Method for providing a covering material for covering an object, and the covering material

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for providing a covering material (1) which is used to cover an object and is deformed during the covering of the object in such a way that a top side (13) of a surface material (10) of the covering material (1) is exposed to a compressive stress in a bending risk region (2), wherein the method comprises: a) producing the surface material (10); b) transferring the surface material (10) into a deformed state, in which the top side (13) of the surface material (10) is subjected to pressure in the bending risk region (10); c) applying a curable plastic in flowable form to a rear side (14) of the surface material in order to form a rear-side fixing layer (30); d) curing the plastic; and e) undoing the deformed state of the surface material (10) after the plastic has cured. The invention also relates to a covering material (1).

Description

[0001] “Method for providing a covering material for covering an object and the covering material”

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a method for providing a covering material used to cover an object. Furthermore, the invention relates to a covering material as such.

[0004] After the object has been covered, for example, in the form of a car seat, the upholstery fabric is often subject to certain tensions. If the upholstery fabric extends over a convex part of the car seat, tensile stress in the area of ​​the upholstery fabric above the convex part of the contour ensures that a surface material of the upholstery fabric adheres tightly to the contour. In a concave area, for example, between a seat surface and a seat border, it is common practice to provide a seam at the transition edge between the border and the seat surface so that the upholstery fabric is firmly bonded to the car seat and fits snugly against both the seat surface and the border.

[0005] In addition, there may be concave or inwardly curved areas on the car seat where a seam or similar fixation of the cover material to the car seat is disadvantageous for aesthetic or other reasons. If the cover material is to follow the concave area of ​​the car seat, the cover material must be deformed accordingly, whereby one upper side of the surface material is compressed and subjected to compressive stress. If the compressive stress is too great or the radius of the concave area is too small, the surface material can buckle at that point. This creates creases, which, in addition to being aesthetically detrimental, can also damage the surface material. Such an area, in which the surface material is at risk of buckling if the radius of curvature is too small, is also referred to here as a buckling risk area.

[0006] By selecting the appropriate surface material, the risk of buckling can be reduced. However, this reduces the number of available surface materials / covering materials for an object to be covered. The design or shape of the object can also be used to reduce the risk of buckling of the cover material by avoiding small curvature radii or by using the seam described above. However, this limits the design and / or aesthetics of the object to be covered.

[0007] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a simple method for providing a covering material for covering an object, wherein the covering material does not buckle when covering the object, even with complex contours. The object underlying the invention is achieved with the subject matter according to claim 1. Exemplary embodiments can be found in the dependent claims to claim 1.

[0008] According to the invention, after its manufacture, the surface material is transformed from an unloaded and stress-free original state into a deformed state in which the upper side of the surface material is subjected to compressive stress in the area at risk of buckling. In the deformed state, stresses thus arise in the surface material. However, the resulting compressive stresses are not so great that they lead to undesirable buckling of the surface material.

[0009] A curable plastic is applied in flowable form to the back of the surface material while the surface material is in its deformed state. This application creates a fixing layer on the back of the surface material. The plastic or fixing layer then hardens, and the surface material remains fixed in its deformed state during the curing process. Once the plastic has hardened, the deformed state of the surface material is released, and the elastic restoring forces cause the surface material to spring back towards its previously unstressed original state. However, when it springs back, the surface material no longer returns to its original unstressed state. This is because, although the tension in the surface material decreases during springback, a certain amount of tension builds up in the fixing layer at the same time.Ultimately, the cover material, i.e. the composite of the surface material and the applied plastic fixing layer, takes on a deformed shape compared to its original state, in which the tension in the surface material and the tension in the fixing layer are in equilibrium.

[0010] It has been found that the upholstery fabric produced in this way can be deformed far beyond the deformed state it assumed when the fixing layer was applied, without causing one or more undesirable creases in the area at risk of creases. The upholstery fabric produced by the method according to the invention can be deformed significantly further than a comparable surface material that has not been coated with the fixing layer. This increases the number of possible surface materials for upholstering the object and / or the freedom in designing the object.

[0011] In a comparative test, a surface material without a fixing layer applied to the back is successively deformed to a degree at which creases form on the upper side of the surface material, which faces radially inwards. Up to a radius of curvature of 5.8 cm, no creases form. With further deformation, i.e. with a further reduction in the radius of curvature, the surface material buckles. With the same surface material, but now coated on the back with the plastic according to the inventive process, the cover material can be deformed well beyond the radius of curvature of 5.8 cm. Only at a radius of curvature of 2.3 cm do creases form on the inward-facing upper side of the surface material. This condition, in which creases first appear during successive deformation, is briefly referred to below as "kinking deformation".This comparison shows that the tendency of the surface material to buckle can be significantly reduced by coating the back of the surface material with the method according to the invention.

[0012] Without being bound by this theory, it is assumed that the fixation layer serves a supporting function for the surface material. This support counteracts the risk of buckling. Since the surface material is already prestressed toward buckling deformation when the fixation layer is applied according to the method of the invention, while the fixation layer is applied stress-free, the fixation layer is generally less deformed at the point of buckling deformation than the surface material and can therefore act as a resistance to buckling of the surface material.

[0013] The plastic can be sprayed or poured onto the back of the surface material. The weight of the fixing layer can range from 20 to 700 g / m 2 In one embodiment, the basis weight is 45 to 250 g / m 2 , preferably 70 to 150 g / m 2 .

[0014] The plastic can be applied to the back of the surface material over its entire surface. In one embodiment, the plastic is applied to the back of the surface material only in the area at risk of buckling, i.e., where the cover material is most subject to deformation and where buckling is most likely to occur.

[0015] The plastic of the backing layer can cure physically. Physical curing is based on the evaporation of a solvent, which can be an organic solvent, an inorganic solvent, or even water. Alternatively or additionally, the plastic can also cure chemically. An example of chemical curing is the reaction of two or more plastic components, which can be mixed together shortly before application to the back of the surface material.

[0016] The choice of a suitable plastic for the fixing layer depends on many factors, such as the required temperature stability of the cover material, wash and water resistance, transparency, etc. In one embodiment, the plastic of the rear fixing layer comprises polyurethane. The plastic can be a mixture of polyurethane and another plastic component. To prepare the polyurethane, a polyol component and an isocyanate component can be combined in an application nozzle immediately before spraying onto the back of the surface material and then mixed in the application nozzle.

[0017] The surface material may comprise a first layer, which may be a textile fabric and / or made of leather, plastic, or synthetic leather. The surface material may comprise a second layer, which is preferably made of a (plastic) foam.

[0018] A reinforcement layer can be applied to the back of the surface material. The reinforcement layer can comprise a plurality of fibers or threads forming a braid, knit, nonwoven, warp, or scrim. The reinforcement layer can be provided only within the area at risk of buckling. In one embodiment, the reinforcement layer is first applied to the back of the surface material, and then the plastic is applied to the back.

[0019] To convert the surface material into the deformed state, a molded body can be used against which the surface material rests, so that the surface material follows a contour of the molded body. For example, the molded body can be a half-cylinder, onto whose outer surface the surface material is placed. The upper side of the surface material is directed toward the outer surface, while the underside of the surface material faces radially outward. Fastening means can be provided to attach or fix the surface material to the molded body. The fastening means can comprise clamps or weights.

[0020] A further object of the invention, the provision of a covering material for covering an object, is achieved by claim 11. The covering material according to the invention comprises the above-described surface material with a top side and back side as well as the fixing layer made of plastic, wherein in an unloaded resting state of the covering material, the surface material and the fixing layer are each in a prestressed state. This unloaded resting state occurs, for example, when, after the plastic has been applied and cured to form the fixing layer, the fastening means which hold the covering material to the molded body are released and the covering material is separated from the molded body. With regard to the possible embodiments of the covering material, reference is made to the above statements in the context of the description of the method according to the invention.

[0021] The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. Figure 1 shows several method steps of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention;

[0022] Figure 2 shows a cover material according to the invention in the deformed state; and

[0023] Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of the cover material according to the invention.

[0024] Figure 1 shows several method steps of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention. Figure 1A shows a surface material 10 with a first layer 11 and a second layer 12. The first layer 11 can be a textile fabric and forms a top side 13 of the surface material 10. The second layer 12 is a foam layer and forms a back side 14 of the surface material 10. In the method step according to Figure 1A, the surface material 10 is in the form of a rectangular, flat sheet, with the first layer 11 and the second layer 12 being essentially stress-free. Here, the surface material 10 is in its original, unstressed state.

[0025] The rectangular sheet of Figure 1A is placed on a molded body 20 and fixed to the molded body 20 in such a way that the surface material 10 takes on the contour of the molded body 20. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the molded body 20 is a half-cylinder with a radius Rz (see Figure 1B). The radius Rz can, for example, be in a range between 5 and 20 cm. The upper side 13 of the surface material 10 rests on the outer surface of the half-cylinder 20. The rear side 14 of the surface material 10 points radially outwards. Fastening or holding means that hold the surface material 10 in the curved shape are not shown in Figure 1. The fastening or holding means counteract elastic restoring forces of the surface material 10.

[0026] In the deformed state of the surface material 10, a fixing layer 30 made of plastic, preferably polyurethane, is applied to its backside 14. The plastic is sprayed or poured on in liquid form and then hardens. In contrast to the surface material 10, the fixing layer 30 in Figure 1C is not under tension because the shape of the fixing layer 30 does not change during its formation by the application of the flowable plastic and the hardening process. The surface material 10 and the fixing layer 30 form a covering material, which is designated by 1. The covering material 1 is used to cover an object such as a car seat.

[0027] After the fixing layer 30 has cured, the surface material 10 or the covering material 1 is separated from the molded body 20. Due to the restoring forces in the surface material 10, the covering material 1 assumes a shape (see Figure 1D) that is less curved than when fixed to the molded body / half-cylinder 20 (see Figure 1C). As the surface material 10 springs back toward its original, unstressed state (see Figure 1A), the fixing layer 30 is also subjected to tension. The remaining tension in the surface material 10 and the resulting tension in the fixing layer 30 are in equilibrium. The covering material 1 is now in an unstressed, resting state, although its individual layers are under tension.

[0028] Figure 2 shows the cover material 1 in a highly bent state. The deformation exceeds the deformation that existed for the surface material 10 when it was attached to the molded body 20. The upper side 13 of the surface material 10 is exposed to greater compressive stresses in a buckling risk area 2, indicated by a dot-dash line, which can cause the upper side 13 to buckle. The result of this buckling is creases, which are undesirable for aesthetic reasons and can also permanently damage the upper side 13.

[0029] Starting from the resting state shown in Figure 1D, the cover material 1 can be deformed step by step in the direction of the deformation according to Figure 2. At each step, it is checked whether creases form. The deformation is gradually increased until creases form on the upper side 13. A corresponding radius of curvature RK is noted for this point. The smaller the radius of curvature RK at which creases first form, the more flexibly the cover material 1 can be used for complexly designed objects. A comparison between a surface material 10 with a fixing layer applied according to the invention and the same surface material 10 without a fixing layer has shown that by applying the fixing layer 30, the cover material 1 can be deformed significantly more than the untreated surface material 10, without creases occurring.

[0030] Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of the covering material 1. The covering material 1 is shown here in a state in which it is still fixed to the molded body 20. Only in the area at risk of buckling 2 (see Figure 2) is the fixing layer 30 applied to the back 14 of the surface material 10. Furthermore, a reinforcing layer 40 is provided between the second layer 12 of the surface material 10 and the fixing layer 30. The reinforcing layer 40 is located in a central section of the area at risk of buckling 2. List of reference symbols

[0031] 1 cover fabric

[0032] 2 Risk of buckling

[0033] 10 Surface material

[0034] 11 first layer

[0035] 12 second layer

[0036] 13 Top

[0037] 14 Back

[0038] 20 molded bodies / half cylinders

[0039] 30 Fixation layer

[0040] 40 reinforcement layer

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method for providing a covering material (1) which is used to cover an object and is deformed during the covering of the object such that an upper side (13) of a surface material (10) of the covering material (1) is subjected to compressive stress in a region (2) at risk of buckling, the method comprising: a. producing the surface material (10); b. converting the surface material (10) into a deformed state in which the upper side (13) of the surface material (10) is subjected to compressive stress in the region (2) at risk of buckling, c. applying a curable plastic in flowable form to a rear side (14) of the surface material to form a rear-side fixing layer (30); d. curing the plastic; and e. dissolving the deformed state of the surface material (10) after the plastic has cured.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the plastic is sprayed or poured onto the back (14) of the surface material (10).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plastic of the rear fixing layer (30) has a basis weight of 20 to 700 g / m 2 , 45 to 250 g / m 2 or 70 to 150 g / m 2 is applied.

4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the plastic is applied to the back (14) of the surface material (10) only in the area at risk of buckling (2) 5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the plastic of the rear fixing layer (30) hardens physically and / or chemically.

6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the plastic of the rear fixing layer (30) is polyurethane.

7. Method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the surface material (10) has a first layer (11) which is a textile fabric and / or is made of leather, plastic or artificial leather.

8. Method according to one of claims 7, characterized in that the surface material (10) has a second layer (12) made of a foam.

9. Method according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a reinforcing layer (40) is applied to the back (14) of the surface material (10).

10. Method according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that for transferring the surface material (10) into the deformed state, a shaped body (20) is used, against which the surface material (10) rests, so that the surface material (10) follows a contour of the shaped body (20).

11. Covering material (1) for covering an object, comprising a surface material (10) with a top side (10) and a back side (14) and a fixing layer (30) made of plastic, wherein in an unloaded resting state of the covering material (1), the surface material (10) and the fixing layer (30) are each in a pre-tensioned state.

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