Nonwoven wearable articles with zonal properties and systems and methods for manufacturing

Abstract

A substrate for use in creating a nonwoven textile from fibers is provided. The substrate includes a base and a plurality of spaced apart flexible bristles coupled to the base and extending upwardly from the base. A system for constructing a nonwoven textile is also provided. The system includes a needle-punch tool with one or more needles, and one or more actuators that move the needle-punch tool in an x-y plane and reciprocate the needle-punch tool, the one or more needles or any combination thereof in an x-y direction. The system further includes a substrate configured to support fibers in a position to be engaged by the needles when the needle-punch tool, the needles, or any combination thereof is reciprocated in the z-direction, wherein the substrate comprises a base and a plurality of spaced apart flexible bristles coupled to the base and extending upwardly from the base.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.