Equipment for forming a sheet of loop material

Equipment for forming a sheet of loop material from a sheet of fibers and thermoplastic material, said equipment comprising:

• first and second generally cylindrical corrugating members each having an axis and including a plurality of spaced ridges defining the periphery of the corrugating member, the ridges having outer surfaces and defining spaces between said ridges adapted to receive portions of the ridges of the other corrugating member in meshing relationship with the sheet of fibers therebetween;
• means for mounting the corrugating members in axially parallel relationship with portions of the ridges in meshing relationship;
• means for rotating at least one of the corrugating members so that when the sheet of fibers is fed between the meshed portions of the ridges the sheet of fibers will be generally conformed to the periphery of the first corrugating member to form arcuate portions of the sheet of fibers in the spaces between the ridges of the first corrugating member and to form anchor portions of the sheet of fibers along the outer surfaces of the ridges of the first corrugating member;
• means for retaining the formed sheet of fibers along the periphery of the first corrugating member for a predetermined distance after movement past the meshing portions of the ridges, said second corrugating member having a smooth surface finish and said first corrugating member having a surface finish that is very rough compared to the surface finish of said second corrugating member;
• and
• means for extruding the thermoplastic material as a molten sheet and positioning the molten sheet on the anchor portions of the fibers along the periphery of the first corrugating member within the predetermined distance to form a backing when the thermoplastic material on the anchor portions of the fibers solidifies;
• said ridges and said spaces between the ridges being adapted to form arcuate portions of the sheet of fibers that project less than about 0.64 centimeter from the backing.

Equipment for forming a sheet of loop material from a sheet of fibers and thermoplastic material, said equipment comprising:

• first and second generally cylindrical corrugating members each having an axis and including a plurality of spaced ridges defining the periphery of the corrugating member, the ridges having outer surfaces and defining spaces between said ridges adapted to receive portions of the ridges of the other corrugating member in meshing relationship with the sheet of fibers therebetween, the ridges of the corrugating members being elongate, parallel, generally annular, extend circumferentially around and being axially spaced along the corrugating members, and being oriented at a right angle to the axes of the corrugating members:
• means for mounting the corrugating members in axially parallel relationship with portions of the ridges in meshing relationship so that when the sheet of fibers is fed between the meshed portions of the ridges the sheet of fibers will be generally conformed to the periphery of the first corrugating member to form arcuate portions of the sheet of fibers in the spaces between the ridges of the first corrugating member and to form anchor portions of the sheet of fibers along the outer surfaces of the ridges of the first corrugating member with the corrugating members forming anchor portions of the sheet of fibers that extend at a right angle to the axes of the corrugating members;
• means for retaining the formed sheet of fibers along the periphery of the first corrugating member for a predetermined distance after movement past the meshing portions of the ridges, said second corrugating member having a smooth surface finish and said first corrugating member having a surface finish that is very rough compared to the surface finish of said second corrugating member;
• and
• means for extruding the thermoplastic material as a molten sheet and positioning the molten sheet on the anchor portions of the fibers along the periphery of the first corrugating member within the predetermined distance.