Shawmut Corporation

A Michael Nahmias

James H Wyner

Daniel M Wyner

Marilyn Geller

Richard Pierce

Gregory F Carey

Kevin J Souza

Philip J Prakop

The invention provides breathable laminated articles, preferably free from harmful halogens and plasticizers, which can be constructed and arranged to be usable for any application, such as wallcoverings, where breathability and being free from harmful halogens and/or plasticizers is advantageous. For example, the breathable laminated article can be made from a non-woven, breathable backing layer of material, the backing layer having a plurality of microprojections on a first side, coupled along the first side to a top layer, where the top layer may or may not be breathable, to form an assembly. This assembly has at least one variation formed in the level of the surface of the first side of the first layer, wherein the variation in level is formed such that the microprojections penetrate at least a portion of the top layer to form microapertures that improve the breathability of the top layer. In another example, the breathable laminated article can be made from a non-woven, breathable backing layer laminated to a breathable, essentially halogen free, and essentially plasticizer free top layer. Optionally, the top layer can be have at least one variation in level formed on its top surface, such as by embossing. In addition, a layer of printing optionally can be disposed between the backing and top layers.

Halogen and plasticizer free permeable laminate

Laminates are tested for the presence of small holes. For example, when a laminate is moving through a processing machine in a direction along a length of the laminate, a vacuum is applied to a surface of the laminate and the surface of the laminate is inspected to detect liquid that has penetrated from another surface of the laminate through small holes to the inspected surface.

Detection of small holes in laminates

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Wakefield, RI, United States of America

A Michael Nahmias