A novel approach in leather finishing: Surface modification with flock fibers

Abstract

In recent years, finishing has begun introducing an extraordinary touch and appearance to the surface of leathers by surface modification. Because some superficial anomalies cannot be recovered by conventional finishing procedures, those can only be drawn on by coating techniques. Coating aims at obtaining an alluring product, which must both recover the surface anomalies and be compatible with the leather characteristics. This study is for valorization of leathers with inferior quality, which contain surface defects, thereby being aimed at improvement of the surface characteristics. The product should have ease of use, as well as giving a fashionable look and touch to flocked fibrous surfaces, whether applied to synthetic leather types or Alcantara. For covered and patterned fibrous surfaces, the experimentations of different flock formulations with different binder types were executed, superficial characteristics were imaged with optoanalytical techniques and the fiber adhesion onto the surface was examined by abrasion tests. The research results showed that polyurethane binder had acceptable qualities for bags, footwear, garments and accessories and yielded superior binding characteristics compared to acrylic binder.