Abstract: A spindle (10) suitable for winding up coreless rolls (11) of a stretchable plastic film; the spindle (10) comprises a tubular body having a peripheral wall (12) defining at least one internal chamber (14) connectable to a pressurized air source. A plurality of perforations (17) extends from the internal chamber (14) of the spindle (10), through the peripheral wall (12) and a protective layer (19) of hard chrome having a sandblasted outer surface (18) with an average roughness ranging between 6 and 6.5 ?m, obtained by dry sandblasting.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for removing shot from mineral fibres comprising providing a collected web of mineral fibres containing shot, subjecting the collected web of fibres to a disentanglement process, suspending the disentangled fibres in a primary air flow, thereby allowing separation of the fibres from the shot and collecting the fibres, wherein from 0% up to less than 1% by weight binder is present in the fibres collected from the primary air flow.

Abstract: A method and device for depositing fibers on a forming wire. In one embodiment, a device includes a fiber reservoir having an inlet, a first outlet configured to pass air or gas, and a second outlet configured to pass fiber. The device also includes a fiber meter configured to move fiber out of the reservoir to a forming head via mechanical action and along substantially the entire width of the forming head. The forming head includes one or more air inlets and one or more agitators to blend and open the fiber received from the fiber meter. The forming head interfaces with a vacuum source that draws air into the forming head through the air inlets, which can be adjusted to affect volume and velocity of air drawn into the forming head.

Abstract: Free fibers (10) are deposited on a rotary support turntable (30) by means of a hollow deposition cone (40) having an outer wall surrounding a chamber and pierced by multiple perforations. The fibers are delivered to the outer surface of the perforated wall of the cone (40) in a cone feed zone that is remote from the zone for deposition on the turntable (30), and they are then held by suction being established inside the chamber, leading to suction through the perforations in the cone, so as to be transported by rotation of the cone from the cone feed zone to the zone for deposition on the turntable, and the fibers cease to be held on the cone in the deposition zone by localized interruption of the suction through the perforations in the wall of the cone, at least in said zone, such that the transported fibers are deposited on the turntable which is rotated about its own axis simultaneously with the cone being rotated. The fibers deposited on the rotary turntable (30) may be compacted and needled.

Abstract: A former head for dry forming fibrous tissue in which a fiber material is mixed with air introduced to at least one rotating drum in a former head by injection. The drum is provided internally with means for fluidizing the injected fibers simultaneously, enabling higher production capacity and an increased distribution quality of the fibers. This former head has high capacity and an increased width, preferably over four meters, which avoids natural oscillations in the needle rollers as they are substituted by slotted air nozzles. The nozzles extend along a whole length of the drum and have adjustable nozzle lips to regulate the amount of air and direction of the air-flow blown through the perforations of the drum. Surprisingly, the capacity of the former head is markedly higher than conventional devices and distribution quality also is markedly better than by high-speed operation of traditional machines.

Abstract: In an intermediate card for manufacturing nonwovens of fibrous material, with a drawing-in means (2), with at least one main cylinder (4), and with several fiber take-off means (6a, 6b, 6c) for taking over at least two card webs from the main cylinder (4), the at least two card webs being adapted to be deposited as a nonwoven onto a common conveying belt of a conveying means, it is provided that each fiber take-off means (6a, 6b, 6c) transfers the taken-off card webs onto transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) circumferentially offset with respect to each other and forming part of a permeable conveying surface (15) curved in a circularly cylindrical manner, the circumferential speed of which is adapted to the transfer speed of the card webs at the transfer sections (15a, 15b, 15c, 15d) as to direction and amount, the transfer sections of the conveying surface (15) being sucked.

Abstract: So as to produce a condensed nonwoven, at least one first nonwoven is produced with the aid of a carding machine (1), said first nonwoven issued from the carding machine is directed to a rotating transfer element (20) by means of one first transport surface (S1), and said first nonwoven is transferred onto a second transport surface (S2) by means of said transfer element (20), the second transport surface (S2) being driven at a linear speed (V2) slower than the circumferential speed of the transfer element (20). In the transfer zone between the two transport surfaces (S1) and (S2), the first nonwoven is preferably kept against the surface of the transfer element (20) by means of suction. Application: production of heavy condensed nonwovens, especially having a weight of more than 80 g/m2.

Abstract: So as to produce a condensed nonwoven, at least one first nonwoven is produced with the aid of a carding machine (1), said first nonwoven issued from the carding machine is directed to a rotating transfer element (20) by means of one first transport surface (S1), and said first nonwoven is transferred onto a second transport surface (S2) by means of said transfer element (20), the second transport surface (S2) being driven at a linear speed (V2) slower than the circumferential speed of the transfer element (20).

Abstract: In an apparatus and a process for preparing a flock-air mixture which is fed by a pulping device through a feed conduit to a flock-laying device for forming an absorbent pad, the feed conduit includes a dispersing device for loosening up lumps of flock within the mixture. To achieve a high level of efficiency in loosening the flock lumps, as independently as possible of the through-put of the mixture through the feed conduit, the dispersing device is in the form of a pneumatic dispersing device which loosens up the lumps by accelerating the mixture with lumps therein to cause the lumps to burst or tear apart.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a fibrous material batt like lint cotton to increase the moisture content of the material and to compress the batt of humidified fibers to increase the batt density. A stream of warm humid air is passed through the moving batt of fiber that is constrained between a rotatable hollow cylinder and a stationary perforated screen. The batt is doffed off the rotatable cylinder by a roller that serves to both doff and compress the batt. The doffer/compression roller compresses the batt against a smooth surface plate.

Abstract: Apparatus is disclosed for separating particles disposed in a carrier gas being delivered from a distributor to a moving web including a roller, a supply conduit for supplying the particles dispersed in the carrier gas substantially tangentially to the roller at a first speed, the roller rotating at a second speed which is substantially greater than the first speed whereby the particles are separated from the carrier gas, the roller including a discharge opening for discharging the particles toward the moving web and a return line for recycling the carrier gas. A method for separating particles dispersed in a carrier gas is also disclosed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a plant for producing a non-woven, web-formed fiber product. The plant comprises a first forming wire with an inlet and outlet end and an upper part which, at the inlet end takes up a carded or air-laid layer of fiber and transports it to the outlet end. The plant also includes a roller with an upper and lower roller part for compressing the fiber layer, and a second wire, positioned above the first wire, with a lower part which extends across the roller, and a suction box which is placed above the roller. In the section (a) between the outlet end of the first forming wire and roller, the fiber layer is firmly sucked onto the under side of the lower part of the second wire via the suction box. The fiber layer is thus stabilized so that the plant can, at a considerably faster production speed than corresponding conventional systems, produce a non-woven, web-formed fiber product of high quality with an evenly distributed fiber density and uniform surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inlet and outlet plenum apparatus for improving the forming of fibrous pads for absorbent products and providing improved density control. Fibers entrained in a high speed air flow coming from a fiberizer or other fiber source enter an inlet plenum which reduces velocity by increasing the area of the inlet plenum in a linear manner thereby decreasing turbulence and improving the density distribution of the fiber deposited onto the foraminous surface of a pad-former screen. The outlet plenum allows for a controlled velocity increase which reduces under-screen turbulence and further improves fiber distribution and density control.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for distributing reinforcement fibers includes a chute for supplying reinforcement fibers, the chute having an outlet end, and a metering belt mounted for endless travel along a first path at the outlet end of the chute. The metering belt has elongate members with tips extending outwardly from the metering belt, to define a volume between the tips and the metering belt. The tips of the metering belt pass sufficiently close to the chute so that fibers having penetrated the volume formed by the elongate members are carried away by the metering belt. The metering belt is also mounted for endless travel along a second path around a curved surface which causes adjacent elongate members to spread apart and diverge from each other, thereby causing the fibers to be discharged from the metering belt. A collection surface receives the discharged fibers.

Abstract: An aerodynamic forming hood is provided for supplying a substantially uniform distribution of fibers in a downward laminar airstream for the deposition of the fibers on one or more forming surfaces. The hood is formed by a rectangular housing having opposed elongated downwardly diverging side walls and short downwardly diverging end walls. The housing has a smaller rectangular open top end through which a supply of fibers is released in an airstream which enters into the housing. The forming surfaces are disposed at a larger bottom forming end of the housing. The side walls and end walls in the top part of the hood are provided with elongated horizontal apertures.

Abstract: Disclosed are an improved apparatus for collecting fine fibers, such as glass fibers, having a mean diameter of less than two microns from a gaseous stream, a method of collecting fine fibers using the apparatus and the novel new product produced by this method. The improvement lies mainly in the way in which the collection drum is supported and sealed which allows the collection to take place at relatively high partial vacuums. The fiber is also consolidated in the gaseous stream by passing it through a duct having at least one approximately ninety degree turn therein.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for accumulating and densifying microfibers such as glass fibers having mean fiber diameters below 1-2 microns is disclosed. A fine fiber blanket having been collected on a collection surface is removed and wound up on a mandrel having a permeable surface while a partial vacuum, preferably exceeding one hundred inches of water column, is maintained in the interior of the mandrel.

Abstract: Absorbent flakes or particles are transported from a source to a pad form device by an air flow passing the flakes or particles through a conduit between the source and the pad forming device. In order to supply a homogenous flake flow to the pad forming device, baffle devices or at least one baffle device is arranged in the conduit. The baffle device or baffle devices are equipped with baffling rods arranged in a certain position within the baffling device housing so that the flake air mixture must flow through the spaces between neighboring baffling rods to assure a dissolution of any flake accumulations or clumps. Preferably, a cross-section flow area reducer is arranged upstream of each baffling device to increase the flow speed or velocity of the flow entering the respective baffling device.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus is used for forming airlaid articles such as diapers, sanitary napkins and the like. The apparatus includes an anvil drum with die cavities formed therein. The die cavities have foraminous bottom walls for drawing a stream of air-entrained fibrous fluff therethrough. A first material layer is laid on the anvil drum for covering some of the die cavities and is then deformed into the cavities. After a belt with opening corresponding to the die cavities has been laid on the first layer for protecting the sealing areas from fluff, an air stream with fibrous fluff is drawn through the first layer and through the foraminous bottom walls, thus pulling the first layer into the die cavities and causing the fluff to be deposited in the cavities. A second material layer is placed on the deposited fluff and glued or crimped to the first layer. A die-cutting roller then cuts the airlaid articles into the desired shape before the articles are removed from the anvil drum.

Abstract: An air gun for producing nonwoven fabrics has an inlet, a carrier path and a compressed air blow port. The air gun receives filaments spun from high speed spinning nozzles and delivers them onto a screen belt to form a web. The inlet of the air gun receives the filament from the spinning nozzle. The carrier path then puts the filament on an air flow to deliver it while the compressed air blow port is open in the midst of the carrier path to an air inlet from a compressed air source. On a downstream side of the carrier path from the compressed air blow port an exhaust path is provided. When the filament is introduced into the inlet of the air gun, a part of the air flowing into the carrier path is discharged from this exhaust path. Because the exhaust path remains open during filament introduction, a negative pressure at the filament inlet increases thereby sucking the filaments into the inlet. The exhaust path can then be closed and the filaments will be drawn and delivered under constant traction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a mineral wool web from a thin primary web formed on a movable collecting surface (6). According to prior known methods, the primary web is folded on a receiving conveyor (18) in an overlapping configuration so that the desired thickness of web is achieved. It is also known to combine two or several primary webs and to form the final mineral wool web by folding. The problem when producing mineral wool webs is the high rate of production of the primary webs and consequently, the high requirements on the devices in the further process and a great loss of material because of uneven edges which have to be cut down.According to the invention, the primary web is split into separate sheets before the deposit on the receiving conveyor (18), and the sheets are deposited by an oscillating distributing conveyor (16) in an overlapping configuration on the receiving conveyor, or, in case sheets are being produced, stacked on top of each other.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming fluff pads and the like wherein fluff providing material webs are introduced into separate hammermills and then delivered through a plurality of ducts through a moving screen under vacuum and wherein the ducts are characterized by reverse bends to densify the particle stream at the outside of the curvature for generally perpendicular deposition on the screen.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming fluff pads and the like wherein fluff particles are drawn from a hammermill through a plurality of ducts through a moving screen under vacuum and wherein the ducts are characterized by reverse bends to densify the particle stream at the outside of the curvature for generally perpendicular deposition on the screen.

Abstract: A meltblowing collector screen includes a vacuum pump and internal partitions for achieving substantially uniform air flow through the length of the screen thereby producing a web of uniform thickness.

Abstract: Apparatus and process for forming a laid fibrous article includes a foraminous forming surface for depositing thereon of fibers under the influence of a pressure differential imposed on the surface, wherein the improvement comprises the provision of a concavely contoured portion of the forming surface to yield a non-stepwise gradation in basis weight of the laid fibrous article. The concavely contoured surface portion is bounded by walls defining angles of from about 45.degree. to 68.degree., whereby the laid fibrous article is readily removable from the forming surface, which may comprise the cylindrical surface of a rotating drum.

Abstract: Device for aligning and attenuating soft or brittle fiber mats employing a rotating vacuum roller for gently grasping the fiber mats under sufficient compressive force to hold the same without breaking or otherwise damaging the fiber mats.

Abstract: A process and mechanism for the dry screen forming of fibers to attain a dispersion in air of substantially individual fibers from which a fibrous sheet is formed. Fibrous nits, pills and flocs are removed from the dispersion by rolling the nits, pills and the like into elongated shapes as they pass a fiber screening member and carrying the elongated fibrous bodies from the dispersion of fibers and away from the sheet forming area for the fibers. The mechanism includes a fiber screening member, a fiber receiving member on which the sheet is formed and a foraminous member which rolls the nits, pills and the like between it and the fiber screening member as the air dispersion of fibers passes toward the fiber receiving member.

Abstract: Manufacture of a non-woven web of man-made filaments in which one or more strands of filaments, directed parallel to each other, leaving one or more spinnerets are forwarded, each, by means of an air jet to a spreading plate for the filaments, and the resulting layer of spread filaments and air leaves the plate and advances to a moving support, upon which the filaments are deposited randomly to form a web which will then be bonded in known manner. In order to improve the isotropy of the web, the layer of spread filaments and air is guided to a fixed deflector plate forming a slit with the discharge edge of the stationary spreading plate, said slit allowing passage of the filaments but braking the air carried along with the filaments, and the layer is then subjected to an air jet directed transversely to the path of said deflected web and generally in a direction parallel to the surface of the moving support.

Abstract: A process and mechanism for the dry screen forming of fibers to attain a dispersion in air of substantially individual fibers from which a fibrous sheet is formed. Fibrous nits, pills and flocs are removed from the dispersion by rolling the nits, pills and the like into elongated shapes as they pass a fiber screening member and carrying the elongated fibrous bodies from the dispersion of fibers and away from the sheet forming area for the fibers. The mechanism includes a fiber screening member, a fiber receiving member on which the sheet is formed and a foraminous member which rolls the nits, pills and the like between it and the fiber screening member as the air dispersion of fibers passes toward the fiber receiving member.

Abstract: A method of, and apparatus for, forming a fiber layer of substantially constant weight per unit length, there being provided supply means for supplying a fiber and air mixture onto a moving, fiber-separating, perforated surface. A suction opening is arranged beneath and extends over a certain zone or region of such perforated surface. The suction opening can be moved forward and backward with respect to the direction of transport of the fiber and air mixture by the perforated surface as a function of a measuring value which is representative of the thickness of the fiber layer deposited upon such perforated surface.

Abstract: A method for minimizing the accumulation of static charges on fibers resulting from the dry-fiberization of pulp lap sheets includes the steps of: (1) directing a plurality of the pulp lap sheets into a stacked condition; (2) directing the stack of sheets in a downstream direction to a fiberizing device for separating the fibers from the stack; and (3) applying an antistatic chemical to less than all of the sheets in the stack upstream of the fiberizing device.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for making a nonwoven fabric wherein a first group of filaments are projected in a longitudinal direction into the nip of a pair of nipped and moving collecting surfaces in such a manner that the filaments fold into and are captured and held by the nip with spans of the filaments lying in the plane of the nip and at the same time projecting a second group of filaments in a longitudinal direction toward one of the collecting surfaces at a location spaced from the nip. The second group of filaments impinges on an impact plate positioned above the collecting surface and is pulled off the impact plate by the moving collecting surface, this causing the filaments in the second group to extend primarily in the machine direction. The moving collecting surfaces carry the groups of filaments into contact with each other to form a nonwoven fabric which is subsequently bonded in a conventional manner to form a finished fabric.

Abstract: In a bale press feeder, waste material is drawn into a condenser to form a fluffy blanket. The thickness of the blanket is decreased by passing the blanket through rolling devices with successively reduced clearance, and then by drawing the blanket through a chamber of successively reduced height by a conveyor belt. The thereby compressed blanket is fed to a bale press. A packer, operated in response to the feeding of the compressed blanket to the bale press, cyclically packs the blanket in the press.