U.S. patent application number 11/491770 was filed with the patent office on 2007-02-01 for voluminous fiber laminates and their production.
This patent application is currently assigned to Fleissner GmbH. Invention is credited to Matthias Ressler, Sebastian Sommer.
Application Number | 20070022586 11/491770 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 37442021 |
Filed Date | 2007-02-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070022586 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sommer; Sebastian ; et
al. |
February 1, 2007 |
Voluminous fiber laminates and their production
Abstract
A voluminous fiber laminate is described, which contains one or
more layers of an absorbent fibrous material, which is compacted
through water needling, between at least two carrier nonwoven
materials, it having areas having higher needling density and areas
having lower needling density over the entire area of the fiber
laminate to form a quilted structure. A device cited for this
purpose is distinguished in that the water needling unit also has,
in addition to nozzle strips having a large number of nozzles per
unit area, nozzle strips having a lower number of nozzles, or one
or more nozzle strips are dispensed with completely.
Inventors: |
Sommer; Sebastian;
(Troisdorf, DE) ; Ressler; Matthias;
(Grafenhausen, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THE FIRM OF KARL F ROSS
5676 RIVERDALE AVENUE
PO BOX 900
RIVERDALE (BRONX)
NY
10471-0900
US
|
Assignee: |
Fleissner GmbH
Reifenhauser GmbH & Co. KG Maschinenfabrik
|
Family ID: |
37442021 |
Appl. No.: |
11/491770 |
Filed: |
July 24, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
28/104 ; 442/381;
442/387; 442/408 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B32B 5/26 20130101; Y10T
442/659 20150401; B32B 2307/726 20130101; B32B 5/06 20130101; D04H
1/492 20130101; Y10T 442/689 20150401; D04H 13/00 20130101; D04H
1/4374 20130101; B32B 7/08 20130101; D04H 1/498 20130101; B32B
2432/00 20130101; Y10T 442/666 20150401; B32B 2250/20 20130101;
D04H 1/74 20130101; D04H 3/14 20130101; D04H 18/04 20130101; D04H
3/11 20130101; D04H 1/54 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
028/104 ;
442/381; 442/408; 442/387 |
International
Class: |
D04H 11/08 20060101
D04H011/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 26, 2005 |
DE |
102005034821.1 |
Claims
1. A voluminous fiber laminate containing one or more layers of an
absorbent fibrous material, which is compacted through water
needling, between at least two carrier nonwoven materials,
characterized in that it has areas having higher needling density
and areas having lower needling density over the entire area of the
fiber laminate to form a quilted structure.
2. A cleaning or wiping cloth comprising a voluminous fiber
laminate according to claim 1.
3. A device for producing a voluminous fiber laminate according to
claim 1, comprising one or more spin bonding or carding unit(s),
one or more air compaction or calender unit(s), a possibly directly
adjoining unit for applying absorbent fibrous material to the
precompacted fibrous nonwoven material and a water needling unit,
characterized in that the water needling unit also has, in addition
to nozzle strips having a large number of nozzles per unit area,
nozzle strips having a lower number of nozzles, or a water beam is
dispensed with completely.
4. A method for producing a voluminous fiber laminate made of
composite nonwoven materials, in which one more layers of an
absorbent fibrous material are compacted through waterjet needling
between the carrier nonwoven materials, characterized in that areas
having higher needling density and areas having lower needling
density are generated over the entire area of the composite
nonwoven material to form quilted structures.
Description
[0001] The object of the present invention is voluminous fiber
laminates, which contain one or more layers of an absorbent fibrous
material which is compacted through water needling, as well as a
method and a device for their production.
[0002] A method for producing a composite nonwoven material from at
least one carrier nonwoven material, e.g., a spunbond nonwoven
material, and a wood pulp layer laid on this carrier nonwoven
material to produce a high gene product, is known from EP 1 250 482
B1, the spunbond nonwoven material being compressed dry, before the
coating with the super absorbent material, for precompaction, the
woodpulp layer then being applied and both being compacted together
using hydrodynamic water needling and then dried.
[0003] Furthermore, a method for producing a fiber laminate, in
particular an absorbent wiping cloth, is known from EP 1 445 366
A2, at least one spunbonded fabric being precompacted and at least
one fibrous layer made of hydrophilic fibers being applied to the
precompacted spunbonded fabric. The laminate made of spunbonded
fabric and fibrous layer is then hydrodynamically compacted.
[0004] Finally, a fiber laminate, in particular an absorbent
cleaning cloth made of at least one precompacted spunbonded fabric
made of elements and made of at least one fibrous layer made of
hydrophilic fibers, which is hydrodynamically compacted, is known
from EP 1 524 350 A1, embossed deformations being introduced into
the surface of the hydrodynamically compacted fiber laminate.
During the production of this type of absorbent wiping and cleaning
cloths, the two outer layers made of precompacted spunbonded
fabrics and the inner layer made of air laid pulp are bonded to one
another by waterjet compaction.
[0005] Products of this type are superior in regard to cost and
strength to the wiping and cleaning cloths produced from carded
fiber nonwoven materials, but in practice their thickness, which is
too low, and thus their absorption capability are faulted. Until
now, the delamination resistance of the individual layers was also
insufficient due to too little waterjet compaction at acceptable
power consumption, so that above all in the moistened state, the
layers could be easily separated from one another. This
disadvantage-was improved by the pre-embossing of the nonwoven
layers used or through later embossing of the final product
compacted by waterjet in the above-mentioned EP 1 445 366 A2 and EP
1 524 350 A1. Therefore, the object presents itself of searching
for alternative methods for producing voluminous and absorbent
fiber laminates which provide a thicker and less sensitive product,
in particular a wiping and/or cleaning cloth, or are also suitable
for other applications having high absorption requirements.
[0006] The object of the present invention is therefore a
voluminous fiber laminate containing one or more layers of an
absorbent fiber material between at least two carrier nonwoven
materials, which is compacted through water needling, in which
areas having higher needling density and areas having lower
needling density are provided over the entire area of the fiber
laminate to form a quilted structure. During its production, a
production increase is achieved in comparison to the previously
known methods with the same energy use through elevated production
speed or a lower energy use is achieved-at the same production
quantity.
[0007] Greatly varying carrier nonwoven materials may be used for
this product. Nonwoven materials compacted through thermal
calendering, through hot air compaction, and through mechanical
needling or chemical treatment are suitable. Nonwoven materials
obtained from a spinning, air/wet laid, or carding process are also
suitable. Nonwoven materials made of homofibers, bicomponent,
multicomponent, or mixed fibers may also be used. Carrier nonwoven
materials made of polyolefins such as polypropylene, polyethylene,
or polyamide or polyester, but also made of natural or converted
natural materials such as cellulose, wool, cotton, or lyocell and
viscose, have also proven themselves.
[0008] The absorbent fibrous material used in the voluminous fiber
laminate according to the present invention may comprise all
hydrophilic fibrous materials, all products known as super
absorbers being outstandingly suitable.
[0009] For the production of the carrier nonwoven materials,
according to the present invention, preferably filaments having a
fineness and/or a diameter of 0.3 to 3 denier, preferably 0.5 to
2.5 denier, and very preferably 0.8 to 1.5 denier are used. The
fineness and/or the diameter of the filaments of the carrier
nonwoven materials is more expediently below 1.5 denier. Voluminous
fiber laminates which comprise multiple nonwoven layers and/or
filament layers are-also an object of the present invention. The
filaments of the individual layers may also have different
properties in this case.
[0010] A special device has been developed to produce the
voluminous fiber laminate according to the present invention. It
comprises a spin bonding or carding unit, an air compaction or
calender unit, a possibly directly adjoining unit for applying the
absorbent fibrous material to the precompacted nonwoven material,
and a water needling unit. According to the present invention, this
water needling unit has nozzle strips having a large number of
nozzles per unit area, followed by nozzle strips having a lower
number of nozzles. According to the present invention, in
comparison to the related art up to this point, a water beam may
also be dispensed with completely, through which investment costs
may be saved. The production of the fiber laminate may also occur
on off-line facilities according to the present invention, i.e.,
previously produced coiled cover nonwoven materials are supplied to
the application of the absorbent fibrous material and the waterjet
compaction through unrolling.
[0011] A large number of nozzles per nozzle strip is to be
understood as approximately 40 nozzles which are situated next to
one another per inch width of the nozzle strip. These nozzles
typically have a diameter around 0.12 mm. In contrast, nozzle
strips having a lower number of nozzles are to be understood as
those which have only approximately 20 or fewer nozzles per inch
width of the nozzle strip. The spacing of the nozzle strip is to be
tailored, at 5 to 20 holes per inch, to the spacing of the calender
points when using a thermally compacted (calendered) (spunbonded)
nonwoven material, at 1.5 to 3 times, preferably 2 to 2.5 times
greater than this spacing scale. The diameter of these nozzles is
expediently at least 0.14 mm, preferably 0.18 mm. Through the
larger diameter, the quantity of water per nozzle is increased,
with the effect of more intensive bonding of the layers to one
another. This results in the effect that the stop lines, which
generate a quilted structure, are formed, which are sufficient to
prevent delamination of the composite.
[0012] This one nozzle strip operates from one side and thus
generates an asymmetrical product. If this asymmetry is to be
prevented, the possibility of using two nozzle strips exists. These
operate in opposite directions, i.e., on the top or bottom of the
product in each case and are each equipped with approximately half
of the number of nozzles per inch width of the one nozzle strip. In
this case, a transverse movement of these two nozzle strips toward
one another is recommended in order to avoid continuous spacing
errors of the two nozzle systems to one another. The power
consumption in the production changes only insignificantly in this
case.
[0013] In comparison to the normally used number of 40 nozzles per
inch width of the nozzle strip, the number of nozzles on the nozzle
strips used according to the present invention having a lower
number of nozzles is at most only half as large in relation
thereto. However, it is also possible to dispense with one or more
nozzle strips completely and thus concentrate the needling on very
specific areas of the laminate. A laminate having a quilted
structure arises in this way.
[0014] A device according to the present invention for producing
the voluminous fiber laminate according to the present invention is
shown in the attached drawing.
[0015] The endless fibers 2 continually exiting from the device 1
are incident on the endless band 3 running on the bottom, which
runs in the direction of the arrow. A calender mill 5 is assigned
to this endless band 3, which--if desired--may also provide a
finely embossed compacted nonwoven material by applying power and
heat. The calender unit may also be replaced by an air compaction
unit (not shown here). After this method step, the absorbent
fibrous material is applied using a device 6. A second carrier
nonwoven material, which is formed in the device 10 and the
calenders 11, is then laid as the upper cover nonwoven material on
the absorbent fibrous material and the layered material thus
resulting is applied to the water needling.
[0016] Multiple needling drums 13, 14 situated one after another,
which the material travels around in a meandering way and each of
which has the nozzle bars, indicated with arrows, assigned to it
from above, are used for this purpose. The subsequent drying may be
performed using ventilation dryers 9, whose screen drums 9' have
the ventilator externally assigned to them. Subsequently, there may
also be a pass through the calenders 15, 16 here, in which both
rolls 15 and 16 are then to be heated.
[0017] The production method for the voluminous fibrous nonwoven
already illustrated by the description of the device is thus
distinguished in that one or more layers of an absorbent fibrous
material are compacted between the carrier nonwoven materials
through waterjet needling and areas having a higher needling
density and areas having lower needling density are generated over
the entire area of the composite nonwoven material while forming
quilted structures. Multiple nonwoven material layers may also be
laid one on top of another on the laminate in this case. In any
case, the multilayer laminate is bonded through waterjet needling
and subsequently dried.
[0018] It is decisive for the method according to the present
invention that in contrast to the related art, the entire area of
the fiber laminate is not needled uniformly, but rather specific
regions are strongly needled and other areas are compacted less or
not at all. These areas which are not needled may then assume a
very voluminous form. The resulting product is thus distinguished
by the following advantageous features:
[0019] 1. it displays a greater thickness and absorption capability
than a completely needled fiber laminate;
[0020] 2. it displays better delamination resistance than the
wiping and cleaning cloths previously produced through needling,
since the areas having increased needling, stop the delamination
due to their strong compaction;
[0021] 3. a stretching reserve results in the transverse direction
due to the curved cover layers, through which the voluminous fiber
laminate becomes more elastic and softer.
* * * * *