A method for shaping and coloring a flower material

Abstract

This invention relates to a method for shaping and coloring flower materials, belonging to the field of ornamental flower material processing and production. The invention includes the following steps: (1) Pretreatment: After trimming the flower materials, they are placed in a sealed container; (2) Vacuum treatment: Vacuum treatment is performed on the sealed container; (3) Pressure coloring treatment: Coloring liquid is introduced into the sealed container to immerse the flower materials, and gas is introduced into the sealed container to increase the pressure and maintain the pressure; (4) Posttreatment: After depressurizing the sealed container to normal pressure, the colored flower materials are taken out, cleaned, and dried. This invention, through vacuum treatment + pressure coloring treatment, combined with coloring liquid with conductivity ≤0.9 and temperature between 40 and 50°C, significantly shortens the coloring time of flower materials from 48 to 72 hours of conventional processes, and significantly improves production efficiency; and the coloring uniformity is significantly improved, achieving consistent coloring from the surface to the interior of the flower materials, with no color difference and no white translucency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ornamental flower material processing and production technology, and in particular to a method for shaping and coloring flower materials. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the existing technology for coloring flowers usually involves directly immersing the trimmed flowers in a container filled with coloring liquid. Under normal pressure, the coloring liquid slowly penetrates into the petal tissue through molecular diffusion. After immersion for several hours or even longer, the flowers are taken out and dried to set their shape.

[0003] However, due to the numerous vascular bundles and intercellular spaces within fresh petal tissue, air becomes trapped in these microscopic channels under normal pressure, creating an "airlock" effect that severely hinders the liquid-phase diffusion of the dyeing solution. The dyeing solution can only penetrate slowly via a concentration gradient, resulting in immersion times typically lasting several hours. This not only leads to low production efficiency but also causes softening of the flower tissue and excessive hydrolysis of cell walls, affecting the strength of the finished product. Furthermore, differences in tissue density exist between different parts of the flower, such as the edges and base of petals, and the surface and interior of petals, resulting in inconsistent penetration rates of pigment molecules into different areas during normal pressure immersion. In addition, residual air trapped on and inside the petals creates localized air resistance, preventing the dyeing solution from evenly covering all intercellular spaces. This often results in uneven coloring, such as darker coloring on the surface and lighter coloring inside, white spots on the petal edges, or color variations, severely impacting the product's commercial value.

[0004] Existing technologies lack physical support and morphological constraints on the floral materials during the dyeing process. Under the influence of liquid buoyancy and gravity, the petals are prone to disorderly expansion, folding, or mutual compression. At the same time, the lack of active pre-adjustment of the cell walls and vascular bundles of the petals during atmospheric pressure dyeing results in the petals easily becoming soft, curled, or collapsing after dyeing, making it difficult to accurately maintain the original natural posture of the flowers.

[0005] To address the shortcomings of the existing technology, there is a need for a flower shaping and coloring method that can significantly shorten the coloring time, improve the flower material shaping effect, and achieve uniform coloring of the petals. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In order to overcome the problems existing in the background art, the present invention provides a method for shaping and coloring flowers, which can significantly shorten the coloring time and improve the shaping effect of flowers.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution: This invention provides a method for shaping and coloring floral materials, comprising the following steps: (1) Pretreatment: After trimming the flowers, place them in a sealed container; (2) Vacuum treatment: The sealed container is subjected to vacuum treatment; (3) Pressurized coloring treatment: The coloring liquid is introduced into the sealed container to immerse the flower material, and gas is introduced into the sealed container to pressurize it and maintain the pressure. (4) Post-processing: After depressurizing the sealed container to normal pressure, take out the colored flowers, wash them, and then dry them.

[0008] In the above technical solution, the conductivity of the coloring liquid in step (3) is ≤0.9 mS / cm.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the flower material mentioned in step (1) is fresh flower material or flower material that has undergone dehydration and decolorization treatment.

[0010] In the above technical solution, the vacuum treatment time in step (2) is 3 to 10 minutes, and the pressure inside the sealed container is -0.02 to -0.08 MPa.

[0011] In the above technical solution, the pressure value inside the sealed container in step (3) is 0.1 to 0.9 MPa, and the pressure holding time is 1 to 15 min.

[0012] In the above technical solution, the gas mentioned in step (3) is dry air.

[0013] In the above technical solution, the temperature of the coloring liquid in step (3) is 40-50°C; the coloring liquid uses pure water as a solvent and also includes glycerol with a mass-volume concentration of 20-30%, a fungicide with a mass-volume concentration of 0.1%, and pigment.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: This invention first uses vacuum treatment to forcibly expel air from the interstitial spaces and microvascular bundles of the flower material, eliminating the "air blockage" effect of liquid-phase penetration and providing a continuous and unobstructed penetration channel for the coloring liquid. Then, through pressurized and pressure-maintained coloring, the pigment molecules in the coloring liquid are synchronously and efficiently forced into the intercellular spaces and vascular bundle system of the petals using a driving force higher than atmospheric pressure. The combination of "air removal first, then pressurization" ensures that the coloring liquid can comprehensively and synchronously immerse all parts of the flower material, fundamentally overcoming the problem of inconsistent penetration rates caused by local air resistance or concentration gradient differences in atmospheric pressure dyeing. This results in highly uniform color in the finished petals from the surface to the interior, and from the edges to the base, significantly improving the product's commercial quality and ornamental value.

[0015] In the vacuum processing step, the present invention performs vacuuming in a dry, liquid-free environment. The negative pressure environment allows the petals to naturally and evenly unfold in all directions without being impacted by liquid. This effectively avoids the compression, folding, or stacking deformation between petals in subsequent processes, so that the final flower material can accurately and stably maintain the original three-dimensional shape and natural beauty of the flower.

[0016] The entire process from vacuum treatment to pressurized coloring in this invention takes only a few minutes to tens of minutes. Compared with the existing technology of soaking at normal pressure for several hours or even tens of hours, the processing time is shortened by more than 80%, which significantly reduces production energy consumption and labor costs. Detailed Implementation

[0017] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of these terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances. Furthermore, in the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0018] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0019] This application provides a method for shaping and coloring floral materials, including the following steps: (1) Pretreatment: After trimming the flowers, put them into a sealed container and seal the container; (2) Vacuum treatment: Vacuum treatment is performed on the sealed container containing the flowers. The vacuum treatment time is 3 to 10 minutes, and the pressure inside the sealed container is -0.02 to -0.08 MPa. (3) Pressurized coloring treatment: The coloring liquid is preheated to 40-50℃, and the coloring liquid is introduced into the sealed container to immerse the flower material; dry air is introduced into the sealed container to pressurize it, with the air inlet located above the surface of the coloring liquid in the container, so as to apply air pressure to the coloring liquid in the container. The pressure value in the sealed container is 0.1-0.9 MPa. This pressure is maintained so that the coloring liquid continues to penetrate the flower material tissue under pressure. The pressure holding time is 1-15 minutes. (4) Post-processing: After depressurizing the sealed container to normal pressure, take out the colored flowers, wash them, and then dry them.

[0020] In this embodiment, the conductivity of the coloring solution is ≤0.9 mS / cm.

[0021] In this embodiment, the flowers are either fresh flowers or flowers that have undergone dehydration and decolorization treatment.

[0022] In this embodiment, the coloring solution uses pure water as a solvent and also includes glycerol with a mass-volume concentration of 20-30%, a fungicide with a mass-volume concentration of 0.1%, and pigment; the pigment is selected in color and dosage according to the coloring requirements.

[0023] Example 1 A method for shaping and coloring floral materials includes the following steps: (1) Pretreatment: After trimming the freshly picked Anna hydrangeas, put them into a sealed container; (2) Vacuum treatment: Vacuum treatment is performed on the sealed container containing the flowers for 4 minutes, with the pressure inside the sealed container being -0.035 MPa, to remove air bubbles from the inside of the flower tissue; (3) Pressure-enhanced coloring treatment: Introduce coloring solution (pure water as solvent, 0.1% mildew inhibitor, 25% glycerin, 0.5% red pigment, conductivity 0.8 mS / cm) at a temperature of 40℃ into a sealed container to completely submerge the flower material; Introduce dry air into the sealed container to increase the pressure, control the pressure value inside the sealed container to 0.4MPa, maintain this pressure, and allow the coloring solution to continuously penetrate the flower material tissue under pressure for 10 minutes; (4) Post-processing: Open the pressure relief valve of the sealed container and slowly release the pressure to normal pressure; take out the flower materials, wash them, and place them in a ventilated place to dry, so as to obtain the flower materials after shaping and coloring.

[0024] Finished product effect: The flowers are evenly colored overall, with no obvious color blocks or color differences, no thick or floating color on the surface, and the color matches the fiber structure of the flowers; the petals are full, without wrinkles or dryness, and the shaping effect is good and natural.

[0025] Example 2 A method for shaping and coloring floral materials includes the following steps: (1) Pretreatment: After the Anna hydrangea has been dehydrated and decolorized, it is trimmed and placed in a sealed container; (2) Vacuum treatment: Vacuum treatment is performed on the sealed container containing the flowers for 6 minutes, with the pressure inside the sealed container being -0.045 MPa, to remove air bubbles from the flower tissue. (3) Pressure-enhanced coloring treatment: Introduce coloring solution (pure water as solvent, 0.1% mildew inhibitor, 25% glycerin, 0.5% red pigment, conductivity 0.8 mS / cm) at a temperature of 50℃ into a sealed container to completely submerge the flower material; Introduce dry air into the sealed container to increase the pressure, control the pressure value inside the sealed container to 0.5MPa, maintain this pressure, and allow the coloring solution to continuously penetrate the flower material tissue under pressure for 6 minutes; (4) Post-processing: Open the pressure relief valve of the sealed container and slowly release the pressure to normal pressure; take out the flower materials, wash them, and place them in a ventilated place to dry, so as to obtain the flower materials after shaping and coloring.

[0026] The Anna hydrangeas described in this embodiment are obtained by pre-treating fresh Anna hydrangeas using conventional dehydration and decolorization processes in the field of preserved flower production. These conventional dehydration and decolorization processes typically involve soaking the flowers in organic solvents such as methanol and ethanol to replace the water in the flowers and remove natural pigments.

[0027] Finished product effect: The coloring liquid penetrates deeply into the interior of the flower fibers, resulting in uniform color inside and out, with no color difference or whitening; the petals have excellent flexibility and strong shape stability.

[0028] Comparative Example 1 The coloring solution (methanol as solvent, 5% glycerin, 1% red pigment) was prepared according to the conventional process on the market. Freshly picked Anna hydrangeas were trimmed and placed in the coloring solution, soaked at room temperature and pressure for 72 hours, then taken out, washed and dried.

[0029] Finished product results: After soaking for 24 hours, the coloring of the flowers was extremely uneven, with petals of varying shades and the flower core being translucent white. After soaking for 72 hours, the coloring of the flowers was basically complete, but the surface color was thick and heavy, and the color faded severely when washed with water. The flowers were soaked for too long, causing them to absorb water and become soft and rotten. After drying, they were severely wrinkled and deformed, unable to maintain their shape, resulting in an extremely low product qualification rate.

[0030] Comparative Example 2 The coloring solution (methanol as solvent, 7% glycerin, 0.5% red pigment) was prepared according to the conventional process on the market. After the Anna hydrangea was dehydrated and decolored, it was trimmed and placed in the coloring solution. It was soaked at room temperature and pressure for 48 hours, then taken out, washed and dried.

[0031] The Anna hydrangeas described in this comparative example are obtained by pre-treating fresh Anna hydrangeas using conventional dehydration and decolorization processes in the field of preserved flower production. These conventional dehydration and decolorization processes typically involve soaking the flowers in organic solvents such as methanol and ethanol to replace the water in the flowers and remove natural pigments.

[0032] Finished product: The overall color is grayish and dark with poor transparency. The petals are soft and limp, and the flower shape is loose and deformed.

[0033] Comparative Example 3 A method for shaping and coloring floral materials includes the following steps: (1) Pretreatment: After trimming the freshly picked Anna hydrangeas, put them into a sealed container; (2) Vacuum treatment: Vacuum treatment is performed on the sealed container containing the flowers for 4 minutes, with the pressure inside the sealed container being -0.035 MPa, to remove air bubbles from the inside of the flower tissue; (3) Pressure-enhanced coloring treatment: Pass the coloring liquid (ordinary tap water as solvent, with 0.1% mildew inhibitor, 25% glycerin, 0.5% red pigment, and conductivity of 1.5 mS / cm) at a temperature of 40℃ into the sealed container to completely submerge the flower materials; pressurize the sealed container by passing dry air through it, control the pressure value inside the sealed container to 0.4MPa, and maintain the pressure for 10 minutes. (4) Post-processing: Open the pressure relief valve of the sealed container and slowly release the pressure to normal pressure; take out the flower materials, wash them, and place them in a ventilated place to dry, so as to obtain the flower materials after shaping and coloring.

[0034] Comparison of finished products: The high conductivity coloring solution contains many impurity ions, which easily form precipitation on the surface of the flower fiber; the finished flower surface is hazy and dark in color, with mottled color patches, and the impurities are prone to bacterial growth. The flowers show slight mold and blackening after being stored for 1 month, and there is no anti-corrosion and shaping effect.

[0035] In summary, the flower material shaping and coloring method provided by this invention, through vacuum treatment + pressurized coloring treatment, combined with a coloring liquid with an electrical conductivity ≤0.9 and a temperature of 40-50℃, significantly shortens the flower material coloring treatment time from 48-72 hours in conventional processes to about 15 minutes, thus significantly improving production efficiency; and significantly improving coloring uniformity, achieving consistent coloring depth from the surface to the interior of the flower material, with no color difference or white showing through; the shaping effect is excellent, with petals that are full, upright, and flexible, effectively avoiding problems such as softness, wrinkling, and collapse of flower materials in conventional processes; by limiting the electrical conductivity of the coloring liquid, this invention avoids the precipitation of impurity ions on the fiber surface and the resulting problems such as mold and darkening, ensuring the appearance quality and storage stability of the finished product.

[0036] Finally, it should be noted that the above preferred embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes can be made to it in form and detail without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for shaping and coloring floral materials, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Pretreatment: After trimming the flowers, place them in a sealed container; (2) Vacuum treatment: The sealed container is subjected to vacuum treatment; (3) Pressurized coloring treatment: The coloring liquid is introduced into the sealed container to immerse the flower material, and gas is introduced into the sealed container to pressurize it and maintain the pressure. (4) Post-processing: After depressurizing the sealed container to normal pressure, take out the colored flowers, wash them, and then dry them.

2. The method for shaping and coloring floral materials as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The conductivity of the coloring solution in step (3) is ≤0.9 mS / cm.

3. The method for shaping and coloring floral materials as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The floral materials mentioned in step (1) are fresh floral materials or floral materials that have undergone dehydration and decolorization treatment.

4. The method for shaping and coloring floral materials as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vacuum treatment time in step (2) is 3 to 10 minutes, and the pressure inside the sealed container is -0.02 to -0.08 MPa.

5. The method for shaping and coloring floral materials as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The pressure inside the sealed container in step (3) is 0.1 to 0.9 MPa, and the pressure holding time is 1 to 15 min.

6. The method for shaping and coloring floral materials as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The gas mentioned in step (3) is dry air.

7. The method for shaping and coloring floral materials as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature of the coloring solution in step (3) is 40-50°C; the coloring solution uses pure water as a solvent and also includes glycerin with a mass-volume concentration of 20-30%, a fungicide with a mass-volume concentration of 0.1%, and pigment.