Grain-Finished Artificial Leather Base Material Composition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional grain-finished artificial leathers lack a combination of fine fold creases, suppleness, surface smoothness, and fullness similar to natural grain-finished leathers, while also facing challenges with heat resistance and water resistance.

Innovation Solution

A grain-finished artificial leather with a fiber-entangled body containing ultrafine fibers and a balanced content ratio of elastic polymer and fine particles, along with a specific method of forming a thin grain layer using direct coating, to achieve the desired formability and texture.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a thick grain layer is formed to increase heat resistance and water resistance, then heat resistance and water resistance are improved, but suppleness is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat resistance and water resistanceVSAvoidsuppleness
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the artificial leather base material by controlling the fiber diameter (0.01-10 μm), fiber arrangement (random orientation), and composition ratios (polyester 30-70 wt%, polyolefin 10-50 wt%, elastomer 5-30 wt%) to achieve optimal balance between heat resistance, water resistance, and suppleness without requiring a thick grain layer

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a composite material system combining multiple polymers (polyester, polyolefin, elastomer) in the base material, and applies a composite grain layer containing resin and inorganic filler particles, creating a multi-layer composite structure that simultaneously provides heat resistance, water resistance, and maintained suppleness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Shape

If the content ratio of elastic polymer is increased to decrease voids, then fullness is improved, but texture becomes rubber-like and rigid

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovefullnessVSAvoidtexture flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ShapeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the content ratio of elastic polymer to total polymer at 5-30 wt%, and controls the fiber diameter to 0.01-10 μm with random orientation, achieving a balance between fullness and texture flexibility that prevents rubber-like rigidity while maintaining desired shape characteristics

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates local quality variations by incorporating elastomer components specifically to provide flexibility in certain regions, while maintaining overall fullness through controlled void distribution and fiber arrangement, ensuring different parts of the material have appropriate local properties

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3633100B1Grain-finished artificial leather and method for producing grain-finished artificial leather
Publication Date: 2024.12.25 KURARAY CO LTD

AI summary

Disclosed is a grain-finished artificial leather including an artificial leather base material, and a grain layer stacked on the artificial leather base material. The artificial leather base material includes a fiber-entangled body including ultrafine fibers having an average fineness of 0.4 dtex or less, an elastic polymer, and fine particles having an average particle size of 10 µm or less. The content ratio of the fine particles is 10 to 40 mass%, and the ratio of the elastic polymer to the total amount of the elastic polymer and the fine particles is 20 to 80 mass%. Also, a total of an apparent density of the elastic polymer and an apparent density of the fine particles is 0.23 to 0.55 g/cm3.