Process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web exhibiting excellent recovery

A process for forming a high loft, nonwoven web, comprising the steps of:

• introducing a single polymer as a single molten polymer to a die having a plurality of nozzles;
• emitting said single molten polymer through said plurality of nozzles to form a plurality of filaments;
• using air streams to facilitate movement and drawing of said plurality of filaments;
• directing said plurality of filaments, which are transformed into a plurality of fibers, towards first and second heated rotatable drums located at a distance of from between about 10 cm to about 150 cm from said plurality of nozzles, and said first and second heated rotatable drums forming a convergent passage having an entry and an exit;
• depositing said plurality of fibers into said entry of said convergent passage;
• and
• routing said plurality of fibers through said convergent passage from said entry to said exit and between said first and second heated rotatable drums in a machine direction to form a high loft, non-woven web having a 3-dimensional structure with said fibers oriented in the x, y and z directions, said web having a fiber size distribution of from 0 μm to about 8 μm with at least about 25% of the fibers being above 4 μm, having a thickness of less than about 250 millimeters and a basis weight ranging from between about 20 g/m2 to about 3,000 g/m2, and a vertical cross-section of said high loft, nonwoven web, when taken parallel to said machine direction, exhibiting a plurality of snugly stacked, approximately V, U or C-shaped structures, with each V, U or C-shaped structure having an apex facing in said machine direction, and said high loft, nonwoven web having a recovery value provided by the single polymer ranging from between about 30% to about 98% after being compressed from an original height value to a compressed height value that is less than about two-thirds of the original height value under a pressure of 0.25 psi for a time period of 30 minutes.