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US 4,787,947 AGranted
Method and apparatus for making patterned belt bonded material
AssigneeChicopee
InventorAlfred T. Mays
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for making a strong, high loft, low density nonwoven fabric from a web comprising at least about 5 percent bicomponent fibers, and the fabric formed thereby; wherein the web is superimposed on a first carrier belt, an open mesh belt is superimposed on the web, and the web and belts are caused to travel in a tensioned curvilinear path adjacent a heating means to heat fuse the low melting point component of the conjugate fibers to fibers in the web.
Claims14
A method of producing a fused nonwoven fabric comprising thermoplastic fibers, said method comprising:
- (a) superimposing a high loft, low density fibrous web comprising at least 5 percent thermoplastic fibers on a first endless carrier belt;
- (b) superimposing a second endless carrier belt on said web so as to form a two belt laminate with said web sandwiched between the first and second endless carrier belts;
- (c) at least one of said carrier belts having an open mesh structure formed by spaced, intersecting mesh elements so as to define open areas between said mesh elements;
- (d) directing said two belt laminate to travel in a tensioned path consecutively around substantial portions of first and second heated rolls, which are offset from each other and spaced apart a sufficient distance to avoid a compression nip between said first and second heated rolls, the peripheral surfaces of said first and second heated rolls cooperating to provide a portion of said path thereby said two belt laminate travels out of contact with said first and second heated rolls, so as to initially apply heat to a first side of said web as said two belt laminate is directed around said first heated roll and thereby fuse at least the thermoplastic fibers adjacent to said mesh elements to fibers adjacent the first side thereof and to thereafter apply heat to a second side of said web as said two belt laminate is directed around said second heated roll and thereby fuse at least the thermoplastic fibers adjacent to said mesh elements to fibers adjacent the second side thereof, so as to form a web having a patterned surface defining regions corresponding to the open areas between said mesh elements that substantially maintain the high loft and low density of the web that are bordered by fused regions corresponding to the mesh elements;
- and
- (e) cooling the two belt laminate after it has traveled around the first and second heated rolls so as to cool the fibers in the web sandwiched between the first and second endless carrier belts.
3 more elements
Apparatus for forming a nonwoven fabric comprising thermoplatic fibers, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) a frame;
- (b) first and second heated rolls rotatably mounted to said frame in offset relationship to each other, said rolls being spaced apart a sufficient distance to avoid a compression nip between said first and second rolls;
- (c) a first endless carrier belt means mounted to said frame for travel in a path consecutively around substantial portions of said first and second heated rolls;
- (d) a second endless carrier belt means mounted to said frame for travel along said path around substantial portions of said first and second heated rolls adjacent to said first belt means;
- (e) at least one of said carrier belt means having an open mesh structure formed by spaced, intersecting mesh elements so as to define open areas between said mesh elements;
- (f) means for superimposing a fibrous web, comprising at least 5 percent thermoplastic fibers, onto said first belt means so that said first and second belt means form a two belt laminate with said web sandwiched therebetween, said two belt laminate being caused to travel in said path consecutively around a substantial portion of said first heated roll to initially apply heat to a first side of said web and thereby fuse at least the thermoplastic fibers adjacent to said mesh elements to fibers adjacent the first side thereof and then around a substantial portion of said second heated roll to apply heat to a second side of said web and thereby fuse at least the thermoplastic fibers adjacent to said mesh elements to fibers adjacent the second side thereof, so as to form a web having a patterned surface defining regions corresponding to the open areas between said mesh elements that substantially maintain the high loft end and low density of the web that are bordered by fused regions corresponding to the mesh elements;
- (g) the peripheral surfaces of said first and second heated rolls cooperating to provide a portion of said path whereby said two belt laminate travels out of contact with said first and second heated rolls;
- and
- (h) means for cooling said two belt laminate after it has travelled around said first and second heated rolls to cool the fibers in the web sandwiched between said first and second endless carrier belts.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.