Patent Application
20110275262
The present invention relates to a metal-coated textile product suitable for clothing, swim wear, diving suit, tent, cushion, wall paper, curtain, carpet, protective cover, screen window, equipment casing, and various other items, wherein the coating of metal is deposited onto the textile product in thin, even, highly adhesive layer or layers, as metal, oxidized metal, or nitrogenized metal through physical vapor depositing process, known as the sputtering process.
By forming a metallic, oxidized metal, or nitrogenized metal coating or a layer, of such deposit on the surface of a textile product, various types of functions can be conferred on the textile such as electrical conductivity, heat-shielding, heat retention, dirt repellency, anti-bacterial properties, deodorizing properties, enhanced visual appearance, and creation of a metallic appearance to the textile.
Various methods of depositing metal, oxidized metal or nitrogenized metal layer onto a textile are known, such as ion-beam deposit, vacuum vapor deposit, and sputtering method.
This invention is an improvement to the sputtering method as disclosed by one of the applicant along with other inventors in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,124 and in several other subsequently disclosed patent applications and publications on sputtering process on textile and fabric products such as JP60-134068, JP60-134067, JP60-110972, JP60-75669, JP60-110971, JP60-110970, JP60-110969, JP60-134039, JP61-179377, JP61-177239, JP62-21870, JP2-62237, JP5-033272, JP8-215295, JP10-216210, JP11-021763, JP11-253539, JP2000-314039, JP2000-040546, JP2001-115252, JP2001-159071, JP2001-172761, JP2002-004170, JP2002-030566, JP2002-105853, JP2003-042296, and JP2003-313771.
More specifically, this invention relates to an improved manufacturing method and the improved textile product produced from the improved sputtering method of depositing metal, oxidized metal, and nitrogenized metal onto the textile. The improved manufacturing allows sputtering metal onto the textile at a higher rate of speed, higher precision and accuracy, which result in increased production efficiency and speed, increase in width and length of the processed textile, and improved quality of the product with higher adhesion of the deposited metal layer to the textile, and the layer of deposit may be thicker, more even, and cover the entire length and width of the textile.
As a result of this improved sputtering process and product produced from this method, the production cost for the textile is reduced, more valuable and marketable product is produced, and the product is more aesthetically pleasing, with the layer of metal deposited is more durable, and depending on the type of metal or metals deposited, confers such characteristics to the textile such as anti-bacterial quality, deodorizing quality, improved appearance and texture, electrical conductivity, heat-shielding, heat retention, and dirt repellency.
An object of this invention is to offer metal, oxidized metal, or nitrogenized metal coated textile through improved sputtering method. The textile product may be woven or knitted, non-woven, such as spun-bonded, spun-laced, chemical-bonded hot melt thermal-bonded, needle punched textile or may be of foam sheet, such as polyurethane sheet. The material forming the textile may be of synthetic organic fibers such as polyester, polyethylene or other fiber materials, non-organic fibers such as glass fibers, carbon fibers and other fiber materials, mixture or combination of such fibers, or mixture of combination of the synthetic fibers and non-organic fibers with other natural fibers. By depositing a layer of metal, oxidized metal, or nitrogenized metal utilizing the sputtering method, textile with aesthetically pleasing metallic appearance is created. The adhesion of the coated layer is excellent and the coated layer is very hard to remove, chip away, or wear away. The coating layer also confers various characteristics to the textile such as anti-bacterial quality, deodorizing quality, improved appearance and texture, electrical conductivity, heat-shielding, heat retention, and dirt repellency.
Another object of this invention is an improved production method of such metal, oxidized metal, or nitrogenized metal coated textile, which the process time for the sputter coating process is reduced through faster movement of textile through the sputtering apparatus. The increase in the speed is enabled through various improvements, such as placing the target at an optimal angle and more precise control of the atmosphere inside the sputtering apparatus's chamber.
Another object of this invention is an improved textile product produced from the improved production method, which the layer deposited on the textile has very little variance in the thickness of the layer, both lengthwise and widthwise.
Another object of this invention is an improved textile product produced from the improved production method, which the width may be as wide as 10000 mm and the coating layer deposited extends all the way to the edge of the textile, both lengthwise and widthwise, while the entire length of the processed textile may as long as 1000 m, or longer.
a is an example of sputtered processed film with area of metal deposit 2, and 1 to 3 cm edges 3 of area not sputtered by metal deposit.
b is an example of how cylinder guards 5 allow sputtering metal deposit on to the entire width of the textile without metal deposit attaching onto the cylinder 6.
a is an example of sputter cathode 7 and textile 4 in parallel arrangement.
b is an example of sputter cathode 7 and textile 4 in an arrangement at an angle.
a is an example of textile 4, sputter cathode 7 and guard plate 8 arrangement viewed from above.
b is a side view of textile 4, sputter cathode 7 and guard plate 8 arrangement.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be explained with references to
Under the first preferred embodiment, as in
In Step 300, although dry textile 4 is selected in Step 100, the textile 4 is further dried to reduce the time required to create a vacuum inside the chamber of the sputtering apparatus. The textile 4 measuring several hundred meters to up to and over 1000 meters wound on one spool or drum, is placed inside the chamber of the sputtering apparatus in Step 400.
In Step 500, using a vacuum pomp, air is pumped out of the chamber for a period of 30 minutes up to 3 hours to create a vacuum inside the sputtering apparatus's sputtering chamber. First a pump is used to roughly remove air from the chambers to create a low level of vacuum, and next the main pump is used in combination of freezing panel (temperature −120˜150° C.) to increase suction of air to create a high level of vacuum.
Once a high level of vacuum is created, in Step 600, plasma is created inside the chamber of the sputtering apparatus and metallic deposit is sputtered onto the textile 4. The sputtering occurs as the textile 4 is transferred from a releasing drum 11 to a rewinding drum 10 of textile 4 and the cylinder 6, where the metal is sputtered, is cooled to allow the sputtering process to go on for a long period of time. The sputtering process is controlled by adjusting the distance between the metal target 12, temperature of the textile 4 and cylinder 6, and also taking into consideration, the heat resistance of the textile and the desired thickness of the metallic layer to be deposited onto the textile 4. Depending on the desired function of the finished textile 4 (e.g. electromagnetic shield, heat shield, heat retention, photo-catalytic properties, etc), the thickness and color of the metallic layer deposited on the textile 4 is controlled.
In Step 700, the textile 4 with the metal layer deposited is inspected for wrinkles, defects, and for evenness of the deposited metal layer.
Under the second preferred embodiment, the sputtering process performed to the surface of a textile 4 is carried out in a sputtering apparatus designed and used exclusively for processing textile 4. Any metal or alloy, its oxidized form, or its nitrogenized form or combination thereof that may be sputtered, such as gold, silver, aluminum, tin, zinc, nickel, copper, cobalt, chromium, corrosion resistant nickel based alloys, stainless steel (SUS 316), titanium, cobalt based alloys, and other metals and alloys, or combination thereof is deposited on the textile 4 to form a layer through the sputtering process.
The sputtering process occurs within the closed chambers of the sputtering apparatus, such as
First, the textile 4 to be sputter processed is prepared so the textile 4 is completely free from any resin material and other contaminants such as dirt, dust and other particles on the surface of the textile 4 to ensure even adhesion of the sputtered layer.
The textile 4 may be washed with water, solution with 0.5% to 10% concentration of NaOH, or other type of solution to remove any contaminants from the surface of the textile 4.
Whether the textile 4 is washed or not, it is also preferable to dry the textile 4 prior to processing. Drying time may vary from 30 minutes up to several hours, depending on the type of textile 4 and also whether the textile 4 was washed before the drying process. Generally, textile 4 made from polyethylene, polyester and other textile 4 with lower water absorption requires less drying time.
The length of textile 4 sold commercially usually comes in rolls of 50 meters. In order to increase the production efficiency, the rolls of textile 4 are sewn together to create a textile 4 with a length up to 1000 meters. This textile 4 is then wound onto releasing drum 11.
The sputtering apparatus consists of one closed chamber where the entire releasing drum 11 of textile 4 is placed inside the chamber. Once the textile 4 is place inside the chamber, air is pumped out of the chamber using a pump for a period of 30 minutes up to 3 hours to create a vacuum inside the chamber. First a pump is used to roughly remove air from the chambers to create a low level of vacuum. Then the main pump is utilized in combination of freezing panel (temperature −120˜150° C.) to increase suction of air out of the chamber to create a high level of vacuum.
Once a high level of vacuum is created inside the chamber, inert gas, such as argon is introduced into the chamber. The atmospheric pressure inside the chamber is to be adjusted to a range of 3×10−4 to 9×10−2 Torr.
To adjust oxidation of the metal to be sputtered, or nitrogenization of the metal to be sputtered, small amount of oxygen and/or nitrogen gas or air may be introduced into the chamber.
The amount of oxygen introduced into the chamber will control the amount of oxygenation of the metal sputtered and amount of nitrogen introduced into the chamber will control the amount of nitrogenation of the metal sputtered onto the textile 4.
The amount of oxygen, nitrogen, and/or air introduced into the chamber may be monitored using monitoring devise for optimum oxygenation and/or nitrogenation of the metal sputtered most suitable for the purpose and desired characteristic of the textile 4.
A DC voltage of 200 to 1000 volts is applied across the rod shaped sputter cathode(s) 7 and the anode or anodes. The application of voltage generates argon ions from the argon gas introduced into the chamber. If inert gas other than argon, ions of the inert gas are formed.
The ions of inert gas then collide with the metal target or targets 12 provided with the sputter cathode or cathodes 7 and ejecting the metal particles as it collides with the target. The ejected metal particles then collide with textile 4 and the metal particle is deposited on the surface of the textile 4.
When oxygen is introduced in the chamber, the metal particles may be oxidized as it travels through the chamber and when nitrogen is introduced in the chamber metal particles may be nitrogenized. Amount of oxidation and nitrogenization differs depending on the metal and the amount of oxygen and/or nitrogen introduced into the chambers.
When proper voltage is applied, and the metal particles are emitted from the metal target or targets 12, the metal particles may be fully or partially oxidized or nitrogenized as the particles travel through the chamber depending on the concentration of oxygen, nitrogen or air introduced into the chamber. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,105, metal particles such as Titanium react with nitrogen present in the chamber and the deposit on the textile product form a golden color layer over the textile 4.
During the sputtering process, the backside of the textile 4 does not necessary have to be cooled. Generally, the sputtering process is performed for films while the material travels along the cylinder 6. When processing film 1, as shown in
When processing textile 4b, heat does not spread as much as film 1, therefore it is not necessary to cool the textile 4 while processing since the textile 4 would not melt or shrink due to the heat created from the sputtering process, although when sputtering on textile 4, the sputtering may occur as the unprocessed textile 4a travel from releasing drum 11 to a cylinder 6 which may be cooled.
The width of the textile 4 to be processed is readily adjustable, and the apparatus is designed so attachments are not necessary. Depending on the design and adjustment of the sputtering chamber and the arrangement of the metal target(s) 12, sputter cathode(s) 7 and the textile 4, the textile 4 may travel along a cylinder 6 that may or may not be cooled.
The various arrangements of tensions controller(s) with tension meter 9 and cylinder 6 removes any slack, bends, or folds in the textile while it is processed, further improving the accuracy and reducing the variance in the thickness of the metal layer deposited on the textile 4.
When textile is sputtered while traveling over a cylinder 6, a cylinder cover 5 cover must be placed over the cylinder as in
Also by covering the cylinder 6, the entire width of the textile 4 may be sputtered, without the concern for sputtered metal attaching to the cylinder 6, again increasing the productivity as well as value of the processed textile 4b as the entire width of the textile 4 is covered with the deposit. When the entire width of the textile 4 is deposited with the metal layer, the processed textile 4b maintains a high commercial value.
The sputtering process occurs while the textile 4 travels vertically. While the textile 4 is sputter processed, pieces of metal forms and falls. By processing the textile 4 as it travels vertically, the falling pieces of metal does not fall on the material or sputter cathode 7, and the process is stabilized. Also by avoiding the metal particles to fall on the textile 4 itself, the product quality improves with higher adhesion and more even and highly precise thickness of layer deposited on the textile 4.
Also the textile wound onto releasing drum 11 is placed in the chamber and the sputtering process, including winding, rewinding, and the actual sputtering are all performed within one chamber. This increases the efficiency of the process.
The positioning of the guide roll(s) 13 and guard plate(s) 8 is set up in a manner that the guard plate 8 prevents metal from attaching to the interior of the chamber of the sputtering apparatus as illustrated in
The guide rolls 13 are positioned as shown in
Also to improve the adhesion of the metal, it is preferable the angle θ between textile 4 sputtered and sputter cathode 7 to be adjusted to an angle between 5 to 45 degrees as shown in
The processed textile 4b produced utilizing the production detailed above were tested for various quality, including its anti-bacterial quality, deodorizing quality, and adhesiveness.
The result of the tests are organized in the Charts 1 and 2.
Staphylococcus
aureus
Klebsiella
pneumoniae
Staphylococcus
aureus
Klebsiella
pneumoniae
Staphylococcus
aureus
1For the test to be valid: logB − logA > 1.5
2For bacterial solution contained 0.05% of Tween 80 (surfactant)
3Washing method: High temperature acceleration (JAFET standard combination detergent used)
As a result of the adjustments, high adhesion of the metal to the textile 4 is achieved as illustrated in Chart 2. The textile's added characteristics, therefore the adhered layer of metal that confer the characteristic, in this case the deodorizing effect, was not lost after five washing cycles as shown in Chart 2.
By implementing all the adjustment or combination of the adjustments in processing the textile 4 before, during and after the sputtering process, production efficiency is increased to make the process commercially viable, and product with high product quality and marketability is produced.
Under the third preferred embodiment, as shown in
Under the fourth preferred embodiment, as shown in
Under the fifth preferred embodiment, as shown in
Under the sixth preferred embodiment, as shown in
Under the seventh preferred embodiment, tension controller with tension meter 9 on each side of the cylinder 6 and in between releasing drum 11 and rewinding drum 10, are two sets of tension controller with tension meter 9 and guide rolls 13 as shown in
Under the eighth preferred embodiment shown in
Under the ninth preferred embodiment shown in
The processed textile produced 4b under the above preferred embodiments have improved adhesion of metal layer that withstand repeated washing and layer of metal deposited in the range of 20 to 2000 angstrom have a less than 5% valiance in thickness of the deposited layer for the entire length and width of the textile 4, which the textile's 4 width is up to 10000 mm and length of the textile 4 is up to and over 1000 m.
The present application is a division of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/662,690, having a 371(c) date of Jan. 28, 2008, which is a 371 of International Application No. PCT/IB2004/003046, filed Sep. 15, 2004. The entire contents of each of the above-noted related documents are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11662690 | Jan 2008 | US |
| Child | 13183873 | US |
