Method and apparatus for making a nonwoven from crimped filaments

An apparatus for making a nonwoven web, the apparatus comprising:

• an air-permeable deposit conveyor moving in a horizontal travel direction;
• a spinneret for spinning and depositing continuous filaments on a deposit region of the conveyor, whereby the filaments form a nonwoven web thereon and are transported downstream from the deposit region in the direction by the conveyor;
• a first preconsolidater for a first preconsolidation of the nonwoven web spaced downstream along the conveyor from the deposit region;
• a second preconsolidater for a second preconsolidation of the nonwoven web spaced downstream by a suction gap along the conveyor from the first preconsolidater;
• and
• a suction device for drawing air or process air through the deposit conveyor
• at the deposit region and/or at the first preconsolidater at a first predetermined speed,
• at the second preconsolidater at a second predetermined speed lower than the first predetermined speed, and
• in the suction gap at a third predetermined speed equal to at most less than the first or the second predetermined speeds.

An apparatus for making a nonwoven web, the apparatus comprising:

• an air-permeable deposit conveyor moving in a horizontal travel direction;
• a spinneret for spinning and depositing continuous filaments on a deposit region of the conveyor, whereby the filaments form a nonwoven web thereon and are transported downstream from the deposit region in the direction by the conveyor;
• a first preconsolidater for a first preconsolidation of the nonwoven web spaced downstream along the conveyor from the deposit region;
• a second preconsolidater for a second preconsolidation of the nonwoven web spaced downstream by a suction gap along the conveyor from the first preconsolidater;
• a suction device for drawing air or process air through the deposit conveyor
• at the deposit region and/or at the first preconsolidater at a first predetermined speed,
• at the second preconsolidater at a second predetermined speed, and
• in the suction gap at a third predetermined speed equal to at most less than the first or the second predetermined speeds, and
• a third preconsolidater in the suction gap and movable between a position disengaged from the web and conveyor and a position engaging the web and conveyor and thereby consolidating the web.

A method of making a nonwoven web, the method comprising the steps of:

• displacing an air-permeable mesh-belt conveyor in a horizontal travel direction;
• spinning and then depositing crimped continuous filaments as a web at a deposit region on the air-permeable mesh-belt conveyor;
• drawing air through the web and the conveyor at the deposit region at a first predetermined speed;
• preconsolidating the web on the conveyor at a first preconsolidation stage downstream in the direction from the deposit region;
• drawing air through the web and the conveyor at the first preconsolidation stage at a second predetermined speed;
• preconsolidating the web on the conveyor at a second preconsolidation stage spaced downstream in the direction by a suction gap from the first preconsolidation stage;
• drawing air through the web at the second preconsolidation stage at a third predetermined speed;
• and
• at the suction gap either
• not drawing air through the web and the conveyor, or
• drawing air through the web and the conveyor at a fourth predetermined speed equal at most to less than the second predetermined speed.