Leather, leatherette or fabric WHAT'S BETTER? What is the difference between artificial leather and eco-leather?
Leather, leatherette or fabric: how to choose the best
TEXTILE
Easy care at home
Many types of fabric can be cleaned with soap solution and a soft brush, vacuum cleaner or dry cleaning without damaging the color and texture of the upholstery. However, even machine washing and industrial cleaning do not cause much difficulty if the cover is removable.
A wide variety of textures, colors and patterns
Modern fabrics are so diverse that their texture can imitate many materials, including suede. There are smooth and textured fabrics with different densities, types of weave and methods of applying patterns. There are no restrictions on the color of the fabric or the complexity of the design.
Low cost of most types of fabrics
The cost of fabric depends on many factors, but compared to leather and faux leather, most varieties are significantly cheaper. However, there are also high-quality fabrics, the cost of which is higher than that of genuine leather.
Ideal option for sleep
Due to the fact that the fabrics consist of interwoven threads and contain up to 50% natural fibers, the breathability of such materials is significantly higher than that of their analogues. And since sleep comfort also depends on the flow of oxygen, this indicator is important when choosing a sofa bed.
Most short term operation
Despite many advantages, fabric upholstery begins to lose its appearance after about 5 years of use, even with the most careful care. You should be aware that most types of fabric are subject to abrasion, stretching and pilling.
The color of some fabrics may fade
Fabrics such as chenille and velvet tend to lose color saturation with prolonged exposure to sunlight.
...if you have small children, it's worth looking for a sofa with completely removable upholstery so that it can be machine washed frequently. In this case, impregnated fabrics are not suitable: after washing, the protective properties may disappear without a trace.
...you often have guests over and you host large feasts, then pay attention to fabrics with water- and dirt-repellent (Teflon) impregnation: even if wine is spilled on the sofa or salad is dropped, it will be enough to wipe the affected area with a damp cloth.
... if you have pets, it is better to choose very durable, mostly natural in composition, but not the most expensive fabrics: they will suffer less from claws and will not attract fur.
...more than half of the fabric consists of synthetic fibers, then it requires regular antistatic treatment. Otherwise, the furniture will quickly gather dust and “collect” small debris, as well as electrify clothes.
LEATHER
Durable
Genuine leather is the most durable material of all used for upholstery of upholstered furniture. A sofa upholstered in leather can last for decades without major visible changes, and slight wear and unevenness in color will even make it look chic. It should be borne in mind that the thicker the material, the longer it will last.
Aesthetically attractive
Leather is an ideal material that emphasizes the status of the owner of an apartment or office. She always looks luxurious and modern methods processing and drawing make leather sofas a masterpiece of furniture art.
Breathes great
Since leather is a completely natural material, it is highly breathable. Thanks to this property, the sofa will not rot and create discomfort.
Has thermoregulatory properties
With significant changes in room temperature, the skin retains optimal temperature, providing comfort of use in hot and cold weather.
Requires regular careful maintenance
To maintain the attractive appearance of leather upholstery, you need special care. To prevent the material from deforming, you should maintain an optimal level of humidity in the room, and also treat the surface of the sofa several times a year with compounds to maintain elasticity.
Expensive
Leather is a very valuable material, so the cost of a sofa upholstered with it increases significantly.
...you have small children, you should remember that food marks and results artistic creativity cannot be removed with chemical stain removers and solvents - after contact with aggressive chemicals, the upholstery will become unusable. Oily stains You can simply blot it with a napkin - after a while there will be no trace left of them.
...you choose light leather for upholstery, refuse bright or dark pillows and blankets - with an increased level of humidity in the room, they can fade and ruin the surface of the sofa.
...if you have animals, choose the thickest, most durable leather that won't suffer too much from scratches.
ARTIFICIAL LEATHER
Externally practically no different from skin
Thanks to modern technologies, artificial materials imitating leather and suede are as close in appearance as possible to their natural counterparts. In addition, artificial leather can be painted in any color and have any texture.
Cheaper than its natural counterpart
If you want to give the room some solidity, but don’t want to overpay, artificial leather will become excellent option, because it is cheaper than natural.
High strength
Due to the fact that artificial leather has a woven base, it provides polymer material double safety factor.
Easy care
Faux leather is more easy to care for than natural leather: just wipe the sofa with a damp sponge from time to time and lightly polish it special compounds to add shine.
Low breathability
This material is less breathable, which means there is a risk of friction inside the sofa and also makes it an unsuitable place to sleep.
Less resistant to external influences than leather
A substitute for genuine leather is more susceptible to heat, cold and changes in humidity: the likelihood that the material will crack or deform in extreme conditions, much higher than in the case of genuine leather.
...the room in which you plan to put upholstered furniture is located on sunny side at home, you should position it so that minimal light falls on the upholstery - it may lose appearance.
...the upholstery is dirty or exposed to water, it should be cleaned immediately with a soft sponge and detergent, otherwise the structure of the material may be damaged.
...you have pets, it is better to choose a different upholstery material - cracks and scratches from artificial leather are almost impossible to remove.
...you want to use this sofa as sleeping place, it is better to purchase a breathable mattress cover made of natural fabric to make your rest comfortable.
COMBINED UPHOLSTERY
Furniture with combined upholstery looks original and beautiful, and there can be a lot of options for combining materials, colors and textures. For example, a widespread option is when the seat and backrest are upholstered in fabric, and the armrests and lower part of the sofa are upholstered in natural or artificial leather. In this case, when choosing upholstered furniture, you should clearly define the functionality that the sofa will perform and choose a product taking into account all the properties of the materials.
ivandivan.ru
Eco-leather Articles - TkanoFF Company
It would be interesting if you were asked to describe a material called
“artificial leather”, then what definitions come to your mind in
first of all? Only honestly? Most likely something like "cheap"
“short-lived”, “uncomfortable”, “not aesthetically pleasing” and so on
associative series.
According to the textbook, in general, any artificial leather is
polymer film coating applied to knitted fabric,
fabric or non-woven fabric. Most common in
Today the film-forming polymer is polyvinyl chloride
Such artificial leather is not called: “leatherette, leatherette,
leatherette, vinyl, vinyl leather, vinyl artificial leather, PVC leather, artificial leather.” This material
familiar to us from childhood: vinyl upholstery of seats on a train, bus,
tram, cafe, clinic, kitchen, etc.
I’ll add on my own that table oilcloth with linoleum is straight
“relatives” of leatherette. All of the above honored
“veterans” of the consumer market with all the variety of their designs
there is one thing in common: facial, top layer represents
airtight polyvinyl chloride film (PVC or PVC).
Vinyl leather as it is.
In its pure form, without additives, polyvinyl chloride is practically harmless, while it is hard as stone and is widely used for the manufacture of PVC windows, doors and many other structures and products.
It is clear that the upholstery material of a sofa or chair should be elastic and soft. Accordingly, to impart these properties, during the production of vinyl artificial leather, liquid additives are introduced into PVC - plasticizers (various phthalic acid esters), up to 40% of the mass fraction of the entire film. These additives are not chemically integrated into the structure of polyvinyl chloride molecules and, during operation, evaporate from the polymer film at one rate or another, therefore, as the mass fraction of plasticizer in the film decreases, PVC leather becomes rigid and begins to crack at the folds. Of course, the evaporating plasticizer itself does not belong to the category of harmless substances. On the Internet you can easily find detailed, impartial comments on this topic by typing the abbreviation “PVC”. For this reason, by the way, vinyl artificial leather is not used for interior finishing of shoes.
"Mercedes and Zhiguli are cars... But how different they are!.." (Auth.)
Now let’s try to get rid of the stereotype of “leatherette”, which is similar to cold oilcloth.
Modern technologies make it possible to produce artificial materials of such high quality that it is more correct to compare them not with artificial leather, but with genuine leather.
And what is all this for, you ask: well, it’s better, but the leather is still not natural?!
Answer: I am sure that you will prefer comfort. Eco-leather is a modern material created specifically to provide maximum comfort, combine the properties of genuine leather and furniture upholstery fabric.
So, what is eco-leather?
Eco-leather is a high-tech material, furniture fabric, breathable artificial leather without PVC. The production of eco-leather uses all the advanced developments in the global industry of chemistry, technology and high-precision equipment.
Polyurethane is a material with amazing properties.
The polymer that forms the eco-leather film is polyurethane. Its simplest compounds were first synthesized by the German chemist Bayer Otto Georg Wilhelm in 1937, an employee of the Bayer AG concern. The mechanism of its chemical synthesis is much more complex than the synthesis of PVC, it is multi-stage, and most importantly, all the required properties are established precisely during the chemical synthesis of the polymer. Accordingly, no additives - plasticizers - are needed; during operation, the polymer film does not release anything from itself, hence the name - “eco-leather”.
Polyurethane (PU) itself is a class of polymers with exceptionally high wear resistance (remember heels) and frost resistance (down to -35°C). These wonderful properties are due to the high mobility of the spatial network of polyurethanes, their ability to undergo restructuring under the influence mechanical influences or temperature changes. Polyurethanes are even capable of “self-healing” damage to the polymer network caused by deformation.
These properties of polyurethanes are largely due to the fact that modern brands of polyurethanes contain many so-called polyurethanes. “functional groups” of atoms unique to natural leather. I would even say that eco-leather is an alter ego (second “I”) of natural leather.
Comfort technology.
Important feature eco-leather production technology is the formation of through micropores that penetrate the film; the material, unlike PVC, also “breathes”, i.e. allows air and water vapor to pass through without allowing water to pass through. In some of its articles, eco-leather “breathes” no worse than ordinary furniture fabrics, and in any case, its air permeability is tens and hundreds of times higher than that of any, the most expensive natural leather.
Another feature of the technology is careful treatment of the film substrate; during the production process, cotton fabric does not experience any mechanical stress or stretching, so eco-leather has a very flexible structure, remarkable softness and elasticity.
Which furniture upholstery is more artificial? By the way, people’s favorite furniture fabrics, such as flock, chenille, microfiber, are entirely synthetic from 25 to 100%. In the sense of “artificiality,” cotton-based eco-leather among them is quite worthy of mention as a material with the lowest synthetic content (see table).
Table of properties of popular furniture upholstery materials
| Name | Compound | Martindahl test Bs-5690, cycles | Air permeability according to GOST-938-18-70 ml/sq.cm*hour | Hygroscopicity | Moisture release |
| chenille |
| >20 000 | 36 000 | Material has not been tested | Material has not been tested |
| flock |
| 15 000-20 000 | 36 000 | Material has not been tested | Material has not been tested |
| microfiber |
| 35 000 | 18 000 | Material has not been tested | Material has not been tested |
| eco leather (renna) |
| >50 000 | 720-18 000 (*) | Hygroscopicity 5.0 - 9.1% (**) | Moisture return 4.9 - 8.8% (**) |
| genuine leather with aniline finish on the front surface |
| --- | 11-18 | Hygroscopicity 19.6% | Moisture return 19.2% |
| genuine leather with sanded face |
| --- | 1,7-2,5 | Hygroscopicity 19.1% | Moisture return 18.7% |
(*) - depending on the design, eco-leather can be comparable in breathability properties to popular upholstery fabrics. (**) - depending on the finish.
Eco-leather is a hybrid of the properties of natural leather and fabric.
Eco-leather is warm to the touch, like natural leather, and vinyl artificial leather is cold. If you sit naked on a sofa upholstered in vinyl or natural leather, you will definitely sweat. Everyone knows this. If the sofa is upholstered in eco-leather, then sitting “naked” on it is almost as comfortable as if it were upholstered with furniture fabric. Thus, considering the most important consumer properties we can say that eco-leather is in a sense a hybrid of fabric and leather; furniture makers sometimes call it “polyurethane-impregnated fabric.”
By the way, this is how they classify it at customs: “fabric with polyurethane impregnation.” But leatherette is called: “PVC sheets reinforced with fabric.” Feel the difference.
So, eco-leather is a material with a unique set of consumer properties:
- allows air and water vapor to pass through
- does not allow water to pass through
- warm to the touch
- wear-resistant
- is hygroscopic
- frost resistance (up to -35°C)
- does not emit harmful substances
- good organoleptic properties.
Eco-leather is comfort in your home and office.
In terms of comfort, eco-leather outright outperforms leatherette and competes on equal terms with natural furniture leather.
The fact is that the full-grain furniture genuine leather used in Russia, and throughout the world, in the vast majority of cases has artificial embossing and is treated with acrylic emulsions, after which there is no need to talk about any breathability of natural leather (see table). Professionals usually call it “face-corrected skin.” Almost reducing the breathability properties to zero certainly makes corrected natural leather less comfortable for humans.
Leathers with a natural, “native” face (the so-called “merey”), without artificial embossing and artificial acrylic impregnations, are very expensive, they are called “leathers with aniline finishing” (i.e. they are only dyed with aniline dyes) and which is paradoxical, but true, the consumer, without knowing these nuances, chooses skin with a corrected, but very beautiful face, without scars, pockmarks and other blemishes. “Aniline leather” accounts for less than 1% of the Russian market.
Eco-leathers are inferior to natural leathers in terms of hygroscopicity (see table), but are sharply superior to them in breathability. The third property “responsible” for comfort is that their thermal conductivity is almost the same. As for the organoleptic properties (i.e., how pleasant the material is to the touch), then, of course, genuine leather with aniline finishing is higher than most types of eco-leather. (But not all!) Corrected leathers feel quite comparable to eco-leathers.
Once again about leatherette.
I am sure that you could well get the impression that I am in every possible way “humiliating” leatherette (vinyl leather).
This is not entirely true. Expensive PVC leathers have many advantages. Modern technologies make it possible to give them a good touch, create amazing designs, by introducing very expensive additives, they achieve very high wear resistance and other special properties, there is no smell (because they were treated with polyurethane varnish). That's it. But whatever one may say, PVC film does not “breathe” because... This polymer, in principle, cannot form through micropores, i.e. You will definitely sweat, and due to the lower wear resistance of PVC compared to polyurethane, technologists are forced to add PVC film much greater thickness than PU film, as a result, vinyl artificial leather will always be “cold” compared to eco-leather and genuine leather. The cooler the room, the more noticeable the difference will be.
Be careful - you may be deceived.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that popular eco-leather designs have their own “doubles” in the segment of furniture vinyl artificial leather. Moreover, in finished product the appearance may be absolutely the same, the differences will be revealed in the sensations when touched and in operation.
Moreover, sometimes sellers really don’t want to tell the buyer the truth about the composition of artificial leather; they understand that the abbreviation “PVC” can repel a demanding buyer. Therefore, in descriptions of the composition of artificial leather there are “pearls” such as “polyester polymer”, “foamed polyester resin” and other nonsense.
I have already noted that vinyl artificial leather can have an external polyurethane finish to improve the physical and mechanical characteristics of the film, increasing its resistance to friction and scratches, and this is very correct and good, it correct name: “vinyl leather with polyurethane trim.” Cunning sellers are silent about PVC and simply say: “eco leather.” Don't forget about China. For example. Chinese vinyl leatherette with Oregon polyurethane finish. In its description there is not a word about what PVC it contains and how much, some sellers give it to the buyer as eco-leather. Moreover, they won’t say a word about the fact that it is Chinese; on the contrary, they can tell a fairy tale about the Canadian origin of the material. Alas. In Canada, as far as I know, there is not a single artificial leather factory.
Sometimes they cheat in other ways. In the store, a version in eco-leather is selected, and a soft corner upholstered in vinyl leather is delivered to the buyer. And the color and design were the same from the eco-leather collection. Of course, furniture manufacturers with “name and reputation” do not allow themselves to do this.
One of the popular eco-leather designs - “Dollaro” - is represented on the furniture market in PVC leather by many manufacturers from Russia, Poland, China, Turkey, India, the Czech Republic, Greece and other countries. In PVC leather this design has many names: "Dollaro", "Dollero", "Optima", "Bronko", "DPCV" and others. The "Dollaro" design is close to the popular "Madras" genuine leather design.
They can and should be distinguished from each other.
I bring to your attention the simplest methods of determination:
- If you have a small piece of scrap or a catalog of samples of ECO-LEATHER on hand (and you doubt what material is used in the product), then, placing the palms of your hands one on the upholstery material, the other on a piece of ECO-LEATHER, try to analyze your sensations. ECO LEATHER, like natural leather, should be warmer to the touch than PVC leather.
- A more complex determination method involves applying a small amount of vegetable oil to the test samples. The duration of exposure to the sample is approximately one day. The effect will be very visual (see photo)!
But on a sample of ECO LEATHER (as well as on a sample of natural leather), the oil does not leave its harmful traces! The material does not change externally, its properties remain the same.
This is important!
And please, do not forget to ask the seller for instructions on caring for a product upholstered in eco-leather. Caring for it is not the same as for leatherette.
Eco-leather is a modern synthetic high-tech material that must be treated with care, just like natural leather.
To remove household contaminants (tea, coffee, juice, etc.), immediately treat the surface with a damp cloth soft cloth, light movements, then be sure to wipe dry. In the same way, dust deposits and dirt are removed. If it is not possible to get rid of the contamination immediately, it is allowed to use a 40-50% alcohol-water solution or ammonia.
If your upholstered furniture upholstered in snow-white eco-leather or eco-leather in light tones, then for better protection products from contamination (for example, jeans can “tint” both artificial and natural leather furniture upholstery with a dye that cannot be removed), we recommend using special water- and dirt-repellent impregnations for natural leather, textiles and high-tech (hi-tech) materials. These products can be purchased in almost any supermarket, stores selling shoes and clothing made of genuine leather. When choosing an impregnation, be sure to read the instructions for use. If there is an indication not use for PU (do not use for polyurethane coatings), then this remedy Doesn't suit you.
We strongly do not recommend leaving the material wet or damp after care and cleaning procedures. This will lead to partial destruction of the polymer film, and, as a result, to premature loss of the original appearance of eco-leather.
For comparison, caring for vinyl leather:
Treat the surface with a soft cloth moistened with a solution of neutral detergent. Then wipe the skin with a cloth soaked in clean water.
Yu. Zavodchikov
tkanoff.ru
what is it, where is it used, what are the benefits
There is a misconception that eco-leather is inferior in quality to natural leather and is ordinary leatherette, but this is absolutely not true. Several factors contributed to the appearance of this analogue: expensive price and the complex procedure for making genuine leather. Many people mistakenly believe that eco-leather is inferior to its natural counterpart, but it is not only not inferior, but in some areas superior to real leather. What is eco-leather, what is it made of and how better skin and leatherette? First things first.
What is eco leather? Composition and its application
Eco-leather is an artificially produced material. It is created by applying a polyurethane film to a fabric base, usually cotton, but there are other options. The thickness of the film may vary, but it is this that affects the quality and performance characteristics of the item. A thick coating ensures long-lasting wear of the product, but it will feel harder to the touch. In the production of eco-leather, no plasticizers are used, which is why it received the prefix “eco” in its name.
When making eco-leather, the fabric and polyurethane layers are subjected to hard embossing, which is why the final result appears in a pattern identical to that of natural leather. It can be distinguished from the original only by looking at the back of the product.
Due to the similarity with natural material, eco-leather is widely and successfully used by designers. Bags and shoes are made from it, interior items are decorated, and various clothes are sewn. In the furniture industry, eco-leather is used to cover products, e.g. soft sofas and armchairs. Large quantity car covers are also made of eco-leather.
History of creation
The history of the development of leatherwork began before our era. Primitive people used the skins of killed animals as clothing; later, a wide variety of things were made from the skins: dishes, bags, shields, shoes and drums. But time does not stand still, and to preserve the environment and animal life, experiments were carried out to replace natural leather.
One of the successful results is leatherette, or, in simple terms, leatherette. However, it was much inferior in quality to its ancestor, which is why it earned a bad reputation among consumers. In 1963, eco-leather was invented in the USA - a material similar in environmental characteristics to natural leather. It was made from synthetic fiber, the use of which reduced environmental pollution and reduced the number of animal killings, which, of course, greatly pleased animal activists.
Varieties
This material has two varieties:
- perforated;
- self-adhesive eco-leather.
Perforated polyurethane leather contains many holes, which ensures the material is airtight. It is mainly used for sewing car covers, upholstery and haberdashery items. Self-adhesive eco-leather is used for making products where the use of glue is not recommended. This type skin has a higher rigidity.
Pros and cons
Eco-leather has gained everyone’s trust due to its ecological origin and affordable price, however, this is not its only advantage. It is frost-resistant and does not emit toxic or harmful substances. Eco-leather is easy to care for, it is elastic and pleasant to the touch, and has a long lifespan. performance characteristics, does not respond to direct sun rays, is capable of self-recovery after minor surface deformation. There are different color variations of eco-leather - it can be easily painted without losing its presentability. This material does not have a specific odor, uneven thickness or color defects, unlike genuine leather. At proper care An eco-leather item can last more than ten years. Among the advantages, it is also worth noting hypoallergenicity, ventilation, and safety.
However, every thing has its downsides. They may not be as numerous as the advantages, but they are worth paying attention to. Eco leather with improper care and use may crack and scratch. You need to be especially careful when cleaning furniture products - they can easily be damaged by a brush, and unsightly scratches can be left from the claws of pets. If this does happen, then it is unlikely that the product will be “repaired” - the polyurethane layer cannot be restored. Eco-leather also tends to get very hot when exposed to the sun for a long time.
How to distinguish eco-leather from leatherette, vinyl and other analogues
Not all sellers and manufacturers are squeaky clean, so if you have any doubts about the quality of the material, there are ways to check it. First, touch the material with your hand - it should be soft, tender and warm from your touch. Leatherette will remain cool and will feel much rougher to the touch. If your suspicions are not dispelled, you can check the composition of the product vegetable oil, if conditions permit. Place a couple of drops on the item you want to check and leave for a day. If the next day you find a dent and the leather has become rough, then you have leatherette. Smell also plays an important role: eco-leather has virtually no odor, while leatherette has a sharp, specific aroma.
Eco leather care
So that a thing retains its original appearance, and served you for many years, she needs to be looked after. Small stains from dirt, dust and liquids can be easily removed with a damp cloth. Do not use hard brushes or powders for cleaning - they can leave scratches and abrasions. At the end wet cleaning It is necessary to wipe the product with a dry cloth, since artificial leather absorbs moisture very quickly. If the stain is old and cannot be wiped off in the usual way, then you can use alcohol diluted with water. Salt will help with red wine stains, and a vinegar solution will help with coffee and chocolate stains. Fresh orange peel will help restore shine and color saturation. Just rub the product with it and it will regain its original shine.
Provided in stores wide range special products for cleaning eco-leather products. Before purchasing, carefully read the instructions for use, because some gels and stain removers are not suitable for the care of eco-leather. Attention: it is necessary to wash a product made from this material only by hand, at a temperature not exceeding 30 degrees, since machine washing is strictly prohibited.
Eco-leather has firmly won the trust of consumers who value humanity and respect for environment. It has a huge number of advantages, which sets it apart from other artificial analogues; it also has practically no differences from natural leather, and even to some extent surpasses it in terms of performance. beneficial properties. The low cost of this product plays an important role, which cannot be said about its natural analogue. Low pricing policy ensures the availability of eco-leather products to almost everyone, and will delight the owner for a long time with its quality and aesthetically pleasing.
domopravitelnitsa.com
Modern technology allows even artificial leather to give a “natural” appearance. But there are still some recommendations that will help “expose” a fake. What to be guided by when choosing this or that product? Let's try to understand the differences between genuine leather and artificial leather.
We all know how difficult it can be to choose the right shoes, briefcase, wallet or gloves, and even if we are guided by the criteria that distinguish a quality product from a second-rate one, such as: genuine leather, good workmanship, high-quality assembly of the model, comfort and beauty, often the model , which looks quite attractive at first glance, later turns out to be completely unsuitable for use.
Types of leather
There are many classifications of leather, which differ in the type and age of the animal from which they are obtained, and in the methods of processing and coloring. Here are some examples.
Morocco- vegetable-tanned goatskin leather, lightly tanned and brightly colored.
Velours- made from leather with defects on the front surface; This is chrome-tanned leather, finished on the bakhtarma side to look like velvet using special grinding.
Suede- elk skin leather, reindeer, wild goat, etc. fat tanned; the front side is melon; the pile is thick, but not fluffy and without shine; the skin is soft and does not absorb water well.
Shagreen- soft vegetable tanned leather made from sheep or goat skins, with a beautiful fine relief pattern.
Laika- leather from the skins of sheep, goats, dogs; tanning with aluminum alum using salt, flour and yolk; the leather is soft, thin, and is used for making gloves.
Split- occurs when thick skin doubles; often imitates more expensive varieties leather when applying an artificial pattern to it; the front split leather (top layer) has one side of leather, the other side of melon; More often than not, split leather does not have a leather surface and is therefore fragile.
To obtain leather, the skins are first preserved, then dehaired, tanned, fattened and dyed. Nowadays tanning is carried out using combined methods - mineral, vegetable and synthetic tannins.
How soft artificial leather is made
The technologies for manufacturing soft artificial leather are quite diverse, but three main stages can be distinguished: preparation of the fibrous base, application of polymer coatings, and final finishing.
Fabrics, knitwear, paper and various materials are used as a fibrous base. nonwovens made from natural, artificial or synthetic fibers. The properties of soft artificial leather are largely determined by this important element designs: the base material determines the qualities of the finished leather, such as strength, stretchability in various directions, ability to drape, etc. To give greater strength and density, fibrous bases are often impregnated with polymer compositions.
Then a coating is applied to the surface of the fibrous base - from melts, solutions and dispersions of polymers, using various technological methods and equipment. Important points at this stage of the technological process are the uniform application of the coating and its fixation on the surface of the base. Penetration of the polymer into the coating can be either through or surface. A combination of end-to-end impregnation of the fibrous base with subsequent application of a facial coating is often used. polymer coating.
Furniture artificial leathers, as a rule, have a porous structure, for the production of which various methods of pore formation can be used: mechanical foaming, chemical foaming by decomposition of the pore-forming agent, leaching of water-soluble salts, phase separation of polymer solutions, sintering of powdered polymers, perforation, etc.
In addition to the original polymer, the composition of artificial leather may include special additives: substances to facilitate the processing of the polymer mixture during the production process and increase the frost resistance of the finished material - plasticizers; fillers to impart specific qualities to the skin; pigments and dyes; stabilizers (anti-aging agents, stoppers, inhibitors) to preserve the properties of the material.
As methods final finishing Various techniques are used: grinding, crumpling, embossing, applying a varnish or matting layer, applying a printed pattern, etc. The decorative effects that result are striking in their diversity. Ready material can imitate the texture of fabric, genuine leather and suede, there are multi-color leathers and those that change color - the so-called. “chameleons”, metallic leather – truly limitless scope for the designer’s imagination.
There is an “intermediate” version of the material - pressed leather.
Pressed leather
Pressed leather is a material produced under pressure from natural leather production waste: scraps and scraps, chrome shavings, tanning dust and other waste. Pressed leather also contains binding fibers. They can be made from any synthetic material: polyester, polyamide, polyethylene... When heated, they melt and glue all the “particles” together. Another component is synthetic thermoplastic resins. They are introduced for additional gluing and strengthening of the fibrous structure. Thanks to resins, a material with low air and moisture permeability is obtained. The strength of such a bag is low, unlike a natural one.
What is the difference between artificial leather and genuine leather?
The easiest way to determine the material from which shoes are made (gloves, briefcase, etc.) is to carefully look at the special sticker on the product with graphic marks). Such stickers are mandatory for manufacturers and importers from EU countries. Stickers indicate what type of material is used in the product parts. If the product does not have such a sticker, then there are several ways to distinguish natural leather from artificial leather, but some of them, due to the development of new technologies, are already outdated. For example, for a long time it was believed that genuine leather is the only material that does not burn, but smolders, which is why the first aircraft had the entire cabin lined with genuine leather. But this method can hardly be used when buying shoes; in addition, modern artificial leather is charred in the same way as natural leather. A composition has already been invented that gives artificial leather a natural smell.
In practice, when buying shoes, you can use the following methods to determine the naturalness of the leather.
- If you apply it to the material for ten seconds inner surface palms, then the natural leather will heat up, begin to transfer heat to the palms and give a pleasant warm feeling, while the artificial leather slightly moisturizes the palm, will give off a cool feeling and a slight sweat will remain on it after removing the hand.
- The folded edges of natural leather have a more rounded outer fold, while artificial materials have a slightly flattened fold and, as a rule, natural leather is thicker than artificial leather.
There are several other methods you can use.
- For example, when choosing shoes, bend the shoe in the toe or press on the top of the sock with your finger, and the appearance of small wrinkles at the moment of bending or pressing, and then when the material is straightened, the disappearance of these wrinkles is a sure sign of the naturalness of the leather.
- The underside of real leather should be fleecy. You can tell what kind of skin you have by smell.
- In natural leather it is specific, peculiar only to it. If the smell is sharp and unpleasant, it means the product is made of artificial leather.
The naturalness of leather can be determined by carefully looking at its cut.
- Leatherettes, as a rule, have a textile or polyamide base. And finally, on new leather, if the sellers allow, you can drip plain water. Natural leather will absorb moisture and darken in this place, while artificial leather will remain unchanged.
- During wear, natural leather is deformed to fit the foot, while artificial leather retains the shape of the last.
Genuine leather can vary in appearance and consumer properties; the most popular and always in fashion are smooth grain leathers. They are practical, beautiful, and their appearance can be easily restored with cosmetics.
And finally, pay attention to the packaging in which the product is sold. Reputable companies care not only about the quality of their products, but also about the beauty of the packaging.
Happy shopping to you!
Transient process is a mode of transition of an electric drive from one steady state to another, during which the corresponding types of energy change. Transient processes occur when starting, braking and changing the direction of rotation of the electric drive, as well as when the load and power supply conditions of the drive motor change. A disturbing influence that causes a transient process in an electric drive can be sudden changes in the supply voltage of the mechanical load on the electric motor shaft or resistance in the circuits.
137 How is the value of the operation current of the electromagnetic release of the machine selected?
The current passing through the switch flows through the solenoid winding and causes the core to retract when a predetermined threshold is exceeded. An instantaneous release, unlike a thermal one, operates very quickly (fractions of a second), but at a much higher current: 2÷10 times the nominal, depending on the type (circuit breakers are divided into types B, C and D depending on sensitivity instantaneous release).
138. How does an artificial mechanical characteristic differ from a natural one?
The mechanical characteristic constructed according to the engine's passport data is called natural. If you change the value of the supplied voltage, the active resistance of the rotor or other parameters, you can obtain mechanical characteristics different from natural ones, which are called artificial. The mechanical characteristic of an engine is the dependence of the electromagnetic torque developed by the engine on angular velocity rotor. The mechanical characteristics of engines are usually divided into natural and artificial. The natural characteristic corresponds to the rated supply voltage and the absence of additional resistance in the motor winding circuits. If at least one of the listed conditions is not met, the characteristic is called artificial.
139. Advantages and disadvantages of the rheostatic method of regulating the speed of independent excitation by changing the excitation flow.
Advantages ease of implementation and low cost.
Flaws it is uneconomical: approximately half of the power consumed from the network will be dissipated in the form of heat generated in the rheostat, i.e. the smoothness of regulation is not great.
140. Explain how the voltage drop is determined when an inverter is powered from a transformer of comparable power.
When eating asynchronous motor from an autonomous source of electricity of low power (transport installations, mobile power plants), the frequency and voltage of the network to which the engine is connected may differ from the nominal ones. Let's consider the effect of changing the frequency on the operation of the engine, provided that the voltage U 1 =U nom = const.
If we accept U 1 ≈ E l, then
F m =U 1 /(4.44f 1 w 1 k o61 ). (1)
we have that
I 2 = M/(With m F T cosψ 2). (2)
Therefore, the change in frequency f 1 leads to a change in flow F T and the corresponding change in rotor current I 2 and load component I" 2 stator currents. As the frequency decreases, the magnetic flux and current idle speed I 0 increase, and the current I 0 due to the saturation of the magnetic core steel increases faster than the magnetic flux. Typically decreasing frequency f 1 by 10% causes an increase in current I 0 by 20-30%. Since the current I 0 is practically reactive, this leads to a decrease in the power factor of the engine.
With increasing frequency f 1 the rotation speed increases proportionally n 2. If the engine load has a “fan” characteristic, then the load torque increases in proportion to the square or cube of the rotation speed, i.e. frequency f 1. In addition, magnetic flux F T decreases inversely with the change in frequency. All this, according to (2), leads to a sharp increase in current I 2. When the frequency increases by 10%, the rotor current of the motor rotating the fan increases by approximately 1.5 times, which can lead to overheating of the motor
Artificial and synthetic fibers can be used in the production of fabrics. What are the specifics of both?
What are man-made fibers?
TO artificial It is customary to refer to fibers that are made by processing natural raw materials - complex compounds classified as high-molecular. Cellulose, silk, wool, keratin and other proteins can be used as such.
Examples artificial fibers who have wide application in the textile industry - viscose, silk on an acetate basis. These substances are obtained from cellulose. Which, in fact, is one of the main materials for the production of artificial fabrics.
What are synthetic fibers?
TO synthetic It is customary to refer to fibers that are made using low molecular weight substances, often of inorganic origin. These are compounds of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen. Their processing can be carried out by polymerization or polycondensation.
When it comes to polymers, they are produced from products obtained from the processing of oil, gas or coal (for example, benzene, acetylene or ammonia) or formed as by-products of various chemical industries.
During the processing of raw materials, the synthetic fiber manufacturer may, at its discretion, regulate them chemical composition and thus establish the desired consumer properties of the corresponding materials and their structure.
Comparison
The main difference between artificial fibers and synthetic ones is that natural substances are used as raw materials for the production of the former. The production of the latter involves the use of low molecular weight inorganic substances, which are rarely found in their natural form, as well as the production of compounds that are practically not formed in nature.
It is worth noting that in any case, artificial and synthetic fibers are usually separated from natural ones when classifying certain goods, since in finished form neither the first nor the second have direct natural analogues that could be used as third ones.
But artificial fabrics in general are considered to a certain extent more natural than synthetic ones, since, as we noted above, substances present in nature are used as raw materials for their production.
The initial natural raw material for artificial fabric - for example, cellulose - is, one way or another, the basis for the formation of the corresponding product. For example, cellulose treated with sodium hydroxide followed by polymerization becomes viscose.
In turn, the chemical composition of synthetic fabrics can be significantly more complex. From the components of the raw materials used for their production, it is sometimes difficult to identify the main one.
Having determined what the difference is between artificial and synthetic fibers, we will reflect the conclusions in a small table.
Or is AI a part of robotics? What is the difference between these two terms? We will answer this question!
Robotics and artificial intelligence serve very different purposes. However, people often confuse them. Many people wonder whether robotics is a subset of artificial intelligence or whether they are the same thing.
The first thing to say is that robotics and artificial intelligence- it's not the same at all. In fact, these two areas are almost completely separate.
A Venn diagram of them would look like this:
We assume that people confuse these two concepts due to the overlap between them: artificially intelligent robots.
To understand how these three terms relate to each other, let's look at each of them individually.
What is robotics?
Robotics is a branch of technology that deals with robots. Robots are programmable machines that can typically perform a series of actions autonomously or semi-autonomously.
In our opinion, there are three important factors, which define the robot:
- Robots interact with the physical world using sensors and actuators.
- Robots are programmed.
- Robots are usually autonomous or semi-autonomous.
There are many opinions about what constitutes a "robot". Some experts say that the robot must be able to “think” and make decisions. However, there is no standard definition of “robotic thinking.” Requiring a robot to “think” assumes that it has some level of artificial intelligence.
Robotics involves the design, construction and programming of physical robots. Only a small part of it is related to artificial intelligence.
What is artificial intelligence?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science. It includes development computer programs to perform tasks that require human intelligence. AI algorithms can address issues of learning, perception, problem solving, language understanding, and/or logical reasoning.
AI is used in many ways in the modern world. For example, AI algorithms are used in Google search, Amazon's recommendation program, and SatNav search engines. Most AI programs are not used to control robots.
Even when AI is used to control robots, the AI algorithms are only part of a larger robotic system that also includes sensors, actuators and programming without AI.
Often AI involves some level of machine learning where the algorithm is “trained” to respond in a certain way to a specific input using known inputs and outputs.
The key aspect that distinguishes AI from more conventional programming is the word "intelligence." Non-AI programs simply execute a specific sequence of instructions. AI programs simulate some level of human intelligence.
What are artificially intelligent robots?
Artificially intelligent robots are the bridge between robotics and artificial intelligence. These are robots that are controlled by AI programs. Many robots do not use AI. Until recently, everything industrial robots were programmed only to carry out repeated series of movements. As we already said, repetitive movements do not require artificial intelligence.
Non-intelligent robots are quite limited in their functionality. AI algorithms are often needed to enable a robot to perform more complex tasks.
Let's look at examples.
Example 1: Robot without AI
For example, you can easily program a robot to pick up an object and place it somewhere else. The robot will continue to select and place objects the same way until you turn it off. This is an autonomous feature as the robot does not require human intervention once you have programmed it. However, the task does not require any intelligence.
Example 2: Artificially intelligent robot
Imagine you wanted to add a camera to your robot. A robot's gaze falls under the category of "perception" and typically requires AI algorithms.
For example, let's say you want the robot to detect an object it was collecting and place it in a different location depending on the type of object. This involves preparing a specialized vision program to recognize different types of objects.