US 4,902,366 A · Process and apparatus for bonding and embossing sheet materials, particularly fiber matting

Abstract

A process and apparatus for bonding and embossing of sheet material is disclosed. The apparatus uses a pair of rotating calender rollers which are spaced apart. Sheet material is introduced into the space between the rollers. The calender rollers are equipped with raised, discrete points which form a surface design and determine the embossing design produced on the sheet material. The calender rollers are each driven at a synchronous speed by a drive system having the capability of varying the speed of one roller for a short period of time. This change in speed causes the surface designs of both calender rollers to shift relative to one another. This results in different degrees of overlap between opposing pairs of raised points. Thus, different embossing surface patterns can be produced as the overlapping areas are adjusted while the machines are in operation. This eliminates the necessity of replacing the calender rollers when a change of embossing patterns is desired.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method for processing sheet material comprising:

inserting the sheet material into a gap between two parallel rotating calender rollers, each of said rollers having a raised pattern formed on the surface thereof by opposed elements thereon;
forming an embossed pattern on said sheet by pulling said inserted sheet material through said gap by the rotation of said calender rollers, said embossed pattern corresponding to an initial overlap in said gap between said opposed elements on said calender rollers;
and
varying the extent of overlap between said opposed elements on said raised pattern from said initial overlap while forming said embossing pattern by initially aligning and driving said rollers at identical speeds to produce said initial overlap and thereafter varying the extent of overlap between said opposed elements from said initial overlap by temporarily varying the speed of one of said calender rollers in relation to the speed of the other calender rollers from said identical speed for a time to allow a change in overlap and subsequently readjusting said speed to the initial identical speed to maintain said charge in overlap to thereby produce a varied embossing pattern on said sheet material.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Process and apparatus for bonding and embossing sheet materials, particularly fiber matting

Life of this patent

Process and apparatus for bonding and embossing sheet materials, particularly fiber matting

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims7