Artificial leather and method for making the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to an artificial leather and method for making the same. The artificial leather includes a polyester fiber substrate and a thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) resin layer. The polyester fiber substrate has a plurality of polyester fibers. The thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) resin layer is disposed adjacent to the polyester fiber substrate, and the material thereof is thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE). Whereby, the material of the all layers of the artificial leather is polyester types, therefore, the whole artificial leather can be melted to recycle and reuse when disposing the artificial leather, so as to achieve the effect of environmental protection.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for making an artificial leather, comprising the following steps of:
 (a) providing a Thermoplastic Polyester Elastomer (TPEE);   (b) enabling the TPEE to form a molten TPEE; and   (c) enabling the molten TPEE to form a TPEE resin layer, and attaching the TPEE resin layer on a polyester fiber substrate by using a chilling roller to form an artificial leather.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein in step (b), the TPEE is heated by an extruder and the molten TPEE is extruded by the extruder, the extruder has a flow path for the TPEE to flow, and different temperatures are set at different positions of the flow path; in step (c), the TPEE resin layer is formed from the molten TPEE by using a T-die, and the flow path is connected with the T-die. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein in step (b), a foaming agent is further added into the TPEE for the TPEE to form the molten TPEE, and the weight of the foaming agent is 1% to 10% of the weight of the TPEE. 
     
     
         4 . A method for making an artificial leather, comprising the following steps of:
 (a) providing a Thermoplastic Polyester Elastomer (TPEE);   (b) adding a foaming agent into the TPEE to form a first raw material, and heating the first raw material, so that the first raw material forms a molten foamed TPEE, wherein the weight of the foaming agent is 1% to 10% of the weight of the TPEE;   (c) heating a second raw material to form a molten second raw material;   (d) forming a bi-layer structure from the molten foamed TPEE and the second raw material , wherein the bi-layer structure has a foamed TPEE resin layer and a second raw material layer; and   (e) attaching the bi-layer structure to a polyester fiber substrate to form an artificial leather.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein in step (b), the first raw material is heated by a first extruder and the molten foamed TPEE is extruded by the first extruder, the first raw material flows along a first flow path of the first extruder, and different temperatures are set at different positions of the first flow path; in step (c), the second raw material is heated by a second extruder, so as to form a molten second raw material, and the second raw material flows along a second flow path of the second extruder; in step (d), the molten foamed TPEE and the second raw material are co-extruded at the same time by using a multi-layer T-die, and then film-forming is performed, so as to form the bi-layer structure, wherein the first flow path and the second flow path are connected with the multi-layer T-die. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein in step (c), the second raw material is a TPEE; in step (d), the second raw material layer of the bi-layer structure is a non-foamed TPEE resin layer; in step (e), the bi-layer structure and the polyester fiber substrate are pressed by using a chilling roller, so as to form the artificial leather, wherein the foamed TPEE resin layer is in contact with the polyester fiber substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein in step (c), the second raw material is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) hotmelt adhesive; in step (d), the second raw material layer of the bi-layer structure is a PET hotmelt adhesive layer; in step (e), the bi-layer structure is attached to the polyester fiber substrate after being hot pressed, so as to form the artificial leather, wherein the PET hotmelt adhesive layer is adhered to the polyester fiber substrate. 
     
     
         8 . An artificial leather, comprising:
 a polyester fiber substrate, having a plurality of polyester fibers; and   a foamed Thermoplastic Polyester Elastomer (TPEE) resin layer, adjacent to the polyester fiber substrate, wherein the material thereof is TPEE.   
     
     
         9 . The artificial leather according to  claim 8 , wherein the porosity of the foamed TPEE resin layer is in the range of 30% to 80%, and the foamed TPEE resin layer is adhered to the polyester fiber substrate. 
     
     
         10 . The artificial leather according to  claim 8 , further comprising a non-foamed TPEE resin layer, located on the foamed TPEE resin layer, wherein the material thereof is the TPEE, and the foamed TPEE resin layer is in contact with the polyester fiber substrate.