Breaker plate assembly for producing bicomponent fibers in a meltblown apparatus

Abstract

A die head assembly for producing meltblown bicomponent fibers in a meltblown apparatus includes a die tip detachably mounted to an underside of a support member. The die tip has a row of channels defined therethrough terminating at exit orifices along a bottom edge of the tip. The channels receive and combine first and second polymers conveyed from the support member. A recess is defined along the top surface of the die tip and defines an upper chamber for each of the die tip channels. A plurality of breaker plates is removably supported in the recess in a stacked configuration. An upper one of the breaker plates has receiving holes defined therein to separately receive polymers from supply passages in the support member. The remaining breaker plates have holes defined therethrough configured to divide the polymers into separately polymer streams and to direct the polymer streams into the die tip channels, the number of polymer streams corresponding to the number of holes in the lowermost breaker plate. The polymer streams combine in the channels prior to being extruded from the orifices as bicomponent polymer fibers.