Johnson & Johnson Gmbh

Johnson & Johnson Baby Products Company

Wayne D Miller

Robert T Elias

George A Butterworth

Robert C Shepherd

A high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous web is provided comprising a plurality of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers including both thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and other fibers, segments of the thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers being heat fused at a plurality of junctures with segments of other thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and with segments of fibers of other types, with additional binder distributed throughout the web. The web is prepared by air-laying a blend of thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers and other fibers applying heat without pressure to the air-laid blend to fuse at least some of the thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers to each other and to some of the other fibers to form a self-supporting fibrous web, introducing a latex binder into the web and drying and curing the binder. This application relates to a high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material, such as an air-laid web or fabric, containing synthetic wood pulp fibers as one constituent thereof, and to a method of producing the same.

Fibrous material and method of making the same using thermoplastic

A high loft, low density, nonwoven fibrous material is provided comprising two layers of irregularly arranged, intersecting, overlapping, mechanically interengaged, loosely assembled fibers, one of the layers including thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers at least in the portion thereof at the interface to the other layer, at least some of the thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers in the one layer being in contact with and fused with segments of fibers of said other layer. The material is produced by air-laying the aforementioned layers successively so that some thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers in one layer are in contact with some fibers in the other layer, and then applying heat without pressure to fuse and bond at least some of the thermoplastic synthetic wood pulp fibers in one layer to fibers in the other layer.

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Oak Lawn, IL, United States of America

Wayne D Miller