JP7725131B2 - Synthetic leather with moisture permeability and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a synthetic leather having at least one layer formed thereon, and a method for producing the synthetic leather.

A method for producing polyurethane synthetic leather is known (Patent Document 1).
The manufacturing method comprises the steps of: (a) forming a coating layer from a polyurethane selected from the group consisting of granular hot-melt polyurethane, ultraviolet-curable polyurethane, multi-solvent polyurethane, single-solvent polyurethane, water-based polyurethane, and moisture-cure polyurethane; (b) applying the moisture-cure polyurethane as an adhesive layer onto the coating layer or a substrate layer; and (c) adhering the substrate layer or coating layer onto the adhesive layer.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-54272

However, as disclosed in claim 2 and the like, the synthetic leather produced by the manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the polyurethane is applied onto a release paper or a release film by a method such as roll coating in the above-mentioned step (a), and therefore the polyurethane is applied to the release paper or the like in a sealed state. Therefore, the synthetic leather produced by the manufacturing method described in Patent Document 1 has poor moisture permeability.
Furthermore, in the manufacturing method of Patent Document 1, as disclosed in claim 4 and the like, in the above-mentioned step (a), a single-solvent type polyurethane or the like is diluted with a solvent and the diluted solution is applied onto a release paper or the like, so that explosion-proof equipment is essential in this manufacturing method.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a synthetic leather that achieves "improved moisture permeability" by providing substrate communicating holes in the substrate fiber layer, and a method for manufacturing the synthetic leather.

The synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is a synthetic leather comprising a base fabric made of fibers and a fluffy fabric having fluffy fibers attached to the base fabric, and a base fiber layer (excluding foamed fibers) formed from the fluffy fibers of the fluffy fabric and a base resin applied to the fluffy fibers, and the base fiber layer has base fiber communicating holes that communicate between the front and back of the base fiber layer, the base fiber communicating holes being scattered in a plan view of the base fiber layer, and the base fiber communicating holes are formed by gaps between adjacent fluffy fibers due to the small amount of base resin adhering to the fluffy fibers .

A second feature of the synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature, the synthetic leather has a moisture permeability of 0.10% or more as determined by the following moisture permeability measurement test.
<Moisture permeability measurement test>
(1) The opening of a glass container having a diameter of 10 cm and containing a weight (TR _W ) of water is sealed with the synthetic leather, with the side of the synthetic leather on which the base fiber layer is formed facing the glass container, using adhesive and a cable tie.
(2) The glass container sealed with the synthetic leather is heated to 200°C.
(3) 45 minutes after the start of heating, a petri dish having a diameter of 10 cm is placed on the synthetic leather so that the side of the synthetic leather opposite to the side on which the base fiber layer is formed is in contact with the opening of the petri dish, and water is allowed to adhere to the inside of the petri dish.
(4) One minute after placing the petri dish, the weight of water (TR _S ) adhering to the inside of the petri dish is measured.
(5) The moisture permeability is calculated by dividing the measured weight of water adhering to the inside of the Petri dish (TR _S ) by the weight of water placed in the glass container before heating (TR _W ) and multiplying the result by 100. When rounding the moisture permeability, the value is rounded to two decimal places by rounding off to two decimal places.

A third feature of the synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature, the synthetic leather has a moisture permeability of 100 g/m2 or ^more in accordance with JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (moisture permeability test).

In addition, at least a part of the surface side of the base fiber layer of the synthetic leather 1 may be substantially flat.
A fourth feature of the synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first to third features described above, inside the base fiber layer, the angle formed between the surface of the base fabric and the longitudinal direction of the fluff fibers is equal to or greater than 0° and less than 45° .

A fifth feature of the synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the above first to fourth features, a surface coating layer is formed from a surface resin that covers the surface side of the base fiber layer, and the surface coating layer has surface communicating pores that connect the front and back surfaces of the surface coating layer.

A sixth feature of the synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first to fifth features described above, the synthetic leather exhibits a mass loss of 0.1 g or less in abrasion resistance according to JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method)).

A seventh feature of the synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the above first to sixth features, recesses are formed in at least the base fiber layer.

Due to these characteristics, by providing substrate-connected holes 3A that connect the front and back of the substrate fiber layer 3' formed by applying substrate resin 3 to at least the fluffy fibers of the fluffy fabric 2, it is possible to improve the moisture permeability of the synthetic leather ("Improved moisture permeability"), unlike Patent Document 1.
Unlike Patent Document 1, this means that there is no need to use release paper or the like when manufacturing the synthetic leather 1 (the surface (exposed surface) of the synthetic leather 1 is no longer sealed with the substrate fiber layer 3' or the like), which means that substrate communicating holes 3A or the like can be formed in the substrate fiber layer 3' or the like.Furthermore, there is no need to use solvents when manufacturing the synthetic leather 1, so it can be said that explosion-proof equipment is also not required in the device for manufacturing the synthetic leather 1.
Alternatively, the synthetic leather 1 may have a moisture permeability of 0.10% or more as determined by a predetermined moisture permeability measurement test, or may have a moisture permeability (in other words, JIS moisture permeability) of 100 g/m or ^more in accordance with JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (moisture permeability test).
The synthetic leather 1 can also be said to be "synthetic leather having moisture permeability, etc."

Furthermore, by making the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' substantially flat or by forming recesses 5 in the base fiber layer 3', the design of the synthetic leather 1 can be improved ("Improved Design").

Furthermore, abrasion resistance can be improved by providing surface interconnecting holes 4A that connect the front and back of the surface coating layer 4', which is formed by covering the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3' with a surface resin 4, and by limiting the mass loss of the synthetic leather 1 to 0.1 g or less in abrasion resistance according to JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method)). ("Improved abrasion resistance").

The method for producing synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is a method for producing synthetic leather according to the first to seventh features described above, and has a first feature in that it includes a base material coating step of coating the base material resin on the fluffy fibers, and that no solvent is used in any step of the production method.

A second feature of the method for producing synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the first feature, it includes an embossing step of pressing the substrate fiber layer from its surface side with a mold material after the substrate coating step.

A third feature of the method for producing synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the second feature, it includes a surface coating step of covering the surface side of the base fiber layer with a surface resin after the embossing step.

A fourth feature of the method for producing synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the above first to third features, no release sheet is used in any of the steps of the production method.

A fifth feature of the method for producing synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention is that, in addition to the second or third feature, a release sheet is used only in the embossing step, and the use of the release sheet means that, in the embossing step, the base fiber layer is pressed from its front side with a mold material while the release sheet is laid on the back side of the piled fabric.

Due to these features, the method includes at least a substrate application process S1 in which a substrate resin 3 is applied to the fluffy fibers of the fluffy fabric 2, and by not using solvents in any of the processes in the manufacturing method, unlike Patent Document 1, explosion-proof equipment is not required, which makes it possible to ``simplify the manufacturing method'', etc.
The method for producing the synthetic leather 1 can also be said to be a "method for producing synthetic leather having moisture permeability, etc."

Furthermore, by including an embossing step S2 in which a mold is used to press the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' after the base coating step S1, the base resin 3 re-dissolves in the embossing step S2, allowing the fibers, such as fluff fibers, in the fluffy fabric 2 to be more firmly entangled with the base resin 3, improving the abrasion resistance of the synthetic leather 1 ("improved abrasion resistance"). In addition, recesses 5 corresponding to the mold can be formed on the surface (exposed surface) of the synthetic leather 1, improving the design ("improved design").

Furthermore, by carrying out a surface coating process S3 after the embossing process S2, in which the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3' is covered with a surface resin 4, the abrasion resistance of the synthetic leather 1 can also be improved ("Improved abrasion resistance").

Furthermore, by not using a release sheet in any of the steps of the manufacturing method, or by using a release sheet only in the embossing step (in other words, not using a release sheet in any step other than the embossing step S2), unlike Patent Document 1, the surface resin 4 is prevented from being sealed onto the release paper or the like, and the moisture permeability of the synthetic leather 1 to be manufactured can be improved ("Improved Moisture Permeability").
Here, the term "release sheet" in the present invention means a sheet-like material that is released, and includes release paper, peeling paper, peeling film, and the like.

In addition, the synthetic leather 1 manufacturing apparatus is a synthetic leather manufacturing apparatus having the above-mentioned first to seventh features, and has a base material coating section that applies the base material resin to the fluffy fibers, and the manufacturing apparatus does not need to have an explosion-proof facility.

In this case , unlike Patent Document 1, the manufacturing apparatus having at least the substrate coating section does not need to be provided with explosion-proof equipment, thereby making it possible to "downsize the manufacturing apparatus," etc.
Unlike Patent Document 1, the manufacturing apparatus for synthetic leather 1 does not use release paper or solvents (the surface (exposed surface) of synthetic leather 1 is no longer sealed with the base fiber layer 3'), so it can be said that by forming base fiber communicating holes 3A or the like in the base fiber layer 3', etc., it is possible to "improve the moisture permeability" of the synthetic leather 1 to be manufactured.
The manufacturing apparatus for the synthetic leather 1 can also be said to be "a manufacturing apparatus for synthetic leather having moisture permeability, etc."
Here, "explosion-proof equipment" in the present invention refers to equipment for preventing explosions in locations where flammable gases generated from solvents, paints, etc. mix with oxygen (air) to potentially create an explosive atmosphere, and includes equipment that suppresses static electricity and the generation of electrostatic sparks (for example, equipment that is earthed, has anti-static brushes, or is otherwise equipped with electrostatic suppression measures), and equipment whose surface is less likely to become hot (to suppress high-temperature surface heat).

The synthetic leather of the present invention can achieve "improved moisture permeability" by providing substrate interconnecting holes in the substrate fiber layer.

1 is a photograph showing a cross-section of Example 1 of the synthetic leather according to the present invention. 1 is an enlarged photograph showing a cross section of a base fiber layer and the like in Example 1. 1 is a photograph showing a perspective view of the appearance of Example 1, in which (a) shows the surface (fluff fiber) side of the fluffy fabric, (b) shows the base resin applied to the fluff fibers, etc., (c) shows the surface side of the base fiber layer immediately after the embossing process, and (d) shows the surface side of the surface coating layer. Note that (a) and (b) are shown in a single photograph taken under the same lighting conditions, etc., and the same is true for (c) and (d). 1 is an enlarged plan view of Example 1; 1A and 1B are schematic cross-sectional views showing synthetic leather according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1A shows a case where no surface coating layer is formed, and FIG. 1B shows a case where a surface coating layer is formed. 1 is a photograph showing a cross-section of Example 2 of the synthetic leather according to the present invention. 1 is an enlarged photograph showing a cross section of a base fiber layer and the like in Example 2. 1 is a photograph showing a perspective view of the appearance of Example 2, in which (a) shows the surface (fluff fiber) side of the fluffy fabric, (b) shows the base resin applied to the fluff fibers, etc., (c) shows the surface side of the base fiber layer immediately after the embossing process, and (d) shows the surface side of the surface coating layer. Note that (a) and (b) are shown in a single photograph taken under the same lighting conditions, etc., and the same is true for (c) and (d). 1 is a photograph showing a cross-section of Example 3 of the synthetic leather according to the present invention. 10 is a photograph showing a perspective view of the appearance of Example 3, in which (a) shows the surface (fluff fiber) side of the fluffy fabric, (b) shows the base resin applied to the fluff fibers, etc., (c) shows the surface side of the base fiber layer immediately after the embossing process, and (d) shows the surface side of the surface coating layer. Note that (a) and (b) are shown in a single photograph taken under the same lighting conditions, etc., and the same is true for (c) and (d). 10 is an enlarged plan view of Example 3; 1 is a flowchart showing a method for producing a synthetic leather according to the present invention, in which (a) shows a first embodiment, (b) shows a second embodiment, (c) shows a third embodiment, (d) shows a fourth embodiment, and (e) shows a fifth embodiment. 13(a) and 13(b) are photographs showing cross-sectional views before and after each step of the above-described specific example 1, where (a) shows the state before the base material coating step, (b) shows the state after the base material coating step and before the embossing step, and (c) shows the state after the embossing step. Note that Fig. 13(c) uses the same photograph as Fig. 1. 14A and 14B are photographs showing cross-sectional views before and after each step of the above-mentioned Example 2, in which (a) shows the state before the base material coating step, (b) shows the state after the base material coating step and before the embossing step, and (c) shows the state after the embossing step. Note that Fig. 14C uses the same photograph as Fig. 6. 15( a ) and 15 ( b ) are photographs showing cross-sectional views before and after each step of the above-mentioned specific example 3, where (a) shows the state before the base material coating step, (b) shows the state after the base material coating step and before the embossing step, and (c) shows the state after the embossing step. Note that Fig. 15( c ) uses the same photograph as Fig. 9 .

<Overall configuration of synthetic leather 1>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 11 and 13 to 15 show a synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention, which is a sheet-like material having at least one layer formed thereon.

The synthetic leather 1 has a furred fabric 2, which will be described later, and a base fiber layer 3', which will be described later.
The synthetic leather 1 may have a surface coating layer 4' described later and recesses 5 described later, and may also have a backing layer formed by applying a backing resin to the back surface 1b side of the synthetic leather 1.

Here, the "surface 1a" of the synthetic leather 1 can also be said to be the surface that is exposed when used in a seat cover for covering a seat (chair) of an automobile or in textile products such as shoes.
Conversely, the "back surface 1b" of the synthetic leather 1 can also be said to be the surface that is not exposed when used in textile products such as seat covers.

The thickness of the synthetic leather 1 may be any value, for example, from 50 μm to 10,000 μm (from 0.05 mm to 10.00 mm), preferably from 100 μm to 5,000 μm (from 0.10 mm to 5.00 mm), and more preferably from 300 μm to 2,000 μm (from 0.30 mm to 2.00 mm), or may be 482 μm, 815 μm, 882 μm, 943 μm, 1,250 μm, etc. The thickness of the synthetic leather 1 of the present invention and the thickness of each layer 3′, 4′, etc., described below, may be measured by visual inspection at a predetermined magnification using an electron microscope.
The basis weight of the synthetic leather 1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 200 g/m2 or ^more and 900 g/m2 ^{or less} , preferably 300 g/ ^m2 or more and 800 g/m2 or ^less , and more preferably 400 g/ ^m2 or more and 700 g/ ^m2 or less.

If desired, the synthetic leather 1 may contain any of extender pigments such as titanium oxide and calcium carbonate, fillers (filling materials), deodorizers, antibacterial agents, antifungal agents, flame retardants, water repellents, stain resistant agents, colorants, fragrances, foaming agents, etc.
The synthetic leather 1 may have any color tone, such as black, brown, blue, white, red, orange, yellow, green, or purple, and may have any value for saturation or brightness. The pattern on the synthetic leather 1 may be solid, have a plant pattern such as a flower or plant pattern, an animal pattern, a geometric pattern, or a pattern with a surface irregularity.

<Aribori fabric 2>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 13 to 15, the fluffy fabric 2 includes a base fabric 2A and fluffy fibers 2B, which will be described later.
Here, the "side on which the fluffy fibers 2B are provided (i.e., the fluffy fiber side)" of the fluffy fabric 2 can also be said to be the side closer to the surface 1a that is exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in textile products such as seat covers for covering seats (chairs) of automobiles, etc.
Conversely, the "back surface 2b (i.e., the back surface 2b side)" of the piled fabric 2 can be said to be the surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in textile products such as seat covers, and can also be said to be the back surface 2Ab of the base fabric 2A in the piled fabric 2 described below.

The thickness of the fluffy fabric 2 (which can also be said to be the sum of the thickness of the base fabric 2A and the height of the fluffy fibers 2B (the length of the perpendicular line from the tip of the fluffy fibers 2B to the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A)) may be any value, but may be, for example, 40 μm or more and 9000 μm or less (0.04 mm or more and 9.00 mm or less), preferably 80 μm or more and 4500 μm or less (0.08 mm or more and 4.50 mm or less), and more preferably 250 μm or more and 1800 μm or less (0.25 mm or more and 1.80 mm or less).
The fibers constituting the fluffy fabric 2 (the base fabric 2A and the fluffy fibers 2B described below) may be of any material, configuration, fineness, etc., but first, regarding the material, for example, thermoplastic materials such as polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), nylon (polyamide) fiber, acrylic fiber mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyolefin fibers such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), rayon fiber, cupra fiber, acetate fiber, polyurethane (PU) fiber, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) fiber, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber (vinylon fiber), and other synthetic fibers, as well as glass fiber, wool, silk, etc., which may be used alone or in combination, but it can be said that polyester fiber is preferable as the fiber constituting the fluffy fabric 2.

The fiber configuration of the fluffy fabric 2 may be any of multifilament, monofilament, spun yarn, etc., and may also be a composite fiber in which components that can be dissolved and removed in cross section and components that cannot be dissolved and removed are mixed.
The fibers constituting the piled fabric 2 may be heat-shrinkable fibers, or may be semi-dull yarns containing a certain amount of inorganic additives such as titanium oxide, or preferably dull yarns containing a larger amount of titanium oxide or the like.

The fineness of the fibers constituting the piled fabric 2 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a total fineness of 5 dtex or more and 500 dtex or less, preferably 10 dtex or more and 300 dtex or less, and more preferably 20 dtex or more and 200 dtex or less (33 dtex, 55 dtex, 84 dtex, 167 dtex, etc.).
Furthermore, when the fibers constituting the fluffy fabric 2 are multifilaments, the single fiber fineness of each filament is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 0.1 dtex or more and 50.0 dtex or less, preferably 0.5 dtex or more and 30.0 dtex or less, and more preferably 1.0 dtex or more and 20.0 dtex or less (0.5 dtex, 1.2 dtex, 2.3 dtex, 2.5 dtex, 2.8 dtex, 3.5 dtex, etc.).

<Base fabric 2A>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 13 to 15, the base fabric 2A is the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 2 made of fibers (sheet-like material).
Here, the "surface 2Aa" of the base fabric 2A can be said to be the surface close to the surface 1a that is exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in textile products such as seat covers for covering seats (chairs) of automobiles, etc., and the fluffy fibers 2B are provided on this surface 2Aa.
Conversely, the "back surface 2Ab" of the base fabric 2A can be said to be the surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in textile products such as seat covers (if the synthetic leather 1 does not have a backing layer, it is, so to speak, the back surface 1b of the synthetic leather 1 itself), and can also be said to be the back surface 2b of the above-mentioned piled fabric 2 itself.

The thickness of the base fabric 2A may also be any value, but may be, for example, 30 μm or more and 8500 μm or less (0.03 mm or more and 8.50 mm or less), preferably 60 μm or more and 4100 μm or less (0.06 mm or more and 4.10 mm or less), and more preferably 200 μm or more and 1500 μm or less (0.20 mm or more and 1.50 mm or less).
The fibers constituting the base fabric 2A can be said to be the same in material, configuration, fineness, etc. as the material, configuration, fineness, etc. of the fluffy fabric 2 described above, but they may be the same as or different from the material, configuration, fineness, etc. of the fluffy fibers 2B described below.

The base fabric 2A may be a knitted fabric, a woven fabric, or a combination thereof.
When the base fabric 2A is a knitted fabric, it may be of any construction, for example, warp knitting such as tricot knitting, or weft knitting such as circular knitting.

Furthermore, when the base fabric 2A is a woven fabric, any weave may be used, such as a plain weave, a twill weave, a satin weave (such as a five-ply satin weave or a warp-out variable satin weave), a double weave, or a multiple weave of more than two layers.
The base fabric 2A may be a base fabric portion (a fabric portion supporting the base end side of the provided fluffy fibers 2B) of a fluffy fabric 2 provided with fluffy fibers 2B by means other than the raising method described below, such as a moquette fabric (moquette fabric) described below, or may be suede, velour, nonwoven fabric, etc.

<Fluff fiber 2B>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 13 to 15, the fluffy fibers 2B are fibers provided on the base fabric 2A described above.
Here, the phrase "the fluffy fibers 2B are provided on the base fabric 2A" includes the case where the base ends of the fluffy fibers 2B are connected (or fixed) to the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A, and in particular includes not only the case where the angle α between the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A and the length direction of the fluffy fibers 2B is approximately 90° (in other words, this angle α can be said to be the standing angle α), but also the case where the length direction of the fluffy fibers 2B is oblique to the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A, and the standing angle α in such an oblique case may be, for example, 45° or more and 90° or less, preferably 60° or more and 90° or less, and more preferably 80° or more and 90° or less.
In particular, when the standing angle α is, for example, 45° or more (in other words, when the fluffy fibers 2B stand upright from the base fabric 2A), the fluffy fabric 2 can also be said to be a piled fabric.
Alternatively, the erection angle α may be, for example, less than 45° (i.e., greater than or equal to 0° and less than 45°), or may be greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 30°, greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 20°, greater than or equal to 0° and less than or equal to 10°, or may even be approximately 0° (in other words, the fluffy fibers 2B may be approximately aligned with the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A).

After the base resin 3 described below is applied to the fluffy fibers 2B, or after the recesses 5 described below are formed (in other words, after the embossing step S2 described below), the erection angle α may be, for example, less than 45° (i.e., 0° or greater and less than 45°), or may be 0° or greater and 30° or less, 0° or greater and 20° or less, 0° or greater and 10° or less, or may even be approximately 0° (i.e., the fluffy fibers 2B may be approximately aligned with the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A).

The length of the fluffy fibers 2B (when the standing angle α is approximately 90°, it can be said to be approximately the same as the height (i.e., the standing height) of the fluffy fibers 2B. Note that when the standing angle α is not approximately 90°, as described above, it can be said that the length of the perpendicular line dropped from the tip of the fluffy fibers 2B to the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A is the height of the fluffy fibers 2B) may be any value, but may be, for example, 20 μm or more and 5000 μm or less (0.02 mm or more and 5.00 mm or less), preferably 15 μm or more and 1000 μm or less (0.015 mm or more and 1.000 mm or less), and more preferably 10 μm or more and 500 μm or less (0.01 mm or more and 0.50 mm or less).
The fibers constituting the fluffy fibers 2B can be said to be the same as the material, configuration, fineness, etc. of the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 2, but they may be the same as or different from the material, configuration, fineness, etc. of the above-mentioned base fabric 2A (for example, in the double raschel knitted fabric or moquette fabric described below, the outer fabric, lining fabric, and connecting yarn may each be made of fibers of different materials).

The fluffy fibers 2B may be any fibers provided on the above-mentioned base fabric 2A, but may also be, for example, brushed fluffy fibers provided (standing up) by brushing at least one of the front surface 2Aa and the back surface 2Ab of the above-mentioned base fabric 2A (for example, if the base fabric 2A is a tricot knit, at least one of the sinker loop surface and the needle loop surface).
The raising of the base fabric 2A may be carried out using, for example, a card clothing having raising needles, an emery material such as sandpaper, or other tools such as needle punch needles, brush needles, etc.

Alternatively, the fluffy fabric 2 may have fluffy fibers 2B provided on the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A instead of being brushed as described above (i.e., the fluffy fabric 2 originally has fluffy fibers 2B without being brushed). The fluffy fabric 2 may be a fabric (knitted product) having loops such as a sinker loop circular knitted fabric, in which case the cut loops are the fluffy fibers 2B, and the fabric part supporting the base end of the cut loops is the base fabric 2A.
Furthermore, instead of the above-mentioned raised fabric, the fluffy fabric 2 may be a double raschel knit fabric in which the connecting yarn connecting the front and back fabrics is cut (center cut), or a moquette fabric in which the connecting yarn connecting the front and back fabrics is cut, and in this case, the cut connecting yarn is the fluffy fiber 2B, and the front and back fabrics supporting the base end side of the cut connecting yarn are the base fabric 2A.

<Base resin 3>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 13 to 15, the base resin 3 is a resin that is applied to (adheres to) at least the fluff fibers 2B in the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 2.
That is, the base resin 3 may be applied only to the fluffy fibers 2B in the fluffy fabric 2, or may be applied not only to the fluffy fibers 2B in the fluffy fabric 2 but also to the base fabric 2A.

The material of the base resin 3 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, polyurethane (PU) resin, polyacrylic resin mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) resin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, or other synthetic resins such as polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), silicone resin, nylon (polyamide) resin, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), acetate resin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin (vinylon resin). These may be used alone or in combination, but it can be said that polyurethane resin or polyacrylic resin, especially polyurethane resin, is preferable as the material of the base resin 3.
The amount of application (adhesion) of the base resin 3 may be any value, but may be, for example, 30 g/ ^m2 or more and 180 g/m2 or ^less , preferably 40 g/ ^m2 or more and 170 g/m2 ^{or less} , and more preferably 50 g/m2 or ^more and 160 g/ ^m2 or less, in dry weight.

Furthermore, the base resin 3 may be attached not only over the range from the tip (upper end) to the base end (on the base fabric 2A side) of each fluffy fiber 2B in the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 2, but also in the case where there are fluffy fibers 2B to which the base resin 3 is attached only over the range from the tip to the middle in the length direction (such as the part closer to the tip than the midpoint in the length direction of the fluffy fiber 2B, the part near the midpoint, or the part closer to the base end than the midpoint) (in other words, even after the base resin 3 is applied to the fluffy fiber 2B side of the fluffy fabric 2, there may be fluffy fibers 2B to which the base resin 3 is not attached in the range from the middle to the base end).
Furthermore, the base resin 3 may be adhered approximately uniformly to each of the fluffy fibers 2B in the fluffy fabric 2, but the area of adhesion may also differ for each of the fluffy fibers 2B.
In addition, it can also be said that the base resin 3 is attached to at least two adjacent fluffy fibers 2B.

<Base fiber layer 3'>
As shown in Figures 1 to 11 and 13 to 15, the base fiber layer 3' is a layer formed from the fluffy fibers 2B of the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 2 and the base resin 3 applied (adhered) to the fluffy fibers 2B.
The base fiber layer 3' is a layer in which the fluffy fibers 2B and the base resin 3 are mixed, and the base resin 3 is present (attached) between adjacent fluffy fibers 2B.
It can also be said that synthetic leather 1 having such a base fiber layer 3' may have at least a portion where the base resin 3 is impregnated into the fluffy fabric 2 (at least a portion where the base resin 3 is impregnated between the fluffy fibers 2B in the fluffy fabric 2).

Here, the "surface 3a'" of the base fiber layer 3' can also be said to be the surface close to the surface 1a that is exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in a textile product such as a seat cover for covering a seat (chair) of an automobile or the like (if the synthetic leather 1 does not have a surface coating layer 4', then it is, so to speak, the surface 1a of the synthetic leather 1 itself).
Conversely, it can be said that the "back surface 3b'" of the base fiber layer 3' is a surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in a textile product such as a seat cover.

The thickness of the base fiber layer 3' may be any value, for example, 20 μm or more and 500 μm or less (0.02 mm or more and 0.50 mm or less), preferably 15 μm or more and 400 μm or less (0.015 mm or more and 0.400 mm or less), and more preferably 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less (0.01 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less).
At least a portion of the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' (for example, a portion other than the recesses 5 described later) may be substantially flat (see FIGS. 1, 5, 6, 9, etc.).

Furthermore, when the base resin 3 is attached over the range from the tip to the base end of each fluffy fiber 2B, the thickness of the base fiber layer 3' may be approximately the same as the height of the fluffy fibers 2B before the base resin 3 is applied, or it may be smaller than the height of the fluffy fibers 2B before the base resin 3 is applied (in other words, after the base resin 3 is applied, the standing angle α of the fluffy fibers 2B coated with the base resin 3 may be smaller than before the base resin 3 is applied).
Furthermore, even when the base resin 3 is not attached to the entire range from the tip to the base of each fluffy fiber 2B (in other words, there are fluffy fibers 2B to which the base resin 3 is not attached in the range from the middle to the base), the thickness of the base fiber layer 3' may be smaller than the height of the fluffy fibers 2B before the base resin 3 is applied, and it can be said that it is rare for the thickness to be approximately the same as the height of the fluffy fibers 2B before the base resin 3 is applied.

The base fiber layer 3' may also have base material communicating holes 3A, which will be described later (see FIGS. 1, 4, 5, 11, etc.).
Furthermore, recesses 5 may be formed in at least a part of the base fiber layer 3' (see Figures 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 to 10, etc.). When the synthetic leather 1 has a surface coating layer 4' described later, the base fiber layer 3' and the surface coating layer 4' will have recesses 5 formed therein (in other words, the recesses 5 formed in the base fiber layer 3' and the recesses 5 formed in the surface coating layer 4' will be located (overlap) in approximately the same position in a plan view).

The ratio of fluff fibers 2B to base resin 3 in a cross-sectional view of such a base fiber layer 3' may be approximately uniform in the thickness direction of the base fiber layer 3' (and/or in a direction approximately along the surface 3a' or back surface 3b'), but it does not have to be approximately uniform.
When the ratio of the fluffy fiber 2B to the base resin 3 is not approximately uniform, for example, the portion (layer) closer to the surface 3a' in the thickness direction of the base fiber layer 3' may have a higher ratio of base resin 3 (or may be almost entirely base resin 3).

Furthermore, the base fiber layer 3' may have air bubbles (regardless of the size of the bubbles) in at least a part of the base fiber layer 3' (for example, a layer having a high proportion of base resin 3), in which case at least a part of the base fiber layer 3' can be said to be a foamed layer (foamed layer), and the entire base fiber layer 3' may be a foamed layer, or the base fiber layer 3' may be composed of a foamed layer and a non-foamed layer, etc.
Here, when bubbles are present in the layer with a high proportion of base resin 3 described above, if the bubbles are present throughout the layer with a high proportion of base resin 3, the entire layer can be said to be a foamed layer. However, if, for example, there are almost no bubbles in the portion of the layer with a high proportion of base resin 3 closer to the surface 3a' in the thickness direction (i.e., if there are bubbles only in a part of the layer with a high proportion of base resin 3), the non-foamed layer with almost no bubbles can be said to be a skin layer.

The bubbles may be surrounded only by the base resin 3 or may be surrounded by the base resin 3 and the fluff fibers 2B.
In addition, when the ratio of the fluffy fibers 2B to the base resin 3 is not approximately uniform, for example, the portion (layer) farther from the surface 3a' in the thickness direction of the base fiber layer 3' (closer to the fluffy fabric 2) may have a lower ratio of base resin 3, and since this portion causes the entire base fiber layer 3' to adhere (be bonded) to the fluffy fibers 2B of the fluffy fabric 2, this portion can also be said to be an adhered portion (adhering layer, adhesive layer).
Furthermore, the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' in the synthetic leather 1 having a portion not covered with the surface resin 4 described later may have a larger light-reflecting area (or may have more shiny areas (areas that appear shiny)) than the surface 4a' of the surface coating layer 4' in the synthetic leather 1 having the surface coating layer 4' described later, for example, under the same lighting conditions (see Figures 3, 8, and 10).

<Base material communication hole 3A>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 13 to 15 (particularly FIGS. 1, 3, 5, etc.), the substrate communicating holes 3A are holes that communicate between the front and back of the substrate fiber layer 3'.
Here, the substrate communicating holes 3A "connect the front and back of the substrate fiber layer 3'" means that the front 3a' side and the back 3b' side (which can also be said to be one side and the other side) of the substrate fiber layer 3' are connected (the front 3a' side and the back 3b' side are connected, and liquid, water vapor, gas, etc. are allowed to pass from the front 3a' side to the back 3b' side of the substrate fiber layer 3' (or from the back 3b' side to the front 3a' side) through the substrate communicating holes 3A.

The substrate communicating holes 3A may have any planar (cross-sectional) shape, planar (cross-sectional) size, or number per unit area. First, with regard to the planar shape, for example, the portions exposed on the front surface 3a' or back surface 3b' are not particularly limited and may have a predetermined shape (in other words, the shape of a portion of the substrate fiber layer 3' where no substrate resin 3 is present (no attachment) between adjacent predetermined fluff fibers 2B, or the shape of a portion where the amount (attachment) of substrate resin 3 is small and there are gaps between adjacent predetermined fluff fibers 2B). Depending on the condition of the adjacent predetermined fluff fibers 2B, the planar shape of the substrate communicating holes 3A may be approximately triangular, approximately quadrangular (approximately parallelogram), approximately linear (shape with a longitudinal direction), approximately circular, approximately elliptical, etc.
The size of the substrate communicating hole 3A in a plan view (cross-sectional view) may be, for example, the area of the portion exposed on the surface 3a', etc., of 1 ^μm2 or more and 500 ^μm2 or less, and the length of each side of the approximately triangular shape when the exposed portion is approximately triangular, or the longitudinal length when the exposed portion is approximately linear, may be 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

The number of substrate communicating holes 3A per unit area may be, for example, 1/mm ² or more and 30/mm ² or less.
The planar shape and size of the substrate communicating holes 3A at the exposed portions on the front surface 3a' and back surface 3b' of the substrate fiber layer 3' may be different from the planar shape and size of the substrate communicating holes 3A at some point along the communicating direction (i.e., the planar shape and size of the substrate communicating holes 3A may change at some point along the communicating direction).

The communication direction of the substrate communicating holes 3A may be approximately linear when viewed in cross section (side cross section) of the substrate fiber layer 3', or may be approximately curved (curved), serpentine, etc.
The length (communication length) of the substrate connecting hole 3A can be said to be approximately the same as the thickness of the above-mentioned substrate fiber layer 3' when the communication direction is approximately straight, and when the communication direction is approximately curved, etc., it can be said to be the length approximately along the communication direction of the substrate connecting hole 3A (the length approximately along the curve), etc.
The base material communicating holes 3A do not have to be formed by punching (such as punching holes in the base material fiber layer 3' with a punching roll, a flat punch, or the like).

<Surface resin 4>
As shown in Figures 1 to 11, 13 to 15 (especially Figures 2, 5, 7, etc.), the surface resin 4 is a resin that covers the surface 3a' side of the above-mentioned base fiber layer 3', and can also be said to coat the surface of the base fiber layer 3'.
That is, the surface resin 4 is attached to the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3'.

The material of the surface resin 4 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, polyurethane (PU) resin, polyacrylic resin primarily composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) resin, or other synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), silicone resin, nylon (polyamide) resin, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), acetate resin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin (vinylon resin), which may be used alone or in combination.

The surface resin 4 may also contain a phosphorus-based flame retardant such as phosphate ester, or may contain silicone resin.
The amount of application (adhesion amount, coating amount) of the surface resin 4 may be any value, but may be, for example, 1 g/m2 or ^more and 20 g/m2 or ^less , preferably 3 g/m2 or ^more and 18 g/m2 or ^less , and more preferably 5 g/m2 or ^more and 15 g/ ^m2 or less, in dry weight.

<Surface Coating Layer 4'>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 13 to 15 (particularly FIGS. 2, 5, 7, etc.), the surface coating layer 4' is a layer formed of a surface resin 4 that covers the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3'.
Here, the "surface 4a'" of the surface coating layer 4' can be said to be the surface close to the surface 1a that is exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in a textile product such as a seat cover for covering a seat (chair) of an automobile, etc. (in other words, the surface 1a of the synthetic leather 1 itself), and conversely, the "back surface 4b'" of the surface coating layer 4' can be said to be the surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in a textile product such as a seat cover.

The thickness of the surface coating layer 4' may be any value, for example, 1 μm or more and 100 μm or less (0.001 mm or more and 0.100 mm or less), preferably 5 μm or more and 50 μm or less (0.005 mm or more and 0.050 mm or less), and more preferably 10 μm or more and 30 μm or less (0.010 mm or more and 0.030 mm or less).
The surface coating layer 4' may have surface communicating holes 4A, which will be described later.

The surface coating layer 4' may also have recesses 5 formed in at least a part thereof. As described above, the recesses 5 are formed in the surface coating layer 4' together with the base fiber layer 3' (in other words, the recesses 5 formed in the surface coating layer 4' and the recesses 5 formed in the base fiber layer 3' are located (overlapped) in approximately the same position in a plan view).
Furthermore, at least a part of the front surface 4a' or back surface 4b' of the surface coating layer 4' may not be substantially flat (may have irregularities), or conversely, may be substantially flat.
In addition, the surface 4a' of the surface coating layer 4' in the synthetic leather 1 having the surface coating layer 4' described above may have a smaller area from which light is reflected (or may have fewer shiny areas (areas that appear shiny)) than the surface 3a' of the above-mentioned base fiber layer 3' in the synthetic leather 1 having a portion that is not covered entirely, etc. with the surface resin 4, under the same lighting conditions, etc. (see Figures 3, 8, and 10).

<Surface communication hole 4A>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 11 and 13 to 15 (particularly FIG. 5 etc.), the surface communicating holes 4A are holes that communicate between the front and back of the surface coating layer 4' described above.
Here, the surface communicating holes 4A "communicating the front and back of the surface coating layer 4'" also means that they communicate the front 4a' side and the back 4b' side (which can also be said to be one side and the other side) of the surface coating layer 4' (connecting the front 4a' side and the back 4b' side, and allowing liquid, water vapor, gas, etc. to pass from the front 4a' side to the back 4b' side of the surface coating layer 4' (or from the back 4b' side to the front 4a' side) through the surface communicating holes 4A.

The surface communicating holes 4A may have any planar (cross-sectional) shape, planar (cross-sectional) size, or number per unit area, but first, with regard to the planar shape, for example, the parts exposed on the front surface 4a' or back surface 4b' may be approximately circular, approximately elliptical, approximately triangular, approximately rectangular (approximately parallelogram), or approximately linear (shape with a longitudinal direction), which can also be said to be parts in the surface coating layer 4' where no surface resin 4 is present (not applied), or where the amount (application amount) of surface resin 4 is small and there are open holes.
The size of the surface communicating hole 4A in a planar view (cross-sectional view) may also be, for example, the area of the portion exposed on the surface 4a', etc., may be 1 ^μm2 or more and 500 ^μm2 or less, and the length of each side of the approximately triangular shape when the exposed portion is approximately triangular, or the longitudinal length when the exposed portion is approximately linear, may be 0.1 μm or more and 50 μm or less.

The number of surface communicating holes 4A per unit area may be, for example, 1 pore/mm ² or more and 30 pores/mm ² or less.
The planar shape and size of the surface communicating holes 4A may also be different from the shape and size of the surface communicating holes 4A in the planar view at the portions exposed on the front surface 4a' and back surface 4b' of the surface coating layer 4' in the communication direction (that is, the planar shape and size of the surface communicating holes 4A may change in the planar view at the portion exposed on the front surface 4a' and back surface 4b' of the surface coating layer 4' in the communication direction).

The communicating direction of the surface communicating holes 4A may be substantially linear in a cross-sectional view (side cross-sectional view) of the surface coating layer 4', or may be substantially curved (curved), serpentine, or the like.
The length (communication length) of the surface communicating hole 4A can be said to be approximately the same as the thickness of the above-mentioned surface coating layer 4' if the communication direction is approximately straight, and if the communication direction is approximately curved, etc., it can be said to be the length approximately along the communication direction of the surface communicating hole 4A (the length approximately along the curve), etc.
The surface communicating holes 4A do not have to be formed by punching (such as punching holes in the surface coating layer 4' with a punching roll, a flat punch, or the like).

<Recess 5>
As shown in Figures 1 to 11 and 13 to 15 (particularly Figures 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 to 10, 13 to 15, etc.), the recesses 5 are recessed portions (depressions) formed at least in the base fiber layer 3' described above.
In other words, the recesses 5 are not only formed in the base fiber layer 3', but also may be formed in the base fiber layer 3' and the surface coating layer 4' if the synthetic leather 1 has a surface coating layer 4'.In addition, the recesses 5 may be formed to penetrate (even through) the above-mentioned piled fabric 2 (base fabric 2A, etc.) regardless of whether or not the surface coating layer 4' is present.

Only one recess 5 may be formed in the base fiber layer 3' of one synthetic leather 1, or a plurality of recesses 5 may be formed.
The shape of the recess 5 in a plan view is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a continuous pattern resembling natural leather, or may be generally strip-shaped, generally stripe-shaped, generally linear, zigzag-shaped, dotted-line-shaped, generally X-shaped, generally circular, curved-line-shaped, generally triangular, generally regular pentagonal, generally regular hexagonal, generally square, generally circular (or generally perfect circular), or the like.

The depth of the recess 5 can be the depth from the surface 1a of the synthetic leather 1 (such as the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3') to the bottom of the recess 5, or conversely, the height from the bottom of the recess 5 to the surface 1a of the synthetic leather 1. There are no particular limitations on the value of this depth, and it may be, for example, 0.1 mm or more and 20 mm or less, preferably 0.3 mm or more and 10 mm or less, and more preferably 0.5 mm or more and 7 mm or less.
As mentioned above, the synthetic leather 1 described above may have a backing resin applied to the back surface 1b side thereof, and the backing resin etc. will be described below.

<Backing resin>
The backing resin is a resin that covers the back surface 1b of the synthetic leather 1 (particularly the back surface 2b of the furry fabric 2) described above.
That is, the backing resin is attached to the back surface 2 b of the piled fabric 2 .

The material of the backing resin is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, polyurethane (PU) resin, polyacrylic resin mainly composed of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), silicone resin, or other synthetic resins such as polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) resin, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), nylon (polyamide) resin, polyolefin resins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), acetate resin, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) resin (vinylon resin), which may be used alone or in combination.
The amount of backing resin applied (adhesion amount) may be any value, but may be, for example, from 30 g/ ^m2 to 180 g/ ^m2 , preferably from 40 g/ ^m2 to 170 g/ ^m2 , and more preferably from 50 g/ ^m2 to 160 g/ ^m2 , in dry weight.

<Backing layer>
The backing layer is a layer formed of a backing resin that covers the back surface 1b of the synthetic leather 1 (particularly the back surface 2b of the furry fabric 2) described above.
Here again, the "surface" of the backing layer can be said to be the surface close to the surface 1a that is exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in textile products such as seat covers for covering seats (chairs) in automobiles, etc., and conversely, the "back surface" of the backing layer can be said to be the surface close to the back surface 1b that is not exposed when the synthetic leather 1 is used in textile products such as seat covers (in other words, the back surface 1b of the synthetic leather 1 itself).

The thickness of the backing layer may be any value, but may be, for example, 20 μm or more and 500 μm or less (0.02 mm or more and 0.50 mm or less), preferably 15 μm or more and 400 μm or less (0.015 mm or more and 0.400 mm or less), and more preferably 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less (0.01 mm or more and 0.30 mm or less).
The method for producing the synthetic leather 1 described above will now be described in detail.

<Method for producing synthetic leather 1>
As shown in Figures 12 to 15, the above-mentioned method for producing synthetic leather 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "the production method") includes at least a substrate coating step S1 described below, and does not use a solvent in any of the steps of the production method.
The manufacturing method may include an embossing step S2 described later and a surface coating step S3 described later.

Furthermore, in this manufacturing method, a release sheet may not be used in any of the steps, or a release sheet may be used only in the embossing step S2 described below (that is, a release sheet does not have to be used in any step other than the embossing step S2).
In addition, the manufacturing method may include a fabric forming step S0-1, a raising step S0-2, a cutting step S0-2', a backing step, and the like, which will be described later.
In addition, in the manufacturing method, if only the substrate application step S1 is included, it is considered to be the first embodiment; if the substrate application step S1 and the embossing step S2 are included, it is considered to be the second embodiment; if the substrate application step S1, the embossing step S2, and the surface coating step S3 are included, it is considered to be the third embodiment; if the fabric construction step S0-1, the raising step S0-2, the substrate application step S1, the embossing step S2, and the surface coating step S3 are included, it is considered to be the fourth embodiment; if the fabric construction step S0-1, the cutting step S0-2', the substrate application step S1, the embossing step S2, and the surface coating step S3 are included, it is considered to be the fifth embodiment; and if the backing step or the fabric construction/cutting step described below is also included, it is considered to be another embodiment.

<Substrate coating step S1>
As shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, the base material application step S1 is a step of applying the base material resin 3 to at least the fluffy fibers 2B of the fluffy fabric 2 described above.
There are no particular limitations on the substrate application step S1, but as described above, for example, the substrate resin 3 may be applied (adhered) in an emulsion state to the fluffy fibers 2B of the fluffy fabric 2. Here, in the substrate application step S1, no solvent such as an organic solvent is used as the solvent for the emulsion.

The specific means of application is not particularly limited, and includes application with a brush or the like, spray application, comma direct method, gravure direct method, gravure reverse method, reverse roll coating method, air knife coating method, kiss coating method, etc., and also includes a thin film coater, a roll print processing machine, an inkjet printing processing machine, rotor dampening (roller damping), a knife (a coater knife, a doctor knife, etc.), etc. When applying the base resin 3 using a knife, the coating may be performed with a knife whose cutting edge has a shape and configuration such as a flat blade, a J blade, a U blade, a comma blade, etc.
Furthermore, when the base resin 3 is applied in an emulsion state, the solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is a solvent other than an organic solvent, but water or the like may also be used. In this case, the base resin 3 to be applied will be an aqueous polyurethane resin emulsion or an aqueous polyacrylic resin emulsion using water as the solvent.
In addition, it can be said that the base resin 3 adheres to at least two adjacent fluff fibers 2B through the base coating step S1.

<Embossing step S2>
As shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, the embossing step S2 is a step of pressing at least the above-mentioned base fiber layer 3' from its surface 3a' side with a mold material after the above-mentioned base coating step S1.
In other words, in the embossing process S2, the mold is pressed under predetermined conditions while in contact with the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3', thereby pressing only the base fiber layer 3', or, together with the base fiber layer 3', the fluffy fabric 2 (including the base fabric 2A and, if there are fluff fibers 2B with the base resin 3 attached only in the range from the tip to the middle of the length, the fluff fibers 2B) is also pressed.

To explain the embossing process S2 in more detail, the synthetic leather 1 (synthetic leather 1 having the fur-filled fabric 2 and the base fiber layer 3') before being pressed is sandwiched between a mold and a receiving mold that receives it, and the mold is pressed from the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3' toward the receiving mold side under specified conditions.
The above-mentioned conditions in the embossing step S2 are not particularly limited, but may be predetermined values according to the material of the base fiber layer 3' or the fluffy fabric 2 to be pressed (embossed). For example, the temperatures of the mold and the receiving mold (embossing temperature) may be 140°C for the mold and 180°C for the receiving mold, and the pressing time may be 30 seconds.

Furthermore, in this embossing process S2, if a convex portion is formed on the pressing surface (the surface that presses) of the mold, a concave portion 5 of a shape corresponding to the convex portion is formed in the base fiber layer 3', etc., in at least a part of the planar view (such as the area where the convex portion is pressed), and if the part of the pressing surface of the mold that is not a convex portion is approximately flat, the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' will be approximately flat in at least a part of the planar view (such as the area where the part that is not a convex portion is pressed).
Here, if no protrusions are formed on the pressing surface of the mold member and the entire pressing surface is substantially flat, the entire surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' will be substantially flat.

In this embossing step S2, the mold may be pressed with a release sheet made of a heat-resistant elastomer material such as silicone resin placed underneath the synthetic leather 1 (the furry fabric 2) (on the back surface 2b side of the furry fabric 2).
Furthermore, in the embossing process S2, the base resin 3 is re-dissolved, and it can be said that the fibers such as the fluffy fibers in the fluffy fabric 2 and the base resin 3 can be more firmly entangled with each other, and in this case, it can be said that the base resin 3 is adhered (or fused) to at least two adjacent fluffy fibers 2B.

The mold material and receiving mold used in the embossing step S2 described above are not particularly limited in configuration, and may be, for example, flat or roll-shaped.
When the mold and receiving mold are in the form of rolls, the synthetic leather 1 is long, and the ends of the roll on the mold side (at least one or both roll ends) are made approximately the same height as the convex portions on the pressing surface of the mold, and synthetic leather 1 (substrate fiber layer 3' and/or fluffy fabric 2) is used that is of a width that does not come into contact with the roll ends at this approximately same height, and the roll ends come into contact with the roll on the receiving mold side mainly at the roll ends, thereby making it easy to form the surface 3a' and recesses 5 of the substrate fiber layer 3' or to make at least a portion of it approximately flat while maintaining the distance between the roll on the mold side and the roll on the receiving mold side and the pressing force approximately constant.
Furthermore, in the embossing step S2, no solvent such as an organic solvent is used.
In addition, the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' in the synthetic leather 1 (having portions not covered with the surface resin 4) immediately after the embossing step S2 described above may have a larger light-reflecting area (or may have more shiny portions (portions that appear shiny)) overall, for example, under the same lighting conditions, than the surface 4a' of the surface coating layer 4' (in the synthetic leather 1 having the surface coating layer 4') immediately after the surface coating step S3 described below (see Figures 3, 8, and 10).

<Surface coating step S3>
As shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, the surface coating step S3 is a step of covering (coating) the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3' with a surface resin 4 after the embossing step S2 described above.
The surface coating step S3 is not particularly limited, but as described above, the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' pressed in the embossing step S2 may be covered (coated) with the surface resin 4 in an emulsion state. Here, in the surface coating step S3, no solvent such as an organic solvent is used as the solvent for the emulsion.

The specific means for covering the surface with the resin 4 is not particularly limited, but may be a kiss coat method, a gravure coat method, a roll coat method, or the like. Alternatively, a thin film coater such as a comma coater, a roll print processing machine, an inkjet print processing machine, a rotor dampening machine, or the like may be used.
Furthermore, when the surface resin 4 is applied in an emulsion state, the solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is not an organic solvent or the like, but water or the like may also be used. In this case, the surface resin 4 to be coated will be an aqueous polyurethane resin emulsion or an aqueous polyacrylic resin emulsion using water as the solvent.

In addition, the surface 4a' of the surface coating layer 4' (in the synthetic leather 1 having the surface coating layer 4') immediately after the surface coating step S3 described above may have a larger light-reflecting area (or may have more shiny areas (areas that appear shiny)) overall, for example, under the same lighting conditions, than the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' in the synthetic leather 1 (having portions not covered with the surface resin 4) immediately after the embossing step S2 described above (see Figures 3, 8, and 10).
Furthermore, if a recess 5 is formed in the base fiber layer 3' in the above-mentioned embossing process S2, etc., the surface resin 4 will be applied along the recess of this recess 5 in the surface coating process S3, so not only will a recess 5 be formed in the base fiber layer 3', but it can also be said that a recess 5 will be formed in the surface coating layer 4' at the planar position where the recess 5 was formed.

<Fabric composition process S0-1>
As shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, the fabric forming step S0-1 is a step of forming the above-mentioned fuzzed fabric 2 before the above-mentioned base material application step S1.
As mentioned above, the fluffy fabric 2 may be a knitted fabric or a woven fabric. When the fluffy fabric 2 is a knitted fabric, the fabric construction step S0-1 can be said to be a knitting step S0-1, and when the fluffy fabric 2 is a woven fabric, the fabric construction step S0-1 can be said to be a woven fabric weaving step S0-1.

Here, in the case of the knitting step S0-1, the knitting machine used in this step is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a warp knitting machine such as a tricot knitting machine or a double raschel knitting machine, or a weft knitting machine such as a circular knitting machine, and the gauge of these warp knitting machines and weft knitting machines is also not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 28 gauge (28G), etc. Furthermore, the speed of the warp knitting machine in the knitting step S0-1 may be any value, and may be, for example, 1500 rpm or more.
Furthermore, in the case of the textile weaving process S0-1, the loom used in this process is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a dobby loom, a jacquard loom, a bull moquette loom, or a wire moquette loom. Of these looms, the number of reeds on the dobby loom is also not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 24 or 27.5 reeds.

If the fluffy fabric 2 formed in such fabric forming step S0-1 does not include fluffy fibers 2B, the manufacturing method includes a raising step S0-2, which will be described later, after the fabric forming step S0-1.
Furthermore, if the fluffy fabric 2 formed in the fabric formation step S0-1 has fluffy fibers 2B provided on the surface 2Aa of the base fabric 2A without being raised, such as the sinker loop circular knit fabric described above, a double raschel knit fabric in which the outer and inner layers are connected with a connecting yarn, or a moquette fabric in which the outer and inner layers are connected with a connecting yarn, the manufacturing method includes a cutting step S0-2' described below after the fabric formation step S0-1.

<Nursing process S0-2>
As shown in Figures 12 to 15, the raising process S0-2 is a process of raising the base fabric 2A of the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 2 when the fluffy fabric 2 formed in the fabric forming process S0-1 does not have fluffy fibers 2B.
In the raising step S0-2, a card cloth raising process using card cloth with raising needles (or a card cloth roll if it is in roll form) may be used. In the case of card cloth raising process, the raising state can be adjusted by changing the density, length, angle, and tip shape of the card cloth, the rotation speed of the card cloth during raising, the contact pressure and number of contacts with the base fabric 2A, etc.

In the raising step S0-2, emery raising processing may be used, and the raised state can be adjusted by changing the wet or dry state (whether it is wet or dry), the emery member (sandpaper, emery roll, etc.), the processing speed, the number of contacts between the emery member and the base fabric 2A, etc.
In addition, in the raising step S2, the fiber fluff raised by raising may be cut, or a pile-matching process may be performed to adjust the pile length after raising.In addition, the base fabric 2A may be raised using a buffing machine, a needle punch needle in a needle punch machine, a brush needle, etc.

<Cutting process S0-2'>
As shown in Figures 12 to 15, the cutting process S0-2' is a process for cutting (severing) loops or connecting yarns in sinker loop circular knitted fabrics, double raschel knitted fabrics, or moquette fabrics, when the fluffy fabric 2 constructed in the fabric construction process S0-1 has loops that can become fluffy fibers 2B, or connecting yarns in moquette fabrics.
In the cutting step S0-2', when the loops in the sinker loop circular knitted fabric are cut, the loops may be sheared (shaved) by a shearing machine or the like to make them uniform in length.

Furthermore, in the cutting step S0-2', when cutting connecting yarns in double raschel knitted fabrics or moquette fabrics, the connecting yarns may be center-cut midway (for example, approximately halfway) between the front and back fabrics using a shearing machine or the like, so that the front fabric forms a base fabric 2A and one of the center-cut connecting yarns forms fluffy fibers 2B, and the back fabric forms another base fabric 2A and the other center-cut connecting yarn forms fluffy fibers 2B.
The cutting of the loops and connecting yarns described above and the construction of the fuzzed fabric 2 may be carried out in one process, in which case this process can also be called a fabric construction/cutting process.

<Backing process>
The backing step is a step of applying a backing resin to the back surface 1b of the synthetic leather 1 (the back surface 2b of the furry fabric 2).
The backing process is not particularly limited, and for example, the backing resin may be applied (adhered) in an emulsion state to the back surface 2b of the fluffy fabric 2. Here, in the backing process, no solvent such as an organic solvent is used as the solvent for the emulsion.

The specific means of application is not particularly limited, but in addition to application with a brush or the like or spray application, methods such as a comma direct method, a gravure direct method, a gravure reverse method, a reverse roll coating method, an air knife coating method, or a kiss coating method may be used. In addition, a thin film coater, a roll printing machine, an inkjet printing machine, or a rotor dampening machine may also be used.
Furthermore, when the backing resin is applied in an emulsion state, the solvent is not particularly limited as long as it is a solvent other than an organic solvent, but water or the like may be used. In this case, the backing resin to be applied will be an aqueous polyurethane resin emulsion or an aqueous polyacrylic resin emulsion using water as the solvent.

Furthermore, since the backing process can be performed immediately after the fabric construction process S0-1 if the back surface 2b of the piled fabric 2 exists, or after the raising process S0-2 or cutting process S0-2', or after the base material application process S1, or after the embossing process S2, or after the surface coating process S3.
The manufacturing apparatus for carrying out the method for manufacturing the synthetic leather 1 described above will now be described in detail.

<Synthetic leather 1 manufacturing device>
The above-described manufacturing apparatus for the synthetic leather 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "the manufacturing apparatus") has at least a substrate coating section described later, but does not have any explosion-proof equipment.
The manufacturing apparatus may have an embossing section, which will be described later, a surface coating section, which will be described later, and other sections, such as a fabric forming section, which will be described later, a raising section, a cutting section, and a backing section, which will be described later.

All of these units may be contained in a single device body (device housing), in which case the single device body will be the manufacturing apparatus. Conversely, these units may be separated into multiple (separate) device bodies. In this case, each unit corresponds to each of the above-mentioned processes, and if each device body has at least one of the units and one of the device bodies has a substrate coating unit, the entirety of these multiple device bodies can be said to be the manufacturing apparatus. Here, if the entirety of multiple device bodies can be said to be the manufacturing apparatus, at least one of these multiple device bodies will have the substrate coating unit described below.
Furthermore, even when each section is separated into multiple equipment units, none of the equipment units has explosion-proof equipment.

<Substrate coating section>
The substrate coating unit is a unit that performs the substrate coating step S1 described above.
That is, the base material application section is a section where the base material resin 3 is applied to at least the fluffy fibers 2B of the fluffy fabric 2 described above.

Here, when one equipment unit has only a substrate coating section, the equipment unit capable of using the above-mentioned comma direct method, gravure direct method, gravure reverse method, reverse roll coating method, air knife coating method, kiss coating method, etc., as well as other equipment units such as thin film coaters, roll print processing machines, and inkjet print processing machines, can also be said to be the manufacturing equipment, and in this case, the equipment units capable of using the comma direct method, etc., and thin film coaters, etc. do not have explosion-proof facilities.
Also, one equipment body may have the substrate coating section and at least one of the other sections, and in this case, the one equipment body also does not have an explosion-proof facility.

<Embossed section>
The embossing section is a section where the above-mentioned embossing step S2 is carried out.
In other words, the embossed portion is a portion where at least the above-mentioned base fiber layer 3' is pressed from its surface 3a' side with a mold material after the base coating step S1 is performed in the above-mentioned base coating portion.

Here, when one device body has only an embossed portion, the device body having the above-mentioned mold material and receiving mold can also be said to be the manufacturing device, and in this case, this device body does not have explosion-proof equipment.
Also, one device body may have the embossing section and at least one of the other sections, and in this case, the one device body also does not have an explosion-proof facility.

<Surface coating>
The surface coating section is a section where the above-mentioned surface coating step S3 is carried out.
That is, the surface coating section is a section where the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3' is covered (coated) with the surface resin 4 after the embossing step S2 is carried out in the embossing section.

Here, when one equipment unit has only a surface coating section, the equipment unit capable of using the above-mentioned kiss coating method, gravure coating method, roll coating method, etc., as well as other thin film coaters such as comma coaters, roll print processing machines, inkjet print processing machines, rotor dampening machines, etc., can also be said to be the manufacturing equipment, and in this case, the equipment unit capable of using the kiss coating method, the comma coater, etc. do not have explosion-proof equipment.
Also, one device body may have the surface coating portion and at least one of the other portions, and in this case, the one device body also does not have an explosion-proof facility.

<Fabric composition part>
The fabric forming section is a section where the above-mentioned fabric forming step S0-1 is carried out.
In other words, the fabric forming portion is a portion that forms the fuzzed fabric 2 before the base material coating step S1 is performed in the base material coating portion described above.
As mentioned above, when the furry fabric 2 is a knitted fabric, the fabric-constituting portion can be said to be a knitted fabric portion, and when the furry fabric 2 is a woven fabric, the fabric-constituting portion can be said to be a woven fabric portion.

Here, when one machine body has only the fabric component and the furred fabric 2 is a knitted fabric, it can be said that the above-mentioned tricot knitting machine, warp knitting machine such as a double Raschel knitting machine, or weft knitting machine such as a circular knitting machine, is itself the manufacturing device, and when one machine body has only the fabric component and the furred fabric 2 is a woven fabric, it can be said that the above-mentioned dobby loom, jacquard loom, double moquette loom, wire moquette loom, etc. is itself the manufacturing device.
In these cases, knitting machines such as tricot knitting machines and looms such as dobby looms do not have explosion-proof equipment.
Also, one device body may have at least one of the other parts together with the fabric component part, and in this case, the one device body also does not have an explosion-proof facility.

<Brushed part>
The raised portion is the portion where the above-mentioned raised step S0-2 is carried out.
In other words, the raised portion is the portion that raises the base fabric 2A of the above-mentioned fluffy fabric 2 when the fluffy fabric 2 does not have fluffy fibers 2B after the fabric construction process S0-1 is performed in the above-mentioned fabric construction unit.

Here, when one equipment body has only a raising portion, an equipment body equipped with card clothing with the above-mentioned raising needles (or a raising roll if in roll form), an equipment body equipped with an emery member (sandpaper, emery roll, etc.), a buffing machine, a needle punch machine, or an equipment body equipped with brush needles can itself be said to be the manufacturing equipment, and in this case, equipment bodies equipped with card clothing with these raising needles (or a raising roll if in roll form) do not have explosion-proof equipment.
Also, one device body may have the nap raising section and at least one of the other sections, and in this case, the one device body also does not have an explosion-proof facility.

<Cutting section>
The cutting section is a section where the above-mentioned cutting step S0-2' is carried out.
In other words, the cutting section is the part that cuts (severs) the loops or connecting yarns in a sinker loop circular knitted fabric, double raschel knitted fabric, or moquette fabric when the fluffy fabric 2 constructed in the above-mentioned fabric construction process S0-1 has loops that can become fluffy fibers 2B, or connecting yarns in a moquette fabric.

Here, when one machine body has only a cutting section, the above-mentioned shearing machine or the machine body that performs the center cut can itself be said to be the manufacturing equipment, and in this case, these shearing machines, etc. do not have explosion-proof equipment.
Also, one device body may have the cutting section and at least one of the other sections, and in this case, the one device body also does not have an explosion-proof facility.

<Backing section>
The backing part is the part where the backing process described above is performed.
That is, the backing portion is a portion where a backing resin is applied to the back surface 1b of the synthetic leather 1 (back surface 2b of the furry fabric 2).

Here, when one equipment unit has only a backing part, the equipment unit capable of using the above-mentioned comma direct method, gravure direct method, gravure reverse method, reverse roll coating method, air knife coating method, kiss coating method, etc., as well as other equipment such as thin film coaters, roll print processing machines, and inkjet print processing machines, can also be said to be the manufacturing equipment, and in this case, the equipment unit capable of using the comma direct method, etc., and the thin film coater, etc. do not have explosion-proof facilities.
Also, one device body may have at least one of the other parts together with the backing part, and in this case, the one device body also does not have an explosion-proof facility.
The synthetic leather 1 described above will now be explained in detail.

<Tests 1 and 2>
Hereinafter, examples 1 to 8 of synthetic leather 1 according to the present invention and comparative examples 1 and 2 will be described.
Among these, Examples 1, 3, 5, and 8 are used to carry out Tests 1 and 2 described below.

Example 1
In the synthetic leather 1 of Example 1, the piled fabric 2 is a raised tricot knitted fabric, the base resin 3 is a polyurethane (PU) resin, the surface resin 4 may also be a polyurethane (PU) resin, and the recesses 5 may be formed in the base fiber layer 3', etc.
In particular, the tricot knit fabric that becomes the fluffy fabric 2 in Example 1 is produced by repeatedly operating the first reed (referred to as "L1" in Table 1 below, the same applies hereinafter) of a 28-gauge, three-reed warp knitting machine in the order of 1-2/1-0 in the fabric construction (knitting) step S0-1 to knit polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 24 filament (referred to as "84T24F" in Table 1 below, the same applies hereinafter), spin-draw yarn (referred to as "SDY" in Table 1 below, the same applies hereinafter) and semi-dull yarn (referred to as "SD" in Table 1 below, the same applies hereinafter)). The yarn is then knitted into the yarn bundle, and the second reed (referred to as "L2" in Table 1 below, the same applies below) is repeatedly operated in the order of 1-0/1-2 to knit a polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex, 24 filaments, spin-drawn yarn and semi-dull yarn), and the third reed (referred to as "L3" in Table 1 below, the same applies below) is repeatedly operated in the order of 1-0/4-5 to knit a polyester multifilament yarn (167 dtex, 48 filaments, woolly processed yarn (referred to as "processed yarn" in Table 1 below, the same applies below)) and semi-dull yarn).
Here, the tricot knit fabric that becomes the piled fabric 2 in Example 1 has a wale density of 39 wales/inch and a course density of 72 courses/inch on the machine (after the embossing process, etc.).
After the fabric construction step S0-1 in Example 1, the sinker loop surface of the tricot knit fabric is raised in the above-mentioned raising step S0-2 to form a fluffy fabric 2 having fluffy fibers 2B provided on the base fabric 2A, and in the above-mentioned base material application step S1, a base material resin 3 is applied to the fluffy fibers 2B etc. of the fluffy fabric 2, which is the tricot knit fabric with the raised sinker loop surface, to form a base material fiber layer 3'. Note that after the base material application step S1 in Example 1, the base material fiber layer 3' etc. may be pressed from the surface side of the base material fiber layer 3' with a mold material in the above-mentioned embossing step S2.
Incidentally, Example 1 is the specific example 1 shown in FIGS.

Example 2
In the synthetic leather 1 of Example 1, the yarn knitted by the first and second reeds was changed to polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 24 filaments, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn), thereby obtaining synthetic leather 1 of Example 2.

Example 3
For the tricot knit fabric that becomes the furry fabric 2 in the synthetic leather 1 of Example 1, the first reed operation is in the order of 1-0/1-2, and the yarn knitted with the first reed is a polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 36 filaments, spin-draw yarn and semi-dull yarn), and the second reed operation is in the order of 1-0/3-4, and the yarn knitted with the second reed is a polyester multifilament yarn (33 dtex 12 filaments, high shrinkage yarn (described later)). The yarn knitted with the third reed was a combination of polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex, 72 filaments, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) and polyester multifilament yarn (33 dtex, 12 filaments, high shrinkage yarn, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn), and the third reed was operated in the order of 1-0/3-4. The yarn knitted with the third reed was a combination of polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex, 72 filaments, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn), and polyester multifilament yarn (33 dtex, 12 filaments, high shrinkage yarn, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn). Thus, synthetic leather 1 of Example 3 was obtained.
Here, the tricot knit fabric that becomes the piled fabric 2 in Example 3 has a wale density of 44 wales/inch and a course density of 82 courses/inch on the machine (after the embossing process, etc.).

Example 4
For the tricot knit fabric that would become the furred fabric 2 in the synthetic leather 1 of Example 1, the first reed was operated in the order of 1-0/1-2, and the yarn knitted with the first reed was a polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 36 filaments, spin-drawn yarn and semi-dull yarn), the second reed was operated in the order of 1-0/3-4, and the yarn knitted with the second reed was a polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 144 filaments, woolly textured yarn and semi-dull yarn), and the third reed was operated in the order of 1-0/2-3, and the yarn knitted with the third reed was a polyester multifilament yarn (55 dtex 24 filaments, spin-drawn yarn and semi-dull yarn), thereby obtaining the synthetic leather 1 of Example 4.
Here, the tricot knit fabric that becomes the piled fabric 2 in Example 3 has a wale density of 40 wales/inch and a course density of 78 courses/inch on the machine (after the embossing process, etc.).

Example 5
In the synthetic leather 1 of Example 5, unlike Examples 1 to 4, the piled fabric 2 is a raised circular knitted fabric, but as in Examples 1 to 4, the base resin 3 is a polyurethane (PU) resin, the surface resin 4 may also be a polyurethane (PU) resin, and the recesses 5 may be formed in the base fiber layer 3', etc.
In particular, in the fabric construction (knitting) step S0-1, the circular knit fabric that becomes the fluffy fabric 2 in Example 5 is produced by knitting polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 36 filaments, false twisted (represented as "1H" in Table 1 described below, the same applies below) woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) into both knits (the dial side knit and the cylinder side knit) of a 28 gauge, three-color interlock (smooth knit, double knit) circular knitting machine, knitting a combination of polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 72 filaments, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) and polyester multifilament yarn (33 dtex 12 filaments, high shrinkage yarn, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) into the dial side knit, and knitting a polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 36 filaments, false twisted (1H) woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) into the cylinder side knit.
Here, the circular knitted fabric that becomes the piled fabric 2 in Example 5 has a wale density of 43 wales/inch and a course density of 70 courses/inch on the machine (after the embossing process, etc.).
After the fabric construction step S0-1 in Example 5, one side of the circular knitted fabric is raised in the above-mentioned raising step S0-2 to form a fluffy fabric 2 having fluffy fibers 2B provided on a base fabric 2A, and in the above-mentioned base material application step S1, a base material resin 3 is applied to the fluffy fibers 2B of the fluffy fabric 2, which is a circular knitted fabric having one side raised, to form a base material fiber layer 3'. Note that after the base material application step S1 in Example 5, the base material fiber layer 3' may be pressed from the surface side of the base material fiber layer 3' with a mold material in the above-mentioned embossing step S2.
Incidentally, Example 5 is the specific example 3 shown in FIGS.

Example 6
In the synthetic leather 1 of Example 6, unlike Examples 1 to 5, the piled fabric 2 is a five-ply satin weave fabric that has been brushed, but as in Examples 1 to 5, the base resin 3 is a polyurethane (PU) resin, the surface resin 4 may also be a polyurethane (PU) resin, and the recesses 5 may be formed in the base fiber layer 3', etc.
In particular, in the fabric construction (weaving) step S0-1 of the five-ply satin fabric that becomes the fluffy fabric 2 in Example 6, a combination of polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 72 filaments, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) and polyester multifilament yarn (33 dtex 12 filaments, high shrinkage yarn, woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) is woven as the warp on a 27.5-feather dobby loom, and a two-ply yarn (referred to as "x2ply" in Table 1 below, the same applies below) of polyester multifilament yarn (167 dtex 48 filaments, false twist (1H) woolly processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) is woven as the weft.
Here, the five-ply satin fabric that becomes the piled fabric 2 in Example 6 has a wale density (warp density) of 165 threads (wales)/inch and a course density (weft density) of 75 courses/inch on the machine (after the embossing process, etc.).
After the fabric construction step S0-1 in Example 6, one side of the five-ply satin weave is raised in the above-mentioned raising step S0-2 to form a fluffy fabric 2 having fluffy fibers 2B provided on a base fabric 2A, and in the above-mentioned base material application step S1, a base material resin 3 is applied to the fluffy fibers 2B of the fluffy fabric 2, which is the five-ply satin weave with one side raised, to form a base material fiber layer 3'. Note that after the base material application step S1 in Example 6, the base material fiber layer 3' may be pressed from the surface side of the base material fiber layer 3' with a mold material in the above-mentioned embossing step S2.
The sixth embodiment is the second specific example shown in FIGS.

Example 7
The synthetic leather 1 of Example 7 was obtained by using a brushed warp-feed twill weave fabric as the napped fabric for the hair-covered fabric 2 in the synthetic leather 1 of Example 6, a 24-ply dobby loom, and two types of warp yarns on the dobby loom, with a two-ply polyester multifilament yarn (167 dtex x 144 filament, woolly-processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) woven as one of the two types of warp yarns 1, a two-ply polyester multifilament yarn (167 dtex x 48 filament, woolly-processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) woven as the other of the two types of warp yarns 2, and a two-ply polyester multifilament yarn (167 dtex x 48 filament, woolly-processed yarn and semi-dull yarn) woven as the weft.
Here, the warp-out variable satin woven fabric to be the piled fabric 2 in Example 7 has a wale density (warp density) of 98 wales/inch and a course density (weft density) of 63 courses/inch on the machine (after the embossing process, etc.).

Example 8
In the synthetic leather 1 of Example 1, the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3' was covered with a surface resin 4, and a surface coating layer 4' was formed on the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3', thereby obtaining the synthetic leather 1 of Example 8.

<Comparative Example 1>
For the tricot knit fabric in the synthetic leather of Example 1, a tricot knitting machine was used with two reeds, the first reed of the tricot knitting machine was operated in a 2-1/1-0 order, and the yarn knitted with the first reed was a polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 36 filaments, spin-drawn yarn and semi-dull yarn), and the second reed was operated in a 1-0/3-4 order, and the yarn knitted with the second reed was a polyester multifilament yarn (84 dtex 36 filaments, spin-drawn yarn and semi-dull yarn), and neither side of the tricot knit fabric was raised, thereby obtaining the synthetic leather of Comparative Example 1. In other words, Comparative Example 1 differs from Synthetic Leather 1 of the present invention in that it does not have fluffy fibers.
Here, the tricot knit fabric in Comparative Example 1 has a wale density of 39 wales/inch and a course density of 51 courses/inch on the machine (after the embossing process, etc.).

<Comparative Example 2>
The synthetic leather of Comparative Example 2 was obtained by not raising either side of the warp-extruded, varied satin weave fabric in the synthetic leather of Example 7. Comparative Example 2 also differs from the synthetic leather 1 of the present invention in that it does not contain fluffy fibers.

The fabric type (knitted or woven fabric, and details thereof), model (knitting machine or loom, and their gauge and reed count), structure (knitted structure or woven structure), yarn details, wale direction, course direction, warp direction, and weft direction density, presence or absence of nap raising, and type of applied resin for Examples 1 to 7 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 described above are shown in Table 1 below.

<Test 1 (Moisture Permeability Measurement Test)>
In Test 1, the moisture permeability measurement test, the moisture permeability TR determined in the moisture permeability measurement test described below was compared between the synthetic leather 1 of Example 1 described above and a conventional synthetic leather that does not contain fluffy fibers and in which a polyurethane resin or the like is applied to a fabric using a solvent.
The moisture permeability measurement test in the present invention is carried out according to the following procedures (1) to (5).
(1) The opening of a glass container with a diameter of 10 cm containing water of weight TR _W is sealed with the synthetic leather 1 described above. For this sealing, the side of the synthetic leather 1 on which the base fiber layer 3′ described above is formed (i.e., the surface 1a of the synthetic leather 1) faces the glass container, and adhesive and a cable tie are used.
(2) The glass container sealed with the synthetic leather 1 is heated to 200°C.
(3) 45 minutes after the start of heating, a petri dish with a diameter of 10 cm is placed on the synthetic leather 1. In this placement, the side of the synthetic leather 1 opposite to the side on which the base fiber layer 3′ is formed (the back surface 1b side of the synthetic leather 1) is in contact with the opening of the petri dish, and water is allowed to adhere to the inside of the petri dish.
(4) One minute after placing the dish, the weight of water adhering to the inside of the dish (TRS ₎ is measured.
(5) The moisture permeability TR is calculated by dividing the measured weight of water adhering to the inside of the Petri dish (TR _S) by the weight of water placed in the glass container before heating (TR _W) and multiplying the result by 100. When the moisture permeability TR is rounded, the value is rounded to two decimal places by rounding off to two decimal places.

The test equipment for heating the glass container sealed with the synthetic leather 1 is not particularly limited, and for example, a "Hot Plate Stirrer RSH-1DN" manufactured by AS ONE Corporation may be used.
Furthermore, the number of test specimens of synthetic leather 1 may be one or more, and the moisture permeability TR may be the average value of these, or may be the average value of the values excluding the maximum and minimum values.
Furthermore, the weight of water _TRW placed in the glass container before heating is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 100 g, and the water placed is also not particularly limited, but may be distilled water.
Here, the weight TR _S of the water adhering to the inside of the dish may be calculated by subtracting (the weight W2 of the dish itself before the test) from (the combined weight W1 of the dish itself and the water adhering to the inside of the dish after the test).
The results of this moisture permeability measurement test, as well as the weights W1 after the test, W2 before the test, TR _S of the water adhering to the inside of the petri dish, TR _W of the water placed in the glass container before heating, and the moisture permeability TR of the three test specimens A to C of Example 1 and the conventional synthetic leather, are shown in Table 2 below.

<Evaluation of Test 1 (Moisture Permeability Measurement Test)>
As shown in Table 2, in Example 1, the moisture permeability TR of all three test specimens A to C was 0.20% or more, and their average value was 0.21% when rounded to two decimal places. Therefore, it can be said that the sample has moisture permeability.
On the other hand, the moisture permeability TR of the conventional synthetic leather was 0.00% for all three test specimens A to C, and the average value was also naturally 0.00%, so it can be said that it has no moisture permeability.
Here, if the moisture permeability TR is even slightly greater than "0.00%," it can be said that a small amount of water vapor passes through the synthetic leather. However, in the present invention, there is a margin and if the moisture permeability TR is "0.10% or more", which is exactly halfway between "0.00%" and "0.20%," it can be said that the synthetic leather has moisture permeability.
As described above, it can be said that the moisture permeability TR is sufficient if it is 0.10% or more, and it may be preferably 0.15% or more, more preferably 0.20% or more, and even more preferably 0.30% or more.
In addition, the moisture permeability TR may be 10.0% or less, preferably 5.0% or less, more preferably 1.0% or less, and even more preferably 0.5% or less.
In addition, the moisture permeability of the synthetic leather 1 may be expressed not only by the moisture permeability rate TR described above, but also by the moisture permeability (in other words, the JIS moisture permeability) in accordance with JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (moisture permeability test) described below.

<JIS moisture permeability>
As described above, the "JIS moisture permeability" of the synthetic leather 1 of the present invention is measured in accordance with JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (moisture permeability test).
In the present invention, "according to JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (moisture permeability test)" not only includes measurement as described in the moisture permeability test of JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (in other words, the JIS moisture permeability test), but also includes measurement by applying the description of the JIS mutatis mutandis (or by partially modifying it).

Considering that the moisture permeability TR is 0.10% or more (lower limit 0.10%) as shown in Test 1 above, it can be said that in the JIS moisture permeability test, which is the same moisture permeability test, the JIS moisture permeability may be 100 g/ ^m2 or more, preferably 200 g/m2 or ^more , more preferably 300 g/ ^m2 or more, and even more preferably 400 g/ ^m2 or more.
In addition, the JIS moisture permeability may be 4000 g/m ² or less, preferably 3000 g/m ² or less, more preferably 2000 g/m ² or less, and even more preferably 1500 g/m ² or less.
Test 2, which is the JIS moisture permeability test, will be described below.

<Test 2 (JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (moisture permeability test))>
In Test 2, the moisture permeability test of JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (JIS moisture permeability test), the JIS moisture permeability determined by the JIS moisture permeability test was compared between synthetic leather 1 of Examples 3, 5, and 8 described above and conventional synthetic leather that does not contain fluffy fibers and in which a polyurethane resin or the like is applied to a fabric using a solvent.
The JIS moisture permeability test in the present invention is carried out as follows: <1> a moisture permeability test apparatus consisting of a stainless steel dish (moisture permeability test cup) on which a test specimen is placed, and a desiccator, and the stainless steel dish used is a stainless steel dish (SUS304) #25-04 manufactured by Omori Co., Ltd., with an inner diameter of 89.4 mm, a height of 20 mm, and a wall thickness of 0.6 mm; <2> a balance capable of reading 0.001 g; <3> collection and preparation of test specimens, by cutting a circular test specimen with a diameter of 150 mm from the sample, and conditioning of the specimen specimens and the test atmosphere are carried out in accordance with 5.1 of JIS-K-6404-3:2020; <4> as a sealing agent in the test procedure, a chemically reactive filler silicone resin (Basbond Q manufactured by Konishi Co., Ltd.) is used in place of a mixture of paraffin:polyethylene = 90:10 by mass ratio. The procedure was carried out as described in JIS-K-6404-3:2020, except that silica gel (Indicator F Green 0N6 500 g) manufactured by Yamani Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. was used instead of calcium chloride (anhydrous) sufficient for drying and placed in the bottom of the desiccator.
The JIS moisture permeability (moisture permeability T in JIS-K-6404-3:2020) is calculated by the following formula (1).

The results of the JIS moisture permeability test, as well as the moisture permeability T of Examples 3, 5, and 8 and the conventional synthetic leather, the mass C of the test specimen after 2 hours, the mass C of the test specimen after 24 _hours , and the moisture permeability area _C of the stainless steel petri dish are shown in Table 3 below.

<Evaluation of Test 2 (JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (Moisture Permeability Test))>
As shown in Table 3, Examples 3, 5, and 8 have a JIS moisture permeability of at least 844.8 g/m ² or more, and therefore can be said to have moisture permeability.
On the other hand, conventional synthetic leather has a JIS moisture permeability of 0 g/ ^m2 or more, so it can be said to have no moisture permeability.
Here, if the JIS moisture permeability is even slightly higher than "0 g/ ^m2 ", it can be said that a small amount of water vapor passes through the synthetic leather. However, in the present invention, the JIS moisture permeability is at least 844.8 g, which is more than "0 g/ ^m2 " by a large margin. Therefore, for example, as mentioned above, if the JIS moisture permeability is "100 g/ ^m2 or more", it can be said that the synthetic leather has moisture permeability.

<Mass loss M in abrasion resistance>
Additionally, the "loss in mass M due to abrasion resistance" of the synthetic leather 1 of the present invention is measured in accordance with JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method)) as described above.
In the present invention, "according to JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method))" not only includes measurement as described in JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method)), but also measurement mutatis mutandis based on the description in JIS.

The mass loss M at such abrasion resistance may be 0.1 g (0.10 g) or less, preferably 0.05 g or less, more preferably 0.03 g or less, and even more preferably 0.01 g or less.

<Others>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The individual components or the overall structure, shape, dimensions, etc. of the synthetic leather 1, the manufacturing method for the synthetic leather 1, and the manufacturing apparatus can be modified as appropriate within the spirit of the present invention.
The synthetic leather 1 may have a surface resin 4 that does not cover the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3' or may not have a surface coating layer 4', or the surface resin 4 may cover at least a portion of the surface 3a' side of the base fiber layer 3'.
In addition, the surface 3a' of the base fiber layer 3' in the synthetic leather 1 having a portion not covered with the surface resin 4 may have a specular gloss Gs (60°) in accordance with JIS-Z-8741:1997 of 60% or more, preferably 70% or more, more preferably 80% or more, or 85% or more, regardless of whether or not the recesses 5 are present.
Furthermore, the surface 4a' of the surface coating layer 4' in the synthetic leather 1 having the surface coating layer 4' may have a specular gloss Gs (60°) in accordance with JIS-Z-8741:1997 of 50% or less, preferably 40% or less, more preferably 30% or less, and even more preferably 20% or less, regardless of whether or not the recesses 5 are present.
Furthermore, regardless of whether or not the surface coating layer 4' is present, the surface 1a of the synthetic leather 1, regardless of whether or not the recesses 5 are present, may have a specular gloss Gs (60°) in accordance with JIS-Z-8741:1997 of 50% or less, preferably 40% or less, more preferably 30% or less, and even more preferably 20% or less.

When the synthetic leather 1 has a surface coating layer 4', the substrate communicating holes 3A in the substrate fiber layer 3' and the surface communicating holes 4A in the surface coating layer 4' may be connected, and in this case, a gap may exist between the substrate fiber layer 3' and the surface coating layer 4' that connects the substrate communicating holes 3A and the surface communicating holes 4A.
The synthetic leather 1 does not necessarily need to have recesses 5 formed in the base fiber layer 3' or the like.
The synthetic leather 1 may not have a backing resin covering the back surface 1b (particularly the back surface 2b of the furry fabric 2) of the synthetic leather 1, or may not have a backing layer, or the backing resin may cover at least a part of the back surface 1b of the synthetic leather 1.

The method for producing synthetic leather 1 does not necessarily have to include the embossing step S2 or the surface coating step S3, and may include steps other than the fabric formation step S0-1, the raising step S0-2, the cutting step S0-2', the base material application step S1, the embossing step S2, the surface coating step S3, and other steps other than the backing step, fabric formation/cutting step, etc.
The manufacturing apparatus for the synthetic leather 1 may not have an embossing section or a surface coating section, and may not have a fabric forming section, a nap raising section, a cutting section, or a backing section.

In addition to the above, the fluffy fabric 2 may be made by tufting pile yarns made of fluffy fibers 2B onto a base fabric 2A made of a predetermined fiber, and then cutting the pile yarns.
When the fluffy fabric 2 is a raised circular knitted fabric, the circular knitted fabric is approximately cylindrical with or without a bottom, but when it is raised and used as the fluffy fabric 2, the cylindrical part may be separated and used in an approximately sheet form.

The synthetic leather according to the present invention, the synthetic leather produced by the synthetic leather production method according to the present invention, and the synthetic leather produced by the synthetic leather production apparatus can be used to cover seats and interior materials (interior wall materials, ceiling materials, floor materials, etc.) in the interiors (cabins) of vehicles such as automobiles (passenger cars), railway cars, aircraft, ships, etc., and in the case of automobiles in particular, can be used to cover car seats (chairs) and interior materials (interior wall materials, ceiling materials, floor materials) such as steering wheel covers, ornaments (door trim), dashboards, glove boxes, instrument panels, and console boxes.
In addition, the synthetic leather according to the present invention, the synthetic leather produced by the synthetic leather production method according to the present invention, and the synthetic leather produced by the production apparatus can be used not only inside the above-mentioned vehicles such as automobiles, but also inside buildings such as houses and offices to cover furniture such as chairs and beds, interior materials such as wall materials, ceiling materials and floor materials, lighting fixtures, etc., and may also be used as industrial materials, and daily necessities such as shoes and clothing.

1 Synthetic leather 2 Fluffy fabric 2A Base fabric 2B Fluff fiber 3 Base material resin 3' Base material fiber layer 3A Base material continuous hole 4 Surface resin 4' Surface coating layer 4A Surface continuous hole 5 Recess TR Moisture permeability TR _S Weight of water attached to the inside of the dish TR _W Weight of water placed in a glass container before heating M JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method)) Mass loss in abrasion strength according to JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method)) S1 Base material coating process S2 Embossing process S3 Surface coating process

Claims (12)

The present invention comprises a base fabric made of fibers and a fluffy fabric having fluffy fibers provided on the base fabric,
A synthetic leather in which a base fiber layer (excluding foamed ones) is formed by the fluff fibers of the fluffed fabric and a base resin applied to the fluff fibers,
the base fiber layer has base material communicating holes that communicate between the front and back of the base fiber layer ,
the substrate communicating holes are scattered in the substrate fiber layer in a plan view,
A synthetic leather characterized in that the base material communicating holes are formed by gaps between adjacent fluff fibers due to a small amount of the base material resin adhering to the fluff fibers . 2. The synthetic leather according to claim 1, wherein the synthetic leather has a moisture permeability of 0.10% or more as determined by the following moisture permeability measurement test.
<Moisture permeability measurement test>
(1) The opening of a glass container having a diameter of 10 cm and containing a weight (TR _W ) of water is sealed with the synthetic leather, with the side of the synthetic leather on which the base fiber layer is formed facing the glass container, using adhesive and a cable tie.
(2) The glass container sealed with the synthetic leather is heated to 200°C.
(3) 45 minutes after the start of heating, a petri dish having a diameter of 10 cm is placed on the synthetic leather so that the side of the synthetic leather opposite to the side on which the base fiber layer is formed is in contact with the opening of the petri dish, and water is allowed to adhere to the inside of the petri dish.
(4) One minute after placing the petri dish, the weight of water (TR _S ) adhering to the inside of the petri dish is measured.
(5) The moisture permeability is calculated by dividing the measured weight of water adhering to the inside of the Petri dish (TR _S ) by the weight of water placed in the glass container before heating (TR _W ) and multiplying the result by 100. When rounding the moisture permeability, the value is rounded to two decimal places by rounding off to two decimal places. The synthetic leather according to claim 1, characterized in that the synthetic leather has a moisture permeability of 100 g/ ^m2 or more in accordance with JIS-K-6404-3:2020 (moisture permeability test). The synthetic leather described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, inside the base fiber layer, the angle formed between the surface of the base fabric and the longitudinal direction of the fluff fibers is greater than or equal to 0° and less than 45°. a surface coating layer is formed by a surface resin that covers the surface side of the base fiber layer;
5. The synthetic leather according to claim 1, wherein the surface coating layer has surface interconnecting pores that interconnect the front and back surfaces of the surface coating layer. The synthetic leather according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , characterized in that the weight loss of the synthetic leather in abrasion resistance conforming to JIS-L-1096:2010 (C method (Taber method)) is 0.1 g or less. The synthetic leather according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the base fiber layer has recesses formed therein. A method for producing the synthetic leather according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ,
a base material coating step of coating the base material resin onto the fluffy fibers,
A method for producing synthetic leather, characterized in that no solvent is used in any of the steps of the production method. 9. The method for producing synthetic leather according to claim 8 , further comprising, after the base material coating step, an embossing step of pressing the base material fiber layer from its surface side with a mold material. 10. The method for producing synthetic leather according to claim 9 , further comprising a surface coating step of covering the surface side of the base fiber layer with a surface resin after the embossing step. The method for producing synthetic leather according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein no release sheet is used in any step of the production method. A release sheet is used only in the embossing process,
The method for producing synthetic leather according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the use of the release sheet means that in the embossing step, the base fiber layer is pressed from its front side with a mold material while the release sheet is laid on the back side of the piled fabric.