Patent Application
20110265440
1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a yarn manufacturing method. More particularly, this invention relates to an indigo fleck fancy yarn manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The indigo fleck fancy yarn or fabric is a yarn or fabric produced with some deliberate discontinuity introduced into the color with the intention of producing an enhanced aesthetic impression. For example, the indigo fleck fancy yarn and an Indigo fleck fancy fabric having a “washed look” are very popular due to the special visual effect.
Conventional technique for producing the indigo fleck fancy yarn is to spin blue fibers with white fibers, wherein blue fibers of different hue must be prepared in advance and the spinning ratio between the blue fiber and the white fiber must be controlled based on the desired color effect.
Similarly, in order to impart the “washed look” to the fabric, a conventional technique is to bleach a blue fabric, which has generally been dyed with indigo, together with stones or enzyme. The process of beaching together with stones or enzyme usually results in a significant demand of time, manpower, chemicals, and/or water. Moreover, by means of this conventional method, the “washed look” is generally applied to the whole fabric instead of a specified area. Moreover, U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,506 provides a method for producing denim fabric having a “washed” or heather look/effect. In this method, the indigo dyed yarn is dried and then cut up into individual fibers with appropriate length. These fibers are blended with other fibers to produce a blended composite. The blended composite is then carded, spun into yarn, and woven into denim fabric having a washed look, or a heather effect, which then can be made into any suitable article. However, the manufacturing process of the method is relatively complicated.
Therefore, a new process to produce the indigo fleck fancy yarn or fabric in a more efficient way is needed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an indigo fleck fancy yarn manufacturing method to produce indigo fleck fancy yarns having irregular white fleck.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an indigo fleck fancy fabric manufacturing method to produce an indigo fleck fancy fabric with deliberate white fleck design more efficiently.
The indigo fleck fancy yarn manufacturing method includes providing an original indigo yarn, oxidizing the original indigo yarn, reducing the oxidized indigo yarn, soap washing the reduced indigo yarn, and drying the soap washed indigo yarn to form an indigo fleck fancy yarn. The indigo fleck fancy yarn is an indigo yarn having irregular white area to constitute the indigo fleck.
The oxidizing step includes using potassium permanganate or sodium hypochlorite as an oxidant. The oxidizing step includes immersing the original indigo yarn in a 0.3-10.0 wt % oxidant solution at 15-55° C. for 0.5-10 seconds. The reducing step includes using hydrogen peroxide or oxalic acid as a reductant. The reducing step includes immersing the oxidized indigo yarn in a 0.5-10.0 wt %, pH 4.0-5.0 oxidant solution at 15-55° C. for 1-30 minutes. The soap washing step includes using non-ionic surfactant or anion surfactant as a soap washing agent. The soap washing step includes immersing the reduced indigo yarn in a 0.5-2.0 wt % soap washing agent solution at 50-85° C. for 1-30 minutes.
The indigo fleck fancy fabric manufacturing method includes providing a plurality of indigo fleck fancy yarns made by the above indigo fleck fancy yarn manufacturing method, and weaving the indigo fleck fancy yarn to form the indigo fleck fancy fabric.
As shown in
Step 1010, a step of providing an original indigo yarn is performed. The original indigo yarn can include natural fibers and synthetic fibers which have been dyed with indigo. In a preferred embodiment, the indigo dyed natural fibers and synthetic fibers are commercially available. In other embodiment, however, uncolored natural fibers and synthetic fibers are prepared and then dyed into indigo color with indigo dyes. The natural fiber can be selected from a group consisting of cotton fiber, wool fiber, linen fiber, jute fiber, ramie fiber, shengma fiber, hemp fiber, and a combination thereof. The synthetic fiber can selected from a group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate fiber, polyamide 6 fiber, polyamide 66 fiber, Nylon 6 fiber, Nylon 66 fiber, polypropylene fiber, polyolefin fiber, and a combination thereof.
After the original indigo yarn is provided or prepared. Step 1030, a step of oxidizing the original indigo yarn is performed. The oxidizing step includes using potassium permanganate or sodium hypochlorite as an oxidant. The oxidizing step is preferably performed by immersing the original indigo yarn in a 0.3-10.0 wt % oxidant solution at 15-55° C. for 0.5-10 seconds. In a preferred embodiment, the color of the oxidized indigo yarn is blue in green after being dried. However, in other embodiments, the color of the oxidized indigo yarn can be yellow in green, brown in green, or blue in brown after being dried.
Step 1050, a step of reducing the oxidized indigo yarn is performed. The reducing step can include using hydrogen peroxide or oxalic acid as a reductant. The reducing step is preferably performed by immersing the oxidized indigo yarn in a 0.5-10.0 wt %, pH 4.0-5.0 oxidant solution at 15-55° C. for 1-30 minutes.
Step 1070, a step of soap washing the reduced indigo yarn is performed. The soap washing step can include using non-ionic surfactant or anion surfactant as a soap washing agent. The soap washing step is preferably performed by immersing the reduced indigo yarn in a 0.5-2.0 wt % soap washing agent solution at 50-85° C. for 1-30 minutes.
Step 1090, a step of drying the soap washed indigo yarn is performed to form the indigo fleck fancy yarn, wherein the indigo fleck fancy yarn is an indigo yarn having irregular white area. In a preferred embodiment, the soap washed indigo yarn can be first dewatered by a dewaterer and then dried with hot wind. In other embodiments, however, the soap washed indigo yarn can be dried by exposing the soap washed indigo yarn in infrared rays or by baking the soap washed indigo yarn in an oven.
Compared to the conventional technique in which the indigo fleck fancy yarn is made by spinning blue fibers with white fibers, the method of present invention produces the indigo fleck fancy yarn having irregular white area directly from the indigo yarn. Therefore, the processes of preparing blue fibers of different hue and spinning the blue fibers and white fibers are eliminated, and the manufacturing efficiency of the indigo fleck fancy yarn manufacturing method is accordingly improved.
As shown in
Step 2010, a step of providing an indigo fleck fancy yarn produced by the above indigo fleck fancy yarn manufacturing method is performed. Step 2030, a step of using the indigo fleck fancy yarn to produce an indigo fleck fancy fabric is performed. That is, after an original indigo yarn is processed by the above indigo fleck fancy yarn manufacturing method, including oxidizing, reducing, soap-washing, and drying, the original indigo yarn is introduced with discontinuity in color to serve as the indigo fleck fancy yarn in manufacturing the fancy fabric.
More particularly, the conventional technique for producing the Indigo fleck fancy fabric is to bleach a blue fabric together with stones or enzyme, which usually results in a significant demand of time, manpower, chemicals, and/or water, and the “washed look” is generally applied to the entire fabric instead of a specified area. In contrast, since in the indigo fleck fancy fabric manufacturing method of the present invention the indigo fleck fancy fabric is made by using the indigo fleck fancy yarn having irregular white area, the indigo fleck fancy fabric exhibits the “washed look” inherently. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
Moreover, in a preferred embodiment, the indigo fleck fancy fabric manufacturing method further includes step 2050, wherein a step of providing a yarn for weaving into the indigo fleck fancy fabric with the indigo fleck fancy yarn is performed.
In other words, since the indigo fleck fancy fabric is made by weaving a yarn with the indigo fleck fancy yarn, the indigo fleck fancy fabric can exhibit the “washed” look/effect at a specified area. More particularly, ordinary yarns can be woven first and then the indigo fleck fancy yarn is introduced when an area exhibiting the “washed look” is desired is woven. Therefore, the “washed look” can be preformed at a specified area and the design of the fabric can have more variety.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
