Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Other

Reifenhauser Gmbh & Co Kg Maschinenfabrik

Eric Edward Lennon

John Herbert Conrad

Douglas Jay Hulslander

Bryan David Haynes

Detlef Frey

Gabriel Hamman Adam

Leon Eugene Chambers, Jr

David W Hall

Thomas William Brock

Joerg Hendrix

Ali Yahiaoui

Sridhar Ranganathan

Anthony Stephen Spencer

Hannong Rhim

Matthew Boyd Lake

John Joseph Lassig

David A Palzewicz

Robert G Geer

Jerome Joseph Schwalen

Christopher Laslie

Craig A Barnes

Linda Connor Sledge

Isabelle R Bouchard

Brian Stephen Forbes

H Edmund Clark

Sara Honarbakhsh

Matthew B Lake

A hollow fiber that extending along at least a portion of the fiber along a longitudinal axis thereof and is defined by an interior wall is provided. Through selective control over the manner in which it is formed, the present inventors have discovered that the hollow fiber can exhibit a unique combination of a high void fraction and small fiber size that makes it particularly suitable for use in certain applications, such as in nonwoven webs for absorbent articles.

Fine hollow fibers having a high void fraction

A system and method for providing a plurality of fibers from a spinneret; subjecting the fibers to quench air; attenuating the fibers through a closed stretching unit; reducing a velocity of the plurality of fibers in a diffuser that is spaced apart from an exit of the closed stretching unit in a direction of travel of the fibers, the diffuser having opposed diverging sidewalls; and subjecting the fibers to an applied electrostatic charge before the fibers enter the diffuser, wherein the electrostatic charge is applied by one or more electrostatic charging units.

Spunbond system and process

A method of making nonwoven webs comprising providing a spinneret including a pattern of conduits forming an extrusion region; directing only a first stream of molten propylene polymer into a region adjacent the first side of the spinneret, directing only a second stream of molten propylene polymer into a region distal to the first side of the spinneret, extruding only the first stream propylene polymer through the exit openings in a first zone where the exit opening comprises exit ports in the first zone having a first density; extruding only the second stream propylene polymer through the exit openings of a second zone where the exit opening comprises exit ports in the second zone having a second density less than the first density; and the second zone is distal to the first side with the first zone being between the second zone and the first side.

Method of making uniform spunbond filament nonwoven webs

A method of making nonwoven webs comprising providing a spinneret wherein the spinneret includes a pattern of conduits, the pattern of conduits forming an extrusion region; directing only a first stream of molten propylene polymer having a first temperature into a region adjacent of the first side of the spinneret, directing only a second stream of molten propylene polymer having a second temperature into a region distal to the first side of the spinneret, extruding only the first stream of molten propylene polymer through the exit openings in a first zone; extruding only the second stream of molten propylene polymer through the exit openings of a second zone; the second zone is distal to the first side with the first zone being between the second zone and the first side.

Spunbond fiber nonwoven webs (and methods for making the same) comprising small diameter filaments at high rates of production and with high process stability.

Method of making fine spunbond fiber nonwoven fabrics at high through-puts

A laminate is generally provided having alcohol repellency properties. In one particular embodiment, the laminate includes a meltblown web bonded to a spunbond web (e.g., a SM laminate, a SMS laminate, a SMMS laminate, etc.). A fluorinated polymeric coating is attached to the surface of the spunbond web (e.g., grafted). The fluorinated polymeric coating comprises a perfluoroalkyl(alkyl) (meth)acrylate monomer polymerized on the surface of the spunbond web via exposure to a low frequency energy source. The perfluoroalkyl(alkyl) (meth)acrylate monomer has a perfluoroalkyl side groups comprising &#x2014;(CF)&#x2014;F, where z is an integer from 1 to 6. The laminate has an alcohol repellency of greater than 80%.

Nonwoven webs having improved barrier properties

A method and associated apparatus for melt extruding a nonwoven web includes providing a plurality of fibers from an extrusion device. The fibers are conveyed through a diverging profile portion of a fiber drawing unit (FDU) that causes the fibers to spread and expand in the machine direction within the FDU. The fibers are then conveyed through a diverging diffusion chamber spaced from the outlet of the FDU to reduce the velocity of the fibers and further spread the fibers in the machine direction. The fibers may be subjected to an applied electrostatic charge in either the diffusion chamber or the FDU. From the outlet of the diffusion chamber, the fibers are laid onto a forming surface as a nonwoven web.

Method for enhanced fiber bundle dispersion with a divergent fiber draw unit

The present invention provides a method of making a nonwoven web, the method including the steps of providing plurality of fibers and subjecting the fibers to a pneumatic attenuation force which imparts a velocity to the fibers, reducing the velocity of the fibers in a diffusion chamber which is formed substantially between opposed diverging sidewalls, subjecting the fibers to an applied electrostatic charge, and thereafter collecting the fibers into a web on a moving forming surface. The invention also provides an apparatus for forming nonwoven webs, the apparatus comprising a source of fibers, a fiber attenuation chamber, a diffusion chamber formed substantially between opposed diverging sidewalls, the diffusion chamber located below the fiber attenuation chamber, and a forming surface for collecting the fibers as a nonwoven web.

Method for the production of nonwoven web materials

Method and apparatus for enhanced fiber bundle dispersion with a divergent fiber draw unit

The present invention provides a method of making a nonwoven web with desired fiber orientation, the method including the steps of providing a source of fibers, subjecting the fibers to an electrostatic charge, deflecting the fibers with a non-contacting deflecting device, collecting the fibers on a moving forming surface to form the nonwoven web. The invention also provides an apparatus for forming fibrous nonwoven webs, the apparatus comprising a source of fibers, a device for applying an electrostatic charge to the fibers, a non-contacting fiber deflecting device adapted to affect the fibers while the fibers are under the influence of the applied electrostatic charge, and a forming surface for collecting the fibers as a fibrous nonwoven web.

Method and apparatus for the production of nonwoven web materials

An in-line formed, non-laminated web is suitable for use as a composite fluid distribution and fluid retention layer in a disposable absorbent article. The web can be formed by selective deposition of airlaid materials including absorbents, such as pulp and superabsorbents, together with binder fibers. The web so constructed will have a plurality of intermingled lower basis weight areas and higher basis weight areas coexisting and distributed in at least a central region of the web, the alternations crossing the X axis or Y axis, or both, of the web, with the higher basis weight areas being a greater thickness in the Z-direction than the lower basis weight areas. The web so constructed will further have no discrete material boundaries between the lower basis weight stripes and the higher basis weight stripes. Further the necessity of later processing on the web to achieve a ridged structure is removed and the fibers will remain whole and undisturbed. The selective vacuum manipulation in conjunction with multiple fiber deposition heads, and appropriate timing of fiber addition therefrom, will yield a variety of useful composite webs having multiple layers thereby forming an economical single web which may be easily incorporated into an absorbent garment or article.

Composite fluid distribution and fluid retention layer having selective material deposition zones for personal care products

A nonwoven web contains an even distribution of its composite materials by the separate application of particulate material such as superabsorbent particles into a forming head outside the air stream for deposition of thermoplastic fibers in the forming head. The thermoplastic fibers are distributed by air entertainment through tubular forming screens having rotary distribution members therein. The particulate absorbents are generally placed in the forming box by distribution units which may have metering devices and outlet chutes extending into the forming head.

Growing community of inventors

Roswell, GA, United States of America

Eric Edward Lennon