Product based on alpaca fiber as clothing filling material and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a product based on alpaca fibers as a clothing filling material, the proportion of alpaca fibers being between 40% and 75%, the proportion of synthetic fibers being between 25% and 60%, the synthetic fibers being native polyesters, low melting point polyesters, recycled polyesters, recycled fibers or mixtures thereof. The invention also relates to a preparation process of the product based on the alpaca fiber as the filling material, and clothes containing the material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of the textile industry, mainly to the field of heat-insulating and heat-preserving materials for clothing fillers. Background Art

[0002] The fast fashion industry has been listed by the United Nations as an environmental emergency. Among this industry, the outdoor clothing category is one of the fastest-growing categories. Just in the United States, the value of this market reaches $119 billion, accounting for approximately 35% of the global market. In this category, the most consumed products are outerwear (coats, jackets, parkas, etc.).

[0003] There are two options for outerwear with fillers: outerwear filled with synthetic (polyester) fibers or outerwear filled with animal materials (feathers). In both cases, heat insulation needs to be achieved through the filling material. On the one hand, although synthetic-filled outerwear has good performance, its disadvantages are that it uses hydrocarbon-derived materials, and microplastics are generated and a large amount of water is consumed during the production process. For those cases where fillers from animal materials (feathers) are used, this has led to a series of accusations of animal abuse and exploitation.

[0004] Regarding filling materials, recently there has been a continuous search for materials that can provide good heat insulation performance and involve recyclable and sustainable materials, reduce the carbon footprint of the materials in production operations, and use alternative materials from animal sources such as alpaca wool (fibers) to manufacture outdoor clothing with ideal heat insulation characteristics.

[0005] In the field of patents, for example, in Document No. CN09534380, a double-sided alpaca herringbone wool blended wrinkle-resistant fabric is pointed out. The fabric includes an alpaca wool blended outer fabric and a rigid support plate platform. A layer of wool fabric is provided on the lower surface of the alpaca wool blended outer fabric and is bonded by an adhesive; the anti-wrinkle filling block is composed of a lower fabric fixing block, elastic tension fibers, and an upper fabric fixing block; the blended fiber layer is woven in a criss-cross manner between the stretch elastic fibers; the lower fabric fixing block is bonded and installed on the lower wool fabric through an adhesive, and the filling carving block is firmly bonded to the lower wool fabric placed on the rigid support plate platform.

[0006] Document No. CN211251617 is also well-known, in which a heat-generating fabric is disclosed. The key points are a heat-preserving fabric and a base fabric. The base fabric includes a surface layer, an intermediate layer, and a bottom layer; wear-resistant particles are arranged on the surface layer; the intermediate layer includes a heat-insulating layer and an antibacterial layer; the heat-insulating layer is composed of warp and weft threads; the warp is a core-spun yarn; the core-spun yarn is composed of cotton fibers wound around spandex filaments. The weft is fine alpaca wool, and the warp and weft are woven using a twill weave method. The antibacterial layer is polyvinyl chloride fiber.

[0007] In addition, WO2020 / 214860 discloses articles comprising one or more coating matrices, wherein the coating comprises silk protein fragments (SPF), including but not limited to fibroin or fibroin fragments, and chemical or physical modifiers. The chemical modifier is chemically bonded to one or more of the fibroin side groups and fibroin end groups. The fibroin side groups and fibroin end groups are independently selected from amino groups, amide groups, carboxyl groups, hydroxyl groups, thiol groups, mercapto groups. The fibers or yarns include one or more of alpaca fibers, alpaca wool, alpaca cashmere, llama fibers, llama wool, llama cashmere, cotton, cashmere, sheep fibers, sheep wool, sheep cashmere, yak hair, rabbit hair, lamb wool, mohair, camel hair, angora wool, silk, abaca fiber, coir fiber, linen fiber, jute fiber, kapok fiber, kenaf fiber, palm fiber, bamboo fiber, hemp fiber.

[0008] Furthermore, DE20202210196 indicates the use of an (alkyl) acrylate polymer containing 2-octyl acrylate to make textiles hydrophobic, wherein the polymer is an alkyl methacrylate and can be combined with textiles made of natural and synthetic fibers, and the natural fibers include cotton, wool, silk, linen, cashmere, angora wool, alpaca wool and jute. The treatment of the fibers uses a solution or suspension containing 50 to 500 g / L of the (alkyl) acrylate polymer.

[0009] CN107761208 discloses a single-strand spiral yarn with a high alpaca fiber content and its production method. The single-strand spiral yarn with a high alpaca fiber content is composed of a core thread, a pressing thread and a decorative thread. The core thread is an 8:2 cotton brocade thread, the pressing thread is a 150D polyester filament, and the decorative thread is a blended yarn composed of alpaca fiber and mercerized wool in a weight ratio of 8:2. The weight ratio of suri alpaca wool fiber in the decorative thread is increased to 80%. Therefore, the surface roughness of the spiral wool fabric prepared from this yarn is softer, the hand feeling of the wool fabric is good, and the visual effect is greatly improved.

[0010] Finally, PE20211426 mentions a preparation process for a fine fabric, wherein the fabric contains at least 50% fine alpaca fiber yarn, and the other 50% can be cotton, polyester fiber, etc., and will not break on a circular knitting machine with a needle number between 22 and 31. The process includes the following steps: providing a fine yarn containing at least 50% alpaca fiber, with a yarn count between 1 / 20 and 1 / 120 and a yarn twist between 600 and 900 turns; placing the yarn on a circular knitting machine, controlling the knitting speed below 25 revolutions per minute, and continuously operating a blower.

[0011] From an environmental perspective, alpacas are considered one of the five most environmentally friendly animals on Earth because the pads on their feet prevent damage to the soil. Additionally, their feeding method is special. They don't pull out the grass but cut it, which promotes grass growth. As for their excrement, it has a low acidity and thus easily becomes natural fertilizer for the soil. They grow up in a free environment, feeding on the grass in the high Andes, making them organic animals, and obtaining their fiber doesn't harm them because it's done by shearing, which must be carried out once a year as these animals don't shed their hair naturally. The manufacturing process of these fibers doesn't consume a large amount of water.

[0012] Alpaca fiber has a special property. It is a fiber with air cavities inside, which can perform proper temperature regulation. This is why alpacas feel comfortable in the low temperatures of the high Andes and also feel comfortable when it's sunny and the temperature rises. Additionally, alpaca fiber has the property of quick drying and is a soft, light short fiber.

[0013] However, there are some difficulties in using the fiber of this animal. Since it is a very fine fiber, it tends to migrate between the seams of fabrics, including nylon and polyester, and can even migrate between fabrics treated with coatings to prevent such migration. The average length of this alpaca fiber is between 3 and 7 centimeters, depending on the part from which it is taken, which causes the fiber to easily clump and knot when wet, and it is difficult for the fiber to return to its original state. When the fibers clump and knot inside the coat, due to the effect of gravity, they will gather at the bottom of the coat or clothing, even in coats with horizontal seams on the clothing.

[0014] Another difficulty found lies in the manufacturing process. When using the fiber, the manufacturing process is more complex because it requires a manual operation process where the fibers must be selected according to the weight between the seams and each compartment must be filled manually.

[0015] In this sense, there is clearly still an unmet need to provide a filling material based on alpaca fiber, alpaca wool, or alpaca cashmere, which is a more sustainable alternative material. But at the same time, it can endow materials such as alpaca fiber with excellent technical properties, mainly reflected in heat insulation, and can be used in clothing, making these clothes easy to wash and not having the problem of alpaca fiber knotting and clumping like traditional clothing because this fiber is very short and very fine, and it can also reduce the migration of alpaca fiber in the clothing fabric.

[0016] The present invention makes a contribution to the prior art, because according to the present invention, a garment (such as a coat) filled with a material based on alpaca fiber provides a finished product that is lighter, more versatile, warmer and easier to clean, while also being friendly to the earth and humans by adopting a process with minimal or almost zero waste, because the waste generated by the combination of natural fiber and synthetic fiber in one process can enter a new process as recycled fiber. Summary of the Invention

[0017] The present invention relates to a product based on alpaca fiber used as a filling material for garments, and also relates to a method for preparing the same and a garment containing the product. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] Figure 1 A photograph of the product (alpaca fiber plus synthetic fiber) before passing through the heat setting furnace according to the process of the present invention is shown.

[0019] Figure 2 A photograph of the finished product (alpaca fiber and synthetic fiber) of the process is shown, in which the alpaca fiber and synthetic fiber can be seen.

[0020] Figure 3 A photograph of the alpaca wool fiber used in the process for preparing the alpaca wool fiber product according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0021] First, the present invention relates to a product based on alpaca fiber as a filling material for clothes, wherein the final product or composition is a mixture comprising alpaca fiber accounting for 40% to 75% by weight of the total weight of the mixture, optimally 50% by weight of the total weight of the mixture, optimally 60% by weight of the total weight of the mixture, and synthetic fiber between 25% and 60% by weight of the total weight of the mixture, wherein the fibers can be virgin polyester, low melting point polyester (also virgin polyester), recycled polyester, recycled fiber or a mixture thereof.

[0022] According to the present invention, the synthetic fiber comprises virgin polyester, which can be 7D hollow complex silicified polyester fiber, and accounts for a minimum proportion of 12% and a maximum proportion of 35% of the total weight of the finished product mixture. The synthetic fiber also comprises "low melting point" polyester, which is a polyester with a lower melting point, and accounts for a minimum of 12% and a maximum of 20% by weight of the total weight of the finished product mixture. The recycled polyester can be, for example, recycled PET (RPET), which accounts for a minimum proportion of 6% and a maximum proportion of 24% of the total weight of the finished product mixture, while the recycled fiber is napa (a non-woven fiber flake or fiber layer) waste (7D hollow complex silicified polyester fiber) or fiber produced by mixing waste from a previous production process, and its proportion in the total weight of the finished product mixture is between 1% and 5%.

[0023] According to the present invention, the grammage of the product or composition based on alpaca fiber can be 80 g / m2 to 200 g / m2, preferably 80 g / m2 to 140 g / m2, such as 80 g / m2, 100 g / m2 and 120 g / m2. The grammage determines the thickness of the product based on alpaca fiber, and thus determines the thickness of garments such as coats, jackets or other garments with insulating filling materials. As for the products with alpaca fiber as the filling material of the garment, the width range is 50 cm to 300 cm.

[0024] On the other hand, the present invention also covers garments containing the product based on alpaca fiber of the present invention as a filling material, wherein the garments (e.g., coats, jackets, thick coats, parkas, vests, etc.) are made of 100% recycled nylon fabric or contain 50% recycled materials, and may have a lining of recycled nylon or virgin nylon.

[0025] On the other hand, the present invention also relates to the preparation process of the product based on alpaca fiber as the filling material of the garment, and the steps are as follows:

[0026] a) Prepare alpaca fiber

[0027] b) Select alpaca fiber

[0028] c) Clean alpaca fiber

[0029] d) Card alpaca fiber to obtain a uniform material;

[0030] e) Prepare synthetic fiber

[0031] f) Weigh the natural alpaca fiber and synthetic fiber so that the final mixture at this stage contains 65% to 75% alpaca fiber and 25% to 35% synthetic fiber;

[0032] g) Put the mixture obtained in step f) into a hopper and mix the fibers;

[0033] h) Put the mixture in step g) into a hydroextractor to connect different fibers together until a uniform felt-like material is obtained;

[0034] i) Place the felt obtained in step h) on the conveyor belt passing through the heat setting furnace, and place the felt at a temperature of 90 °C to 170 °C to melt and stabilize the mixture; and

[0035] And

[0036] j) Make garments with the felt obtained in step i).

[0037] The alpaca fiber in step a) is obtained by shearing, and this process will not cause any harm to the alpaca.

[0038] In step b), the fibers are separated according to different quality grades. In an application mode of the present invention, alpaca fibers with a length of 3 cm to 7 cm or longer are selected, mainly Hualliso (a hybrid of alpaca and llama) fibers with a length of about 7 cm. Fine fibers can also be used, such as baby alpaca wool, fine alpaca wool, medium alpaca wool, and coarse alpaca wool.

[0039] In step c), the fiber cleaning aims to remove impurities, such as wood chips, grass, or gravel that may be entangled in the animal hair.

[0040] In step d), the fiber carding can be carried out manually or with a mechanical carding machine to obtain a more uniform material.

[0041] In step e), the synthetic fiber used in the present invention can be polyester, such as 7D hollow composite silicified polyester, which can make the resulting mixture soft and fluffy. In the process of the present invention, other synthetic fibers are combined or mixed with 7D hollow composite silicified polyester to form "low melting point" synthetic fibers (low melting point polyester), which is a solid fiber and helps the binding of other materials. The proportion of this virgin low melting point synthetic fiber accounts for 12% to 20% of the total weight of the mixture.

[0042] As for the recycled synthetic fiber, solid recycled polyester (RPET) can be used in the process of the present invention, and its proportion should not affect the resilience of the material, because the recycled polyester fiber has poor versatility, and the resilience of the material is understood as the ability of the material to return to its original state after being extruded.

[0043] As for the recycled fibers involved in the process of the present invention, they are Napa fibers (7D hollow composite silicified polyester) or the fibers remaining from the mixture based on alpaca fiber products in the waste materials from the previous production process, and their proportion can account for 1% to 5% of the total weight of the finished mixture.

[0044] In step f), the blending is carried out according to weight, and all the materials are placed on a scale. For example, 65% to 75% of alpaca fiber and 25% to 30% of polyester fiber (virgin polyester, low melting point polyester, recycled polyester, and / or fibers recovered from the waste materials of the previous process) are mixed. It can be seen that the highest proportion is selected in this process because after step i), the felt will be subjected to a temperature between 90°C and 170°C, and part of the natural fiber will be affected by the temperature and lose moisture, so this value can ensure the established proportion of the finished product.

[0045] In step g), the weighed materials are placed in a hopper in the specified proportion, preferably in a mixer, and all the materials are mixed until a uniform mixture is obtained.

[0046] In step h), after mixing in the hopper, the mixture passes through a water press composed of pressure rollers to bind the different fibers together until a uniform felt-like material with the desired width and thickness characteristics is obtained. In one application mode of the present invention, for example, felts of three different thicknesses can be obtained, measured by weight per square meter, such as 80 g / m 2 、100 g / m 2 、120 g / m 2 、150 g / m 2 and 200 g / m 2 . Other thicknesses smaller or larger than those mentioned above can be obtained. However, functional and lighter clothing (such as coats, jackets and similar clothing) can be obtained according to the said weight. The width of the felt can be arbitrarily selected according to the width of the textile workbench, preferably but not limited to between 50 cm and 300 cm. 150 cm is optimal, which is a comfortable textile size and can also reduce waste.

[0047] In step i), the felt obtained in the previous step can be unloaded onto the conveyor belt manually or mechanically. The conveyor belt runs at a speed of 2 to 10 meters per minute (m / min) and passes through a heat setting furnace with a temperature between 90 °C and 170 °C. With the above speed, the fusion and stabilization of the mixture can reach the optimal state, thus obtaining a product based on alpaca fiber according to the present invention as a filling material for clothing. The final proportion of each component in the finished product made of alpaca fiber is: alpaca fiber 40% to 70%, synthetic fiber 25% to 55%, and recycled fiber 5%.

[0048] In the process mode using recycled fiber (RPET), the proportion of recycled fiber (recycled polyester) accounts for 6% to 24% of the total weight of the finished product mixture, the proportion of virgin polyester accounts for 12% to 35% of the total weight of the finished product mixture, and the proportion of "low melting point" polyester accounts for 12% to 20% of the total weight of the finished product mixture.

[0049] As for clothing production, for example, the production steps of a coat are as follows:

[0050] 1. Prepare a piece of nylon fabric or recycled nylon fabric, such as nylon fabric from fishing nets, industrial waste and factory waste;

[0051] 2. Unfold the fabric and trace out the various parts that make up the clothing;

[0052] 3. Cut the various parts apart;

[0053] 4. Perform printing on the cut pieces that need to be printed;

[0054] 5. Perform steps 2 and 3 on the lining fabric, lay the alpaca fiber (felt)-based product according to the present invention thereon as a filling material, and lay an outer fabric of nylon or other suitable material thereon; and

[0055] 6. Sew the seams on the "sandwich" structure to fix the three layers, and then assemble the clothing.

[0056] According to the present invention, the product with alpaca fiber as the filling material solves all the above problems, facilitates manufacturing and speeds up the processing process, allows the clothing to be machine-washed, which provides the required functionality for the clothing containing the product of the present invention. As a more firm filling material, it does not clump and is not affected by gravity. It does not migrate between fabrics or seams. Most importantly, the technical properties of the fiber are retained. In addition, this creates a sustainable product, contributes to the transformation of the textile industry, encourages sustainable consumption, and enables many people to use the related technologies based on alpaca, a world-renowned Peruvian specialty.

[0057] Examples of the best application modes of the present invention

[0058] Example 1

[0059] Next, a product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material obtained according to the process of the present invention is shown, and the composition of the finished product is as follows:

[0060] Table 1. Formula 1. Version: Alpaca fiber / virgin polyester fiber / recycled fiber

[0061]

[0062] Table 2. Formula 2. Version: Alpaca fiber / virgin polyester fiber / recycled fiber

[0063]

[0064]

[0065] Example 2

[0066] Next, a product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material prepared by the process of the present invention is shown, and the composition of the finished product is as follows:

[0067] Table 3. Formula 3. Version: Alpaca fiber / virgin polyester fiber / recycled polyester

[0068] Component Proportion of the total weight of the mixture or composition Long alpaca fiber (70mm to 80mm) 40％ Recycled polyester 24％ "Low melting point" polyester 12％ 7D hollow composite silicated polyester 24％

[0069] Table 4. Formula 4. Version: Alpaca fiber / virgin polyester fiber / recycled polyester

[0070] Component Proportion of the total weight of the mixture or composition Long alpaca fiber (70mm to 80mm) 70％ Recycled polyester 6％ "Low melting point" polyester 12％ 7D hollow composite silicated polyester 12％

[0071] Those skilled in the art should understand that the processes and proportions of alpaca fiber-based products can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material, characterized in that the weight ratio of the contained alpaca fiber is 40% to 75%, and the weight ratio of the synthetic fiber is 25% to 60%.

2. The product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material according to claim 1, characterized in that the length of the alpaca fiber is between 3 cm and 7 cm.

3. The product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material according to claim 1, characterized in that the synthetic fiber includes virgin polyester, virgin low-melting-point polyester, recycled polyester, recycled fiber or a mixture thereof.

4. The product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material according to claim 3, characterized in that the virgin polyester is 7D hollow composite silicated polyester and low-melting-point polyester; and the recycled polyester is recycled PET (RPET).

5. The product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material according to claim 3, characterized in that the recycled fiber is Napa waste (7D hollow composite silicated polyester) or the fiber obtained by mixing the waste materials in the above production process, and it accounts for 1% to 5% of the total weight of the final product mixture.

6. A preparation method of a product using alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: a) Prepare alpaca fiber; b) Select alpaca fiber; c) Clean alpaca fiber; d) Card alpaca fiber to obtain a uniform material; e) Prepare synthetic fiber; f) Weigh and mix natural alpaca fiber and synthetic fiber; g) Put the mixture obtained in step f) into a hopper to mix the fibers; h) Put the mixture in step g) into a hydroextractor to connect different fibers together until a uniform felt-like material is obtained; i) Place the felt obtained in step h) on a conveyor belt passing through a heat setting furnace, and place the felt at a temperature of 90°C to 170°C to melt and stabilize the mixture; and j) Make clothing with the felt obtained in step i).

7. The preparation method of the product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material according to claim 6, characterized in that, The length of the alpaca wool fiber is between 3 cm and 7 cm.

8. The preparation method of the product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step f), the final mixture in this step includes 65% to 75% of alpaca fiber and 25% to 35% of synthetic fiber; among them, the synthetic fiber includes virgin polyester, virgin low-melting-point polyester, recycled polyester, recycled fiber or a mixture thereof, wherein the recycled polyester is solid recycled polyester (RPET), and the recycled fiber is Napa fiber (7D hollow composite silicated polyester) or the remaining fiber of the same product mixture based on the waste alpaca fiber in the previous production process.

9. The preparation method of the product based on alpaca fiber as a clothing filling material according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step i), the speed of the conveyor belt is 2 to 10 meters per minute (m / min).

10. A kind of clothing, characterized in that, It contains the product based on alpaca fiber as a filling material according to claims 1 to 5.

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