Nonwoven laminate fabrics and processes of making same
AssigneeBBA Nonwovens Simpsonville, Inc.
InventorsDeborah K. Lickfield, James M. Watt, Stanley Littman, Robert F. Hyslop
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nonwoven laminate fabric includes first and second nonwoven webs formed of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments and a nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers having a basis weight between about one and twenty grams per square meter sandwiched between and bonded to the first and second nonwoven webs to form a composite nonwoven fabric. The meltblown web includes a plurality of thermoplastic microfine fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1.5 microns. The nonwoven laminate exhibits good barrier properties and can be used as a sterile wrap.
Claims36
A nonwoven laminate fabric, comprising:
- first and second nonwoven webs;
- and
- a nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers having a basis weight between about one and twenty grams per square meter sandwiched between and bonded to said first and second nonwoven webs to form a composite nonwoven fabric, said meltblown web comprising a plurality of thermoplastic microfine fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1.5 microns and comprising polypropylene having a melt flow rate of at least about or greater than 1,000.
A sterile wrap formed of a laminate nonwoven fabric for wrapping about objects to be sterilized for use in subsequent applications requiring sterilized objects, comprising:
- first and second nonwoven webs formed of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments;
- a nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers having a basis weight between about one and twenty grams per square meter sandwiched between and bonded to said first and second nonwoven webs to form a composite nonwoven fabric, said meltblown web comprising a plurality of thermoplastic microfine fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1.5 microns and comprising polypropylene having a melt flow rate of at least about or greater than 1,000.
A wrapped package of sterilizable objects comprising a sterile wrap wrapped about said sterilizable objects, said sterile wrap formed of a laminate nonwoven fabric comprising:
- first and second nonwoven webs formed of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments;
- and
- a nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers having a basis weight between about one and twenty grams per square meter sandwiched between and bonded to said first and second nonwoven webs to form a composite nonwoven fabric, said meltblown web comprising a plurality of thermoplastic microfine fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1.5 microns and comprising polypropylene having a melt flow rate of at least about or greater than 1,000.
A process for the manufacture of a nonwoven laminate fabric, the process comprising:
- forming a meltblown web comprising a plurality of thermoplastic microfine meltblown fibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1.5 microns and comprising polypropylene having a melt flow rate of at least about or greater than 1,000, said meltblown web having a basis of weight between about one and twenty grams per square meter;
- sandwiching said meltblown nonwoven web between opposing nonwoven webs formed of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments to form a laminate fabric;
- and
- bonding said opposing nonwoven webs and said meltblown web together to form a coherent laminate fabric.
A process for the manufacture of a sterile wrap for wrapping about items to be sterilized for use in subsequent applications requiring sterilized items, the process comprising:
- forming a meltblown web comprising a plurality of thermoplastic microfine meltblown fibers comprising polypropylene having a melt flow rate of at least about or greater than 1,000, said microfibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1.5 microns, said meltblown web having a basis of weight between about one and twenty grams per square meter;
- sandwiching said meltblown nonwoven web between opposing nonwoven webs formed of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments to form a laminate fabric;
- bonding said opposing nonwoven webs and said meltblown web together to form a coherent laminate fabric;
- and
- cutting said laminate fabric into a sheet having a predetermined shape and size.
A process for preparing a wrapped package of sterilizable objects, comprising:
- placing sterilizable items onto a single layer of a sterile wrap formed of a laminate nonwoven fabric comprising a first and second nonwoven webs formed of spunbonded substantially continuous filaments and a nonwoven web of meltblown microfibers having a basis weight between about one and twenty grams per square meter sandwiched between and bonded to said first and second nonwoven webs to form a composite nonwoven fabric, said meltblown web comprising a plurality of thermoplastic microfine fibers comprising polypropylene having a melt flow rate of at least about or greater than 1,000, said microfibers having an average fiber diameter of less than 1.5 microns;
- and
- wrapping and securing the edges of said sterile wrap about said sterilizable items to form a sterile wrap package.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.