skilled in the art of fiber or yarn extrusion. One does not have to be skilled in the art of chemistry to use this invention.

[0006] When multiple ends of yarns embodying this invention are used, each can contain differing percentages of dye additives. When the yarns are manufactured into fabrics, the fabric will dye to multiple tones in a single dye bath. By increasing the amount of dyeable additive in the olefin yarn or fiber, the affinity for dye increases accordingly. The fabrics manufactured according to this invention are stored at the dye house undyed. Color is added using conventional nylon dye machines or print dye methods. Surprising and novel effects are achieved using

economical conventional nylon dye systems known to those skilled in the art. This invention is of particular usefulness in the apparel, carpet, soft signage and home furnishings industry. The olefin fabrics produced feel and, appear as conventional cotton fabrics but are approximately 30- 38% lighter in weight. This is due to the fact that the specific gravity of olefin is .91 while the specific gravity of cotton is 1 .38.

Brief Description of the Related Art

[0007] Knitted and woven apparel fabrics and textile articles are an enormous worldwide enterprise. Cotton is the predominant choice of fiber used to make woven or knitted apparel textile fabrics. Many cotton- spinning systems exist worldwide. Cotton yarns are easily produced for both apparel and home furnishings using the cotton spinning system.

Egyptian and United States Cotton

[0008] The most common system of putting color on fabric is to dye the woven, knitted tufted or non-woven fabric. The fabric is placed in a machine containing water, dyes and chemicals. The temperature of the liquor or dye bath is adjusted to the desired degree. The skilled operator will use this process to produce the desired shade on the fabric. The fabric is dried, and finished according to the customer's

specifications. The dye house is a capital-intensive operation that contains expensive dye and finishing equipment. A dye house in addition to dyeing will have drying and finishing equipment such as compactors, chemical applicators and rolling or folding equipment.

[0009] The dyed cloth is cut and sewn into apparel garments or home furnishing items such as draperies, bedspreads, rugs or

upholstery. Carpet is not generally made using cotton, but relies mainly on synthetics. Nylon is the most preferred synthetic used to manufacture carpet. One skilled in the art of dying carpet will use the same skills to dye the product of this invention.

Synthetics:

[0010] Many attempts have been tried to create an acceptable synthetic fiber or yarn that is a good substitute for cotton and will process on conventional spinning equipment.

[0011] The worldwide demand for cotton is such that synthetic substitutes had to be introduced since there would not be enough acreage available to produce enough cotton to meet the demand for affordable fabrics and garments for the growing multitude of human population. It is very desirable to produce synthetic substitutes that can be used instead of or with cotton.

[0012] Synthetics, the majority being polyester (PET), account for almost one half of all fibers used to produce apparel textile fabrics.

Polypropylene is currently in limited use in textiles as it is difficult to dye.

[0013] Initially polypropylene fibers were harsh and coarse. It did not absorb moisture well and was very difficult to dye. Over a long period of years polypropylene fibers were engineered to feel soft, and to blend with cotton so that a yarn could be made using the cotton spinning system.

[0014] Polypropylene yarn has many drawbacks. It is difficult to dye and great skill is needed to dye a uniform shade of polypropylene and cotton. Currently using Negola US Patents 6,869,679,and&

7,335,417, Polypropylene fibers require high temperatures under elevated pressure to absorb high energy disperse dyes. Cotton, on the other hand, dyes with direct or vat dyes that does not require elevated pressure or high temperatures. The personnel at dye houses that dye a cotton/polypropylene blend must be highly skilled. Fabrics made with blends of cotton and polypropylene must be dyed using a two-step process. First one then the other is dyed. Most skilled dye houses must keep large quantities of dye shades for the purpose of dyeing

polypropylene and blends of polypropylene and cotton.

[0015] It is very desirable in the apparel and home furnishings industry to have available a synthetic yarn or fabric that has novel characteristics. Ideally the synthetic fiber could be used to make a yarn for a fabric that would be similar to a fabric made from cotton or a blend of cotton and a synthetic. Most cotton is dyed at atmospheric pressures using cotton dyestuffs. Ideally, a blend of synthetics and cotton would dye at atmospheric pressures. This invention facilitates dyeing polypropylene, olefin or blends of cotton and these synthetics at atmospheric pressures.

Olefin:

[0016] Olefin is a manufactured fiber, which is composed of at least 85% ethylene, propylene or other olefin units. Olefin is an ideal substitute for cotton except for the fact that is not easily dyed on conventional dyeing or printing systems. Olefin is easy and economical to produce into fiber that feels just like cotton. I have found that an olefin of 1 .2 to 1 .8 denier per filament cut to a 1 .5" to 2" staple length is an ideal substitute for cotton yarn using the cotton spinning system to make yarn. In addition, Olefin is useful for the following reasons:

Olefin processes well on non-woven machines Olefin fabrics feel similar to cotton

Olefin will dry quickly Olefin will pass moisture but retain body heat.

Olefin is very stain resistant

Disadvantage of Olefin Fiber and Yarn:

[0017] The main disadvantage of olefin is the fact that it is a fiber that is not dyeable by conventional dye systems. Almost all olefin fiber and yarn is pigment or solution dyed. Using the Negola US Patents 6,869,679 and 7,335,417 olefin can be dyed using high temperature under pressure and high energy disperse dye. The process is the same as dyeing polyester. Fabric made from pigment dyed yarn cannot be dyed to fashion shades as orders are received. This makes fabric manufacture prohibitively expensive and inventories too large to manage in the apparel and home furnishings industry. Pigmented olefin is used primarily to manufacture level loop Carpet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The object of this invention is to use a polymer extruder to blend active ingredients into polypropylene polymer to manufacturer fiber or yarn which will enable one skilled in the art to dye these fibers or yarns using the nylon dye method. This can be achieved using an extruder to manufacture a master batch or by combining the active ingredients into an extruder to manufacturer a pellet ready to extrude into fiber, yarn or melt spun fabric dyeable by the nylon dye method. The active ingredients of this invention can also be dry mixed with polymer in an extruder to produce fiber or yarns which will be dyeable by the nylon dye method.

[0019] In addition, the object of the present invention is to create a novel knitted, tufted, woven or non-woven fabric using synthetic yarn that has many of the characteristics of cotton fabrics. Being dyeable at atmospheric pressures is a further object of the present invention. To qualify, for wearing apparel the fabric has to be available in greige goods, be easy to dye on conventional systems, be soft to touch; the fabric must "breathe" and wick moisture away from the body. Fabrics made using the synthetic yarns of the invention will be easy to wash either by hand or machine and will not stain by ordinary household food stains. Fabrics made using this invention also have superior light and wash fastness.

[0020] Further objects and further scope of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood however that the detailed descriptions and examples are given by way of illustration only since various changes and innovations within the spirit of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0021] Although the cotton spinning system is the most widely used system, one skilled in the art can produce fiber that can be made into yarn using any conventional spinning system. Air jet, open end, worsted, woolen and modified worsted is some of the more common spinning methods. The fiber length and denier can be varied to fit any spinning system. A modified worsted spinning system is almost always used to spin carpet yarn.

[0022] In addition to staple fiber spun into yarn there is a large production of continuous filament yarn. Continuous filament yarn is used when making apparel. The most common size is 70 denier to 150 denier. This invention can be applied to either fiber or continuous filament yarn. BCF or spun carpet yarn can also be made using this invention. [0023] Briefly described, the present invention relates to a method of using dyeable synthetic olefin yarns and fibers to manufacture knitted, tufted, woven and non-woven fabric greige goods that are easy to dye or print and process using commercially available nylon dye or print systems. The novel advantages of these greige goods will be apparent from the detailed description. This invention also shows the preferred novel additives to be blended with olefin fiber or yarn to make them dyeable. One skilled in the art of extrusion would not necessarily know the chemistry of nylon, polyester (PET) or olefin. Most inventions that show dying of synthetic fibers using the nylon dye system are not easily understood by one skilled in the art of fiber or yarn extrusion.

Nevertheless, one skilled in the art of yarn or fiber extrusion will find this invention to be very useful.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] The present invention relates to manufacturing a knitted, tufted, woven or non-woven fabric using an olefin yarn or fiber that has been enhanced to accept dye. The fiber or yarn does not dye but a master batch additive that is melt blended into the olefin of the present invention will accept dye using the nylon dye system. Disperse dyes are preferred but one skilled in the art can use other dyes. No special dyes have to be purchased to achieve shades of all description. This invention uses small percentages of a master batch of a compounded additive blended in a standard fiber extruder with untreated olefin to create fibers or yarns that are made into woven, knitted, tufted or non- woven greige goods fabric. The fabrics of this invention are stored as uncolored inventory. The olefin portion of the greige goods is colored using the nylon dye system. Very high temperatures, normally used to dye polyester (PET) are not necessary to dye the fabrics of the invention. A temperature of 175°F - 200°F is ideal. Pressurized dye machines are not necessary to achieve proper dye coloration. This results in an energy saving of 50%. Bright shades of any color are achieved when dyeing fabrics using this invention.

Multitones:

[0025] In addition to just one solid color, tonal effects are easily achieved using the piece dye system. Olefin yarns blended with a dye enhancer of from 1 % to 22% by weight of the goods are used to make fabrics dye to multi-tones of the same shade in one dye bath containing dyes. This is achieved by melt blending varying strengths of a dye enhancer concentrate specified in this invention into the olefin fibers or yarns.

[0026] EXAMPLE: By example, I will call a yarn with 10% dye enhancer A, a yarn with 4% dye enhancer B and a yarn with 1 .5% dye enhancer C. When yarns A, B, and C are placed together on fabric forming machines, such as a tufting or weaving machine, the resultant fabric can be dyed into novel three self tones of a color in a single dye bath. One will be dark, one medium and one light. The preferred range of concentrate compounded is from 1 % to 15%, by weight.

[0027] When a fabric is made using yarns containing two dye levels and one yarn without any concentrate the result will be a fabric with two tones and a white. This aspect creates novel and surprising effects. One skilled in the art will find many pleasing ways to make novel fabrics using this invention.

Solid Shades: [0028] Fabric made from modified dyeable olefin yarn will dye a solid shade when made using yarn that contains only one level of dyeable concentrate. The preferred amount of dye enhancer concentrate blended with untreated olefin should be 8% on the weight of the goods. Other concentrations can be used to vary the dye take up but I have found the preferred mixture to be 8% of the concentrate on the total weight of the goods to make solid shades.

[0029] Surprising and novel effects can be achieved using 100% dyeable olefin yarns of this invention. Benefits of using olefin fabrics made according to this invention follow:

[0030] The fabrics are easy to dye using the nylon dye method

[0031] Yarns made using a blend of cotton with olefin fibers will dye at atmospheric pressures

[0032] Dyed fabric does not stretch or shrink in the wash process.

[0033] Olefin fabrics are stain resistant.

[0034] Olefin fabric is 38% lighter than cotton or polyester (PET).

[0035] Olefin has a higher bulk than most fibers.

[0036] Olefin yarn can be manufactured by either the spinning or continuous filament method.

Olefin Dye Enhancers:

[0037] There are various methods of making or enhancing olefin to accept dyes as set forth in the patents listed below: [0038] Related Patents:

[0039] 7,335,417 Negola 6,869,679 Negola [0040] 6,420,482 Dominguez et al 6,146,574 Henkee et al [0041] 5,576,366 Sheth 5,550,192 Sheth et al

[0042] 3,652,198 Farber et al

[0043] 6,679,754 Lieet al 5,587,1 18 Mallonee

[0044] 5,985,999 Dominguez et al 5,130,069 Tietz

[0045] Several of the above patents instruct one skilled in the art on how to make a master batch that when grafted onto polyolefin will make the polyolefin disperse dyeable using procedures carried out at high temperatures and elevated pressures. The important factor is that all yarns, fibers and fabrics using the inventions of the above patents will not dye effectively using the nylon dye method.

[0046] The Tietz US patent 5,130,069 shows procedure for acid dying of polypropylene fibers where the polypropylene fibers have been modified with a composition of nylon 6,6 and several other components in conjunction with bulking of the fibers. Preparation of the dye receptive additives requires the use of a high pressure (250psi) autoclave and temperatures of 200 - 290°C. Moreover, the nylon 6,6, which is a crystalline form of nylon, is unsuitable for apparel fibers, which have to be extruded through fine nozzles, which quickly become clogged by crystalline nylon. Uniform dying of the fibers is also difficult to achieve because of non-uniformities in the resulting composition when utilizing the crystalline nylon 6,6. [0047] This present invention shows the use of the following "off the shelf ingredients used to manufacture Dyeable Polypropylene.

Anyone skilled in the art of fiber or pellet extrusion will be able to practice this invention.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS AND COMPONENTS OF THIS INVENTION;

[0048] Amorphous Nylon - This material is selected because it accepts dye using the nylon dye system. It is not crystalline and will evenly disperse during the melt extrusion process. This material is available as pellets. It will not clog the fine holes in the spinneret Preferred Supplier: EMS-GRIVORY America. Product description: G- 16 or XE-3831

[0049] Maleic Anhydride - This material is used to allow different polymers (nylon and polyester (PET) or olefin, to be compatible. It is reacted with PP and is available as pellets. Preferred Supplier: Harry Gaffney. Product description: MAH #3200

NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED is used as a stabilizer for nylon. It enhances light fastness, increases strength and reduces yellowing in nylon. This material, supplied by Clariant, is available as pellets. Its chemical composition is as follows: 1,3-benzenedicarboxarrside, Ν, '- bis(2,2,6 ₅ 6-teirameihy!-4-piperidinyl), Molecular Formula C26H42 4O2 Molecular Weight 442.65 g/mol. CAS Registry No. 42774-15-2.

[0050] Polypropylene (sometimes referred to as PP), with an MFI (melt flow index) of 18-35. Available as pellets. Preferred

Supplier: Various

Master Batch vs. Pellets [0051] Using this invention, a person skilled in the art can create a master batch which is added to a fiber extruder containing Polypropylene to create a blended, nylon dyeable yarn or they can create a blended pellet containing the master batch pre-mixed with polypropylene that will be extruded into a finished Polypropylene fiber or yarn dyeable by the nylon dye method.

[0052] The finished fiber or yarn typically will contain from 4% to 20% Amorphous Nylon, 0.8% MAH-modified polypropylene, 0.6%

NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer, 0.6% polypropylene with a melt flow index (MFI) of 18-35

[0053] The following is an example of a manufactured, continuous filament yarn containing the preferred ingredients:

[0054] Desired Total Yarn, = 1 ,000 pounds

[0055] 20% amorphous nylon = 200 Pounds

[0056] 0.8% PP modified with MAH = 8 or more pounds

[0057] 0.6% NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer = 1 - 6 pounds

[0058] 0.6% PP MFI 18-35 = 6 or more pounds

[0059] 78% Polypropylene(olefin) = 780 pounds

[0060] Other examples could contain various amounts of amorphous nylon but would still contain the indicated relative amounts of polypropylene modified with MAH, NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer, and polypropylene with a melt flow index of 18-35. DYEABLE POLYPROPYYLENE OR OLEFIN

[0061] A preferred method of rendering polyolefin dyeable by the nylon dye method is as follows:

[0062] A mixture of amorphous nylon, polypropylene modified with maleic anhydride, NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer, and

polypropylene MFI 18-35 are the preferred ingredients used to

compound with polyolefin. Amorphous nylon has been selected because it is non crystalline and will easily disperse into polypropylene at a temperature that will not destroy the properties of olefin. NYLOSTAB ^® S- EED is a stabilizer or modifier specifically developed to enable nylon to have improved light fastness, processing stability and thermal aging. By using the ingredients of this invention, one skilled in the art of extrusion can make polyolefin fiber or continuous filament olefin yarn using conventional fiber extrusion machines. No special equipment is needed to perform this operation.

[0063] The Olefin fiber or yarn produced using this system will be dyeable using the nylon dye method. The invention uses an amorphous nylon product called G-16 or XE-3830 from EMS-GRIVORY America, polypropylene (20-30 MFI) modified with about 1 % maleic anhydride No. 3200, from Harry Gaffney, and NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer from Clarient.

Master Batch Additive Examples:

1 ) A "standard" mix of 80% amorphous Nylon, 8% or more MAH- modified polypropylene, 1 -6% NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer, and 6% or more polypropylene with MFI of 18-35, is extruded into pellets as a master batch or concentrate. When 10% of this master batch is blended with 90% Polypropylene polymer the extruded fiber or yarn will contain 8% amorphous nylon, 0.8% or more MAH-modified polypropylene, 0.1 to 0.6% NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer, and 0.6% or more polypropylene with a melt flow index of 18-35. The result is a fiber or yarn that will dye using the nylon dye method.

2) A "light" mix of 40 parts by weight of amorphous Nylon, 8 or more parts by weight of MAH-modified polypropylene, 1 -6 parts by weight of NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer, and 46 or more parts by weight of polypropylene with a melt flow index of 18-35 is prepared and extruded as a master batch additive. When 10 parts by weight of this master batch is blended with 90 parts by weight of polypropylene polymer and extruded, the extruded fiber or yarn will contain the minimum amount of 4% amorphous nylon, 0.8% or more MAH-modified polypropylene, 0.1 - 0.6% NYLOSTAB ^® S-EED nylon stabilizer, and 4.6% or more polypropylene having a melt flow index of 18-35. When using the nylon dye method, this polypropylene yarn or fiber will dye very light because of the reduced amount of amorphous nylon.

[0064] The above examples are merely suggestions, but by experimentation one skilled in the art of extrusion could vary the master batch composition and the dosing percentages to suit their needs. One skilled in the art would also be able to dry mix the recipe of this invention and dose it into an extruder.

[0065] Maleic anhydride is used to help the graft and securely anchor the additive onto the polyolefin. The maleic anhydride is not necessary to make olefin dyeable. However, I have found that if the maleic anhydride is eliminated, the amorphous nylon does not blend evenly. This results in uneven dispersion and unlevel dyeing. [0066] There are different methods of applying this invention to make a fiber or yarn dyeable by the nylon dye method. One is to use a master batch. This system can be used by any manufacturer currently extruding olefin and capable of measuring or dosing the desired concentration of additive. Another method is to "dry blend" the

ingredients of the master batch with olefin and then extrude the complete mixture using a conventional yarn or fiber extruder. Another method is to combine the complete mixture of active materials into a blended pellet that would be ready to extrude into a fiber or yarn when transferred to a fiber or melt spun extruder.

Example 1 -- Solid Color Apparel Made from Spun Yarn of this invention:

[0067] Olefin Staple fiber is produced in a standard fiber extruder comprising a blend of 90% olefin and 10% of the dye enhancing additive of this invention. The fibers are 1 .5 denier and cut to a length of 1 .5".

[0068] The fiber is converted to a 30/2 cc yarn using a conventional ring spinning system. One skilled in the art could also use an air jet system, open end system or a worsted system. 500 lbs of dyeable yarn is produced.

[0069] The 30/2 yarn is knitted on an 18 gauge Jersey Cut knitting machine. A 500 pound roll of knitted fabric is produced which weighs 6.5 ounces per square yard.

[0070] The knitted roll is dyed in a standard nylon dye machine. A dye .05% blue is applied following the standard nylon dye procedure at 200°F. The dyed roll is removed, slit open, dried and finished on a standard frame through a standard oven. The temperature of the dryer is set not to exceed 280°F which is below the melting point of olefin. The solid dyed knitted fabric is rolled into a number of standard rolls.

[0071] The dyed fabric is shipped to a cut-and-sew operation to be made into blue sweaters.

[0072] Example 2 -- A Blended Apparel Yarn Comprised of 50% Dyeable Polypropylene (Olefin) Fiber and 50% Nylon Fiber:

[0073] Staple fiber is produced in a standard fiber extruder comprising a blend of 90% Olefin and 10% dye enhancer additive of this invention. The fibers are 1 .5 denier and cut to a length of 1 .5".

[0074] A standard nylon staple fiber which is 1 .5 denier cut to a length of 1 .5 inches is blended 50% by weight with 50% dyeable olefin made using this invention.

[0075] The blended fiber is converted to a 30/2 cc yarn using a conventional ring spinning system. One skilled in the art could also use an air jet system, open end system of worsted system. 500 lbs of low temperature dyeable yarn is produced.

[0076] The blended 30/2 yarn is knitted on a 14 gauge Jersey Cut knitting machine. A 500 pound roll of knitted fabric is produced which weighs 6.25 ounces per square yard.

[0077] The knitted roll is dyed in a standard nylon dye machine. A .05% blue dye is applied following the standard nylon dye procedure at 200°F. The nylon will dye slightly darker than the modified olefin. The dyed roll is removed, slit open, dried and finished on a standard frame through a standard oven. The temperature of the dryer is set not to exceed 290°F which is below the melting point of olefin. The dyed knitted fabric is rolled onto a number of standard rolls.

[0078] The fabric rolls are sent to a cut and sew company. The fabric is cut and sewn into "V" neck sweaters of various sizes. The sweaters are a two tone blue.

[0079] One skilled in the art of spinning would be able to vary the amounts of yarn of this invention with nylon to produce different desirable results.

Example 3 -- Solid Color Apparel Made from Continuous Filament Yarn Made According to this Invention:

[0080] Continuous filament yarn is produced in a standard fiber extruder comprising a blend of 90% olefin and 10% dye acceptor additive of this invention. The yarn is comprised of 50 filaments of 2.0 denier to make a 100/50/1 continuous filament yarn.

[0081] The 100/50/1 continuous filament yarn is knitted on an 18 gauge Jersey Cut knitting machine. A 500 pound knitted roll is produced which weighs 6.0 ounces per square yard.

[0082] The knitted roll is dyed in a standard nylon dye machine. A.02% Disperse blue dye is applied following the standard nylon dye procedure at 200°F. The dyed roll is removed, slit open, dried and finished on a standard frame through a standard oven. The temperature of the dryer is set not to exceed 280°F which is below the melting point of olefin. The solid dyed knitted fabric is rolled onto a number of standard rolls. [0083] The fabric rolls are sent to a cut and sew company. The fabric is cut and sewn into "V" neck sweaters of various sizes. The sweaters are a solid blue.

Example 4 -- A Carpet Fiber Comprising a Blend of Nylon and Dyeable Olefin:

[0084] Staple fiber is produced in a standard fiber extruder comprising a blend of 90% olefin and 10% Dyeable Additive of this invention. The fibers are 20 denier and cut to a length of 6.5". The shape of the filaments is trilobal.

[0085] A standard carpet nylon staple fiber which is 15 denier cut to a length of 6.5 inches is blended 50% by weight with 50% dyeable carpet olefin made using this invention.

[0086] The blended fiber is converted to a 10/2 cc yarn using a conventional carpet modified worsted spinning system. The 10/2 cc yarn is twisted and heat set using standard carpet twisting and heat setting equipment. 5000 lbs of yarn is produced in this manner.

[0087] The blended 10/2 yarn is tufted on a standard ¼ gauge cut pile tufting machine with a ½ inch pile height at 7 stitches to the inch. The undyed cut pile carpet is dyed on a standard continuous dye range. The resultant carpet is a tone on tone blue. It is dried backed and rolled at the carpet mill ready to be shipped to customers.

[0088] One skilled in the art of spinning would be able to vary the amounts of yarn of this invention with nylon to produce different desirable results. Example 5 - A Carpet made using BCF Continuous Filament Dveable

Olefin:

A BCF Carpet fiber is produced using a standard carpet yarn extruder comprising a blend of 90% olefin and 10% Dyeable Additive of this invention. The total size of the yarn is 2600 denier containing individual filaments of 20 denier per filament. The shape of the filaments is trilobal. The yarn tufted on a 1/8 ^th gage carpet tufting machine. The carpet is dyed using a conventional continuous dye range. It is backed and rolled ready to ship to a customer. An alternative is to print the carpet using a standard carpet printing machine.

Example 6 -- Printing Dveable Fabrics:

[0089] Screen Printing- A knitted, fabric comprising a 150/1 Denier dyeable olefin made according to the invention was fed to a 6 color aqueous continuous screen-printing machine. A standard dye paste was prepared for each screen with thickener. The screens were made to allow a six color pleasing floral pattern to be produced. The print paste was screened on the fabric. The fabric was fed to a steam box to set the dyes. Two to four minutes of steam at 212°F is required to set the dye. The fabric was exposed to the steam box and is taken up in a continuous system washed of excessive dyes and dried being cautions not to exceed 295°F. The result was a pleasing 6-color floral printed knitted fabric olefin. One skilled in the art of textile printing will print any fabric using conventional printing equipment.

The novel effect was achieved without bleeding or excessive pick up. Drying time was greatly reduced and the oven was set to allow air at 295°F to come in contact with the fabric. It is understood that tufted, woven and non-woven fabrics, made with polypropylene modified in accordance with the invention can also be processed using the same low temperature, atmospheric pressure nylon printing techniques.

Example 7- Space Dye Printing Color on Yarn using the Knit de Knit Process:

[0090] a.) Pellets of olefin with a Melt Flow Index of 18-35 are extruded and intimately blended using the Dyeable Additive of the invention. A blend of 90% olefin and 10% Dyeable Additive is extruded into a staple mass using conventional staple extrusion equipment. The fiber dpf is 1 .5 and is cut to 1 .5". Approximately 1 ,000 pounds of staple are produced and baled. The denier per filament is close to that of cotton and so is the staple length.

[0091] b.) The olefin bales of staple fiber are blended together at the cotton carding process and made into roving. The roving is made using conventional cotton equipment is spun into a 10/1 cotton count and taken up on 3 pound packages. Approximately 1000 pounds of yarn is produced. The 10/1 yarn is plied to make a 10/2 dyeable yarn.

[0092] c.) Knitted Sleeve - The 10/2 olefin yarn is knitted into a single endless sleeve.

[0093] d.) Space dye printing - Three colors are printed on the sleeve as part of a knit de knit process well known in the art. This is a continuous process whereby the undyed sleeve passes through a squeegee roller submerged in a dye tank to apply the first shade of color. The sleeve continues to a second patterned roller, which overprints a second shade and then continues to a third roller, which overprints a patterned third shade. The base solid shade is usually light and the 2nd patterned shade medium while the third shade is deep. The colored knitted sleeve is exposed to steam for at least 2 minutes and preferably 4 minutes. This sets the dye to an acceptable depth of shade. The knitted sleeve has a solid background shade of beige overprinted with deep brown and charcoal. The sleeve is then washed and dried on the continuous range. The dryer is set at a low temperature of 200°F and the water is flashed off. The dried sleeve is collected in a can container and moved to the winding room.

[0094] e.) The resultant sleeve is de-knitted or wound onto a yarn package using a winding operation well know to those skilled in the art. The yarn is a pleasing beige color with dots of dark brown and dark charcoal and is put up on 3-pound cones.

Another embodiment of a unique and novel space dyed yarn would be prepared using a BCF continuous filament yarn as in example 7 above. A tri-tone BCF yarn comprising one black pigmented section, one with a section containing 15% additive of this invention and one section with a 5% additive of this invention is produced. The BCF yarn is a 1500/75/1 produced using standard three extruder technologies. The yarn is subjected to the knit de knit dye system described above. The pigmented end will not dye, the end with 15% will dye deep, and the end with 5% will dye light. When the over dye is brown, the yarn will be a space dye of black, deep brown and light brown.

[0095] Other methods of space dyeing or print dyeing yarn can be used. One skilled in the art will adjust the various machines to the specifications that I outlined above. Warp printing or package

impregnation are two other common methods used to space dye yarns.

Example 8--Non-Woven Olefin Fabric Using fibers or pellets of this invention one skilled in the art will be able to manufacture a textile fabric that does not first have to be made into a yarn. Novel melt spun or needle punch fabrics produced using this invention will print or dye using conventional dye or print systems, which are carried out at low temperature and at atmospheric pressure. Because the processes for making non-woven fabrics by-pass the spinning or yarn making systems, the non-woven textile fabrics are more economical to produce than the knitting, weaving or tufting systems. The ability to print such fabrics, made possible by the present invention, provides a very important industrial advantage.

It should be understood that the herein described forms of the invention are intended to be illustrative of the basic principles of the invention and are not intended to be in any way limiting. By way of example and not of limitation, reference to a fiber, filament or fabric being dyeable at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure includes the printing operations, in which dyes are printed on fabric surfaces.

Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.