History of leather and how to produce artificial leather

History of synthetic leather production

One of the first forms of synthetic leather was known as pressstaff, and this type of fabric is still produced today. This fabric was invented in Germany and since the use of genuine leather was rationed, it was used in the production of war equipment. Presstoff production never gained significant traction outside of Germany, but consumers quickly sought out other leather options with more desirable properties.

Synthetic leather entered the international fabric scene with the invention of Naugahide in 1920. This material was used by the United States Rubber Company, founded in 1892, to produce handbags.

For years, the Naugahide brand was synonymous with synthetic leather. The material became popular in various industrial applications during the 1930s, and in the 1940s the United States armed forces used the material in World War II.

While some historians may claim that the history of industrial leather dates back to the 15th century, they conclude that it was the Chinese who first invented artificial leather, but the main problem was that it was never produced in China. . It did not reach a significant scale. Only in the late 19th century, with the development of petroleum-based plastics, did mass production become a viable alternative to natural leather.

Following US rubber’s world leadership, many other entities began producing synthetic leather products from the 1950s onwards. While Naugahide was known as an important brand for industrial leather. In the middle of the 20th century, competitors gradually started producing their own products to compete with this brand.

In the 1970s, the environmental movement led to greater public awareness of the dangers of synthetic fabrics, and the public perception of the production of this leather in turn shifted towards a negative attitude. Over the past few decades, various manufacturers have attempted to create alternatives to traditional forms of synthetic leather using recyclable and biodegradable plastics.

While these efforts were largely unsuccessful, a number of companies have succeeded in producing non-PVC versions of synthetic leather in recent years. However, this form of industrial vegetable leather did not grow significantly in the world market.

How to make and produce artificial leather

Natural leather is produced through the tanning process of animal skin. But artificial leather is produced through mechanical operations. It should be said that there are several different methods for producing artificial leather. The most common method is to put a coating layer and a sponge layer made of PVC or polyurethane on a fabric layer. The product produced from this process has retained its similarity to natural leather in terms of appearance and feel.

In general, there are two methods for producing synthetic leather, wet and dry.

Dry method of synthetic leather production:

The dry method is used to cover hollow parts that have a complex appearance. In the dry method, the piece is heated in a furnace until it reaches a temperature of 500 degrees Celsius. Then the piece is taken out of the furnace and goes to the coating area, and during this time its temperature decreases. In the next step, the part enters a container that contains DOP and PVC(E), heat stabilizer, filler, pigment and other materials and can be rotated. After entering this chamber, it starts rotating in different directions, and after a certain period of time has passed and the PVC powder sticks to its surfaces, it leaves the chamber. This method is used to produce car dashboard leather.

More methods of artificial leather production:

There are two coating methods based on the chemicals used in this method to prepare flexible and multilayer sheets.

Polyurethane artificial leather cover:

In the coating method, a multi-layered sheet is obtained, the bottom layer of which is made of tricot fabric and the other layers are made of chemicals based on polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane. The appearance of polyurethane leather is better than polyvinyl chloride leather. The main difference between the two is the flexibility of the production lines. In polyurethane leather, the unlined layers are made of glue, foam or skin system, which are thick liquids that are made from the outside. These materials are mixed with solvents such as MEK or toluene and then enter furnaces with a temperature of 140-150 degrees Celsius. The solvent evaporates as it passes through the furnace and synthetic leather is produced.

Polyvinyl chloride synthetic leather cover:

The number of layers of artificial leather based on polyvinyl chloride is not different from polyurethane leather, and the basic formula of leather paste is significantly different from polyurethane leather in this case. Raw materials in this method and type of production include powder (PVC) E, DOP oil, heat stabilizers, pigments, accel.