Spunbond system and process
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsBryan D. Haynes, Eric E. Lennon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for providing a plurality of fibers from a spinneret; subjecting the fibers to quench air; attenuating the fibers through a closed stretching unit; reducing a velocity of the plurality of fibers in a diffuser that is spaced apart from an exit of the closed stretching unit in a direction of travel of the fibers, the diffuser having opposed diverging sidewalls; and subjecting the fibers to an applied electrostatic charge before the fibers enter the diffuser, wherein the electrostatic charge is applied by one or more electrostatic charging units.
Claims24
A method of making a nonwoven web, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of fibers from a spinneret;
- subjecting the fibers to quench air;
- attenuating the fibers through a closed stretching unit;
- reducing a velocity of the plurality of fibers in a diffuser that is spaced apart from an exit of the closed stretching unit in a direction of travel of the fibers, the diffuser having opposed diverging sidewalls;
- and
- subjecting the fibers to an applied electrostatic charge in the closed stretching unit before the fibers enter the diffuser, wherein the electrostatic charge is applied by one or more electrostatic charging units.
A system comprising:
- a spinneret configured to provide a curtain of fibers;
- a closed stretcher configured to pneumatically attenuate the curtain of fibers;
- an electrostatic charge device located at a charge position along the closed stretcher and configured to apply an electrostatic charge to said fibers at the charge position, wherein the curtain of fibers has a first width defining a width of the curtain of fibers in a machine direction at a first location along the closed stretcher and has a second width, greater than the first width, defining a width of the curtain of fibers in the machine direction at the charge location wherein the first location is closer to the spinneret than the charge location;
- a diffuser having a set of opposed diverging walls and configured to receive the curtain of fibers from the closed stretcher and to reduce the velocity of the curtain of fibers;
- and
- a forming surface configured to move in the machine direction and to collect the curtain of fibers exiting the diffuser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.