Nonwoven medical fabric
AssigneeSurgikos, Inc.
InventorsLarry H. McAmish, Tralance O. Addy, George F. Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nonreinforced microfiber fabric is disclosed. The fabric has minimum grab tensile strength to weight ratio greater than 0.8 N per gram per square meter and a minimum Elmendorf tear strength to weight ratio greater than 0.04 N per gram per square meter. The fibers in the fabric have an average length greater than 10 centimeters and at least 80% of the fibers have a diameter of 7 microns or less. The fabric is made by thermally embossing a microfiber web which is made with a minimum of degradation to the polymer and employing high velocity secondary air to maintain air flow uniformity and fiber length.
Claims11
In a method of producing a nonreinforced meltblown microfiber embossed fabric wherein a fiber-forming thermoplastic polymer resin in molten form is forced through a row of orifices in a heated die into a primary stream of inert gas to attenuate the resin into fibers, and the fibers are collected on a receiver to form a web, and the web is thermally bonded to form a fabric, the improvement which comprises:
- maintaining the polymer melt temperature at a level which minimizes molecular degradation, controlling the velocity, volume and temperature of said primary stream of inert gas to produce fibers at least 80% of which have a diameter of 7 microns or less and having an average length of more than 10 centimeters, introducing a highly uniform high velocity secondary stream of inert gas in quantities sufficient to cool the fibers and maintain good fiber separation, collecting the fibers at a forming distance which results in a web with low interfiber bonding, prior to embossing the web to form a fabric.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.