Leather-like structure

Abstract

A leather-like structure comprising a support substrate (10) comprising two semi-finished substrates (2, 3), which comprise polyester fiber and leather fiber; the two semi- finished substrates (2, 3) are fixedly connected to each other on two respective mating surfaces (8, 9) and define two outer surfaces (11, 12) of the support substrate (10); the mating surfaces (8, 9) comprise aa polyester fiber concentration greater than the outer surfaces (11, 12). The leather-like structure (11) further comprises a surface substrate (4) arranged on one of the outer surfaces (11).

Description

[0001] "LEATHER- LI KE STRUCTURE"

[0002] Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0003] This Patent Appl ication claims priority from Italian Patent Application No . 102023000009111 filed on May 8 , 2023 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

[0004] Technical Field

[0005] The present invention relates to a leather-like structure .

[0006] The present invention is preferably, although not exclusively, applied to the field of clothing, footwear, leather goods , and decoration of vehicles such as yachts , private planes or cars . In the following, reference will be made to such application by way of example .

[0007] State of the Prior Art

[0008] Leather derived from animal skin ( called natural leather or leather ) is frequently employed for the manufacturing, for example , of garments , shoes , accessories as well as for the interior decoration of luxury vehicles such as yachts , private planes or high-end cars .

[0009] Natural leather products are unanimously appreciated, despite sometimes being high in price , for their tactile sensation, so-called texture , their appearance and durability, characteristics which are obtained by subj ecting the rawhide to numerous processes such as cleaning, tanning, finishing, and conservation .

[0010] It is known that the processing of rawhides into leather represents an upcycling of a by-product of the food industry : for over 99% of cases , rawhide derives from animals ( cattle , sheep, goats , pigs ) which are farmed for the purpose of producing food, such as meat and milk .

[0011] However, the machining processes to which the rawhide is subj ected (particularly the tanning process ) involve a high consumption of water and use of chemicals , two important aspects to take into account due to their signi ficant environmental impact .

[0012] The growing awareness for environmental and ethical issues ( e . g . animal rights ) , as well as the occasionally high prices of natural leather, have led to the appearance on the market of materials alternative to natural leather, among which imitation leather .

[0013] Imitation leather, also known as faux leather, eco- leather, or ecological leather, is a product traditionally obtained by spreading polyurethane-based ( PU) and polyvinyl chloride-based ( PVC ) products onto bases of various kinds , among which fabric or microfibers . The quality and characteristics of these products are governed by standard UNI 11427 : 2022 .

[0014] According to known solutions , a leather-like structure is produced from a semi- finished substrate , onto which polyurethane-based ( PU) and polyvinyl chloride-based ( PVC ) products , often admixed with adhesives or silicones , are spread . According to other known solutions , multiple semifinished substrates are overlaid and glued to then be spread . After the spreading, a finishing process is performed, i f necessary, to impart particular colors or textures to the structure .

[0015] Document US3537871A describes a leather-like structure composed of a non-woven base fabric made of a mixture of collagen fibers and natural or synthetic fibers , and a coating film of amino acid resin which adheres to the base fabric by means of an intermediate layer of resin binder .

[0016] Document CN109353088A describes a regenerated leather base fabric manufactured by the wet laying-up of multi-layer and multi-mesh collagen fibers and a relative manufacturing method .

[0017] Document WO2022219484A1 describes a method for the dry manufacturing of a non-woven fabric from tanned leather waste . Document CN114561746B describes a method for manuf cturing an animal fiber composite full-layer leather .

[0018] Generally, the aesthetic performance of the materials manufactured by means of these techniques is modest , as well as their wear resistance . Furthermore , their price is signi ficantly lower than that of natural leather, making them particularly competitive on the market .

[0019] However, the breathability of these materials results to be very poor and their appearance very far from that of natural leather . Furthermore , for their manufacturing, particularly polluting plastics ( such as PU and PVC ) are used, which considerably depart from the environmental sustainability goals .

[0020] In view of the foregoing, the need is felt to create a material alternative to leather which has an aesthetic appearance , performance , texture , breathability, and workability as close as possible to those of natural leather and, at the same time , has an environmental impact lower than natural leather and the other known solutions mentioned above , and, in general , as low as possible .

[0021] Furthermore , the need is felt to create a material which does not contain adhesives or silicones as aggregants or anchoring structures such as meshes , and which is mainly composed of available ( recycled) and non-virgin materials , and which is finally recyclable .

[0022] The obj ect of the present invention is to meet the needs set forth above in an optimi zed and cost-ef fective manner .

[0023] Summary of the Invention

[0024] The aforementioned obj ect is obtained thanks to a leather-like structure as claimed in the appended claims .

[0025] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] In order to better understand the present invention, a preferred embodiment is described in the following, by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein : • Figure 1 is a schematic section view of a leather-like structure according to the present invention; and

[0027] • Figure 2 is a schematic section view of a portion of the leather-like structure of Figure 1.

[0028] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0029] In Figure 1, a leather-like structure according to the invention for the manufacturing of leather goods, for example, interior decoration for vehicles or garments, is shown as a whole by reference numeral 1.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment, the leather-like structure 1 is a multilayer sheet, i.e. having a thickness and a width, visible in the section of Figure 1, and a length, in the normal direction to the section plane, where the thickness is much less than length and width, e.g. at least by an order of magnitude.

[0031] The leather-like structure 1 comprises a support substrate 10 comprising two semi-finished substrates 2, 3 each comprising polyester fiber and leather fiber.

[0032] In particular, the semi-finished substrates 2, 3 are essentially composed of complementary weight percentages of polyester fiber and leather fiber, i.e. do not contain further elements such as binders and / or aggregants (silicones, resins, etc.) or anchoring structures such as meshes. In other words, the semi-finished substrates 2, 3 only contain polyester fiber and leather fiber.

[0033] Considering the total weight of a semi-finished substrate, the weight percentage of polyester fibers is calculated from the ratio between the weight of polyester fibers and the total weight.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment, the polyester fibers used for the manufacturing of the semi-finished substrates 2, 3 come from, at least in part, recycled materials; in particular, polyester fibers are derived for about 50% in total from recycled PET, for example from PET bottles or from industrial polyester or clothing waste. The leather fibers used for the manufacturing of the semi-finished substrates 2, 3 usually come from the natural leather processing waste.

[0035] The manufacturing process of semi-finished substrates (known per se and therefore not described in detail in the following) allows obtaining a semi-finished substrate containing weight percentages of leather fibers and polyester fibers in varying proportions.

[0036] The two semi-finished substrates 2, 3 are fixedly connected to each other on two respective mating surfaces 8, 9 and define two outer surfaces 11, 12 of the support substrate 10.

[0037] Following the manufacturing process, within a semifinished substrate, the composition of leather fiber and polyester fiber results to be non-uniform in the direction of its thickness. In other words, the weight percentage of polyester fibers and leather fibers varies within the semifinished substrate from a surface with a minimum weight percentage of polyester fiber to an opposite surface with a maximum weight percentage of polyester fiber.

[0038] In detail, the preferential mating surfaces 8, 9 comprise a weight percentage of polyester fiber greater, i.e. a maximum percentage, than the outer surfaces 11, 12, i.e. a minimum percentage. Consequently, the outer surfaces 11, 12 have a weight percentage of leather fiber higher, i.e. a maximum percentage, than the mating surfaces 8, 9, i.e. a minimum percentage.

[0039] Therefore, the two semi-finished substrates 2, 3 are connected to each other by mating the surfaces 8, 9 with higher concentration of polyester fiber.

[0040] Advantageously, the leather-like structure 1 comprises a surface substrate 4 arranged on one of the outer surfaces 11, 12 of the support substrate 10. According to the illustrated non-limiting embodiment, the surface substrate 4 is arranged on the outer surface 11. In particular, the surface substrate 4 entirely covers the outer surface 11.

[0041] Preferably, the semi-finished substrate 2; 3 comprises a weight percentage of leather fiber greater than or equal to 60% and a weight percentage of polyester fiber less than or equal to 40%.

[0042] In particular, the semi-finished substrate 2, 3 comprises a weight percentage of leather fiber greater than or equal to 80% and a weight percentage of polyester fiber less than or equal to 20%.

[0043] According to a preferred embodiment, the weight percentage of leather fiber of both semi-finished substrates 2, 3 is equal to 85%, and the weight percentage of polyester fiber is equal to 15%.

[0044] Preferably, the support substrate 10 comprises a thickness greater than or equal to 0.4 mm and less than or equal to 2.8 mm. In particular, the support substrate 10 comprises a thickness greater than or equal to 0.6 mm and less than or equal to 2.6 mm. Such thicknesses are compliant with the thicknesses required by the typical tanning industry processing; in particular, the mentioned thickness values are compatible with the further addition of a surface layer 4.

[0045] According to a preferred embodiment, the support substrate 10 has a thickness of 1.5 mm; in particular, each semi-finished substrate 2, 3 has a thickness equal to half the total thickness of the support substrate 10, i.e. 0.75 mm. According to other embodiments not illustrated, the semifinished substrates 2, 3 have different thicknesses from each other.

[0046] Preferably, as is visible in Figure 2, the surface substrate 4 comprises a primer substrate 5 arranged in contact with the outer surface 11, a finishing substrate 6 arranged on the primer substrate 5, and a fixative substrate 7 arranged on the finishing substrate 6.

[0047] Advantageously, the primer substrate 5 comprises varying weight percentages of acrylic resins , polyurethane resins , and synthetic or natural caseins and waxes .

[0048] Preferably, the primer substrate 5 also comprises varying weight percentages of covering materials . In particular, the covering materials can be matting substances and covering fillers .

[0049] In particular, the primer substrate 5 is directly applied to the outer surface 11 to adj ust and activate it so as to favor the anchoring of the following substrate .

[0050] Advantageously, the finishing substrate 6 comprises varying percentages of acrylic resins , polyurethane resins , and ( synthetic or natural ) caseins and waxes .

[0051] Preferably, the finishing substrate 6 also comprises varying weight percentages of covering materials . In particular, the covering materials can be matting substances .

[0052] In particular, the finishing substrate 6 substantially consists of a varnish layer or other layer or film which provides the desired coloring to the leather-like structure 2 .

[0053] Advantageously, also the fixative substrate 7 comprises varying percentages of acrylic resins , polyurethane resins , and ( synthetic or natural ) caseins and waxes .

[0054] Preferably, the fixative substrate 7 also comprises varying weight percentages of covering materials . In particular, the covering materials can be matting substances .

[0055] In detail , the fixative substrate 7 is configured to block the finishing substrate 6 , in particular , thanks to catalysts within its composition, and " fixes" the color with respect to abrasions or scratches .

[0056] Preferably, both the primer substrate 5 and the finishing substrate 6 as well as the fixative substrate 7 comprise varying weight percentages of covering materials .

[0057] According to a possible embodiment , the surface substrate 4 comprises polyurethane and / or polyvinyl chloride . Although not in line with eco- friendly goals , these compounds can be applied by using spreading processes in place of or in addition to the surface substrate 4 in the event particular performance techniques of the leather-like structure 1 are required with respect to , for example , waterproofing .

[0058] The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a leather-like structure 1 as described above . The method comprises the steps of :

[0059] • arranging a first semi- finished substrate 3 on a second semi- finished substrate 2 , so that respective surfaces 8 , 9 with higher weight percentage of polyester fiber of each of the semi- finished substrates 3 , 2 are in contact with each other ;

[0060] • fixedly connecting the first semi- finished substrate 3 and the second semi- finished substrate 2 to obtain a support substrate 10 ; and

[0061] • coating an outer surface 11 o f the support substrate 10 with a surface substrate 4 .

[0062] Preferably, the step of fixedly connecting the semifinished substrates 3 , 2 is performed by the waterj et technique . In particular, during this step, no petrochemical binders or adhesives are added .

[0063] Preferably, the step of coating with the surface substrate 4 comprises in turn the subsequent steps of :

[0064] • applying a primer substrate 5 ;

[0065] • applying a finishing substrate 6 ; and

[0066] • applying a fixative substrate 7 .

[0067] In view of the foregoing, the advantages of the leatherlike structure 1 according to the invention are apparent .

[0068] Thanks to the advantageous arrangement of the semifinished substrates 2 , 3 described above , the outer surfaces 11 , 12 of the support substrate 10 contain a higher weight percentage of leather fiber, which determines the characteristics of the structure 1 in terms of aesthetics and function . In fact , thanks to the high weight percentage of leather fibers , these characteristics are close to those of a natural leather structure , i . e . leather directly derived from animal skin .

[0069] Furthermore , the presence of the surface substrate 4 allows improving the surface characteristics of the leatherlike structure 1 in terms of both appearance and texture as well as technical performance .

[0070] In particular, by applying the surface substrate 4 to the outer surface 11 of the support substrate 10 , the leather-like structure 1 obtains an appearance which is identical and a breathability which is similar to those of natural leather .

[0071] Therefore , the proposed leather-like structure 1 and the proposed manufacturing method of said leather-like structure 1 allow obtaining a material alternative to natural leather which has aesthetic appearance , performance , texture , breathability and workability close to those of natural leather .

[0072] Furthermore , the proposed leather- like structure 1 and the proposed manufacturing method of said structure allow obtaining a material which has a much lower, and generally the lowest possible , environmental impact than natural leather and the other known solutions .

[0073] In detail , the proposed leather-like structure 1 does not contain any adhesives or silicones as aggregants , or any anchoring structures such as meshes , and it is mainly composed of available ( recycled) and non-virgin materials , and it is recyclable .

[0074] It is evident that modi fications may be made to the leather-like structure 1 and to the relative production method described, which do not go beyond the scope of protection defined by the claims . For example, the width and the thickness of the structure 1 may vary as well as its shape and / or the composition of the semi-finished substrates 2, 3.

[0075] In addition, the appearance of the surface substrate 4 as well as its arrangement may vary. For example, the surface layer 4 may be arranged on the outer surface 12. More generally, the surface layer 4 may cover even only partially the outer surface 11; 12.

[0076] In detail, the leather-like structure 1 may have different coloring and / or surface processing, perforations and / or thickness reductions, as long as it comprises the claimed operating characteristics.

Claims

CLAIMS1. - A leather-like structure (1) comprising: a support substrate (10) comprising two semi-finished substrates (2, 3) , each of said semi-finished substrates (2, 3) comprising polyester fiber and leather fiber; the two semi-finished substrates being fixedly connected to each other on two respective mating surfaces (8, 9) , thereby defining two outer surfaces (11, 12) of said support substrate (10) ; and a surface substrate (4) arranged on one of said outer surfaces (11) ; said mating surfaces (8, 9) comprising a weight percentage of polyester fiber greater than said outer surfaces (11, 12 ) .

2. - The leather-like structure according to claim 1, wherein said semi-finished substrates (2, 3) comprise a weight percentage of leather fiber greater than or equal to 60% and comprise a weight percentage of polyester fiber less than or equal to 40%.

3. - The leather-like structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said semi-finished substrates (2, 3) comprise a weight percentage of leather fiber greater than or equal to 80% and comprise a weight percentage of polyester fiber less than or equal to 20%.

4. - The leather-like structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said support substrate (10) comprises a thickness greater than or equal to 0.4 mm and less than or equal to 2.8 mm.

5. - The leather-like structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said support substrate (10) comprises a thickness greater than or equal to 0.6 mm and less than or equal to 2.6 mm.

6. - The leather-like structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said surface substrate (4) comprises polyurethane and / or polyvinyl chloride.

7. - The leather-like structure according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said surface substrate (4) comprises :• a primer substrate (5) arranged in contact with said outer surface (11) ;• a finishing substrate (6) arranged on said primer substrate (5) ; and• a fixative substrate (7) arranged on said finishing substrate ( 6 ) .

8. - The leather-like structure according to claim 7, wherein the primer substrate (5) comprises varying weight percentages of acrylic resins, polyurethane resins, and synthetic or natural caseins and waxes.

9. - The leather-like structure according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the finishing substrate (6) comprises varying weight percentages of acrylic resins, polyurethane resins, and synthetic or natural caseins and waxes.

10. - The leather-like structure according to any of claims 7 to 9, wherein the fixative substrate (7) comprises varying weight percentages of acrylic resins, polyurethane resins, and synthetic or natural caseins and waxes.

11. - The leather-like structure according to claim 7, wherein the primer substrate (5) and / or the finishing substrate (6) and / or the fixative substrate (7) comprise varying weight percentages of covering materials.

12. - A production method for a leather-like structure (1) comprising the steps of:• arranging a first semi-finished substrate (3) on a second semi-finished substrate (2) , so that respective surfaces (8, 9) with higher weight percentage of polyester fiber of each of said semifinished substrates (2, 3) are in contact with each other;• fixedly connecting said first semi-finished substrate (3) and said second semi-finished substrate(2) to obtain a support substrate (10) ; and• coating an outer surface (11) of said support substrate with a surface substrate (4) .

13. - The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of fixedly connecting said semi-finished substrates (2,3) is performed by the waterjet technique.

14. - The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the step of coating with said surface substrate (4) comprises the subsequent steps of: • applying a primer substrate (5) ;• applying a finishing substrate (6) ; and• applying a fixative substrate (7) .

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