Extrusion perforation system and method

A system comprising:

• a fabric unwind that is configured to unwind a fabric from a roll and introduce the fabric to a compression roll nip/station area, where the fabric ais first coated by a thermoplastic extrusion die;
• a pump configured to pump a thermoplastic resin melt to the thermoplastic extrusion die, the thermoplastic resin comprising a polymer base whose rheological properties are modified using fillers;
• from which the thermoplastic resin melt contacts one side of the fabric at a thermoplastic extrusion die exit, and the opposite side of the fabric is not contacted by the resin melt;
• a rolling perforation/embossed roll in contact with the thermoplastic resin melt on the one side of the fabric that is in contact with the resin melt;
• and
• an opposite rolling resilient/pressure backing nip roll in contact with the fabric at the opposite side of the fabric, opposite to the side of the fabric that is in contact with the thermoplastic resin melt;
• and configured to be compressing both the fabric and thermoplastic resin melt against the perforation/embossed roll rolling in opposite direction to the rolling perforation/embossed roll, and wherein an extruded polymer melt coated on a fabric carrier from the thermoplastic extrusion die travels between the perforation/embossed roll and the resilient/pressure backing nip roll in a roll nip/station area;
• wherein the perforation/embossed roll and the resilient/pressure backing nip roll in the compression roll nip/station area are configured to first quench cool both the fabric and the thermoplastic resin melt and second then simultaneously perforate and emboss the thermoplastic resin melt, and third configured to exit both from the compression roll nip/station area and from the resilient/pressure backing nip roll whereupon both are subsequently released from the compression roll nip/station area as a perforated film, or as a film or fabric carrier supported perforated film.

A method comprising the steps of:

• (1) obtaining an extrusion system comprising:
• a fabric unwind that is configured to unwind a fabric from a roll and introduce the fabric to a compression roll nip/station area, where the fabric is first coated by a thermoplastic extrusion die:
• a pump configured to pump a thermoplastic resin melt to the thermoplastic extrusion die, the thermoplastic resin comprising a polymer base whose rheological properties are modified using fillers;
• from which the thermoplastic resin melt contacts one side of the fabric at a thermoplastic extrusion die exit, and the opposite side of the fabric is not contacted by the resin melt;
• a rolling perforation/embossed roll in contact with the thermoplastic resin melt on the one side of the fabric that is in contact with the resin melt;
• and
• an opposite rolling resilient/pressure backing nip roll in contact with the fabric at the opposite side of the fabric, opposite to the side of the fabric that is in contact with the thermoplastic resin melt;
• and configured to be compressing both the fabric and thermoplastic resin melt against the perforation/embossed roll rolling in opposite direction to the rolling perforation/embossed roll, and wherein an extruded an extruded polymer melt coated on a fabric carrier from the thermoplastic extrusion die travels between the perforation/embossed roll and the resilient/pressure backing nip roll in a roll nip/station area;
• wherein the perforation/embossed roll and the resilient/pressure backing nip roll in the compression roll nip/station area are configured to first quench cool both the fabric and the thermoplastic resin melt and second then simultaneously perforate and emboss the thermoplastic resin melt, and third configured to exit both from the compression roll nip/station area and from the resilient/pressure backing nip roll whereupon both are subsequently released from the compression roll nip/station area as a perforated film, or as a fabric carrier supported perforated film;
• whereby a continuous polymer melt web or polymer melt is made;
• (2) producing the continuous polymer melt web from the extrusion system;
• (3) forcing the polymer melt through a flat sheet die from which it exits as a web at a desired width and thickness;
• and
• (4) nipping the continuous polymer melt web between a first roll and a second roll that are temperature controlled through an internal circulation of a heat transfer medium.