Es Fibervisions Co., Ltd.

Es Fibervisions Hong Kong Limited

Es Fibervisions LP

Es Fibervisions Aps

Es Fiber Visons Aps

Masashi Teranaka

Minoru Miyauchi

Takayuki Nishitani

Tadashi Ideguchi

Provided is a conjugate fiber for air-laid nonwoven fabric manufacture having a planar zig-zag crimp shape before a thermal treatment, such that a uniform web is obtained by air laying with high processability and productivity, and the conjugate fiber develops a spiral crimp when the web is subjected to a thermal treatment to thereby enable the web to shrink significantly, as a result of which a nonwoven fabric can be obtained in which fibers are amassed to a high density. The conjugate fiber for air-laid nonwoven fabric manufacture is a heat-fusible conjugate fiber in which a first component comprising an olefinic thermoplastic resin is conjugated with a second component comprising an olefinic thermoplastic resin having a melting point higher than that of the first component. The conjugate form is such that the centers of gravity of the conjugate components are mutually different in the fiber cross section, the fiber has a single-yarn fineness of 1 to 10 dtex, a fiber length of 3 to 20 mm, and a planar zig-zag crimp whose crimp shape index (actual length of short fiber/distance between both ends of short fiber) ranges from 1.05 to 1.60, and the web shrinkage upon thermal treatment at 145&#xb0; C. of a web obtained by an air-laid method is not lower than 40%.

Conjugate fiber for air-laid nonwoven fabric manufacture and method for manufacturing a high-density air-laid nonwoven fabric

To obtain an ultrafine heat-shrinkable conjugate fiber at high productivity, in which a flow-drawing state of a polyester undrawn yarn is realized easily and stably. By drawing undrawn yarn comprising a conjugated polyester polymer and olefin polymer, a flow-drawing process can be easily and stably realized using conventional production facilities; and the heat-shrinkable fiber, a drawn intermediate, and an ultrafine hot-melt adhesive conjugate fiber produced by redrawing the drawn intermediate of the present invention can be obtained with high productivity and excellent runnability. More specifically, the ultrafine hot-melt adhesive conjugate fiber obtained by redrawing can be drawn at a heretofore unseen high drawing magnification, and the fiber structure of the olefin polymer constituting part of the conjugate fiber is markedly developed. The heat-shrinkable fiber and ultrafine hot-melt adhesive conjugate fiber thus obtained can be suitably used in hygiene products and industrial materials by utilizing these features.

Hot-melt adhesive polyester conjugate fiber

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Masashi Teranaka