Card-clothing

A method of manufacturing flexible card-clothing for use in textile carding comprising the steps of:

• mechanically introducing air into a polyvinylchloride (p.v.c.) compound, which is in a plastisol form, in a continuous foam mixer to produce a foamed compound having a density of between 0.6 and 1.00 grams per cubic centimeter;
• applying a sealing coat of a material which is compatible with said foamed compound to a fabric layer;
• applying a layer of said foamed p.v.c. onto said sealing coat to produce a finished foam layer of between 2 and 5 millimeters thickness on said fabric, said sealing coat being adequate to prevent substantial penetration of said fabric layer by said foamed material;
• heating said applied foamed layer of p.v.c. to cause said foamed layer to fuse;
• applying a surface layer of sealing material to the exposed surface of said foamed layer to provide a smooth non-absorbent external surface therein, said fabric, foamed p.v.c. and said surface layer together forming a composite foundation face;
• combining said foundation face with a foundation back to form a laminated foundation and then inserting card-clothing wires into said foundation so that parts of said wires project from the smooth external surface of said surface layer.