Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Antonio J Carrillo Ojeda

Vasily Aramovich Topolkaraev

Neil T Scholl

Davis Dang H Nhan

Mark Michael Mleziva

David Glen Biggs

Steven J Roffers

Dustin J Smith

Ryan J McEneany

Lori A Eslinger

Jian Qin

Cathleen Mae Uttecht

Charles Wilson Colman

Deborah Joy Calewarts

Theodore T Tower

Brent Merrik Thompson

Juha P Kemppinen

Gregory James Wideman

Andrew Thomas Hammond

Stacy Elaine Evenson

Yuriy Galabura

Peter Shawn Lortscher

Patrick Dean Abney

David W Hall

Dwayne J-k Jackson

Jonathan A Baker

Ryan J Mceneany

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material comprising a plurality of fibers may comprise a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being opposite from the second surface, and an apertured zone. The apertured zone may comprise a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, wherein a majority of the plurality of nodes include at least three connecting ligaments connecting to adjacent nodes, and a plurality of openings providing a percent open area for the apertured zone of the nonwoven material from about 10% to about 60%, as determined by the Material Sample Analysis Test Method.

Three-dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing thereof

A method of manufacturing zoned webs can include providing a substrate and transferring the substrate in a machine direction. The method can include modifying the substrate to include a plurality of lanes to provide a modified substrate. The plurality of lanes can include a first lane and a second lane. The first lane can include a first zone and a second zone. The first zone can include an open area greater than an open area of the second zone. The second lane can include a third zone and a fourth zone. The third zone can include an open area greater than an open area of the fourth zone. The first lane and the second lane can be formed such that the first zone in the first lane is staggered in the machine direction from the third zone in the second lane. The method can also include slitting the modified substrate between adjacent lanes in the plurality of lanes to provide zoned webs.

Methods of manufacturing zoned webs

Undergarment

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers, a first surface, and an apertured zone comprising: a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, wherein a majority of the plurality of nodes include at least three connecting ligaments connecting to adjacent nodes, and a plurality of openings. The apertured zone may further comprise a lane of nodes which extends substantially in the longitudinal direction, and wherein the lane of nodes extending substantially in the longitudinal direction is formed of longitudinally adjacent nodes which are aligned such that lines drawn between centers of longitudinally adjacent nodes within the lane of nodes each form an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of less than about 20 degrees.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and absorbent articles comprising such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, an absorbent article may comprise an outer cover, a bodyside liner, an absorbent body, and a nonwoven material coupled to the bodyside liner. The nonwoven material may comprise an apertured zone providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%. The nonwoven material may be coupled to liner by a front waist bond forming a front waist bonding region which extends through the apertured zone and a rear waist bond forming a rear waist bonding region, wherein the rear waist bonding region has a length that is between about 2% and about 10% of the material length and the front waist bonding region has a length that is between about 20% and about 50% of the material length.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, a nonwoven material may comprise a plurality of fibers and may further comprise an opposing first surface and a second surface, an apertured zone comprising a plurality of nodes extending away from a base plane on the first surface, a plurality of connecting ligaments interconnecting the plurality of nodes, and a plurality of openings providing a percent open area for the apertured zone that is greater than about 15%, as determined by the Material Sample Analysis Test Method. The material may further comprise a first and second side zones with the nonwoven material having a material width and the first and second side zones having first and second side zone widths, and wherein each of the first and second side zone widths are between about 5% and about 25% of the nonwoven material width.

Three dimensional nonwoven materials and methods of manufacturing such materials are disclosed. An absorbent article can include an absorbent body and an outer cover. The absorbent article can also include a fluid-entangled nonwoven material. The absorbent body can be disposed between the fluid-entangled nonwoven material and the outer cover. The fluid-entangled nonwoven can include a first surface and a second surface. The nonwoven material can also include a plurality of nodes extending away from abase plane on the first surface towards the absorbent body. The nonwoven material can further include a plurality of openings extending from the first surface to the second surface through the fluid-entangled nonwoven material. Individual openings of the plurality of openings can be disposed between adjacent nodes of the plurality of nodes.

A method for making a high topography nonwoven substrate includes generating a foam including water and synthetic binder fibers; depositing the foam on a planar surface; disposing a template form on the foam opposite the planar surface to create a foam/form assembly; heating the foam/form assembly to dry the foam and bind the synthetic binder fibers; and removing the template from the substrate after heating the foam/form assembly, wherein the substrate includes a planar base layer having an X-Y surface and a backside surface opposite the X-Y surface; and a plurality of projection elements integral with and protruding in a Z-direction from the X-Y surface, wherein the projection elements are distributed in both the X- and Y-directions, and wherein the density of a projection element is the same as the density of the base layer.

Process for making three-dimensional foam-laid nonwovens

A color-changing polymeric material is provided. The material is formed from a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase that includes a matrix polymer, colorant, microinclusion additive, and nanoinclusion additive, wherein the microinclusion additive and nanoinclusion additive are dispersed within the continuous phase in the form of discrete domains. A porous network is formed in the polymeric material when subjected to a deformational strain in a solid state. The polymeric material exhibits a first color prior to being subjected to the deformational strain and a second color after being subjected to the deformational strain, the first color being different than the second color.

Color-changing polymeric material

A polymeric material that includes a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase that includes a matrix polymer and a siloxane component is provided. The siloxane component contains an ultrahigh molecular weight siloxane polymer that is dispersed within the continuous phase in the form of discrete domains. A porous network is defined within the thermoplastic composition that includes a plurality of nanopores.

Polymeric material

A method for forming porous fibers is provided. The fibers are formed from a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase, which includes a matrix polymer, and a nanoinclusion additive that is at least partially incompatible with the matrix polymer so that it becomes dispersed within the continuous phase as discrete nano-scale phase domains. The method generally includes traversing a bundle of the fibers over one or more draw bars that are in contact with a fluidic medium (e.g., water). In certain embodiments, for example, the draw bar(s) are submerged in the fluidic medium. The fluidic medium is lower than the melting temperature of the matrix polymer.

Method for forming porous fibers

A method for forming porous fibers is provided. The fibers are formed from a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase, which includes a matrix polymer, and a nanoinclusion additive that is at least partially incompatible with the matrix polymer so that it becomes dispersed within the continuous phase as discrete nano-scale phase domains. The method includes traversing a bundle of the fibers through a multi-stage drawing system that includes at least a first fluidic drawing stage and a second fluidic drawing stage. The first drawing stage employs a first fluidic medium having a first temperature and the second drawing stage employs a second fluidic medium having a second temperature. The first and second temperatures are both lower than the melting temperature of the matrix polymer, and the first temperature is greater than the second temperature.

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Antonio J Carrillo Ojeda