Cut-pile carpet and method for making same

Abstract

 This invention concerns a cut-pile carpet, comprising pile bits and a backing part, said backing part comprising a primary backing and a secondary backing, characterised in that the pile bits are J shaped, having a lying foot-end and a standing head-end, and are fixed to the backing part with said foot-end in the space between the primary and the secondary backing and said head-end protruding through perforations in said primary backing, as well as a method for making same.

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] This invention concerns a one-sided or two-sided cut-pile carpet, preferably multicoloured and/or patterned, with the pile bits fixed between a primary and a secondary backing. This invention further concerns a continuous method to produce and finish in one operation-process such a typical cut-pile carpet.

State of the art

[0002] Pile carpets are characterised by standing pile threads which are bound on a backing either mechanically or by means of adhesives. The most widely used methods for this are tufting and weaving (Wilton, Axminster and double-piece weaving). Less known techniques are fusion bonding and surface welding of continuous yarns on a substrate.

[0003] When tufting, the pile loops are formed by way of a "needle-hook" system. A looper (a hook) holds the yarn when the needle, which punched the yarn through a woven or non-woven backing, is pulled back. The loops formed this way can be cut with a knife. This way, a "loop-pile" carpet or a "cut pile"-carpet is created. To avoid that the pile yarns can easily be pulled out, the tufted pile yarns are bonded through an additional treatment after tufting to the backside of the primary backing with an adhesive. An additional secondary backing is afterwards applied to increase the comfort of the tufted carpet. This secondary backing can be an in situ formed foam layer (gel or non gel foam), a thicker needle felt or a more rigid fabric (jute or synthetic) that is adhered to the tufted carpet with an adhesive layer (a foamed or unfoamed polymer dispersion or a hotmelt).

[0004] An alternative method for the fixation of the secondary backing to the "pre-tufted" carpet is described in US 5604009. The fixation of the secondary backing to the pre-tufted carpet is done by needle punching and thermal after-treatment. This non-wet fixation method of a classical tufted carpet is not widely used because (a) the fixation method needs two additional operations after tufting (needle punching and a thermal treatment in a pin type tenter frame.) and (b) the needle-punching technique is a very delicate method with a real risk for damage of the pile face and a deformation risk for the total carpet. With this method, where the pile yarn is not protected during needle punching, the needle penetration depth is always very limited. When thin and woven backings are used, this fixation technique does not give sufficient adherence and body to the finished carpet.

[0005] Various proposals have been made for producing tufted carpets in a less expensive way. US 3565710 and NL 7307382 describe such alternative "tufting-techniques". Both techniques use a rotatable drum with pile tubes which are loaded during the tufting-process with continuous yarn. The primary backing is mechanically perforated before tufting. The "loop"-formation of the continuous yarn in the drum is not done by the classic "needle-looper"-system but realised by proper mechanical means. The so-formed yarn-loops are laminated in the same process with a secondary backing. The formed yarn-loops can also be cut to become cut-pile carpets. The mechanical means used for the yarn-guiding, feeding, looping and cutting in the drum are complicated and limits the production speed of the tufting machine. The speed advantage of the continuous rotation-movement of a drum is significantly reduced by the up- and down movements of the mechanical means. This technique gives no specific added value compared to classic tufting. Because this tufting method uses also continuous yarn it is not possible to obtain a patterned carpet.

[0006] To obtain specifically patterned tufted carpets many tufting techniques have been developed by the builders of tufting machines. Mostly, all the tufting machines with patterning-possibilities use the classical needle-looper-technique. The (moveable) needles are always fed with continuous yarns. Because the continuous yarns are never interrupted on the backside of the carpet there is always a very big consumption of pile yarn to obtain the pattern. The movements of the non-working yarns on the backside of the carpet limits also in a significant way the production speed of the tufting machine.

[0007] The axminster technique used in carpet-weaving whereby the yarns are preliminary cut in bits before fixation can not be used by the different tufting techniques. The feeding of continuous yarn is necessary to apply correctly the needle-looper-technique.

[0008] Disadvantages of tufting techniques are :

• The low pile efficiency: 15 to 40% of the mass of pile yarns set in, is at the backside of the carpet (especially for patterned carpets),
• the additional operations after tufting to tie the pile yarns and to increase the comfort. When needle punching is used for the fixation of the secondary backing there is a risk of damaging the standing pile.
• the limitation of the workable backings: the woven or non-woven primary backing should be easily punched or pricked with a thread-holding needle, which is why heavier and rigid material cannot be easily used for tufting.
• The limited design possibilities for pattering and for colour: since the yarn must stay in the needle during tufting, patterns can only be made by a lateral and/or longitudinal movement of the needle field. Such movements (cross-over technique) of the thread-holding needle field at the back side of the carpet have of course a very negative effect on the consumption of pile yarns. These lateral and/or longitudinal movements also decrease the production speed significantly.
• Important risk to have stripes: stripes in the carpet often occur by using continuous (BCF, ...) yarns and when the cross-over technique is not applied. With the alternative tufting techniques using the rotatable drum there is a very important risk to produce stripy carpets.
• Tufted carpet, composed of several components (pile yarn, backing, and secondary backing) are not easily recycled.

[0009] All the tufted carpets are characterised by a typical structure "upstanding tufts - perforated primary backing - backside yarns - secondary backing". The backside pile yarns between two perforations forming a tuft (loop-pile or a cut-pile) are never interrupted on the backside of the carpet. The individual "cut-pile tufts" are always U-shaped. The two yarns ends of an individual U-tuft are located in two different perforations of the primary backing. In one perforation you have always two yarn-ends of two different cut-pile tufts of the same colour. With a tufting technique it is not possible to have only one yarn-end in one perforation. This typical structure of a tufted carpet explains the consumption of pile yarn on the backside of the carpet.

[0010] The second most important production technique for carpets is weaving. The "pile" as well as the "bottom cloth" of the woven carpet are formed during the weaving process. Characterising for weaving is the use of warp-yarns, weft-yarns as well as pile yarns. The pile yarns are tied into the bottom cloth of warp-yarns and weft-yarns by weaving in. Before (axminster) or immediately after (double-piece and Wilton) weaving in of the pile yarns, the pile material is cut on length so that a cut pile carpet is formed. For weaving, coarser warp-yarns and weft-yarns can be used to obtain an strong carpet. After weaving, the reverse side of the woven carpet is usually treated with an additional finish.

[0011] In "double-piece" weaving (face-to-face weaving), two carpets which are bound together with the pile threads are woven at the same time. The "non working" pile threads are usually woven in into the backside. The "working" pile threads which connect the two carpets together, are afterwards cut with a knife.

[0012] In a "Wilton" carpet, the carpet pile is created by means of metal wires which determine at the same time the pile height. The loops, formed this way, are woven in into the bottom cloth. The woven-in pile loops can be cut, resulting in a cut pile or a loop pile carpet.

[0013] In an "Axminster" carpet, the pile yarns, which are to be woven in, are first cut on length and woven in afterwards. Axminster carpets have quite no pile yarns at the reverse side of the carpet.

[0014] Disadvantages of weaving are:

• Slow production process: the formation of the gap and the pile loops, insertion of the weft-yarns, the impact of the reed are all necessary steps in the production process which require time.
• High consumption of pile yarns: 20 to 50% of the expensive pile yarns are on the reverse side and are not visible (only axminster-carpets have limited pile yarn consumption)
• Risk to have stripes: colour gradation and/or physical differences between the parallel worked up pile yarns often result in stripes. Especially in the case of plain-coloured carpets or carpets with large plain-coloured areas, are stripes an often occurring problem.
• The additional treatment (sizing or coating of the backside) after weaving.
• A woven carpet is usually a composite material which is difficult in recycling.

[0015] The structure of woven pile carpets is a very typical one. The pile yarns are fixed by the weft- en warp-yarns forming the basic woven structure. There is no secondary backing. The tufts in the woven structure are V- or W-shaped.

[0016] Bonded carpets are characterised by pile threads which are mostly pushed by mechanical means into a adhesive-layer. The adhesive-layer (usually PVC-plastisol) is situated on a base cloth. After the pile yarns are put into the adhesive-layer, the adhesive must harden For this, usually IR-dryers are used.

[0017] When a hotmelt-adhesive is used, the adhesive layer within the implanted yarns has to be cooled. Fusion bonded carpets may be prepared employing a number of well-known, but different techniques and machines in both horizontal and vertical processes known as I-bond or U-bond processes. The I-bond process is also known as the single-end fiber implantation technique. The U-bond process generally includes a corrugated or plated layer of yarn, wherein each loop end is placed in a layer of adhesive material on backing sheet material and the sandwich-formed carpet material cut to form two rolls of fusion-bonded carpet, each roll having cut-loops of yarn embedded in the adhesive layer, hence the name U-bond process. The design possibilities of U-bonded carpets, using continuous yarn, are very limited. I-bond methods can give more patterning possibilities. US 3,843,4432 describes such a I-bond process with coloured yarn patterning-possibilities. The pile yarn is cut in bits and disposed in a yarn collector and transported to the base layer where the bits are ejected into the surface of the adhesive material. These specific fusion-bonded carpets are build up "row by row". To deliver a complete row of the I-yarn bits to the adhesion layer the bit-distributor and inserter device must be completed filled up with the desired yarns bits. The filling up of the bit-distributor takes times and limits in a significant way the production speed.

[0018] Yarnflocking with the intention to obtain a pile carpet can also be considered as an I-fusion bonding technique. In flocking, the cut yarn tufts are electrostatically projected into a glue layer. Just as in fusion bonding, the glue layer has to harden (plastification of the PVC-plastisol or cross-linking of the glue)...... . Most fusion-bonded carpets are like tufted carpets bonded in an additional process with a secondary backing.

[0019] Disadvantages of fusion bonding:

• Limited wear and abrasion resistance of fusion-bonded carpets (especially I-bonded carpets and carpets bonded with hotmelt-adhesives): this can be explained by the superficial bonding of the yarns, the limited penetration depth of the yarns in the adhesive, the absence of a primary backing to protect the adhesives, the limited abrasion resistance, ageing and softening properties of adhesives, the poor adhesion-properties of most basic layers
• The additional operations after fusion-bonding to increase the comfort-properties.
• Production technique is not very convenient to use: preparation of adhesives, cleaning of the machine on standstill, spots of adhesive on the carpet, ...(the adhesive is directly in contact with the pile surface).
• Limited choice in basic layers: the basic layer must be thermally stable and must have a good wettability to the adhesives used. Normally a glass fiber layer is used.
• Not environment-friendly due to the use of PVC-plastisols, difficult in recycling (composite material).
• Risk to have stripes: especially U-bonded carpets when BCF yarns are used.
• Limited possibilities for patterning. Only the I-bonding technique has some patterning possibilities.

[0020] Fusion bonded and flocked carpets are both characterised by the construction "pile layer / adhesive layer / basic layer / secondary backing". The tufts of the bonded or flocked carpet are I or U-shaped. These tufts are located in the adhesive layer on a substrate and don't penetrate the basic layer.

[0021] Welding of synthetics is a known technology which nevertheless is rarely applied in the textile industry. However, the relatively high production speeds which can be obtained, is a clear and important advantage. A very limited number of patents (EP-A-0081460, US 4,582,740, ...) indicate that certain carpets can also be made with this welding technique. It always concerns the welding of pile yarns on the upper side of a substrate.

[0022] Disadvantages of this technique are:

• Bad wear resistance of on the upper side (superficially) welded yarns. Welded thin textile materials (textile yarns, light backings) are characterised by a weak border strength. The weld itself is often strong enough but the borders of this weld are too weak for intensive use. The finer the yarn which is used (lesser weld material), the worse the wear resistance. This property also explains why this technique was until now without success.
• Risk to have stripes when using continuous yarns.
• Very limited possibilities for patterning by feeding continuous yarns to the welding equipment.
• Only synthetic yarns and thermoplastic backings can be used for this superficial welding.

Aims of the invention

[0023] An aim of the invention is to obtain a new non woven, preferably multicoloured and/or patterned cut-pile carpet with the appearance of a woven Axminster carpet, a very low pile yarn consumption on the backside of the carpet, but can be make much faster and less expensive.

Summary of the invention

[0024] The present invention concerns a cut-pile carpet, comprising pile bits and a backing part, said backing part comprising a primary backing and a secondary backing, characterised in that the pile bits are J shaped, having a lying foot-end and a standing head-end, and are fixed to the backing part with said foot-end in the space between the primary and the secondary backing and said head-end protruding through perforations in said primary backing.

[0025] Preferably, said cut-pile carpet is characterised in that the primary backing and/or the secondary backing are thermoplastic. The cut-pile carpet of the present invention can be characterised in that the horizontal part of the pile bit is fixed to the backside of the primary backing by thermally tacking and/or adhesives and/or welding and/or mechanical attachment.

[0026] Preferably, the cut pile carpet of the present invention is characterised in that the secondary backing is fixedly attached to the primary backing.

[0027] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cut-pile carpet is characterised in that the fixation of the secondary and the primary backing is obtained by any of the following:

• compression/lamination of the primary backing and the secondary backing, said secondary backing containing a sufficient number of protruding tangles and/or a pressure sensitive or reactive adhesive,
• thermal or ultrasonic welding,
• heating and cooling of an inserted thermoplastic material and/or
• by means of a lamination film.

[0028] The primary backing of the cut-pile carpet of the invention can have been perforated by a mechanical, thermal and/or ultrasonic treatment.

[0029] In a specific embodiment, the secondary backing has been perforated and carries pile material, so that a double-sided cut-pile carpet is obtained.

[0030] In another specific embodiment, the backing part further comprises a second primary backing which has been perforated and carries pile material and which is fixedly attached to the downside of the secondary backing, so that a double-sided cut-pile carpet is obtained.

[0031] The primary backing and/or the secondary backing are preferably selected from the group consisting of: possibly coated or impregnated needle felt, polymer foam, woven or non woven tuft cloth, thermoplastic foil sheets, needle felt or fabric which is covered at one side with a sufficient number of hooks or tangles, needle felt which contains melt fibres at one side and laminates.

[0032] The pile material is preferably coloured and is selected from the group consisting of: classic carpet-yarns (BCF or spun yarns), spun filament-yarns and/or fibre-cable ribbon.

[0033] A second aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a cut-pile carpet, characterised in that it is continuous and contains the following steps:

• feeding a primary backing around a drum-applicator comprising pile bit tubes able to retain pile bits, said primary backing comprising a upper side and a backside, and said upper side being in contact with said drum-applicator,
• thermally or ultrasonic pre-treatment of selected local parts of the primary backing to form perforations in said primary backing, said perforations corresponding with said pile bit tubes in said drum-applicator,
• dosing and cutting yarns in pile bits (tufts) having a foot-end and a head-end,
• the vertical insertion by gravitation, air-injection, vacuum and/or electrostatic forces of said head-end of said pile bits through said perforations into the pile bit tubes of said drum-applicator, whereby the foot-end of said pile bits extends beyond the backside surface of said primary backing,
• possibly fixing said foot-end on the backside of the primary backing with a fixing step selected from the group consisting of thermally tacking, gluing, welding an/or mechanical attachment, such that said foot-end is perpendicular to said head-end,
• feeding and fixating the secondary backing to the backside of the primary backing and the foot-end with a fixing step selected from the group consisting of thermally tacking, gluing, welding an/or mechanical attachment.

[0034] The method for manufacturing a cut-pile carpet preferably further comprises the step of providing adhesives and/or coating products to the primary and/or secondary backing.

[0035] The method of manufacturing a cut-pile carpet according to the invention can further comprise the step of fixing a second primary backing, provided with pile material, to the secondary backing.

[0036] The method of the present invention can further comprise the step of laminating an additional metal- or plastic-foil between the primary and secondary backing.

Detailed description of the invention

[0037] This invention relates to the specific construction structure of a new cut-pile carpet, the materials to be used for it, as to the production technology to manufacture these carpets. The invention will be described on the basis of examples and figures which are not limiting to the scope of the invention as claimed.

Short description of the drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 describes a yarn drum-applicator with which a one-sided cut-pile carpet can be manufactured according to the present invention.

[0039] Figure 2 shows a yarn drum-applicator with which a double-sided cut-pile carpet can be manufactured according to the present invention.

[0040] Figure 3 describes the construction or a one-sided cut-pile carpet according to the present invention.

[0041] Figure 4 represents the construction of a double-sided cut-pile carpet according to the present invention.

[0042] Figure 5 describes a guillotine dosage system with which the pile material can be cut at the exact length.

[0043] Figure 6 represents a complete set-up to manufacture a double-sided pile carpet according to the present invention.

[0044] Figure 7 shows the creation of a double-sided cut-pile carpet according to the present invention with a glue-foil as secondary backing.

[0045] Figure 8 describes the creation of a double-sided cut-pile carpet according to the present invention with an extruded secondary backing.

[0046] Figure 9 shows the creation of a one-sided cut-pile carpet according to the present invention with a secondary backing treated and provided with a coating that is applied with the knife technique.

[0047] Figure 10 describes the creation of a one-sided cut-pile carpet according to the present invention by means of a secondary backing provided with a powder coating.

[0048] Figure 11 represents the creation of a one-sided cut-pile carpet according to the present invention with a secondary backing provided with a coating that is applied by kiss-roll.

[0049] Figure 12 shows the manufacturing of a one-sided cut-pile carpet according to the invention with a secondary backing, impregnated with a resin. After hardening of the resin and chopping, carpet tiles or carpet upholstered decoration panels are created.

[0050] Figure 13 illustrates the use of a secondary backing provided with tangles which fix the fibre material from the pile material and from the primary backing.

[0051] Figure 14 is a set-up in which an additional metal foil is laminated between the secondary and the primary backing by means of two adhesive foil layers.

[0052] The invention relates to the structure of one-sided and double-sided cut-pile carpets as respectively drawn in figures 3 and 4. The primary backing (1) is perforated. The pile material (41) is always fixed with the foot end between the primary (1) and the secondary (3) backing. The pile material which is brought into the perforations is preferably cut at length and can be composed of one, two or more severed tufts (43). In case of a double-sided cut-pile carpet such as in figure 4, the cut-pile carpet is composed of one secondary (2) and two primary (1) backing The connection of the primary and secondary backings and the pile material can be done in different ways.

[0053] The pile material that can be used consists of classic, preferably coloured carpet-yarns (spun and/or BCF yarns), coloured spun filament-yarns and/or coloured fibre-cable ribbon. The yarn numbers are not restrictive for the application area. Synthetic as well as natural fibres can be used. When thermally tacking or ultrasonic welding is applied as junction technique, there must naturally be enough thermoplastic material present which can be melted or welded. This melting/welding material must be supplied by the pile material, the primary and/or secondary backing.

[0054] In the choice of adhesives (hotmelt, glue foil, reactants ...) which can be used for the fixation of the severed pile yarn bits and the connection of the primary and secondary backing, one must take into account the composition of the pile material and backing material.

[0055] For cut-pile carpets according to the invention, a wide variety of primary and secondary backings can be used. The thickness and the stiffness of the backings have no restrictive influence. Besides the classic fabrics or non-wovens which are currently used in tufting, there are among other possibilities also polymer foams, possibly coated or impregnated needle felts, thermoplastic foil sheets, needle felts or fabrics which are covered at one side with a sufficient number of tangles, needle felts which contain melting fibres at one side and laminates. When a resilient foam material or thick needle felt is used as primary backing, a new type of carpet is obtained, which is characterised by a very high resilience at the pile side of the carpet. Besides the lighter synthetic slit tapes woven fabrics, spunbound or needled backings (non-wovens) which are normally used in tufting, heavier and stiffer backings can also be used in the present invention. The secondary backing which can be used in the present invention, can also be composed of hard plate materials as there are: chipboards, plaster plates, plastic sheets and laminates.

[0056] Because the perforations in the primary backing are neither formed by mechanical punching nor by needle perforation as in tufting, the heavier needle felt textile structure which is normally used as secondary backing, can here also be applied as primary backing.

[0057] The primary and secondary backing which are used must be weldable or suitable for adhesives or suitable to be assembled by any other method. When the primary and/or secondary backings contain at their respective bottom- and/or upper side a sufficient number of extending tangles (hooks), the simple compression of both backings can be sufficient for the mechanical attachment of the pile material between both backings. The wear resistance of such a carpet can be strongly increased by the use of a firm wear resistant primary backing. A strong textile structure is, as for wear resistance is concerned, always superior to an adhesive layer, which is used for the manufacturing of fusion-bonded carpets.

[0058] When a hard plate material is used as secondary backing, "cut-pile tufts upholstered decoration panels" can be created.

[0059] An additional metal or plastic foil can further be laminated between the primary backing, upholstered with pile tufts and the secondary backing. This way, cut-pile carpets with specific properties are created. The electrostatic and heat-conductivity properties of the cut pile carpet can be changed for example by intercalation of a metal foil. By intercalation of a plastic foil, a moisture barrier can be built in.

[0060] The invention relates, besides to the end product, further to a production method to obtain these products.

[0061] The production method according to the invention is flexible and is characterised by a high productivity. Flexibility in this context means amongst other things:

• Possibility for patterning (patterns and colour). The possibilities for patterning are inherently connected with the manner in which the J-shaped tufts of the pile material originate and are applied.
• Possibility to use a wide variety of pile materials.
• Possibility to realise high as well as low pile density.
• Possibility to apply a broad range of primary and secondary backings as far as structure, thickness, resiliency as weight are concerned.
• Possibility to apply additional intermediate layers between the primary and the secondary backing. To give additional properties to the carpet.

[0062] Productivity in this context means among other things:

• High production speed.
• One continuous production process to produce and finish the carpet.

[0063] The production method according to the invention concerns the production of one-sided as well as double-sided pile carpets.

[0064] The production method is a continuous process wherein the following stages can be distinguished:

• feeding the primary backing around a specific drum-applicator;
• thermally or ultrasonic pre-treatment of selected local parts of the primary backing whereby the fiber-material of the primary backing is melted and perforations are formed,
• dosing and cutting the required coloured yarns in bits (tufts) the vertical positioning without any mechanical aid of the individual pile bits trough the perforations in the primary backing into the pile bit-tubes of a specific drum-applicator,
• thermally after-treatment of the extending foot-ends of the pile tufts to fix the horizontal part of the J-shaped yarn bits on the backside of the primary backing,
• feeding and fixation of the secondary backing to the backside of the primary backing and the horizontal part of the J-shaped yarn-bits

[0065] The pile material is fixed by preference with the foot-end at the backside of the primary backing by means of thermally tacking and/or adhesives and/or welding and/or mechanical attachment.

[0066] The yarn consumption in the cut-pile carpet is minimised by cutting the yarn in bits on tuft length and at the same time tremendous possibilities for patterning are created. Different yarn types, numbers and/or colours can sequentially be brought from the yarn waiting station by way of dosing/cut-devices to a drum-applicator (9).

[0067] The perforations in the primary backing can for example be done by thermally melting an/or by ultrasonic boring The thermally pre-treatment of selected local parts of the primary backing can be done by hot-needles and/or by controlled hot air-injection trough well positioned tubes or perforations. The selected local parts of the primary backing (1) correspond with the upper surface of the yarn-bit-tubes (11) in the drum-applicator (9). The perforations can also be make by ultrasonic boring. In this case the anvil of the sonotrode (7) is the drum-applicator (9). The thermal or ultrasonic treatment stabilises in a significant way the primary backing. To avoid a non controllable thermal shrinkage of the backing during the local melting of the fibres, the thermal or ultrasonic pre-treatment is done inline on the drum-applicator (9) when the primary backing (1) is well fixed between the press-roll where the backing has the first contact with the drum-applicator and the compression-lamination-roll (19) where the carpet is leaving the drum-applicator. The press-roll can be the ultrasonic boring device (7), a roll with hot needles or an extra roll. The perforations will be made by preference in the hour hand area from a quarter past twelve to half past twelve (figure 1). Mechanical punching of the primary backing without a thermally or ultrasonic after-treatment of the formed perforations does not give the necessary quality of perforations to facilitate the correct positioning without mechanical means of the cut yarn bits through the perforations into the drum-applicator.

[0068] Supplying the desired yarn-requests to make a certain pattern can for example be done through specific activation of a yarn dosage/cut system which doses the desired yarn, cuts it on length and brings it to the drum-applicator (9) with various techniques.

[0069] Two possible techniques are hereby explained: the small rotating knife-spindle and the guillotine dosage system.

[0070] To dose and cut to length, the pile yarns can for example, be cut on tuft length when leaving the yarn waiting station by means of a small driven rotating knife-spindle (15), and brought to a drum-applicator (9). The yarn is situated between the small rotating knife-spindle (15) and the counter-pressure roll (17). This counter-pressure roll (17) consists of a softer material or contains a coating with perforations corresponding with the knifes of the small rotating knife-spindle (15).

[0071] Every time the yarn (5) is pinched between the extending knifes of the small rotating knife-spindle (15) and the counter-pressure roll (17), the yarn (5) is cut. To have the yarn better pinched, or possibly for ultrasonic welding between the yarn-ends, the small rotating spindle between the knifes is protruded. The distance between the vertical knifes corresponds with the tuft length. Cutting on length of the pile yarn with the knifes can be supported with a sonotrode. The protrusions between the knifes pinch the yarn and allow that the middle-piece of the yarn-tufts can be ultrasonically welded to each other.

[0072] Driving such a small knife-spindle can, besides cutting on length of the pile material, also take care of the driven supply of the tufts to the yarn applicator. The individual driving possibilities of these small spindles create of course a lot of possibilities for patterning.

[0073] An alternative dosage/cut system is reproduced in figure 5. This dosage/cut system is composed of 3 parts which are connected to each other by means of pre-stressed wires (53). Part A is the supply-system which carries the yarn from a yarn-rack and carries it over to part B which is the yarn delivery system. Between A and B there is a guillotine cut system.

[0074] Parts A and B are identical in construction. Both are composed of a coupled clamp/slide block system (52) between which the yarn (5) can be pinched and released. This coupled clamp/slide block system (52) is composed of two above each other situated clamp-blocks (57) which can move to and from in a slide-block (53).

[0075] At the entrance of the slide-block, the upper clamp-block is always in its lowest position so that the yarn is pinched between the upper and the lower clamp-blocks. At the extremity of the slide-block, the upper clamp-block is forced to move upwards by which the pinched yarn is released.

[0076] The up and down motion of the upper clamp-block at the extremity of the slide-block is obtained through the enforced track pattern (58) in the vertical side-walls of the slide-block wherein the upper clamp-block is moving.

[0077] During shifting of the coupled clamp-blocks from the right to the left, the yarn still remains pinched. When the coupled clamp-blocks move from the left to the right, the yarn is released.

[0078] By coupling the two sides-block systems A and B, a transporting system from A to B is obtained. When passing the yarn from A to B, the clamp-blocks from A are at the left side, these from B at the right side of the slide-block. The oscillating motion of the clamp-blocks in the slide-blocks A and B is such that the clamp-blocks are moving to each other.

[0079] While passing the yarn, it is always pinched. At this moment, the pinched yarn is cut with a guillotine-knife (51).

[0080] After the yarn is cut, it is released in slide-block A and the clamp-blocks of slide-block B move the cut yarn (41) to the yarn drum-applicator.

[0081] The synchronisation of the movements of components A, B and C is obtained through the pre-stressed wires (53) which couple the three components and through the springs (59) of the various parts. By working with this pre-stressed wire system, this dosage/cut device can also operate with a classic Jacquard mechanism, often used in weaving.

[0082] The length of the track-design that a clamp-block must cover, determines the tuft length. This alternative dosage/cut device is a very efficient system when longer tufts are required.

[0083] The yarn drum-applicator (9) (figure 1) is in this process an important element. It allows one not only to realise perforations in the primary backing in a uniform and structured manner but also to bring the cut yarn bits at the backside of a primary backing. This yarn drum-applicator is also the counter-roll for the thermal after-treatment of the putting out foot-ends of the yarn-bits and an important element in compressing/laminating or ultrasonic welding of the primary and secondary backing.

[0084] The required pile yarns are, just as for tufting or weaving, brought from a yarn-beam or a yarn-creel to a yarn waiting station and/or yarn-applicator. In the yarn waiting station, the yarns wait until they will be requested and used.

[0085] The required pile yarns are cut in bits and directly delivered without any help from mechanical means to the drum-applicator. The used drum-applicator is preferably a compartimented drum-applicator (9) provided with small yarn-bit-tubes (11). A part of these tubes are connected to vacuum. Around the drum-applicator one finds the different dosing/cut-devices which can deliver in a controlled way the required yarn-bits.

[0086] The drum-applicator is a rotating drum (in figure 1 the turning movement occurs counter-clockwise) which is during the production process loaded with the required yarn bits by vacuum or a compressed air / vacuum combination once the dosage/cut has released the cut the yarn bits. The required yarns can be brought from the dosage/cut device into the yarn-bit-tubes by gravitation, by air-injection, by vacuum (13) and/or electrostatically. Because no mechanical means are used to load the drum-applicator the yarn-bits are not strained or damaged during penetration of the primary backing. When working with suction the vacuum level can functionally be dosed over the whole outline by mounting the exterior drum-applicator (9) eccentric with regard to the interior drum/spindle (31) (figure 2) and/or be eventually closing the inner areas of the yarn-bit-tubes which do not need any more suction (after welding/laminating and leaving of the welded tuft). The diameter of the yarn-bit-tube and the useful suction surface of the vacuum connection are, of course, determining for the vacuum level to be used. Electrostatic attraction is obtained when the dosage/cut device and the interior spindle of the yarn drum-applicator are loaded electrostatically. The loading of the yarn drum-applicator is done for example in the hour-hand area from "five to until a quarter past twelve" (figure 1) . The number, the size and the position of the yarn-bit-tubes along the surface of the drum-applicator determine to a large extent the feasible pile density. The depth of the yarn-bit-tubes (11) are determining the feasible pile length.

[0087] The individual yarn-bit tubes can consist of various, one in the other moving (telescopic) parts so that the depth can be modified.

[0088] In the case that not all yarn-bit tubes are loaded with yarn bits, a carpet with a lower pile density will be obtained. However, the yarn-bit tubes can also be loaded with more and possibly different yarn-bit tufts which results in a higher pile density. In that case the different loaded bits are cut in the same dosing/cut device.

[0089] The size of the yarn-bit-tubes in the drum-applicator is a function of the yarn number and the volume (bulk) of the pile material used (5). The classic carpet yarns can be classified in three groups: the normal yarn number range, the finer yarns and coarser yarns. For coarser yarns, larger yarn-tubes are be used. A production machine can of course be provided with more drum-applicators in which the complete yarn range (fine, normal and coarse yarns) can be covered. In a special embodiment, the diameter of the tubes can also be modified, e.g. when using a movable and perforated screen above the yarn-bit-tubes.

[0090] The diameter of the drum-applicator is by itself not a restrictive factor. As well large as small drum-applicators are feasible. Generally one can say that the larger the drum-applicator, the more dosing/cut-devices can be installed, the better and faster it can be loaded with yarn-bits and the faster one can produce.

[0091] Between the last dosage/cut-device and the compressing/lamination-device a heated ironing roll can be installed to give a thermally after-treatment to the putting out foot-ends of the yarn-bits. Such a thermal after-treatment fixes the J-shape of the tufts improving the upstanding properties of the yarn-bits and sticks (thermally tacking) the yarns on the backside of the primary backing to the primary backing. The sticking out yarn-foot-ends can also together with the secondary backing be welded to the backing by means of a sonotrode (19).

[0092] The fixation of the secondary backing can be done by different ways such as:: a) compression of the primary backing and the secondary backing, provided with a sufficient number of hooks or tangles, and/or a pressure sensitive or reactive adhesive b) needle-punching during the cut-pile tufts are protected by the pile bit-tubes c) ultrasonic welding d) heating and cooling of the thermoplastic material (pile material, primary backing, secondary backing, hotmelt, adhesive,...) e) the application of a lamination film (yes or not in situ formed by (co)extrusion), and/or f) the combination of two or more of the above mentioned techniques. When the primary and/or secondary backings contain a sufficient number of sticking out hooks and/or tangles (141) at their respective bottom and/or upper side (as by Velcro ®), than the simple compression of both backings will be sufficient for the mechanical attachment of the pile material between both backings. Such a construction is represented in figure 13. When the pile bits are protected by the yarn-bit-tubes the secondary backing can also be connected to the primary backing by needle punching. A greater perforation-depth of punching-needles shall not damage the pile material. The yarn-foot-ends, the primary and the secondary backing can also be welded together by ultrasonic means. The yarn-bit-tubes of this drum-applicator constitute when ultrasonic welding also the anvil for the sonotrode (19) which is behind the secondary backing (3). The foot-end, sticking out from the yarn-drum-applicator, will form the weld with the backing material in the weld point (21). By varying this sticking out tuft-length, the weld-length of the tufts can be modified. A finished one-sided carpet (23) is obtained. The drum-applicator (9) constitutes together with a counter pressure roller (95) or a second drum-applicator (9) an adequate lamination device with which the backings and/or additional substrates which are provided with an adhesive/glue-foil (71), can be adhered to each other. During the junction of the backings in the lamination device additional materials can also still be added between the backings. By doing so, particular properties can for example be given to the created cut-pile carpet. Figure 14 shows how with two adhesive films (71) an additional metal-foil (145) is laminated between the primary an the secondary backing. By insertion of a metal foil the electrostatic and heat conduction properties of the cut pile carpet can be modified. By insertion of a closed plastic foil, a moister barrier between the floor and the cut pile carpet can be realised. The use of a thermoplastic film is also possible. A thermoplastic film (71) can be inserted between the primary backing, provided with sticking out pile bits, and the secondary backing. It is however also possible to apply this thermoplastic between two primary backings as reproduced in figure 7. The thermoplastic film is heated by means of IR radiators (73) just before the application. This film (83) can eventually possibly also originate in situ by use of (co)extrusion (see figure 8). The film flowing out from the extruder (81) is immediately carried into the lamination shaft. The secondary backing can however also be coated before the junction with an adhesive. All classic coating techniques can be used to do this. In figure 9 the secondary backing is coated with the knife-technique. The knife (91) puts up the coating with a premised thickness. A finished one-sided pile carpet (93) is obtained by means of a counter pressure roll (95) which supports the drum-applicator (9). Figure 10 describes the application of a powder-coating. The powder (101) is coated on the secondary backing by means of an IR heater (103). The application of a coating by means of a kiss-roll (111) is reproduced in figure 11. The use of a reverse roll-coater and other coating techniques is also possible. Possibly a secondary backing, which is especially composed of melt-fibres at the lamination side, can also be used. The thermoplastic film, the coated or with melt-fibre covered backing can be heated or melted (through flame or with a heating panel). This melt serves then as adhesive during lamination. The lamination counter-pressure roll can be cooled so that the melted polymer immediately becomes stiff again after lamination. When, during the coating, reactive polymers are used, heating during lamination is not necessary. The secondary backing can also be impregnated with resins. Such a procedure is represented in figure 12. After lamination of the with resin impregnated secondary backing (121) with the primary backing (1), the resin (125) can be hardened in a furnace (131). The hard panels, provided with a pile structure, are, after hardening, cut on length and/or breadth or punched with a guillotine-knife (127) so that "carpet-tiles" (129) are obtained. The application of a tertiary backing (123) is optional.

[0093] All mentioned techniques can also be used to make a two-sided carpet. Figure 2 illustrates a potential production mounting to make a two-sided carpet. In this case, by preference the double drum-applicator construction is used. In this construction, the yarn is previously cut on tuft-length for example by means of a guillotine dosage system (35). Through application of this drum-applicator, a finished carpet with the structure "pile -primary backing - secondary backing - primary backing - pile" (33) can also be obtained. A complete mounting is represented in figure 6. The yarns are supplied by means of a Jacquard mechanism (61) which takes care of the selected design from two rolls with primary backing (63), two layers of yarn-bit-tufts are employed by means of a guillotine dosage system (69). The secondary backing which is supplied from the roll (65), is fixed to both primary backings and rolled up so that a roll of finished double-sided pile carpets (67) is obtained.

[0094] Important process parameters which determine the properties of the manufactured cut-pile carpet are among other things the yarn-drum-applicator that is used, the loading and the rotation speed of the drum-applicator, the ironing-temperature, the lamination pressure (when using adhesives) and the adhesives used, the welding parameters (in case of ultrasonic welding) being the welding frequency, the form of the sonotrode, the backing(s) which is (are) used, and the employed pile yarn material.

[0095] Differing from tufted or fusion bonded cut-pile carpets, the individual pile tufts, made of coloured yarns, have a typical J-shape with the horizontal part of an individual J-shaped tuft being fixed on the backside of the primary backing. The multicolour patterned cut-pile carpet has the appearance of a woven axminster carpet, but this new non woven carpet can be produced must faster and less expensive. The multicoloured patterned carpet is also characterised by a very low pile yarn consumption on the backside of the carpet.

[0096] This continuous process, with extensive design possibilities, comprises the following steps: (a) feeding the primary backing around a specific drum-applicator, (b) a thermally or ultrasonic pre-treatment of selected local parts of the primary backing-to make specific perforations, (c) dosing and cutting the desired pile yarns in pile bits, (d) the vertical positioning without any mechanical aid of the individual pile bits trough fray free melted perforations into the pile bit-tubes of a specific drum-applicator, (e) thermally after-treatment of the extending foot-ends of the pile tufts to fix the horizontal part of the J-shaped yarn bits on the backside of the primary backing and (f) feeding and fixation of the secondary backing.

Claims

1. Cut-pile carpet, comprising pile bits and a backing part, said backing part comprising a primary backing and a secondary backing, characterised in that the pile bits are J shaped, having a lying foot-end and a standing head-end, and are fixed to the backing part with said foot-end in the space between the primary and the secondary backing and said head-end protruding through perforations in said primary backing.

2. Cut-pile carpet, as in claim 1, characterised in that the primary backing and/or the secondary backing are thermoplastic.

3. Cut-pile carpet as in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the horizontal part of the pile bit is fixed to the backside of the primary backing by thermally tacking and/or adhesives and/or welding and/or mechanical attachment.

4. Cut pile carpet as in any of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the secondary backing is fixedly attached to the primary backing.

5. Cut-pile carpet as in claim 4, characterised in that the fixation of the secondary and the primary backing is obtained by any of the following:

• compression/lamination of the primary backing and the secondary backing, said secondary backing containing a sufficient number of protruding tangles and/or a pressure sensitive or reactive adhesive,

• thermal or ultrasonic welding,

• heating and cooling of an inserted thermoplastic material and/or

• by means of a lamination film.

6. Cut-pile carpet as in any of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the primary backing has been perforated by a mechanical, thermal and/or ultrasonic treatment.

7. Cut-pile carpet as in any of the claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the secondary backing has been perforated and carries pile material, so that a double-sided cut-pile carpet is obtained.

8. Cut-pile carpet as in any of the claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the backing part further comprises a second primary backing which has been perforated and carries pile material and which is fixedly attached to the downside of the secondary backing, so that a double-sided cut-pile carpet is obtained.

9. Cut-pile carpet as in any of the claims 1 to 8 characterised in that the primary backing and/or the secondary backing are selected from the group consisting of: possibly coated or impregnated needle felt, polymer foam, woven or non woven tuft cloth, thermoplastic foil sheets, needle felt or fabric which is covered at one side with a sufficient number of hooks or tangles, needle felt which contains melt fibres at one side and laminates.

10. Cut-pile carpet as in any of the claims 1 to 9 characterised in that the pile material is preferably coloured and is selected from the group consisting of: classic carpet-yarns (BCF or spun yarns), spun filament-yarns and/or fibre-cable ribbon.

11. Method for manufacturing a cut-pile carpet, characterised in that it is continuous and contains the following steps:

(a) feeding a primary backing around a drum-applicator comprising pile bit tubes able to retain pile bits, said primary backing comprising a upper side and a backside, and said upper side being in contact with said drum-applicator,

(b) thermally or ultrasonic pre-treatment of selected local parts of the primary backing to form perforations in said primary backing, said perforations corresponding with said pile bit tubes in said drum-applicator,

(c) dosing and cutting yarns in pile bits (tufts) having a foot-end and a head-end,

(d) the vertical insertion by gravitation, air-injection, vacuum and/or electrostatic forces of said head-end of said pile bits through said perforations into the pile bit tubes of said drum-applicator, whereby the foot-end of said pile bits extends beyond the backside surface of said primary backing,

(e) possibly fixing said foot-end on the backside of the primary backing with a fixing step selected from the group consisting of thermally tacking, gluing, welding an/or mechanical attachment, such that said foot-end is perpendicular to said head-end,

(f) feeding and fixating the secondary backing to the backside of the primary backing and the foot-end with a fixing step selected from the group consisting of thermally tacking, gluing, welding an/or mechanical attachment.

12. Method for manufacturing a cut-pile carpet such as in claim 11, further comprising the step of providing adhesives and/or coating products to the primary and/or secondary backing.

13. Method of manufacturing a cut-pile carpet such as in claim 11 or 12, further comprising the step of fixing a second primary backing, provided with pile material, to the secondary backing.

14. Method of manufacturing a cut-pile carpet such as in any of the claims 11 to 13, further comprising the step of laminating an additional metal- or plastic-foil between the primary and secondary backing.

Drawing