Thin-walled light transmissive skin material and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

To achieve light "transmission property" and "suppression of clogging" by making surface properties at a thin-walled portion and a non-thin-walled portion substantially uniform.SOLUTION: A thin-walled light transmissive skin material has thin-walled parts 2 recessed from a rear surface side of a skin material 1 containing thermoplastic fibers. Surface property of a thin-walled portion 2' and surface property of a non-thin-walled portion 2" are substantially uniform. A molten material 3 laid on a plurality of thermoplastic fibers may be adhered to a rear surface side of the thin-walled part 2. L* value on a front surface side of the skin material 1 may be 20 or greater. Thickness T' of the thin-walled portion 2' may be 0.1 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less. Thickness T" of the non-thin-walled portion 2" may be 0.5 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less. Difference ΔT therebetween may be 0.4 mm or more and 2.9 mm or less. Area in a plan view of each of a plurality of thin-walled parts 2 may be 10 mm2 or more and 5000 mm2 or less. Manufacturing method of the skin material 1 makes the surface property of the thin-walled portion 2' and the surface property of the non-thin-walled portion 2" substantially uniform in a plan view from the front surface side of the skin material 1 in a thin wall formation step S1 to form the thin-walled parts 2 recessed from the rear surface side of the skin material 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a skin material containing thermoplastic fibers and a method for producing the skin material. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Grain-finish artificial leather has been known as a surface material for covering interior parts of automobiles (Patent Document 1). This grain-finish artificial leather has a coating made of a polymeric elastomer on a substrate made of fibers and a porous polymeric elastomer, and the coating has holes penetrating the coating, and the inner walls of the holes have pores that connect to the inside of the substrate, and the fibers and the polymeric elastomer are fused together on the inner walls of the holes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-248644 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, the grain-finish artificial leather described in Patent Document 1 has through-holes that penetrate not only the film but also the entire grain-finish artificial leather, including the substrate, and as described in paragraph 0040 and other figures, the grain-finish artificial leather has such optical transparency that when a light as a light source is placed on the back of the grain-finish artificial leather and observed from the front side, the light source can be seen when observed from a perpendicular direction. However, the grain-finish artificial leather of Patent Document 1 has holes that may become clogged with dust or the like. Furthermore, when the light source on the back side of the grain-finish artificial leather of Patent Document 1 is not turned on, the through holes are only visible on the surface of the grain-finish artificial leather, which can be said to detract from the design of the leather.

[0005] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a skin material and a method for manufacturing a skin material that achieves both "ensuring light transmittance" and "suppressing clogging" by making the surface texture of areas where thin-walled portions exist and the surface texture of areas where thin-walled portions do not exist substantially uniform when viewed in a plane from the surface side of the skin material. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The skin material 1 according to the present invention is a skin material containing thermoplastic fibers, and has a thin-walled portion recessed from the back surface side of the skin material. A first feature of the skin material is that, when viewed in plan from the front surface side of the skin material, the surface properties of the portion where the thin-walled portion exists and the surface properties of the portion where the thin-walled portion does not exist are substantially uniform.

[0007] A second feature of the skin material 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature, a molten material spanning a plurality of the thermoplastic fibers is attached to the back surface side of the thin-walled portion.

[0008] The third feature of the skin material 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature, the surface side of the skin material is L according to JIS-Z-8781-4:2013. * a * b * L in color space * The value is 20 or more.

[0009] A fourth feature of the skin material 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature described above, the thickness of the area where the thin-walled portion exists is 0.1 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less, the thickness of the area where the thin-walled portion does not exist is 0.5 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and the difference in thickness between the area where the thin-walled portion exists and the area where the thin-walled portion does not exist is 0.4 mm or more and 2.9 mm or less.

[0010] A fifth feature of the skin material 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature, the skin material has a plurality of the thin-walled portions, and the planar area of ​​each of the thin-walled portions is 10 mm 2 More than 5000mm 2 The point is as follows.

[0011] Due to these features, thin-walled portions 2 are provided recessed from the back surface 1b of the skin material 1, and the surface texture of the areas where the thin-walled portions 2 are present (thin-walled portions 2', so to speak) and the areas where the thin-walled portions 2 are not present (non-thin-walled portions 2") are made substantially uniform in a plan view from the front surface of the skin material 1. This means that, unlike Patent Document 1, the areas where the thin-walled portions 2 are present have better light transmittance for light from a light-emitting device that may be placed on the back surface 1b of the skin material 1, as well as for illuminated letters and patterns, than areas where the thin-walled portions 2 are not present ("ensuring light transmittance"). At the same time, since there are no holes that penetrate the entire skin material 1, clogging of the holes with dust and the like is suppressed ("suppressing clogging"). Furthermore, because there is no difference (difference) in the surface texture of the front surface side of the skin material 1 between the areas where the thin-walled portions 2 are present and the areas where the thin-walled portions 2 are not present, it can be said that the original design of the skin material 1 is maintained when the light-emitting device described above is not emitting light ("retaining design"). The skin material 1 can also be said to be a "thin-walled skin material having optical transparency."

[0012] Furthermore, even if a portion of the skin material 1 is thinned from the back surface 1b side and some of the thermoplastic fibers contained in the skin material 1 are broken in the thinned portion 2, by adhering the molten material 3 that spans the thermoplastic fibers to the back surface 2b side of the thinned portion 2, the thermoplastic fibers can be prevented from breaking apart, and the strength of the skin material 1 itself can be maintained ("retention of strength").

[0013] Furthermore, the L on the surface of the skin material 1 * By setting the value to 20 or more, the difference (difference) between the state of the thin-walled portion 2 through which light passes when the light-emitting device is emitting light and the state of the thin-walled portion 2 when it is not emitting light becomes large, resulting in a skin material 1 whose state on the surface side changes drastically ("sharp") depending on whether the light-emitting device is turned on or off. Additionally, by setting the thickness T' of the portion where the thin portion 2 exists to 0.1 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less, the thickness T" of the portion where the thin portion 2 does not exist to 0.5 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, and the difference ΔT between the thickness T' of the portion where the thin portion 2 exists and the thickness of the portion where the thin portion 2 does not exist to 0.4 mm or more and 2.9 mm or less, the difference (difference) between the state of the thin portion 2 through which light passes when the light emitting device is emitting light and the state of the thin portion 2 when not emitting light becomes greater, and it can be said that the skin material 1 has a "sharp" appearance.

[0014] In addition, the planar area of ​​each of the plurality of thin-walled portions 2 is 10 mm 2 More than 5000mm 2 By doing as follows, light from the light emitting device does not appear as dots, as in Patent Document 1, where through-holes are present at predetermined intervals, but is visible as a luminous area with a predetermined size and shape, resulting in a skin material 1 with a "new design."

[0015] The method for manufacturing a skin material 1 according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a skin material containing thermoplastic fibers, and includes a thin-wall forming step of forming a recessed thin-walled portion from the back surface side of the skin material. A first feature of the method is that, although the thin-walled portion is formed in the thin-wall forming step, the surface texture of the portion where the thin-walled portion exists and the surface texture of the portion where the thin-walled portion does not exist are made substantially uniform when viewed in plan from the front surface side of the skin material.

[0016] Due to this feature, although the thin-walled portion 2 is formed in the thin-wall forming step S1, the surface texture of the area where the thin-walled portion 2 is present and the surface texture of the area where the thin-walled portion 2 is not present are made approximately uniform in a plan view from the front side of the skin material 1. As a result, unlike Patent Document 1, the area where the thin-walled portion 2 is present has better light transmittance for light from a light-emitting device that may be placed on the back surface 1b of the skin material 1, as well as for illuminated letters and patterns, than the area where the thin-walled portion 2 is present ("ensuring light transmittance"). At the same time, since there is no hole that penetrates the entire skin material 1, clogging of the through holes with dust and the like is suppressed ("suppressing clogging"). Furthermore, because there is no difference (difference) in the surface texture of the front side of the skin material 1 between the area where the thin-walled portion 2 is present and the area where the thin-walled portion 2 is not present, it can be said that the original design of the skin material 1 is maintained when the above-mentioned light-emitting device is not emitting light ("retaining design"). The skin material 1 can also be said to be a "method for manufacturing a thin, light-transmitting skin material." [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] With the skin material and its manufacturing method according to the present invention, the surface texture of the areas where thin-walled portions exist and the surface texture of the areas where thin-walled portions do not exist are made substantially uniform in a plan view from the surface side of the skin material, thereby achieving both "ensuring light transmittance" and "suppressing clogging." [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams showing a skin material according to the present invention, in which (a) shows a side cross-sectional view, (b) shows a plan view from the front side of the skin material, and (c) shows a plan view from the back side of the skin material. [Figure 2] 1 is a photograph, used as a substitute for a drawing, showing a plan view of molten material and the like adhering to the rear surface side of a thin portion of a skin material (without a backing layer). [Figure 3] 1 is a photograph showing a side view of molten material and the like adhering to the back side of a thin portion of a skin material (without a backing layer). [Figure 4]Photographs in lieu of drawings showing Example 1 of the skin material according to the present invention (light color, knitted base fabric, Chinese characters in the plan view of the thin-walled portion, with a backing layer), in which (a) shows the state of the front side when the light-emitting device arranged on the back side of the skin material is emitting light, (b) shows the state of the front side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material, and (c) shows the back side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material. [Figure 5] Photographs in lieu of drawings showing Example 2 of the skin material according to the present invention (black, with a knitted base fabric, with Chinese characters in the plan view of the thin-walled portion, and with a backing layer), in which (a) shows the state of the front side when the light-emitting device arranged on the back side of the skin material is emitting light, (b) shows the state of the front side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material, and (c) shows the back side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material. [Figure 6] Photographs in lieu of drawings showing Example 3 of the skin material according to the present invention (light color, knitted base fabric, English letters in plan view shape of the thin-walled portion, with backing layer), in which (a) shows the state of the front side when the light-emitting device arranged on the back side of the skin material is emitting light, (b) shows the state of the front side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material, and (c) shows the back side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material. [Figure 7] Photographs in lieu of drawings showing Example 4 of the skin material according to the present invention (light blue, knitted base fabric, English letters in the plan view of the thin-walled portion, with a backing layer), in which (a) shows the state of the front side when the light-emitting device arranged on the back side of the skin material is emitting light, (b) shows the state of the front side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material, and (c) shows the back side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material. [Figure 8] Photographs in lieu of drawings showing Example 5 of the skin material according to the present invention (brown, with a knitted base fabric, with English letters in the plan view of the thin-walled portion, and no backing layer), in which (a) shows the state of the front side when the light-emitting device arranged on the back side of the skin material is emitting light, (b) shows the state of the front side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material, and (c) shows the back side when no light-emitting device is arranged on the back side of the skin material. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a skin material according to the present invention, in which (a) shows a first embodiment, (b) shows a second embodiment, (c) shows a third embodiment, (d) shows a fourth embodiment, and (e) shows a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] <Overall structure of skin material 1> Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8 show a skin material 1 according to the present invention, which is a sheet-like material containing thermoplastic fibers 1A.

[0020] The thermoplastic fiber 1A is not particularly limited as long as it is a thermoplastic fiber, but may be, for example, polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), etc., nylon (polyamide) fiber, polyacrylic fiber (acrylic fiber) mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), acetate fiber, polyurethane (PU) fiber, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) fiber, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber (vinylon fiber), etc., or synthetic fibers such as these may be used alone or in combination.

[0021] In the present invention, "the skin material 1 contains a thermoplastic fiber 1A" means that the skin material 1 contains only one thermoplastic fiber 1A, or that the skin material 1 contains multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A. Even when the skin material 1 contains only one thermoplastic fiber 1A, if the single thermoplastic fiber 1A is meandering and overlapping and is a nonwoven fabric made up of a single thermoplastic fiber 1A (for example, a spunbond nonwoven fabric made up of a single filament (long fiber)), multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A will be exposed on the back surface 2b and inner surface 2c of the thin portion 2. Hereinafter, the skin material 1 will be described as containing a plurality of thermoplastic fibers 1A. The yarn that constitutes the skin material 1 may be any of multifilament (yarn composed of multiple long thermoplastic fibers 1A), monofilament (yarn composed of one long thermoplastic fiber 1A), spun yarn (spun yarn composed of multiple short thermoplastic fibers 1A), etc.

[0022] The skin material 1 is formed with a thin portion 2, which will be described later. Furthermore, the skin material 1 may have a molten material 3, which will be described later, on the back surface 2b side of the thin-walled portion 2, or alternatively, the skin material 1 may have a molten material 3 on the inner peripheral surface 2c side of the thin-walled portion 2, or may have a molten material 3 extending from the back surface 2b side of the thin-walled portion 2 to the inner peripheral surface 2c side. Here, the "surface 1a" of the covering material 1 refers to one of the surfaces of the sheet-like covering material 1 excluding the end faces, and in the case where the covering material 1 is provided with a fluffy fabric 4, it may be the surface having the fluff 4B, or it may be the surface that is exposed when used to cover the interior trim of an automobile or for textile products such as shoes. Conversely, the "back surface 1b" of the skin material 1 refers to the other surface of the sheet-like skin material 1 excluding the end surfaces, and in the case where the skin material 1 is provided with a piled fabric 4, it may be the surface that does not have the fluff 4B, and can also be said to be the surface that is not exposed when used to cover the interior fittings of an automobile, etc.

[0023] The skin material 1 may be provided with a fluffy fabric 4 having a base fabric 4A (so-called a base fabric layer 4A') and fluff 4B (so-called a fluff layer 4B') as described below, and the base fabric 4A may be any of a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, and a nonwoven fabric as described below. Alternatively, a backing resin 10 may be applied to the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 to form a backing layer 10'.

[0024] The basis weight of the skin material 1 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 50 g / m 2 More than 1000g / m 2 Less than 70 g / m 2 More than 800g / m 2More preferably, 100 g / m or less 2 More than 500g / m 2 It may be the following. The thickness T of the skin material 1 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 0.1 mm to 3.0 mm, preferably 0.2 mm to 2.7 mm, and more preferably 0.3 mm to 2.5 mm. The thickness T of the skin material 1 in the present invention and the thicknesses of the fabric layer 4A', fluff layer 4B', backing layer 10', etc., which will be described later, may also be measured by visual inspection at a predetermined magnification using an electron microscope. It can also be said that the thickness T of the skin material 1 is the thickness T" of the portion where the thin-walled portion 2 described below does not exist.

[0025] <L on the surface 1a side of the skin material 1 * Value> The L on the surface 1a side of the skin material 1 described above * There is no particular limitation on the value, but for example, the lower limit may be 20 or more, preferably 30 or more, and more preferably 40 or more. * There may be no upper limit to the value, and even if there is an upper limit, it may be, for example, 95 or less, preferably 90 or less, more preferably 85 or less, and even more preferably 80 or less (L * Examples of values ​​include 15, 20, 71, 72, 79, 89, and 94. In addition, in the present invention, "L on the surface 1a side of the skin material 1" * "Value" refers to the L value according to JIS-Z-8781-4:2013 * a * b * L in color space * value.

[0026] <Thin-walled section 2> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the thin portion 2 is a portion recessed from the rear surface 1b side of the skin material 1 described above. In plan view of the thin portion 2 from the surface 1a side of the skin material 1, the surface texture of the area where the thin portion 2 exists and the surface texture of the area where the thin portion 2 does not exist are substantially uniform. In the present invention, "the location where the thin-walled portion 2 exists in a plan view from the surface 1a side of the skin material 1" means the location where the thin-walled portion 2 exists in a plan view as seen by a user or other person when looking from the surface 1a side of the skin material 1, which can be said to be the thin-walled portion 2'.

[0027] Furthermore, in the present invention, "a portion where the thin-walled portion 2 does not exist in a plan view from the surface 1a side of the skin material 1" means a portion where the thin-walled portion 2 does not exist in a plan view as seen by a user or the like when the user or the like looks at the skin material 1 from the surface 1a side, and can be said to be a non-thin-walled portion 2". Furthermore, in the present invention, "the surface texture is substantially uniform" means that there is no difference in color, unevenness, the presence or absence of fluff (fluff 4B described later), feel, etc. between the surface 2a' side of the thin portion 2' (the surface 1a side of the skin 1) and the surface 2a" side of the non-thin portion 2" (the surface 1a side of the skin 1) at each of the portions 2', 2" and that the surface 2a' side of the thin portion 2' and the surface 2a" side of the non-thin portion 2" cannot be distinguished visually and / or tactilely (by touch).

[0028] Here, the "surface 2a" of the thin portion 2 refers to one of the surfaces excluding the end face of the thin portion 2, which is a part of the sheet-like covering material 1; if the covering material 1 including the thin portion 2 is provided with a fluffy fabric 4, it may be the surface having the fluff 4B, or it can be said to be the surface that is exposed when used to cover the interior trim of an automobile or for textile products such as shoes. Conversely, the "back surface 2b" of the thin portion 2 refers to the other surface of the thin portion 2, which is part of the sheet-like covering material 1, excluding the end surface. When the covering material 1 including the thin portion 2 is provided with a fluffy fabric 4, the back surface 2b may be the surface that does not have the fluff 4B, and can also be said to be the surface that is not exposed when used to cover the interior trim of an automobile, etc. The "inner peripheral surface 2c" of the thin-walled portion 2 is the surface between the back surface 2b of the thin-walled portion 2 and the back surface of the non-thin-walled portion 2" (i.e., the back surface 1b of the skin material 1), and can also be said to be the surface surrounding the back surface 2b of the thin-walled portion 2 when viewed from above from the back surface 1b of the skin material 1.

[0029] A molten material 3, which will be described later, may be attached to the back surface 2b side or the inner peripheral surface 2c side of the thin-walled portion 2, for example. Furthermore, the thickness T' of the portion where the thin portion 2 exists (thin portion 2') is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, preferably 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm, and more preferably 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm. The thickness T' of the thin portion 2' may be a constant value (constant thickness) in one thin portion 2, but conversely, it does not have to be a constant value (constant thickness), and for example, the thickness T' may vary from portion to portion. On the other hand, the thickness T" of the portion where the thin portion 2 does not exist (non-thin portion 2") is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1.0 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, preferably 1.1 mm or more and 2.7 mm or less, and more preferably 1.3 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less. Furthermore, the difference ΔT between the thickness T' of the thin portion 2' and the thickness T" of the non-thin portion 2" is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.5 mm or more and 2.9 mm or less, preferably 0.7 mm or more and 2.6 mm or less, and more preferably 0.9 mm or more and 2.3 mm or less. Alternatively, the thickness T' of the thin portion 2' may be expressed as a ratio to the thickness T" of the non-thin portion 2", and this ratio is not particularly limited. For example, the upper limit of the thickness T' of the thin portion 2' may be 50% or less of the thickness T" of the non-thin portion 2", preferably 40% or less, more preferably 30% or less, and even more preferably 20% or less. The lower limit of the thickness T' of the thin portion 2' may be greater than 0%, preferably 5% or more, more preferably 10% or more, and even more preferably 15% or more of the thickness T" of the non-thin portion 2".

[0030] The planar area of ​​each thin-walled portion 2 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 10 mm 2 More than 5000mm 2 Less than 20mm, preferably 2 More than 3000mm 2 Less than 30 mm, more preferably 2 More than 2000mm 2 It may be the following. The planar shape of the thin-walled portion 2 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, letters (kanji, hiragana, katakana, English letters (Roman letters, alphabet), letters of other countries, etc.), numbers, symbols, etc., or other designs (for example, instruments and meters provided on an automobile's instrument panel, control panel, console box, ornament (door trim), dashboard, glove box, etc., or warning lights, scales, marks, etc. that indicate the state and function of the automobile). Note that the planar shape of the thin-walled portion 2 (particularly letters, numbers, etc.) may be reversed left to right from the original shape when forming the thin-walled portion 2 from the back surface 1b, so that it has the original shape when viewed from the front surface 1a of the skin material 1.

[0031] The shape of the thin-walled portion 2 in a side cross-sectional view is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a substantially linear shape (the size of the thin-walled portion 2 in a plan view is substantially constant from the back surface 1b of the skin 1 toward the front surface 1a), a substantially flared shape (the size of the thin-walled portion 2 in a plan view gradually increases from the back surface 1b of the skin 1 toward the front surface 1a), or a substantially tapered shape (the size of the thin-walled portion 2 in a plan view gradually decreases from the back surface 1b of the skin 1 toward the front surface 1a). In other words, the size of the thin-walled portion 2 in a plan view may change halfway from the back surface 1b to the front surface 1a of the skin 1, and the shape of the thin-walled portion 2 in a side cross-sectional view may be a substantially tapered shape in steps (steps) from the back surface 1b to the front surface 1a, as described above, in the case where one thin-walled portion 2 has a thickness T' that varies partially. Furthermore, the cross-sectional side view shape of one side (such as the left side in the side view photograph substitute for a drawing) of the thin-walled portion 2 may be approximately the same as that of the other side (such as the right side in the side view photograph substitute for a drawing), or they may be different (in other words, asymmetrical). The number of such thin portions 2 is not particularly limited, but for example, one skin material 1 may have one or more. When there are multiple thin-walled portions 2, these multiple thin-walled portions 2 may be adjacent (integrated) to represent one word (English word), one kanji character, hiragana character, katakana character, symbol, design, etc.

[0032] <Melted material 3> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the molten material 3 is attached to the back surface 2b of the thin portion 2, straddling a plurality of thermoplastic fibers 1A. Alternatively, the molten material 3 may be attached across multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A on the inner surface 2c side of the thin-walled portion 2, or may be attached from the back surface 2b of the thin-walled portion 2 to the inner surface 2c. The "molten material 3" in the present invention can be said to be a material in which a plurality of thermoplastic fibers 1A are first melted and then solidified, and as a result, the cross-sectional area of ​​the molten material 3 (the area in the side view direction of the thin-walled portion 2) is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the thermoplastic fiber 1A itself (such as the cross-sectional area of ​​the thermoplastic fiber 1A in the part where the thin-walled portion 2 is not formed), and the molten material 3 is adhered across a plurality of thermoplastic fibers 1A (adjacent thermoplastic fibers 1A). The molten material 3 may include a molten mass 3A (a molten material that has taken on a lump shape (such as an approximately spherical or ellipsoidal shape)) or a molten surface 3B (a molten material 3 that has spread out in a planar shape of a predetermined area in a planar or side view of the thin-walled portion 2 along the back surface 2b or inner surface 2c of the thin-walled portion 2, etc.).

[0033] The size of the molten mass 3A is large enough to cover the cross-sectional area of ​​at least two single thermoplastic fibers 1A, and if it is large, it can be said to be large enough to cover the cross-sectional area of ​​a yarn made up of two or more thermoplastic fibers 1A (for example, a yarn made up of multiple long thermoplastic fibers 1A). If the molten mass 3A is approximately spherical, its diameter is not particularly limited, and if it is approximately ellipsoidal, its major axis is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 5 μm or more and 100 μm or less, preferably 10 μm or more and 80 μm or less, and more preferably 15 μm or more and 60 μm or less.

[0034] The planar area of ​​the melting surface 3B is at most the size that covers almost the entire back surface 2b and inner surface 2c of the thin-walled portion 2, and it can be said that the planar area of ​​the melting surface 3B is at least larger than the thickness of the melting surface 3B (thickness when viewed from the side). The planar area of ​​the melting surface 3B is not particularly limited, but for example, it is 10 mm 2 , similar to the planar area of ​​the thin-walled portion 2 described above. 2 More than 5000mm 2 Less than 20mm, preferably 2 More than 3000mm 2 Less than 30 mm, more preferably 2 More than 2000mm 2 It may be the following. The thickness of the melting surface 3B is not particularly limited either, but may be, for example, 5 μm to 300 μm, preferably 10 μm to 200 μm, and more preferably 15 μm to 100 μm. The number of the molten material 3 (molten mass 3A, molten surface body 3B, etc.) described so far is not particularly limited, but for example, one thin-walled portion 2 may have one or more.

[0035] <Aribori fabric 4> As shown in Figs. 1 to 8, the fluffed fabric 4 includes a base fabric 4A and fluffs 4B, which will be described later. Here, the "side on which the fluff 4B is provided (i.e., the fluff side)" of the fluffy fabric 4 can also be said to be the side closer to the surface 1a that is exposed when the covering material 1 is used to cover the interior fittings of an automobile, etc. Conversely, the "back surface (i.e., the back surface side)" of the piled fabric 4 can be said to be a surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the covering material 1 is used to cover the interior parts of an automobile, and can also be said to be the back surface of the base fabric 4A in the piled fabric 4 described below. The above-mentioned thin portion 2 can also be said to be a portion recessed from the back surface of the piled fabric 4 (or the back surface of the base fabric 4A).

[0036] The thickness of the fluffy fabric 4 (which can be said to be the sum of the thickness of the base fabric 4A and the height of the fluff 4B (the length of the perpendicular line from the tip of the fluff 4B to the surface of the base fabric 4A)) is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 40 μm or more and 9000 μm or less (0.04 mm or more and 9.00 mm or less), preferably 80 μm or more and 4500 μm or less (0.08 mm or more and 4.50 mm or less), and more preferably 250 μm or more and 1800 μm or less (0.25 mm or more and 1.80 mm or less). The fibers constituting the fluffed fabric 4 (the base fabric 4A and fluff 4B described below) are also thermoplastic fibers 1A. As described above, the yarns constituting the fluffy fabric 4 may be any of multifilament, monofilament, spun yarn, and the like.

[0037] The fineness of the fibers constituting the furry fabric 4 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a total fineness of 30 dtex or more and 500 dtex or less, preferably 40 dtex or more and 400 dtex or less, and more preferably 50 dtex or more and 350 dtex or less. Furthermore, when the yarn constituting the fluffy fabric 4 is a multifilament, the single fiber fineness of each filament is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 dtex or more and 50.0 dtex or less, preferably 0.5 dtex or more and 30.0 dtex or less, and more preferably 1.0 dtex or more and 20.0 dtex or less.

[0038] <Base fabric 4A> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, the base fabric 4A is a sheet-like material made of thermoplastic fibers 1A in the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 4. Here, the "surface" of the base fabric 4A can be said to be the surface close to the surface 1a that is exposed when the skin material 1 is used to cover the interior fittings of an automobile, and the fluff 4B is provided on this surface. Conversely, the "back surface" of the base fabric 4A can be said to be the surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the skin material 1 is used to cover the interior parts of an automobile, etc. (if the skin material 1 does not have the backing layer 10', it is, so to speak, the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 itself), or it can be said to be the back surface of the above-mentioned piled fabric 4 itself.

[0039] The thickness of the base fabric 4A is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 30 μm or more and 8500 μm or less (0.03 mm or more and 8.50 mm or less), preferably 60 μm or more and 4100 μm or less (0.06 mm or more and 4.10 mm or less), and more preferably 200 μm or more and 1500 μm or less (0.20 mm or more and 1.50 mm or less). The fibers constituting the base fabric 4A can be said to be the same in material, composition, fineness, etc. as the material, composition, fineness, etc. of the fluffy fabric 4 described above, but they may be the same as or different from the material, composition, fineness, etc. of the fluff 4B described below.

[0040] The base fabric 4A may be a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, a nonwoven fabric, or a combination thereof. When the base fabric 4A is a woven fabric, its weave is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a plain weave, a twill weave, a satin weave (such as a five-ply satin weave or a warp-out variable satin weave), a double weave, or a multi-layer weave of more than two layers. Furthermore, when the base fabric 4A is a knitted fabric, the knitting structure is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a warp knit such as tricot knit or a weft knit such as circular knit. Furthermore, when the base fabric 4A is a nonwoven fabric, its configuration is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a needle-punched nonwoven fabric in which fibers are entangled by hooking them on reciprocating needles, a spunbonded nonwoven fabric in which long fibers (filaments) spun from a nozzle are layered and bonded on a moving screen, a thermal-bonded nonwoven fabric containing heat-fusible fibers and formed by heating, or a stitch-bonded nonwoven fabric bonded by a needle-punching method or the like. The base fabric 4A may be a base fabric portion (a fabric portion that supports the base end side of the provided fluff 4B) of a fluffy fabric 4, such as a moquette fabric (moquette fabric) described below, which has fluff 4B provided by a means other than the raising method described below, or it may also be suede, velour, etc.

[0041] <Fluff 4B> As shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, fluff 4B is a fiber provided on the above-mentioned base fabric 4A. Here, when the fluff 4B is "provided on the base fabric 4A," this includes the case where the base end of the fluff 4B is connected (or fixed) to the surface of the base fabric 4A, and in particular includes not only the case where the angle between the surface of the base fabric 4A and the length direction of the fluff 4B is approximately 90° (in other words, this angle can be said to be the standing angle), but also the case where the length direction of the fluff 4B is at an angle to the surface of the base fabric 4A, and the standing angle in such an angle may be, for example, 45° or more and 90° or less, preferably 60° or more and 90° or less, and more preferably 80° or more and 90° or less. In particular, when the standing angle is, for example, 45° or more (in other words, when the fluffs 4B stand up from the base fabric 4A), the piled fabric 4 can also be said to be a piled fabric. Alternatively, the standing angle may be, for example, less than 45° (i.e., greater than or equal to 0° and less than 45°), or may be greater than or equal to 0° and less than 30°, greater than or equal to 0° and less than 20°, greater than or equal to 0° and less than 10°, or may even be approximately 0° (in other words, the fluff 4B may be approximately along the surface of the base fabric 4A).

[0042] The length of the fluff 4B (when the standing angle is approximately 90°, it can be said to be approximately the same as the height of the fluff 4B (in other words, the standing height). Note that when the standing angle is not approximately 90°, as described above, it can be said that the length of the perpendicular line dropped from the tip of the fluff 4B to the surface of the base fabric 4A is the height of the fluff 4B) is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 10 μm or more and 5000 μm or less (0.010 mm or more and 5,000 mm or less), preferably 15 μm or more and 1000 μm or less (0.015 mm or more and 1,000 mm or less), and more preferably 20 μm or more and 500 μm or less (0.020 mm or more and 0.500 mm or less). The fibers constituting the fluff 4B can be said to be the same in material, composition, fineness, etc. as those of the above-mentioned piled fabric 4, but they may be the same as or different from the material, composition, fineness, etc. of the above-mentioned base fabric 4A (for example, in a moquette fabric or double raschel knit fabric described below, the outer fabric, lining fabric, and connecting yarn may each be made of fibers of different materials).

[0043] The fluff 4B is not particularly limited as long as it is provided on the above-mentioned base fabric 4A, but may be, for example, a brushed fluff fiber provided (standing up) by brushing at least one of the front and back surfaces of the above-mentioned base fabric 4A (for example, if the base fabric 4A is a tricot knit fabric, at least one of the sinker loop surface and the needle loop surface). The raising of the base fabric 4A may be performed using, for example, card clothing having raising needles or an emery member such as sandpaper, or alternatively, needle punch needles, brush needles, or the like.

[0044] Alternatively, the fluffy fabric 4 may have fluff 4B on the surface of the base fabric 4A instead of being brushed as described above (i.e., it originally has fluff 4B without being brushed). The fluffy fabric 4 may be a fabric (knitted fabric) having loops such as a sinker loop circular knitted fabric in which loops have been cut. In this case, the cut loops are fluff 4B, and the fabric part supporting the base end of the cut loops is the base fabric 4A. Furthermore, instead of the above-mentioned raised fabric, the fluffy fabric 4 may be a moquette fabric in which the connecting yarns connecting the front and back fabrics are cut (center cut), or a double raschel knit fabric in which the connecting yarns connecting the front and back fabrics are cut. In this case, the cut connecting yarns are the fluff 4B, and the front and back fabrics supporting the base ends of the cut connecting yarns are the base fabric 4A.

[0045] <Backing resin 10> As shown in FIG. 1, the backing resin 10 is a resin that covers the rear surface 1b of the skin material 1 described above (particularly the rear surface of the fluffed fabric 4). That is, the backing resin 10 is attached to the back surface of the fluffy fabric 4 .

[0046] The material of the backing resin 10 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a thermoplastic resin, such as a polyacrylic resin (acrylic resin) mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a polyurethane (PU) resin, or a silicone resin, or other polyester resins such as polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) resin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), or polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), nylon (polyamide) resin, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), acetate resin, or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin (vinylon resin), which may be used alone or in combination. The amount of the backing resin 10 to be applied (adhered) is not particularly limited, but for example, it is 30 g / m 2 in dry weight. 2 More than 180g / m 2 Less than 40 g / m 2 More than 170g / m 2 More preferably 50 g / m or less 2 More than 160g / m 2 It may be the following.

[0047] <Backing layer 10'> As shown in FIG. 1, the backing layer 10' is a layer formed of a backing resin 10 that covers the rear surface 1b of the skin material 1 described above (particularly the rear surface of the fluffed fabric 4). Here again, the "surface" of the backing layer 10' can be said to be the surface close to the surface 1a that is exposed when the covering material 1 is used in a textile product such as a seat cover for covering a seat (chair) of an automobile, etc., and conversely, the "back surface" of the backing layer 10' can be said to be the surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the covering material 1 is used in a textile product such as a seat cover (in other words, the back surface 1b of the covering material 1 itself). The above-mentioned thin-walled portion 2 can also be said to be a portion recessed from the back surface side of the backing layer 10'. The thickness of the backing layer 10' is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 20 μm or more and 500 μm or less (0.02 mm or more and 0.50 mm or less), preferably 15 μm or more and 400 μm or less (0.015 mm or more and 0.400 mm or less), and more preferably 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less (0.01 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less). The method for producing the skin material 1 described above will now be explained in detail.

[0048] <Method of manufacturing skin material 1> As shown in FIG. 9, the above-described method for manufacturing the skin material 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "the manufacturing method") includes at least a thin-wall forming step S1, which will be described later. The manufacturing method may include a fabric forming step S0-1, a raising step S0-2, a cutting step S0-2', a backing step S0-3, and the like, which will be described later. In addition, in this manufacturing method, if it only has the thin-wall forming process S1, it is considered to be the first embodiment; if it has the fabric forming process S0-1, the raising process S0-2, and the thin-wall forming process S1, it is considered to be the second embodiment; if it has the fabric forming process S0-1, the cutting process S0-2', and the thin-wall forming process S1, it is considered to be the third embodiment; if it has the fabric forming process S0-1, the raising process S0-2, the backing process S0-3, and the thin-wall forming process S1, it is considered to be the fourth embodiment; and if it has the fabric forming process S0-1, the cutting process S0-2', the backing process S0-3, and the thin-wall forming process S1, it is considered to be the fifth embodiment.

[0049] <Thin wall forming process S1> As shown in FIG. 9, the thin-wall forming step S1 is a step of forming the thin-walled portion 2 recessed from the rear surface 1b side of the skin material 1 described above. In this thin-wall forming step S1, the thin-walled portions 2 are formed, but when viewed in plan from the surface 1a side of the skin material 1, the surface texture of the area where the thin-walled portions 2 exist (thin-walled portions 2') and the surface texture of the area where the thin-walled portions 2 do not exist (non-thin-walled portions 2") are made approximately uniform. The specific means for forming the thin-walled portion 2 is not particularly limited. The thin-walled portion 2 may be formed, for example, by irradiating a laser (laser beam) to melt a predetermined area of ​​the skin material 1 (i.e., a part of the thermoplastic fibers 1A) from the back surface 1b side to form the thin-walled portion 2, or by using a cutting tool to scrape off a part of the skin material 1 from the back surface 1b side. Regardless of the method used, the thin-walled portion 2 is formed and at least a small amount of molten material 3 is adhered to the back surface 2b of the thin-walled portion 2, etc. In particular, if the above-mentioned molten material 3 "straddling a plurality of thermoplastic fibers 1A" is adhered to the back surface 2b of the thin-walled portion 2, it can be said that the thin-walled portion 2 was formed by laser irradiation. Conversely, if the thin-walled portion 2 is formed by a method other than laser irradiation, it can be said that the above-mentioned molten material 3 straddling a plurality of thermoplastic fibers 1A is not formed.

[0050] When forming the thin-walled portion 2 by irradiating a laser (laser irradiation), the energy density (energy per unit area on the fabric) applied to the skin material 1, the laser output (wattage), the beam spot movement speed, the beam spot diameter, and other factors may be set to predetermined values, and the wavelength of the laser beam (wavelength of the emitted light) is not particularly limited, and may be an infrared laser (such as a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser), an ultraviolet (UV) laser, a visible light laser, an X-ray laser, or any other laser wavelength. In the present invention, the "beam spot diameter" refers to the diameter of a laser beam near the focal point (near a point that is the focal distance from the lens) when the laser beam is focused by a lens with a predetermined focal length. This near-focus area is an area with high energy density that is suitable for efficient melt processing. The values ​​of the laser to be irradiated are not particularly limited, but for example, the energy density is 0.20 J / cm 2 More than 1.00J / cm 2 Less than or equal to 0.30 J / cm 2 More than 0.80J / cm 2 or less, more preferably 0.35 J / cm 2 More than 0.70J / cm 2The laser output may be 10 W or more and 400 W or less, preferably 20 W or more and 350 W or less, and more preferably 30 W or more and 300 W or less. Furthermore, the laser to be irradiated may have a beam spot movement speed of 10 mm / sec or more and 100 mm / sec or less, preferably 15 mm / sec or more and 80 mm / sec or less, and more preferably 20 mm / sec or more and 60 mm / sec or less, and the beam spot diameter may be 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, preferably 0.2 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less, and more preferably 0.3 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. Furthermore, when forming the thin-walled portion 2 by irradiating a laser, it is possible to apply a melting inhibitor to the skin material 1 to prevent the thermoplastic fiber 1A from melting, without adjusting the laser output of the laser beam, and then irradiate the laser beam. The above-mentioned anti-fusing agent may be water, which vaporizes and evaporates when exposed to a laser beam and acts as a coolant by removing the heat of vaporization from the thermoplastic fiber 1A heated by the laser beam, or may contain a surfactant such as a fatty acid sodium salt or a water-soluble organic solvent such as methanol. When forming the thin-walled portion 2 by the laser irradiation described above, the location where the laser beam strikes the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 may be moved in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal direction (and in a direction substantially along the back surface 1b of the skin material 1) to form the thin-walled portion 2 having a predetermined shape in a plan view (such as the above-mentioned letters, numbers, symbols, or designs).

[0051] On the other hand, when the thin portion 2 is formed by a cutting tool, the cutting tool may be one or more needles (for example, card clothing having nap-raising needles, as described below) whose tips are pressed against the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 and finely vibrated in vertical, horizontal, diagonal, etc. directions (and also in directions roughly along the back surface 1b of the skin material 1), and a part of the skin material 1 (a part of the plurality of thermoplastic fibers 1A) that is in contact with the tips of the one or more needles may be torn off to form the thin portion 2. In this case, the part of the vibrating needle or needles that contacts the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 may be moved in vertical, horizontal, diagonal, etc. directions to form the thin portion 2 having a predetermined shape in a plan view. Alternatively, the cutting tool may be the tip (cutting edge) of a blade such as a knife or an emery member (described later) which may be pressed against the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 and vibrated finely in vertical, horizontal, diagonal, etc. directions to tear off a part of the skin material 1 that is in contact with the tip of the blade, thereby forming the thin-walled portion 2. In the thin-wall forming step S1 described above, "making the surface texture substantially uniform" means, as described above, that there is no difference in color, unevenness, presence or absence of fluff (the fluff 4B described above), feel, etc. between the surface 2a' side of the thin-walled portion 2' (the surface 1a side of the skin material 1) and the surface 2a" side of the non-thin-walled portion 2" (the surface 1a side of the skin material 1) at each of the portions 2', 2" and that there is no difference in color, unevenness, presence or absence of fluff (the fluff 4B described above), feel, etc. between the surface 2a' side of the thin-walled portion 2' and the surface 2a" side of the non-thin-walled portion 2" This means that even if the thin-walled portion 2 is formed by irradiating a laser or using a cutting tool, etc., so that the thin-walled portion 2 is indistinguishable visually and / or tactilely (touchably) from the surface 2a″ side of the skin material 1, the skin material 1 is recessed from the back surface 1b side only to the extent that the surface 1a side of the skin material 1 (the surface 2a of the thin-walled portion 2 and the surface 2a' of the thin-walled portion 2') is not affected (the thickness T' of the thin-walled portion 2' is not made too thin), and at least a part of the thin-walled portion 2 does not penetrate from the back surface 1b side of the skin material 1 to the surface 1a side.

[0052] <Fabric forming process S0-1> As shown in FIG. 9, the fabric forming step S0-1 is a step of forming the above-mentioned fuzzed fabric 4 before the above-mentioned thin-wall forming step S1. As mentioned above, the piled fabric 4 (the base fabric 4A as the skin material 1 after manufacture) may be a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, or a nonwoven fabric. When the piled fabric 4 is a woven fabric, the fabric formation step S0-1 can be said to be a woven fabric weaving step S0-1, when the piled fabric 4 is a knitted fabric, the fabric formation step S0-1 can be said to be a knitting step S0-1, and when the piled fabric 4 is a nonwoven fabric, the fabric formation step S0-1 can be said to be a nonwoven fabric formation step S0-1.

[0053] Here, in the case of the textile weaving process S0-1, the loom used in this process is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a dobby loom, a jacquard loom, a bull moquette loom, or a wire moquette loom. Of these looms, the number of reeds on the dobby loom is also not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 24 or 27.5 reeds. Furthermore, in the case of the knitting step S0-1, the knitting machine used in this step is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a warp knitting machine such as a tricot knitting machine or a double raschel knitting machine, or a weft knitting machine such as a circular knitting machine, and the gauge of these warp knitting machines and weft knitting machines is also not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 28 gauge (28G) or 26 gauge (26G), etc. Furthermore, the speed of the warp knitting machine in the knitting step S0-1 is also not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 1500 rpm or more. Furthermore, in the case of the nonwoven fabric formation step S0-1, the manufacturing equipment used in this step is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a needle punch machine that hooks fibers onto a reciprocating needle to entangle the fibers, a spunbond machine that layers and bonds long fibers (filaments) spun from a nozzle onto a moving screen, a thermal bond machine that forms heat-fusible fibers by heating, or an apparatus that bonds stitch-bonded nonwoven fabrics, etc., using a needle punch method or the like.

[0054] If the fluffy fabric 4 formed in such fabric formation step S0-1 does not have fluff 4B, the manufacturing method carries out a raising step S0-2, which will be described later, after the fabric formation step S0-1. Furthermore, if the fluffy fabric 4 formed in the fabric formation step S0-1 has fluff 4B provided on the surface of the base fabric 4A without being raised, such as the above-mentioned moquette fabric in which the outer and inner layers are connected by a connecting yarn, double raschel knit fabric in which the outer and inner layers are connected by a connecting yarn, or sinker loop circular knit fabric, the manufacturing method includes a cutting step S0-2' described below after the fabric formation step S0-1.

[0055] <Nursing process S0-2> As shown in FIG. 9, the raising step S0-2 is a step of raising the base fabric 4A of the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 4 when the fluffy fabric 4 formed in the fabric forming step S0-1 does not have fluff 4B. In the raising step S0-2, a clothed raising process using a clothed needle with raising needles (or a clothed roll if it is in roll form) may be used. In the case of clothed raising process, the raising state can be adjusted by changing the density, length, angle, and tip shape of the clothed needles, the rotation speed of the clothed needles during raising, the contact pressure with the base fabric 4A, and the number of contacts.

[0056] In the raising process S0-2, emery raising processing may be used, and the raising state can be adjusted by changing the WET or DRY (wet or dry state), the emery member (sandpaper, emery roll, etc.), the processing speed, the number of contacts between the emery member and the base fabric 4A, etc. In addition, in the raising step S0-2, the fiber fluff raised by raising may be cut, or a pile-matching process may be performed to adjust the pile length after raising.In addition, the base fabric 4A may be raised using a buffing machine, a needle punch needle in a needle punch machine, a brush needle, etc.

[0057] <Cutting process S0-2'> As shown in Figure 9, the cutting process S0-2' is a process for cutting (severing) the loops and connecting yarns in the fluffy fabric 4 formed in the fabric formation process S0-1 when the fluffy fabric 4 has connecting yarns in a moquette fabric that can become fuzz 4B, connecting yarns in a double raschel knitted fabric, or loops in a sinker loop circular knitted fabric. In the cutting step S0-2', when the loops in the sinker loop circular knitted fabric are cut, the loops may be sheared (shaved) by a shearing machine or the like to make them uniform in length.

[0058] Furthermore, in the cutting step S0-2', when cutting connecting yarns in moquette fabrics or double raschel knitted fabrics, the connecting yarns may be center-cut midway (for example, approximately halfway) between the front and back fabrics using a shearing machine or the like, so that the front fabric forms a base fabric 4A and one of the center-cut connecting yarns forms fluff 4B, and the back fabric forms another base fabric 4A and the other center-cut connecting yarn forms fluff 4B. The above-described cutting of loops and connecting yarns and the formation of the above-described fluffed fabric 4 may be carried out in one step, in which case the step can also be called a fabric forming and cutting step.

[0059] <Backing process S0-3> As shown in FIG. 9, the backing step S0-3 is a step of applying a backing resin 10 to the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 (the back surface of the furry fabric 4). The backing step S0-3 is also not particularly limited, and for example, the backing resin 10 may be applied (adhered) in an emulsion state to the back surface of the fluffy fabric 4. Here, in the backing step S0-3, a solvent such as an organic solvent may or may not be used as the solvent for the emulsion.

[0060] The specific means of application is not particularly limited, but in addition to application with a brush or the like or spray application, methods such as the comma direct method, the gravure direct method, the gravure reverse method, the reverse roll coating method, the air knife coating method, and the kiss coating method may be used, and other methods such as a thin film coater, a roll printing machine, an inkjet printing machine, and rotor dampening may also be used. Furthermore, when the backing resin 10 is applied in an emulsion state, the solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is not an organic solvent or the like, but water or the like may also be used. In this case, the backing resin 10 to be applied will be an aqueous polyacrylic resin emulsion or an aqueous polyurethane resin emulsion using water as the solvent.

[0061] Furthermore, since the backing process S0-3 can be performed immediately after the fabric formation process S0-1 (i.e., before the raising process S0-2 or the cutting process S0-2') if the back surface of the piled fabric 4 exists, it can be said that this is an embodiment different from the first to fifth embodiments described above. [Example]

[0062] Hereinafter, examples 1 to 5 of the skin material 1 according to the present invention will be described.

[0063] Example 1 As shown in FIG. 4, in the skin material 1 of Example 1, the piled fabric 4 is a raised tricot knitted fabric (i.e., the base fabric 4A is a knitted fabric), and is provided with a backing layer 10' made of a backing resin 10 of polyurethane resin. In Example 1, in the thin-wall forming step S1, a laser is irradiated to melt a part of the skin material 1 to form the thin-walled portion 2, and a molten material 3 (molten mass 3A, molten surface 3B, etc.) spanning multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A is attached to at least the back surface 2b side of the thin-walled portion 2. The skin material 1 of Example 1 is light in color overall, * The value is 71, the thickness is about 1.00 mm, and the weight is about 516 g / m 2 (The basis weight excluding the backing layer 10' described later is about 456 g / m 2 ) and the thin-walled portion 2 has a shape of the Chinese character "Hikari" when viewed from above. Here, in the fabric formation (knitting) step S0-1, the tricot knit fabric that becomes the fluffy fabric 4 in Example 1 is produced by repeatedly operating the first reed of a 28-gauge, three-reed warp knitting machine in the order 1-0 / 1-2 to knit a polyester multifilament yarn (total fineness 84 dtex, single fiber fineness approximately 7.00 dtex), repeatedly operating the second reed in the order 1-0 / 3-4 to knit a polyester multifilament yarn (total fineness 33 dtex, single fiber fineness approximately 2.75 dtex), and repeatedly operating the third reed in the order 1-0 / 3-4 to knit a polyester multifilament yarn (a combination of a yarn with a total fineness of 80 dtex, single fiber fineness approximately 0.185 dtex, and a yarn with a total fineness of 30 dtex, single fiber fineness approximately 2.50 dtex). The tricot knit fabric that becomes the piled fabric 4 in Example 1 has a wale density (warp density) of about 25 wales / inch and a course density (weft density) of about 80 courses / inch on the machine. In Example 1, after the fabric formation process S0-1, the sinker loop surface of the tricot knit fabric is raised in the raising process S0-2 to form a fluffy fabric 4 with fluff 4B provided on the base fabric 4A, and a backing layer 10' is formed in the backing process S0-3.

[0064] <Example 2> As shown in FIG. 5, the skin material 1 of Example 1 was changed to a black overall color, and the L * The value was changed to 20, the backing layer 10' was not formed, and the basis weight was about 456 g / m 2 In this way, a skin material 1 of Example 2 was obtained.

[0065] Example 3 As shown in FIG. 6, the skin material 1 of Example 3 was obtained by changing the planar shape of the thin-walled portion 2 of the skin material 1 of Example 1 to the shape of the English letters "TBKawashima."

[0066] Example 4 As shown in FIG. 7, the skin material 1 of Example 1 is light blue overall, and the L *The value was set to 72, and the shape of the thin-walled portion 2 in plan view was changed to the shape of the English letters "TBKawashima," thereby obtaining a skin material 1 of Example 4.

[0067] <Example 5> As shown in FIG. 8, the skin material 1 of Example 1 was changed to brown overall, and the L * The value was set to 35, the thickness to about 1.50 mm, and the planar shape of the thin portion 2 was changed to the shape of the English letters "TB Kawashima." In addition, the piled fabric 4 in Example 5 was made into a circular knit fabric (circular knit or jersey) instead of a tricot knit fabric, and in the fabric formation (knitting) step S0-1, the surface yarn in the circular knitting machine was made into a polyester multifilament yarn (total fineness 84 dtex, single fiber fineness about 1.20 dtex) with a gauge of 26, and the binding yarn was The polyester multifilament yarn (total fineness 110 dtex, single fiber fineness approximately 4.58 dtex) and the backing yarn (total fineness 84 dtex, single fiber fineness approximately 2.30 dtex) were fed and knitted together, and the wale density (warp density) was approximately 32 wales (pieces) / inch and the course density (weft density) was approximately 73 courses (pieces) / inch on the machine. The backing layer 10' was not formed, and the basis weight was approximately 122 g / m 2 In this way, a skin material 1 of Example 5 was obtained.

[0068] <Other> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the individual components of the skin material 1, the manufacturing method of the skin material 1, and the overall structure, shape, dimensions, etc. can be modified as appropriate in accordance with the spirit of the present invention. The skin material 1 may contain non-thermoplastic fibers (such as thermosetting fibers, glass fibers, wool, silk, rayon fibers, cupra fibers, etc.) in addition to the thermoplastic fibers 1A.

[0069] On the back surface 2b side of the thin-walled portion 2, the molten material 3 that spans multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A does not have to be attached; in more detail, on the back surface 2b side, the molten material 3 that does not span multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A may be attached, or the molten material 3 itself may not be attached. The same applies to the inner surface 2c of the thin-walled portion 2, and the molten material 3 that spans multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A on the inner surface 2c side does not have to be attached.In more detail, even on the inner surface 2c side, the molten material 3 that does not span multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A may be attached, or the molten material 3 itself may not be attached. L on the surface 1a side of the skin material 1 * The value can be less than 20 or greater than 95 (up to 100). The thickness T' of the area where the thin portion 2 exists (thin portion 2') may be less than 0.1 mm (e.g., 0.05 mm) or greater than 1.5 mm. The thickness T" of the area where the thin portion 2 does not exist (non-thin portion 2") may be less than 0.5 mm (e.g., 0.4 mm or 0.3 mm) or greater than 3.0 mm. The difference ΔT between the thickness T' of the thin portion 2' and the thickness T" of the non-thin portion 2" may be less than 0.4 mm (e.g., 0.3 mm or 0.2 mm) or greater than 2.9 mm. The planar area of ​​each thin-walled portion 2 is 10 mm 2 Less than (9mm 2 Or, 8mm 2 , 5mm 2 etc.) or 5000mm 2 It could be bigger. In the thin portion 2, a gap (such as a hole) may be formed that is visible only when the light emitting device arranged on the back surface 1b side of the skin material 1 is emitting light (see Figures 5(a) and 8(a)). The color of the back surface 2b side and the inner peripheral surface 2c side of the thin-walled portion 2 is approximately the same as the color of the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 (L according to JIS-Z-8781-4:2013). * a * b * a in color system * value, b * Value, L * The values ​​may be substantially the same, but the color (a) may be different from the color of the back surface 1b of the skin material 1. * value, b * Value, L * It does not matter if the values ​​are different (see (c) in Figures 4, 6 to 8), and the different colors can be said to be due to the molten material 3 adhering to the back surface 2b side or inner surface 2c side of the thin-walled portion 2.

[0070] On the back surface 2b or inner surface 2c of the thin-walled portion 2, at least one molten material 3 may be attached (present) across multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A, or there may be a mixture of molten material 3 that spans multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A and molten material 3 that does not span multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A (i.e., attached only to one thermoplastic fiber 1A). The molten material 3 may be present in the form of one or more molten masses 3A spanning multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A on the back surface 2b or inner surface 2c of the thin-walled portion 2, or in the form of one or more molten surface bodies 3B spanning multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A, or may be present in the form of a mixture of one or more molten masses 3A spanning multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A and molten surface bodies 3B. Furthermore, as long as a portion of the molten surface body 3B is attached to the back surface 2b or inner surface 2c of the thin-walled portion 2, the other portion may be floating from the back surface 2b or inner surface 2c (or may be separated from the back surface 2b or inner surface 2c). It is acceptable that the molten material 3 is not attached to the back surface 2b or inner peripheral surface 2c of the thin-walled portion 2, and that the end faces (cross sections) of the thermoplastic fibers 1A are exposed in some places.

[0071] In addition to the above, the piled fabric 4 may be made by tufting pile yarns made of fluff 4B onto a base fabric 4A made of a predetermined fiber, and then cutting the pile yarns. When the fluffy fabric 4 is a raised circular knitted fabric, the circular knitted fabric is roughly tubular with or without a bottom, but when it is raised and used as the fluffy fabric 4, the tubular part may be separated and used in a roughly sheet form. A resin fiber layer may be formed by the fluff 4B of the fluffy fabric 4 and the resin applied to the fluff 4B (not shown), or it is also possible that no resin fiber layer is formed (no resin is applied). The skin material 1 does not have to include the fluffed fabric 4 (in other words, it may include only a base fabric without fluff), and in this case the base fabric may have the same configuration as the above-mentioned base fabric 4A. The skin material 1 may be such that the backing resin 10 does not cover the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 (particularly the back surface of the piled fabric 4) or does not have a backing layer 10', or the backing resin 10 may cover at least a part of the back surface 1b of the skin material 1.

[0072] If desired, the skin material 1 may contain any extender pigments or fillers (filling materials) such as titanium oxide or calcium carbonate, or may be made of a material to which deodorants, antibacterial agents, antifungal agents, flame retardants, water repellents, antifouling agents, colorants, fragrances, foaming agents, etc. have been added. The skin material 1 may have any color tone, such as black, brown, blue, white, red, orange, yellow, green, or purple, and may have any saturation value.The skin material 1 may have any pattern, such as a solid color, a plant pattern such as a flower or plant pattern, an animal pattern, a geometric pattern, or a pattern with a concave or convex surface. The light-emitting device (not shown), which may be placed on the back surface 1b side of the skin material 1, may have any configuration as long as it emits (lights up) light, but for example, it may emit (light up) light to display information such as letters or patterns. The light-emitting device may be, for example, a liquid crystal display device (a device that irradiates a backlight from behind a liquid crystal screen and transmits light to display information such as letters and patterns on the screen), a display device (a device that provides a light-shielding layer by printing a pattern on the surface of a light guide plate, and the light-emitting layer partially blocks light emitted from the light guide plate to display a light-emitting pattern), an LED display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or a plasma display.In addition, a light source (such as a light bulb or fluorescent lamp) placed on the back surface 1b of the skin material 1 and observed from a planar view direction on the front surface 1a side may also be included in the light-emitting device.

[0073] The method for manufacturing the skin material 1 may include other steps (e.g., a resin application step in which resin is applied to the fluff 4B of the fluffy fabric 4 to form a resin fiber layer) in addition to the thin-wall forming step S1, fabric forming step S0-1, nap raising step S0-2, cutting step S0-2', and backing step S0-3 described above, as well as the fabric forming and cutting steps. In the thin-wall forming step S1, when the means for forming the thin-walled portion 2 is laser irradiation, the laser beam may be irradiated without adding a melting inhibitor to the skin material 1. In addition, as long as light can be transmitted through the areas where the thin-walled portion 2 exists (thin-walled portion 2') and light cannot be transmitted through the areas where the thin-walled portion 2 does not exist (non-thin-walled portion 2"), the means for forming the thin-walled portion 2 in the thin-wall forming step S1 is not particularly limited, and in addition to melting by laser irradiation or cutting by a cutting tool as described above, the thin-walled portion 2 may be formed by embossing with an embossing member (for example, by pressing a part of a bulky nonwoven fabric or cotton by embossing), and in this case, the thin-walled portion 2 The molten material 3 may be attached to the back surface 2b or the inner peripheral surface 2c, but the molten material 3 may not span multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A (even when each thermoplastic fiber 1A is pressed by the embossing member to become the molten material 3, it can be said that the thermoplastic fibers 1A are melted while maintaining their relative positions, and therefore it can be said that the molten material does not span multiple thermoplastic fibers 1A). Basically, it can be said that embossing is excluded from the means for forming the thin-walled portion 2 in the thin-walled forming step S1. In addition, the skin material 1 may be subjected to a post-processing step (dipping treatment) using a synthetic resin such as polyurethane (PU) resin and / or silicon (Si) resin at a predetermined step (timing), for example, between the raising step S0-2 and the thin-wall forming step S1, or between the cutting step S0-2' and the thin-wall forming step S1. [Industrial Applicability]

[0074] The skin material according to the present invention and the skin material produced by the method for producing a skin material according to the present invention can cover interior materials (interior wall materials, ceiling materials, floor materials, etc.) and seats in the interiors (cabins) of vehicles such as automobiles (passenger cars), railway cars, aircraft, ships, etc., and in the case of automobiles in particular, can be used to cover interior materials (interior wall materials, ceiling materials, floor materials) such as instrument panels, control panels, console boxes, ornaments (door trim), dashboards, glove boxes, etc., as well as car seats (chairs), steering wheel covers, etc. In addition, the skin material according to the present invention and the skin material produced by the method for producing a skin material according to the present invention can be used not only for the interior of the above-mentioned automobiles and other vehicles, but also for covering interior materials such as wall materials, ceiling materials, and flooring materials inside buildings such as houses and offices, furniture such as chairs and beds, lighting fixtures, and the like. Furthermore, they may also be used for industrial material applications, and for daily necessities such as shoes and clothing. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1 Skin material 2 Thin-walled section 3. Melt T' Thickness of the thin-walled area (thin-walled area) T” Thickness of the area where there is no thin-walled part (non-thin-walled area) ΔT: Difference in thickness between the thin-walled part and the non-thin-walled part S1 Thin wall forming process

Claims

1. A skin material containing thermoplastic fibers, a thin-walled portion recessed from the rear surface side of the skin material; A skin material characterized in that, in a plan view from the surface side of the skin material, the surface texture of a portion where the thin-walled portion exists and the surface texture of a portion where the thin-walled portion does not exist are substantially uniform.

2. 2. The skin material according to claim 1, wherein a molten material is attached to the back surface of the thin-walled portion, the molten material extending across a plurality of the thermoplastic fibers.

3. The surface side of the skin material is L according to JIS-Z-8781-4:2013 ＊ a ＊ b ＊ L in color system ＊ 2. The skin material according to claim 1, wherein the value is 20 or more.

4. The thickness of the portion where the thin-walled portion exists is 0.1 mm or more and 1.5 mm or less, The thickness of the portion where the thin-walled portion does not exist is 0.5 mm or more and 3.0 mm or less, 2. The skin material according to claim 1, wherein the difference in thickness between the area where the thin-walled portion exists and the area where the thin-walled portion does not exist is 0.4 mm or more and 2.9 mm or less.

5. the skin material has a plurality of the thin-walled portions, The planar area of ​​each of the thin-walled portions is 10 mm ２ Over 5000mm ２ 2. The skin material according to claim 1, wherein:

6. A method for manufacturing a skin material containing thermoplastic fibers, comprising: a thin-wall forming step of forming a recessed thin-wall portion from the back surface side of the skin material, In the thin-wall forming step, the thin-walled portion is formed, but the surface texture of the portion where the thin-walled portion exists and the surface texture of the portion where the thin-walled portion does not exist are made substantially uniform in a plan view from the surface side of the skin material.

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