FOOTWEAR INCLUDING BIO-BASED MATERIALS

Abstract

A composite material for footwear where the composite material includes a substrate and a material layer applied to the substrate. The material layer includes at least two transfer coating layers and an adhesive layer that secures the material layer to the substrate.

Description

BACKGROUND

Leather is a by-product of the meat industry. After slaughter, leather is processed including cleaning, tanning, dyeing and conditioning. Tanning involves stabilizing the protein structure of the hides to make them hardwearing and long lasting. Often, chrome tannins (chemicals) are added for softness whereas vegetable tannins are added for stiffness. Next, the leather is dyed to a desired color and oils are added for a variety of effects. In some processes, the leather is placed in a tumble dryer for milling to further soften the leather or enhance texture. After, coatings, dyes, waxes, oils and printing may be added to the leather to further treat the leather.

Leather is used in a variety of products including footwear and apparel, and is also used in interior design, furniture manufacturing and in the automotive industry. Some products that use leather include coats, gloves, hats, pillows and seat coverings and upholstery. The quality and cost of these products depends on the grain or quality of the leather used to make the products. Leather has three basic grains or qualities, namely, full-grain leather, top-grain leather and corrected-grain leather. Full-grain leather is the highest quality of leather because it has not been corrected at all and showcases the natural grain of the skin which provides a very luxurious, buttery look and feel. Top-grain leather is the second-highest quality of leather as the top layer of the hide has been removed making the surface very smooth and consistent. Corrected-grain or embossed leather is corrected and fixed by experienced leatherworkers to hide all of the natural inconsistencies found in leather. An artificial grain is embossed on the top and dressed out using dyes and/or pigment (paint) making this type of leather very consistent in look and grain. Imperfections are usually sanded off and then corrected.

Artificial leather, or synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but genuine leather is cost prohibitive or unsuitable. Artificial leather is known under many names, including leatherette, imitation leather, faux leather, vegan leather, polyurethane leather, and pleather.

Leather and synthetic leather manufacturing involves several different processes and chemicals. High quality leather is also in demand and expensive. In addition to higher costs, the chemicals, polymers and other synthetic materials used in leather processing produces wastes in solid, liquid and gaseous form that impacts the environment. Also, genuine leather has a high impact on land, water and the environment and uses some chemicals during the tanning and finishing processes. Synthetic leather uses petroleum derived materials, i.e plastics, in their processing that is not natural and does not biodegrade, and as a result, has a very high impact on the environment.

Accordingly, there is a need for an alternative to leather that replicates the desirable qualities of leather, increases supply, and reduces the associated costs and that has less impact on the environment.

BACKGROUND

The present composite material includes a material layer applied to a substrate, such as a pile fabric or other types of substrates, to create products such as footwear and apparel, where the material layer closely resembles the look and feel of leather. More specifically, a material is made having a higher biological content that resembles leather by using a renewable, biological feedstock, i.e., bio-polymer from corn and additional plant based polymers) in a transfer coating process on various plant-based and non-plant based substrates. The result of applying this process to these various substrates provides a higher bio content material (20% to 50% in the coating and up to 50% to 85% in the entire material depending on which substrate is used) to that of any leather synthetic material. The resultant material product is an alternative to leather that has less impact on the environment.

In an embodiment, a composite material is provided for footwear where the composite material includes a substrate and a material layer applied to the substrate. The material layer includes at least two transfer coating layers and an adhesive layer that secures the material layer to the substrate.

In another embodiment, a method of making a composite material having a surface that closely resembles leather is provided and includes the steps of providing a release paper, applying a first layer of a transfer coating to the release paper, heating the first layer of the transfer coating on the release paper to at least partially cure the first layer of the transfer coating, applying a second layer of the transfer coating to the first layer, heating the second layer of the transfer coating on the release paper to at least partially cure the first and second layers of the transfer coating, applying an adhesive layer to the second layer of the transfer coating, attaching a substrate to the adhesive layer, heating the adhesive layer after attaching the substrate to at least partially cure the adhesive layer and separating the release paper from the first layer of the transfer coating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of an embodiment of the present composite material.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of another embodiment of the present composite material.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the transfer coating process.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a coating applicator in the transfer coating process shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a blade of the coating applicator of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an embodiment of a finishing process.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a composite material.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the different processes used to make the composite material.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a first step of an embodiment of a process for manufacturing the present composite material.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a second step of the process for manufacturing the present composite material.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a third step of the process for manufacturing the present composite material.

FIG. 12 is a table describing the weights of the different layers and the substrate of an embodiment of the composite material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed to a material or material layer that resembles the look and feel of leather and may be used in lieu of leather in making footwear, outerwear, apparel and other products, such as home goods. Specifically, the material layer may be used as a facing material attached to a substrate to closely approximate a liner or it may be lined and used as an outer material for several different products. In one application, the material layer is applied and attached to a substrate, such as a pile fabric or other types of substrates, to form a composite material for making footwear, coats, gloves and other products and leather.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a composite material is shown and generally indicated as reference number 20, where the composite material includes a substrate 22 and a material layer 24 attached to the substrate. In this embodiment, the substrate 22 is a pile fabric 23 having a backing material 25 and fibers 28 attached to the backing material. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,212,440, which is incorporated herein by reference. The substrate 22 may be any suitable substrate or made with any suitable material or combination of materials. The pile fabric 23 is made by securing the fibers 28, which may be wool fibers, synthetic fibers or any suitable fibers or combination of fibers, to the base material or backing material 25, such as a textile scrim 26, in a fabric forming process, such as a knitting or sliver knitting process. It should be appreciated that the term “scrim” used hereinafter refers to an underlying backing, framework or structure, including but not limited to, textiles. The scrim 26 may be made by needle punching, hydro-entanglement or other suitable bonding processes. The scrim may also be made with: woven fibers in which at least two sets of threads are interwoven at 90-degree angles to form a fabric or cloth, a set of fibers knitted together, or micro-fibers that are connected by a hybrid process using one of weaving or knitting processes. Furthermore, the terms “fabric” and “textile” as used herein refer to any type of cloth produced by knitting, weaving or non-woven textile processes. In the illustrated embodiment, the material layer 24 is attached to a surface of the substrate 22, namely the scrim 26, using an adhesive as described below. In this embodiment, the composite material 20 is used in making footwear, apparel or other similar products where the fiber side of the composite material forms a liner or inner surface of the shoe or apparel, and the material layer 24 is a facing layer that forms at least a portion of the outer surface of the shoe or apparel.

Referring to FIG. 2, another embodiment of the composite material 20 is shown where the composite material includes a substrate 30 that is preferably made with a plant-based or a recycled materials having a surface 31, and the biological material layer 32. It should be appreciated that the substrate may be made with any suitable material or combination of materials. In this embodiment, the material layer 32 is made by a chemical process and attached to the substrate 30 as described in the transfer coating application process below. The substrate 30 forms the inner surface of the composite material and the material layer 32 forms the outer surface or facing layer that is the visible surface of products, such as footwear and apparel, made with the composite material.

In the above embodiments, the material layer that resembles leather, includes a transfer coating applied to a release substrate such as a release paper. FIGS. 3-6 describe the process of manufacturing the material layer, where the process includes a release paper supply roller, a first coating applicator, a first heater, a second coating applicator, a second heater, an adhesive applicator, a substrate supply roller, a third heater and a finishing process.

The release paper supply roller 34 includes a release paper 36 provided on a roll 38 that is received from a release paper manufacturer. The release paper 36 may be any suitable paper that adds texture. As shown in FIG. 3, the release paper roll 38 is inserted onto a roller 40 that extends through the roll. At least one end of the roller 40 is attached to an electric motor (not shown) that rotates the roller in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the roller 40 is positioned at a first end of a first heater, which is first oven 42, and is rotated in a clockwise direction by the motor.

A first coating applicator 44 is located at a first end of the first oven 42 to apply a first layer of the transfer coating (FIG. 7) to a surface of the release paper 36. The first coating applicator 44 includes a container 46 that receives the transfer coating 48 from a storage container or reservoir 50 and applies a first layer (or pre-skin layer) 52 of the transfer coating 48 to the surface of the release paper 36 as the release paper moves through the trough 46. A first coating blade 54 is located by the exit of the container 46 and positioned a pre-determined distance above the surface of the release paper 36, where the pre-determined distance is equal to a pre-determined thickness of the first layer 52 of the transfer coating. To adjust the thickness of the first layer 52, the first coating blade 54 is movably attached to a blade support 56 and movable toward and away from the release paper. In this embodiment, the thickness of the first layer 52 is 5.0 to 10.0 grams/square meter, but may be any suitable thickness. The first layer or pre-skin layer 52 defines the touch and protective properties of the material layer such as abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, slipperiness and stain resistance. After applying the first layer 52 of the transfer coating 48 to the release paper 36, the release paper moves through the first oven 42.

The first oven 42 heats the first layer 52 of the transfer coating 48 on the release paper 36 to a temperature of 80 to 120° C. or other suitable temperature, to at least partially cure the first layer and create a pre-skin or pre-film on the surface of the release paper 36. In an embodiment, the first layer 52 of the transfer coating 48 is completely cured (100%) in the first oven 42. A second coating applicator 58 is positioned at the second end or exit of the first oven 42 and applies a second layer 60 (FIG. 7) of the transfer coating 48 on the first layer 52. Similar to the first coating applicator 44 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the second coating applicator 58 includes a trough positioned below a storage container or reservoir having the transfer coating 48 where the transfer coating is supplied to the trough. A second coating blade 62 attached to a blade support 63 (FIG. 3) controls the thickness of the second layer 60 of the transfer coating 48 as described above. The storage container or reservoir may be the same storage container or reservoir 50 of the first coating applicator 44 or a different container or reservoir. The second coating applicator 58 applies the second layer (skin layer) 60 of the transfer coating 48 on the first layer 52 as the release paper 36 moves through the trough, where the second layer 60 has a pre-determined thickness. The thickness of the second layer 60 may be the same or different from the first layer. In this embodiment, the thickness of the second layer is 250 to 275 grams/square meter, but may be any suitable thickness. The second layer or skin layer 60 defines the overall softness, handle, drape and/or flexibility of the biological material. In an embodiment, the second layer or skin layer 60 is at least partially foamed in a foaming process to improve the flexibility, elasticity and resilience of the biological material.

After the second coating applicator 58, the release paper 36 having the first and second layers 52, 60 of the transfer coating 48, moves through the second heater, which is second oven 64. The second oven 64 heats the first and second layers 52, 60 of the transfer coating 48 on the release paper 36 to a temperature of 150 to 160° C. to at least partially cure the first layer 52 and the second layer 60, and create a complete skin or film on the surface of the release paper 36. In an embodiment, the second layer 60 of the transfer coating 48 is completely cured (100%) in the second oven 64. The release paper 36 having the cured first and second layers 52, 60 of the transfer coating 48 exits the second oven 64 and moves to the substrate supply roller 66 and the adhesive applicator 68.

The adhesive applicator 68 includes a nozzle that is connected to a storage container or reservoir that stores an adhesive or resin. The nozzle of the adhesive applicator 68 receives the adhesive from the storage container and applies the adhesive to a surface of the second layer 60 of the transfer coating 48 prior to reaching the substrate supply roller 66. In this embodiment, the thickness of the layer of adhesive on the second layer 60 is 30 to 35 grams/square meter, but may be any suitable thickness.

After the adhesive is applied to the transfer coating 48 on the release paper 36, the release paper 36 moves to the substrate supply roller 66 as shown in FIG. 3. A supply roller 70 having the substrate 22 is positioned above the release paper 36. The supply roller 70 is coupled to an electric motor (not shown) that rotates the supply roller in a counterclockwise direction. The substrate 22 moves from the supply roller 70 over a series of transfer rollers 72 until the surface of the substrate 22 having the backing material contacts the adhesive layer 74 (FIG. 7). The substrate 22, such as the pile fabric (FIG. 1) described above, or any suitable substrate, is stored on the supply roller 70 or another supply device, and is moved into contact with the adhesive layer. In the illustrated embodiment, the adhesive applicator 68 applies the adhesive layer 74 simultaneously with the substrate 22 contacting the surface of the second layer 60. It should be appreciated that the adhesive layer may be applied at any suitable time prior to the substrate contacting the second layer 60. It should also be appreciated that one layer or multiple layers of the transfer coating 48 may be applied to the release paper 36 to form the material layer.

As shown, the backing material of the substrate 22 faces the material layer on the release paper 36 as the substrate (backing material) contacts the adhesive layer 74. After the substrate 22 contacts the adhesive layer 74, the composite material 20 including the joined substrate, material layer and release paper, moves between opposing press rollers 76 and a press blade 78 to at least partially press the substrate and the adhesive layer together. In this way, the surface of the substrate 22, i.e., the backing material, contacts and is at least partially pressed on and secured to the material layer via the adhesive layer 74.

After the substrate is secured to the material layer by the adhesive layer 74 to form the composite material 22, the composite material 22 having the release paper 36 moves through a third heater, which is third oven 80. The third oven 80 is heated to a temperature of 80 to 120° C. or other suitable temperature, and at least partially cures the adhesive layer 74 between the substrate 22 and the material layer 24 of the composite material 20. In an embodiment, the adhesive layer 74 is fully cured in the third oven 80. When the curing process is complete, the release paper 36 is separated and removed from the surface of the first layer 52 of the transfer coating 48 and stored on a release paper roller 82 to be used again.

After manufacturing is complete, the composite material 22 may be stored for shipping or loaded on a transportation vehicle for immediate shipping to another location, such as a warehouse or another product manufacturing facility.

In the above embodiments, the transfer coating 48 used to create the material layer attached to the substrate 22, is made of one or more biological-based materials/chemicals. The first transfer coating layer or pre-skin layer includes 40 to 50 percent biological-based materials where the total renewable content of the first layer of the transfer coating is 20% to 50%. It should be appreciated that the total renewable content of the first layer of the transfer coating varies based on the material of the substrate.

In the above embodiments, the first layer 52 of the transfer coating and the second layer 60 of the transfer coating are made with different materials. In another embodiment, the first and second layers 52, 60 of the transfer coating are made with the same material. In the illustrated embodiment, the first layer 52 of the transfer coating includes waterbourne polyurethane dispersions, which are polyurethane polymer resins dispersed in water, with a solids content of 35% to 45%; and a cross-linking agent of 4.0 to 5.0 parts per hundred parts of the resin.

The second layer 60 of the transfer coating or the skin layer includes aliphatic high solids based bio polyols made of solids with a total renewable content of 35% to 45%, and a cross-linking agent, where the amount of the cross-linking agent is calculated stoichiometrically according to the NCO percentage of the high solids. NCO is an isocyanate chemical group and refers to the Nitrogen, Carbon and Oxygen atoms of the isocyanate chemical group. The NCO % is a measure of the isocyanate content of a prepolymer or other isocyanate-containing compound measured as the weight percent of unreacted isocyanate groups in a material. In an example embodiment, the aliphatic high solids based bio polyols has a dry solids content of 95.0% to 100%, a viscosity (25° C.) of 25,000 to 50,000 mPa·s, a 100% modulus of 1.6 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 8.0 MPa, an elongation to break of 800% to 900%, a free NCO % of 5.0% to 6.0%, a specific gravity of 1000 to 1010 kg/cubic meter and a volatile organic content of less than 1.0%.

The adhesive layer includes an adhesive or resin made with waterbourne polyurethane dispersions having a solids content of 35% to 45% and a cross-linking agent of 4.0 to 5.0 parts per hundred parts of the resin. It should be appreciated that the adhesive layer may be any suitable adhesive or resin.

Referring to FIG. 6, in another embodiment, the composite material 20 is sent to one or more post processes, such as finishing process 84 that performs additional finishing applications/steps on the composite material 20 to achieve a desired look or feel for the substrate 22 and/or the material layer 24. In an embodiment, the finishing process 84 includes first and second rollers 86a and 86b, where the side of the composite material 20 having the material layer 24 faces the second roller 86b. The first roller 86a is connected to an electric motor (not shown) that rotates the first roller in a counterclockwise direction. The second roller 86b may be connected to the same motor or a different motor than the first roller 86a, where the motor rotates the second roller in a clockwise direction.

In the illustrated embodiment, the composite material 22 is fed between the first and second rollers 86a, 86b. A finish coating 88 stored in trough 89, is applied to the second roller 86b and set at a designated thickness on the second roller by blade 90 based on a distance between the end of the blade and the second roller. The finish coating on the second roller is then applied to the biological material layer (outer surface of the composite material 20). In this way, the second roller 86b applies a finish, which may be a texture, pattern or other suitable finish, to the surface of the material layer 24 to create a desired finish. For example, the finish on the surface of the material layer 24 may be a smooth finish, grainy or pebbled finish, shiny finish or matte finish. In another embodiment, the second roller 86b may have a texture or image carrier 91 formed by open cells or recesses on the surface of the second roller, that produces a type of finish on the composite material 20.

In another embodiment, the outer surface of the first roller 86a includes an abrasive material or teeth that contact the material layer 24 to sand or buff the biological material layer and create a roughened, suede or Nubuck leather look on the surface of the material layer of the composite material 20. It should be appreciated that the surface of the first roller 86a may include any suitable material or combination of materials that contact the surface of the biological material layer 24 and create a desired finish on the surface of the biological material layer.

In another embodiment, the second roller 86b includes teeth that brush and straighten fibers on a substrate, such as a pile fabric, as the composite material 20 moves between the first and second rollers 86a, 86b. It should be appreciated that the first and second rollers 86a, 86b in the finishing process 84 may include any type of surface to achieve a desired finish on one or both sides of the composite material.

In the above embodiments, the release paper 36 is placed or stretched over a series of rollers and moves through the manufacturing process by directly contacting the rollers. In another embodiment, the release paper 36 is placed on or at least partially secured to a belt that guides the release paper through the different processes to form the composite material 20. After the finishing process is complete, the composite material 20 is shipped to another facility or transferred to a storage area and stored for shipping at a later time.

Referring to FIG. 7, the finished composite material 20 is shown and includes a textile substrate 22, such as a pile fabric, the adhesive layer 74 and the material layer 24. The material layer 24 is formed by a second layer 60 of the transfer coating 48 (skin layer), a first layer 52 of the transfer coating 48 (pre-skin layer) and a finish or finish layer applied to the surface of the first layer after the release paper 36 is separated and removed from the material layer 24. As described above, the finishing process 84 is an additional step performed on the composite material 20 to apply the finish or finish layer 92 to the outermost layer, i.e., the second layer 60, to achieve a desired look, texture and/or feel of on the material layer. In an embodiment, the finish layer 92 provides a tone or color finish, such as a two-tone finish, to the material layer 24. For example, the tone finish may be flat or a mono-tone grain, distressed, matte, pebble grain or other suitable tone finishes. The finishing process 84 may include one or more of the following: weight adjustment, milling, embossing, flocking, buffing, water resistance, water proofing, improvements on adhesion, adjustment to surface appearance, such as adding matte and/or shine, quality adjustments to make the material softer, and applying wax, oils and/or sealants.

In the above embodiment, the first layer 52 defines the touch or feel of the composite material 20 and the protective properties of the composite material. The second layer 60 defines the overall softness, handle, drape and/or flexibility to the composite material 20. In an example embodiment, the second layer 60 provides flexibility, elasticity and/or resilience to the composite material 20. Also in the illustrated embodiment, the adhesive layer 74 binds or adheres the material layer 24 to the substrate 22 and includes a reinforcement material that may be a microfiber substance or microfiber material that reinforces the composite material while improving the flexibility of the composite material. It should be appreciated that the adhesive layer may include a microfiber material or other suitable reinforcement material or combination of reinforcement materials. In an embodiment, the adhesive layer 74 provides substantial tackiness to the first layer 52 and the substrate 22 and substantial elasticity to the composite material 20 while having low penetration into the substrate 22. In another embodiment, the composite material 20 does not go to a finishing process such that a finish is not applied to the second layer 60 of the composite material.

In the above embodiment of the composite material 20, the substrate 22 is preferably a textile substrate as described above. The substrate may also be made with a Tencel™ blend such as a 100% Tencel™ material, a blend made of 60% wool and 40% Tencel™ material, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) microfiber material, recycled or reconstituted leather, cotton blends, hemp blends, 100% Tencel™ non-woven material, pineapple blends, banana (Abaca) blends, paper, cork, flax, jute, linen, ramie, repurposed or recycled wool, and a variety of additional plant-based substrates. In the above embodiments, the substrate may be a non-woven material, such as a material made by bonding loose fibers; a woven material, such as two sets of threads that are interlaced at 90 degree angles to form a fabric or cloth; a knitted material; a micro-fiber material, such as a hybrid material formed by two or more of a non-woven material, a woven material and a knitted material; and a sustainable faux fur material, such as a sliver knit material, and/or a sustainable faux fur material, such as a sliver knit material.

Referring to FIG. 8, a flow chart shows the material processing steps in creating the composite material 20 described above, where the steps include a substrate manufacturing step 94, a coating application step 96 and a product manufacturing step 98. In the substrate manufacturing step 94, a substrate 22, such as a pile fabric, is manufactured at a material development facility, i.e., a converter. In the coating application step 96, the material development facility has the materials and/or chemistry or formula needed to create the transfer coating 48. Alternatively, the transfer coating 48 is made at a separate facility and is shipped to the material development facility. The transfer coating 48 is applied to the substrate 22 as described above to create the composite material 20. The finished composite material 20 is stored for future shipping or shipped immediately to a product manufacturing facility such as a footwear, apparel or home goods manufacturing facility. In the product manufacturing step 98, a product manufacturing facility manufactures a product with the composite material 20, such as footwear, apparel and other accessories, or home goods, and then ships the product or products to another facility for further processing and/or to one or more receiving warehouses for storage.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, an embodiment of a process for manufacturing the composite material is illustrated where the process includes at least three steps.

In a first step shown in FIG. 9, a substrate 100 made with a base material such as a plant-based faux fur material, is loaded on roller 102 and an end of the substrate 100 is fed into a lamination machine 104 having a feed device 106 and a laminator 108. The lamination machine 104 laminates (bonds) a reinforcement material 110 to a side of the substrate 100 to reinforce the substrate and form a semi-finished product 112. In this embodiment, the reinforcement material is preferably made from a recycled PET and the weight varies between 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm, and the substrate is made with 100% Tencel. Also, the total weight of the substrate with the reinforcement material is 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm. It should be appreciated that the reinforcement material may be made with a microfiber material or any suitable material or combination of materials, and the substrate may be made with any suitable substrate material or combination of materials.

In a second step shown in FIG. 10, the semi-finished product 112 made in step one is placed on a first roller 114 and a release paper 116 is on a second roller 118 where an end of the semi-finished product 112 and an end of the release paper 116 is fed into a series of machines in a transfer coating process. In a first stage of the transfer coating process, an initial coating layer (pre-coating process) is applied to the release paper 116 to increase the rate of adhesion of the subsequent layer. In a second stage, the first layer is applied to the initial coating layer in a bottom coating process as described above. The release paper 116 with the pre-coating layer and the first layer then moves through a third stage and a fourth stage of the transfer coating process where the second layer is applied to the first layer (mid-coating process) in the third stage as described above and an adhesive layer is applied to the second layer in the fourth stage as described above. Also in the fourth stage, the release paper is removed and the adhesive layer is placed on the semi-finished product to bond the biological material layer including the first layer, the second layer, the finish layer (top coating process) and the adhesive layer, to the semi-finished product 112. The finished composite material product 120 including the biological material layer, the semi-finished product and the finish coating are transferred to the next process in step three.

In step three of the manufacturing process shown in FIG. 11, a machine 122 having a roller 124 applies a biological-based coating 126 to the finish coating on the finished composite material product 120 to form a two-tone color effect on a top surface of the finished composite material product 120. In this embodiment, the two-tone color effect is achieved by using multiple dye pastes (mainly black dye paste) mixed with water and passed through the roller. In another embodiment, the tone finish is added by hand after processing. It should be appreciated that the biological-based coating 126 applied to the finish layer may be made with any suitable biological-based material or dye or combination of materials or dyes, and may form a single tone or mono-tone color surface or a surface having a plurality of tones having different colors. In another embodiment, an additional roller (not shown) having a surface with grooves and/or ridges forms a texture in the biological-based coating or the finish coating.

FIG. 12 includes a table showing the composition of the present composite material product manufactured by the above process. As shown in the table, the composite material product includes a substrate made with Tencel™ having a weight of 1100 g/m² and micro-fiber material having a weight of 140 g/m² is applied to the substrate to reinforce the substrate so that the composite material product passes strength and flex wear testing. The composite material product further includes a first layer having a weight of 49 g/m², a second layer having a weight of 120 g/m² and a finish layer having a weight of 58.8 g/m². It should be appreciated that the composite material product may have a first layer, a second layer, a finish layer and reinforcement material or reinforcement material layer, with the same weights or different weights.

While particular embodiments of the present composite material and associated manufacturing processes are shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects and as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A composite material for footwear, comprising:

a substrate; and

a material layer applied to said substrate, said material layer including at least two transfer coating layers and an adhesive layer that secures the material layer to said substrate.

2. The composite material of claim 1, wherein at least one of the layers of the transfer coating includes polyurethane polymer resins dispersed in water with a solids content of 35% to 45% and a cross-linking agent.

3. The composite material of claim 2, wherein at least one of the layers of the transfer coating includes aliphatic high solids based bio polyols and a cross-linking agent.

4. The composite material of claim 1, further comprising a finish applied to a surface of one of said at least two transfer coatings.

5. The composite material of claim 1, wherein said substrate is a pile fabric.

6. A method of making a composite material having a surface that closely resembles leather, the method comprising:

providing a release paper;

applying a first layer of a transfer coating to the release paper;

heating the first layer of the transfer coating on the release paper to at least partially cure the first layer of the transfer coating;

applying a second layer of the transfer coating to the first layer;

heating the second layer of the transfer coating on the release paper to at least partially cure the first and second layers of the transfer coating;

applying an adhesive layer to the second layer of the transfer coating;

attaching a substrate to the adhesive layer;

heating the adhesive layer after attaching the substrate to at least partially cure the adhesive layer; and

separating the release paper from the first layer of the transfer coating.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein heating of the first layer is at a temperature of 80 to 120° C.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein heating of the second layer is at a temperature of 150 to 160° C.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein heating of the adhesive layer is at a temperature of 80 to 120° C.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein heating of the second layer is at a temperature of 150 to 160° C.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein heating of the adhesive layer is at a temperature of 80 to 120° C.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein one of the first layer or the second layer of the transfer coating includes polyurethane polymer resins dispersed in water with a solids content of 35% to 45% and a cross-linking agent.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein one of the first layer or the second layer of the transfer coating includes aliphatic high solids based bio polyols and a cross-linking agent.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the separated release paper is stored and re-used.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein applying the first layer of the transfer coating and applying the second layer of the transfer coating each include a coating applicator that supplies the transfer coating to a trough and the release paper is moved through the transfer coating in the trough to apply the first and second transfer coating layers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein one of a coating blade or a coating roller is positioned adjacent to the release paper as it exits the trough and fixed at a distance above the release paper to remove excess transfer coating from the release paper, wherein the distance of the coating blade or coating roller above the release paper is equal to a designated thickness of the first layer and the second layer.

17. The composite material of claim 1, further comprising a reinforcement material applied to at least one surface of said substrate.

18. The method of claim 6, further comprising applying a reinforcement material applied to at least one surface of said substrate.