Thermoformable barrier nonwoven laminate
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorsPaul Joseph Datta, Stanley Michael Gryskiewicz, Richard Daniel Pike
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Abstract
The present invention provides a barrier laminate having a barrier layer and a lofty crimped-fiber nonwoven web layer, which laminate provides a foam-like resiliency, cloth-like texture and liquid barrier property. The barrier layer of the laminate is selected from films, microfiber nonwoven webs and laminates thereof, and the crimped-fiber web layer, which contains a structural fiber component and an heat-activatable adhesive component, has substantially uniformly distributed interfiber bonds. Additionally provided are thermoformed articles from the laminate and a thermoforming process for producing the articles.
Claims20
A three-dimensional thermoformed shaped article comprising a barrier laminate having a liquid barrier layer and a lofty crimped-fiber nonwoven web layer, said barrier laminate having a maximum thickness, a cloth-like texture and liquid barrier property, wherein:
- said liquid barrier layer is selected from films, microfiber nonwoven webs and laminates thereof,
- said lofty crimped fiber nonwoven web layer has substantially uniformly distributed interfiber bonds and comprises multicomponent fibers having a structural component and a heat-activatable adhesive component, wherein said adhesive component comprises a thermoplastic polymer having a melting point which is lower than the melting point of said structural component, and
- said barrier laminate is thermoformed into a permanent, self-sustaining three-dimensional shape which is resiliently reversibly deformable and further wherein the three-dimensional shape formed by said thermoformed barrier laminate has dimensions in each of the x, y and z directions greater than the maximum thickness of said barrier laminate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.