U.S. patent application number 15/065323 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-14 for textile treatment for sublimation ink transfers.
The applicant listed for this patent is Donald D. Sloan, Trustee of the Donald D. Sloan Trust, and his Successor and Successors, under the. Invention is credited to Scott Frank, Donald D. Sloan.
Application Number | 20170260690 15/065323 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59786334 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170260690 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sloan; Donald D. ; et
al. |
September 14, 2017 |
TEXTILE TREATMENT FOR SUBLIMATION INK TRANSFERS
Abstract
Compositions and methods for treating textile materials so as to
facilitate transfer of an image thereto using a dye sublimation
transfer system are provided. The compositions are applied to the
textile in the form of an aqueous pretreatment composition, which
comprises a polymer resin and a crosslinking agent. The resin and
crosslinking agent are cured upon the textile material to form an
image-receiving area. The sublimation transfer system is then
applied to the image-receiving area to form a finished,
image-bearing textile product.
Inventors: |
Sloan; Donald D.; (Platte
City, MO) ; Frank; Scott; (Spring Hill, KS) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Donald D. Sloan, Trustee of the Donald D. Sloan Trust, and his
Successor and Successors, under the |
Platte City |
MO |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59786334 |
Appl. No.: |
15/065323 |
Filed: |
March 9, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
D06P 5/005 20130101;
D06P 1/5271 20130101; D06P 1/5285 20130101; D06P 1/54 20130101 |
International
Class: |
D06P 5/28 20060101
D06P005/28; D06P 5/00 20060101 D06P005/00 |
Claims
1. A method of transferring an ink image onto a cotton-containing
textile material comprising: applying an aqueous pretreatment
composition to at least a portion of the textile material that is
to receive the ink image, the pretreatment composition comprising
from about 18% to about 30% by weight of one or more polyester
resins, polyurethane resins, or polyester-polyurethane resins and
one or more crosslinking compounds; heating the textile material
containing the pretreatment composition so as to remove moisture
from the pretreatment composition and react the one or more
polyester resins, polyurethane resins, or polyester-polyurethane
resins with the one or more crosslinking compounds thereby forming
an image-receiving area on the textile material; and transferring
the ink image to the textile material by positioning a sublimation
transfer system in contact with at least a portion of the
image-receiving area and heating the sublimation transfer system to
a temperature sufficient to cause the gassing of at least a portion
of one or more dyes contained within the ink image and the transfer
of at least a portion of the gasified dyes to the image-receiving
area.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the applying step
comprises spraying or inkjetting the pretreatment composition onto
the textile material.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pretreatment
composition comprises from about 0.25% to about 10% by weight of
the one or more crosslinking compounds.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the pretreatment
composition comprises a polyester resin.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the polyester resin
comprises a polyester-polyurethane resin.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pretreatment
composition further comprises from about 0.25% to about 10% by
weight of glass particles.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of heating the
textile material so as to form the image-receiving area comprises
heating the textile material to a temperature of at least
275.degree. F. for at least 30 seconds.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of
transferring the ink image comprises heating the sublimation
transfer system to a temperature of at least 300.degree. F. for at
least 15 seconds.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the textile material
comprises at least 50% cotton.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the textile material
comprises 100% by weight cotton.
11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pretreatment
composition comprises: from about 0.25% to about 10% by weight of
the one or more crosslinking compounds, wherein the one or more
crosslinking compounds comprise one or more melamine crosslinking
agents; from about 0.25% to about 10% by weight of glass particles;
and from about 50% to about 90% by weight of water.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pretreatment
composition further comprises from about 0.25% to about 10% by
weight of a silica material.
13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pretreatment
composition comprises from about 10% to about 20% by weight of the
one or more polyester resins, polyurethane resins, or
polyester-polyurethane resins.
14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pretreatment
composition comprises a polyester-polyurethane resin.
15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the one or more
polyester resins, polyurethane resins, or polyester-polyurethane
resins are formulated as a water-based dispersion.
16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pretreatment
composition comprises from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of the
one or more melamine crosslinking agents.
17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the one or more
melamine crosslinking agents comprises an alkylated
melamine-formaldehyde resin.
18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the one or more
melamine crosslinking agents are formulated with isobutanol.
19. The method according to claim 11, wherein the composition
comprises from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of the glass
particles.
20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the glass particles
have an average particle size of from about 7 to about 10
.mu.m.
21. (canceled)
22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pretreatment
composition is applied to the textile material in an amount of from
about 0.05 to about 1 g/in.sup.2.
23. (canceled)
24. (canceled)
25. (canceled)
26. (canceled)
27. The method according to claim 1, wherein the textile material
is a T-shirt.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is generally directed toward a
pretreatment composition for use in connection with the application
of sublimation ink transfer to a cotton-containing textile
material, such as a T-shirt.
[0003] Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Ink or image transfer systems are useful in applying
graphics to a wide variety of items. In certain applications, ink
transfers have advantages over other types of image application
systems, including direct printing systems. In some situations, the
substrate or item intended to receive the image is not amenable to
direct printing operations. In other situations, the volume of
images to be printed makes direct printing operations, such as
screen printing, economically unfeasible. The use of ink transfers
also allows printing operations to be performed at a site remote
from the products to which the images will be applied. The textile
and clothing industry has used ink transfers as a way of applying
an image to, for example, an article of clothing. U.S. Pat. No.
8,815,040 is directed toward an ink transfer system for
transferring ink images to synthetic textile materials.
[0005] Dye sublimation transfers have also been shown to provide
certain benefits as compared to direct-to-substrate printing and
other types of image transfer systems, particularly in regard to
fabrics. Dye sublimation transfers are created by laying down
reversed imagery onto transfer paper using dye-containing inks, as
opposed to pigmented inks that are used in a number of direct
printing systems. The fabric and transfer paper are pressed
together under high heat, often 400.degree. F., and the dyes
contained within the inks flash sublimate. The vapor dyes then
migrate into the fabric's fibers thereby transferring the image
from the transfer to the fabric. Dye sublimation has the ability to
provide vibrant colors and transfer of highly detailed images that
are limited only by the texture of the fabric and the resolution of
the printer used in the manufacture of the transfer.
[0006] However, dye sublimation has not been demonstrated to work
well in all fabric applications. For example, while dye sublimation
can be used on cotton-containing fabrics to initially transfer an
image to the fabric, the dyes generally do not adhere well to the
cotton fibers. As a result, the image is durable and degrades very
quickly, even upon a single wash cycle. Therefore, there is a need
in the art for a system that permits use of sublimation dye
transfers with cotton-containing textile materials that are
colorfast and hold up even under repeated washing cycles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In certain embodiments of the present invention there is
provided a method of transferring an ink image onto a
cotton-containing textile material. An aqueous pretreatment
composition is applied to at least a portion of the textile
material that is to receive the ink image. The pretreatment
composition comprises one or more polymer resins and one or more
crosslinking compounds. The textile material containing the
pretreatment composition is heated so as to remove moisture from
the pretreatment composition and react the one or more polymer
resins with the one or more crosslinking compounds thereby forming
an image-receiving area on the textile material. The ink image is
transferred to the textile material by positioning a sublimation
transfer system in contact with at least a portion of the
image-receiving area and heating the sublimation transfer system to
a temperature sufficient to cause the gassing of at least a portion
of one or more dyes contained within the ink image and the transfer
of at least a portion of the gasified dyes to the image-receiving
area.
[0008] In other embodiments of the present invention there is
provided an aqueous composition for use with sublimation transfer
systems on cotton-containing textile materials. The composition
comprises from about 5% to about 30% by weight of one or more
water-dispersiblepolymer resins, from about 0.25% to about 10% by
weight of one or more melamine crosslinking agents, from about
0.25% to about 10% by weight of glass particles, and from about 50%
to about 90% by weight of water.
[0009] In still other embodiments of the present invention there is
provided a cotton-containing textile material having a quantity of
the pretreatment composition described herein applied to at least
an image-receiving area thereof. The textile material may further
have an image applied to the image-receiving area using a dye
sublimation transfer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0010] Certain embodiments of the present pertain to an aqueous
composition that can be applied to a textile material, especially a
textile material comprising cotton fibers, and that provides a
platform for transferring an image to the textile material from a
dye sublimation transfer. The aqueous composition, when cured upon
the textile material, bonds with the textile's fibers and provides
a stable base for adhesion of the gasified dyes from the
transfer.
[0011] In particular embodiments, the water-based composition
comprises a combination of one or more water-dispersible polymer
resins, one or more crosslinking agents, and glass particles, each
of which is described in further detail below. Generally, the one
or more polymer resins comprise at least one member selected from
the group consisting of polyesters, urethanes, epoxies, acrylics
and latexes. However, in preferred embodiments, the one or more
polymer resins comprise at least one polyester resin. Even more
preferably, the polyester resin comprises a polyester-polyurethane
resin. Exemplary polymer resins that may be used with the present
invention include Alberdingk Boley U 199 (60% solids, pH between
7.5-9.5, Brookfield viscosity 200-1000 mPas) and Dispercoll U 53
(40% solids, viscosity at 23.degree. C., spindle L 2/30 rpm 50-600
mPas). In certain embodiments, the composition comprises from about
5% to about 30% by weight, from about 10% to about 20% by weight,
or from about 12% to about 18% by weight of the one or more
water-dispersible polymer resins. It is noted that, often, the one
or more polymer resins are formulated as water-based dispersion.
Therefore, the foregoing amounts are considered to be on a percent
solids basis.
[0012] In certain embodiments, the one or more crosslinking agents
comprise at least one crosslinking agent selected from the group
consisting of melamine crosslinking agents and aziridine
crosslinking agents. In preferred embodiments, the melamine
crosslinking agent comprises an alkylated melamine-formaldehyde
resin. Exemplary crosslinking agents that may be used with the
present invention include Cymel 327 (a methylated high imino
melamine crosslinker, 90% solids) and CX-100 by DSM (a
polyfunctional aziridine crosslinker, 100% solids). In certain
embodiments, the one or more crosslinking agents, and particular
the melamine crosslinking agents, are formulated with isobutanol.
In certain embodiments, the composition comprises from about 0.25%
to about 10% by weight, from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight, or
from about 1% to about 4% by weight of the one or more crosslinking
agents.
[0013] The glass particles, which comprise the composition, are
believed to improve the crosslinking density of the composition
upon curing thereof. In addition, the glass particles are believed
to promote the adhesion of the composition to the fibers of the
textile material. The glass particles may also function as a
high-grade filler material for the composition. In particular
embodiments, the glass particles comprise glass microspheres that
have an average particle size of from about 7 to about 10 .mu.m.
One exemplary type of glass microspheres that may be used with the
present invention is Spheriglass.RTM. 5000 Solid Glass Spheres by
Potter Industries. In certain embodiments, the composition
comprises from about 0.25% to about 10% by weight, from about 0.5%
to about 5% by weight, or from about 1% to about 3% of the glass
particles.
[0014] The glass particles aid in allowing the sublimation dye
transfer to achieve very fine detail upon sublimation and
absorption into the textile material. The glass particles help to
eliminate "halos" surrounding the image that can be formed during
the sublimation process, which are the result of bleeding of the
image beyond its original margins. In addition, because at least a
portion of the gassed dye penetrates or is absorbed by the glass
particles, wash resistance and abrasion resistance is improved.
Moreover, the glass particles reduce and/or eliminate image
shrinkage and provide improved stress distribution.
[0015] Certain embodiments of the present invention further
comprise a silica material. Exemplary silica materials for use with
the present invention include Evonik TS-100 (untreated thermal
silica) and Evonik Aerosil 200 (hydrophilic fumed silica). In
particular embodiments, the silica material assists with suspending
the glass particles within the composition thereby permitting the
composition to be sprayed or otherwise applied to a textile
material without particle settling issues. In certain embodiments,
the composition comprises from about 0.25% to about 10% by weight,
from about 0.5% to about 5%, or from about 1% to about 3% by weight
of the silica material.
[0016] As discussed above, the compositions according to the
present invention are water-based. In certain embodiments, the
compositions comprise from about 50% to about 90% by weight, from
about 60% to about 80% by weight, or from about 65% to about 75% by
weight of water. As certain components, such as the polymer resins,
may be supplied as aqueous dispersions, these ranges refer to the
total weight of water including the water contained in these
dispersions as well as water (e.g., deionized water) that is
separately added.
[0017] The compositions disclosed herein are useful in methods of
transferring an ink image onto a cotton-containing textile
material. In these embodiments, the compositions are used as a
textile pretreatment formulation. The pretreatment composition is
applied to a portion of the textile material that is designed to
ultimately receive the image transfer. Alternatively, and
particularly if the dimensions of the sublimation transfer are not
known, the pretreatment composition can be applied to substantially
all of the textile material. In certain embodiments, the
pretreatment composition is applied to the textile material in an
amount of from about 0.05 to about 1 g/in.sup.2, from about 0.1 to
about 0.8 g/in.sup.2, or from about 0.2 to about 0.5 g/in.sup.2.
The pretreatment composition can be applied to the textile material
by nearly any means known in the art. However, in certain
embodiments, it is preferable to apply the pretreatment composition
by spraying or inkjetting the pretreatment composition onto the
textile material.
[0018] The textile material comprising the wet pretreatment
composition is then heated so as to remove moisture from the
pretreatment composition and react the one or more polymer resins
with the one or more crosslinking compounds thereby forming an
image-receiving area on the textile material. In certain
embodiments, this heating step may comprise passing the pretreated
textile material through a drying oven or other similar apparatus
and heating the textile material to a temperature of at least
275.degree. F. In particular embodiments, the textile material is
heated to a temperature of between about 275.degree. F. to about
400.degree. F., from about 300.degree. F. to about 375.degree. F.,
or from about 325.degree. F. to about 350.degree. F. The heating,
or drying, time over which the textile material is exposed to the
elevated temperature conditions depends at least in part on the
drying temperature. However, in certain embodiments, the drying
time is at least 30 seconds, or can range from about 30 seconds to
about 5 minutes, from about 45 seconds to about 2 minutes, or from
about 60 to about 90 seconds. In certain embodiments, this heating
step may be accomplished through the use of a heated press. Not
only does the press provide the heat required to remove moisture
from and crosslink the pretreatment composition, oxygen is also
kept away from the reaction. This helps eliminate oxygen inhibition
of the reaction between the polymer resin and crosslinking agent,
which otherwise might retard the crosslinking cycle.
[0019] Once the pretreatment composition has been adequately dried
and/or reacted on the textile material, the image can now be
applied to the image-receiving area. In this process, a sublimation
transfer system is placed in contact with at least a portion of the
image-receiving area. Heat is then applied to the sublimation
transfer system, and consequently the textile material, so as to
raise the temperature of the sublimation transfer system to a level
sufficient to cause the gassing of at least a portion of the one or
more dyes contained within the ink image. In certain embodiments,
the heat is supplied by a heated press, which can be in the form of
a heated plate or pair of opposed rollers through which the textile
material and transfer system are directed. The application of
pressure to the transfer system and textile material allows the
gasified dyes to migrate into the image-receiving area of the
textile material thereby transferring the image from the transfer
system to the textile material. In certain embodiments, this step
of transferring the ink image to the textile material comprises
heating the sublimation transfer system to a temperature of at
least 300.degree. F., and alternatively to a temperature of from
about 300.degree. F. to about 425.degree. F., from about
325.degree. F. to about 400.degree. F., or from about 350.degree.
F. to about 375.degree. F. Again, the heating time is dependent, at
least in part, upon the heating temperature. However, in certain
embodiments, the heating time for this transfer step is at least 15
seconds, and alternatively from about 15 seconds to about 2
minutes, from about 30 seconds to about 90 seconds, or from about
45 seconds to about 60 seconds.
[0020] In certain embodiments, it is important to note that because
of the pretreatment composition, the dye does not penetrate deeply
into the fibers making up the textile material. The dyes tend to
remain on top of the fibers thereby leading to transferred images
that are very crisp and vibrant.
[0021] The finished textile product comprises an image formed
within the image-receiving area comprising the dye of one or more
sublimation inks. As noted above, in certain embodiments of the
present invention, the textile material comprises cotton fibers. In
particular embodiments, the textile material may be a blend of
cotton and one or more synthetic fibers, such as polyester, nylon,
or rayon. In these embodiments, the textile material may comprise
at least 50% cotton, at least 75% cotton, or at least 90% cotton,
on the basis of total fiber content. Alternatively, the textile
material may be substantially 100% cotton. In certain embodiments,
the textile material is provided in the form of an article of
clothing, such as a T-shirt. The textile material can also have
been dyed or colored prior to the pretreatment process.
Alternatively, the textile material can be provided as a continuous
web of material, such as in the form of a roll, or in the form of a
banner or other type of signage-quality material.
[0022] In certain embodiments, the finished textile product
exhibits excellent washability characteristics, capable of
withstanding a minimum of six washing cycles (e.g., using a
household washing machine and detergent) without any observable
fading of the transferred image. In other embodiments, the finished
product is capable of withstanding at least ten, at least 15, or at
least 25 washing cycles while still exhibiting only minor amounts
of fading of the transferred image. The image remaining after the
washing cycles is considered industrially acceptable and retains at
least 50%, at least 70%, at least 75% or at least 80% of the
original color density as measured by a spectrodensitometer, even
after 10, 15, or 25 washing cycles. In addition, the pretreatment
composition avoids discernable yellowing of the textile material
upon heating and curing of the composition. Use of the pretreatment
composition also avoids the need to overcoat the transferred image
with any kind of protective coating.
EXAMPLES
[0023] The following table contains exemplary pretreatment
compositions made in accordance with the present invention. These
formulations are provided by way of illustration and should not be
taken as limiting the scone of the present invention.
TABLE-US-00001 Formu- Formu- lation 1 lation 2 Component (wt. %)
(wt. %) Alberdingk Boley U 199 (polyester polyurethane 30.0 --
dispersion, 60% solids) Dispercoll U 53 (anionic high-molecular
weight -- 30.0 polyurethane dispersion, 40% solids) Cymel 327
(methylated high imino melamine 2.0 1.8 crosslinker, 90% solids)
CX-100 (polyfunctional aziridine crosslinker, -- 0.5 100% solids)
Evonik TS-100 (untreated thermal silica) 2.0 -- Evonik Aerosil 200
(hydrophilic fumed silica) -- 2.0 Potters A-Glass 5000 (glass
microspheres) 1.5 3.0 Deionized water 64.50 62.7
[0024] In order to test the washability of an image transferred to
100% cotton fabric using a pretreatment composition according to
the present invention, Formulation 1 was applied to a cotton swatch
at a rate 0.3g/in.sup.2 and dried to form an image-receiving area.
Next, a sublimation dye transfer was placed in contact with the
image-receiving area and pressed under heat so as to transfer the
ink image onto the cotton swatch. The image contained several
colors, the strength was measured using an XRite 528
spectrodensitometer. The cotton swatch was washed 25 times in a
conventional household washing machine with a conventional laundry
detergent. The color strength of each color was measured again and
the percent loss of color strength calculated. The results are
provided in the table below.
TABLE-US-00002 Original Color density % loss of color density after
25 washings color density Black 136 105 22.8 Blue 120 100 16.7
Yellow 71 55 22.5 Silver 112 103 8.0 Gray 78 65 16.7 Red 121 102
15.7 Green 94 83 11.7 Violet 115 98 14.8
* * * * *