Apparatus and process for manufacturing non-woven textile pile

Abstract

Apparatus and process for manufacturing non-woven textile pile fabric from a plurality of pile-forming strands having thermoplastic characteristics, as follows. A hollow strand extruder receives parallel textile strands therein extending longitudinally therethrough and shapes the strands into a continuous mass of a predetermined configuration for withdrawal therefrom. A plurality of relatively thin spaced-apart successive compartment devices are positioned generally in axial alignment with the extruder and define successive spaced-apart open-sided interior areas of the same general configuration of the shaped mass of strands and collectively define a longitudinally-extending passageway for receiving and holding the continuous mass of strands therein after withdrawal from the extruder. Mechanisms, preferably electrically heated hot wires, are mounted for progressive movement transversely of the strands through the spaces between and on each side of the compartments for transversely melting, cutting and fusing the mass of strands into a plurality of individual, transversely-extending slices of the shaped predetermined configuration and having fusedfiber outer faces with strands extending therebetween which maintain the integrity of the slices for subsequent cutting between the fused faces to form layers of non-woven pile fabric.