Abstract: A cleaning system is provided comprising a sealable container housing a saturated stack of durable fine spunbond fiber cleaning sheets; the cleaning sheets have an average fiber diameter less than 18 micrometers, a tensile strength of at least 140-g/g/m2 and a basis weight between about 15 g/m2 and 85 g/m2. The cleaning sheets can be provided in stacked form and maintained within a sealed container wherein liquid is retained within the individual sheets as well as throughout the stack over time. The sheets can subsequently be removed from the container and applied to a surface wherein a high percent of the liquid is released from the sheet onto the surface in the initial pass and thereby allowing for improved treatment and/or cleaning of the surface.

Abstract: A spunbond nonwoven fabric is provided which has superior strength characteristics to conventional fabrics yet is comparably soft. The fabric is a laminate having a web made from a high melt flow rate polyolefin polymer and a low melt flow rate polymer. The spunbond laminate fabric of this invention may have therebetween a layer of meltblown nonwoven fabric or film. The laminate produced according to this invention has a strength which is at least 10% greater than a comparable fabric made without the high melt flow rate polymer web. The nonwoven fabric of this invention may be used in products such as, for example, garments, personal care products, medical products, protective covers and outdoor fabrics.

Abstract: Unitary films are provided having at least first and second film segments which extend adjacent one another and are permanently joined together. The first and second segments have different compositions whereby the unitary film includes distinct segments having varied physical properties such as, for example, varied levels of high water-vapor transmission rates and/or elasticity. The unitary films and laminates thereof are well suited for use as outer covers in personal care articles and various other barrier articles.

Abstract: Nonwoven webs are fabricated by forming unitary multicomponent fibers comprising a plurality of individual segments partially exposed at the surface of the fiber; bonding the multicomponent fibers, such as by thermal point bonding, and then hydroentangling the bonded multicomponent fibers with a water pressure from about 400 to 3000 psi wherein the entangling process separates the individual segments of the unitary multicomponent fibers into microfibers and also entangles the fibers to form an integrated nonwoven web. The nonwoven webs include entangled webs of thermoplastic multicomponent fibers and microfibers having partially degraded bond areas comprising from about 5% to about 50% at the surface area of the web.

Abstract: Breathable barriers, comprising a thermoplastic polymer and at least 30% by weight filler, are stretched in one direction in multiple discrete steps wherein the strain rate of each discrete stretching step is less than about 100,000%/minute and wherein the line speed of the last stretching step is in excess of 500 feet per minute. The resulting films may be stretched, as a result of the cumulative discrete stretching operations, from about 2 to 7 times its original length in order to create a breathable barrier having a WVTR in excess of 800 g/m2/day and a hydrohead of at least 60 cm.

Abstract: Thin absorbent food pads with a bulk under 0.5 cm are provided having an insulation layer and from 3 to 30 sheets of compressed wet resilient cellulosic material wherein the absorbent pad has an absorbent capacity of at least 10 grams fluid per gram absorbent material and which expands in volume by at least 50%, relative to dry volume, upon wetting. The thin absorbent pads may be provided by calendering the insulation layer and cellulosic sheets under a force of about 100 to 1500 pounds per linear inch, thereby reducing the bulk of the pad by 30 to 60% and creating a pad which will significantly expand upon wetting to achieve an aqueous absorbent capacity of about 0.85 grams fluid per square centimeter (5.5 g/square inch).

Abstract: There is provided in accordance with the present invention a lofty filter medium for filtering fluid-borne particles, which comprises a nonwoven fiber web of crimped fibers selected from the group consisting of spunbond fibers and staple fibers, wherein the filter medium has a density between about 0.005 g/cm3 and about 0.1 g/cm3. The lofty filter medium is highly suitable for fluid-borne particle filtration applications, such as filtration media for transmission fluids, hydraulic fluids, swimming pool water, coolant oil or cutting fluid for metalworking, metal forming and metal rolling, air-borne particle filtration and the like.

Abstract: A breathable microporous film is prepared by extruding a film comprising about 30 to 70% by weight of a thermoplastic polymer, about 30 to 70% by weight of filler particles having an average particle size less than about 10 microns and about 100 to 1000 PPM of a mono-functional hindered phenol, such as .alpha.-tocopherol, and then sufficiently stretching the filled film in at least one direction thereby creating a fine pore network therein and a water vapor transmission rate in excess of 300 g/m.sup.2 /24 hours.

Abstract: An elastic liquid impermeable laminate is disclosed having an extensible barrier film; an 8 g/m.sup.2 to 100 g/m.sup.2 elastomeric nonwoven web comprising fibers of low density polyethylene having a density less than 0.89 g/cm.sup.3 ; and an extensible cloth-like outer layer, such as a nonwoven web of spunbonded fibers. The barrier laminate can be laminated by thermal point bonding to create patterns having improved loft, excellent hand and while achieving peel strengths in excess of 500 grams.

Abstract: A breathable barrier laminate is disclosed having a first film layer comprising a microporous breathable barrier film; a second film layer comprising a breathable filled film which comprises about 50% to about 70% by weight filler and an amorphous polymer such as an elastomeric ethylene polymer having a density less than 0.89 g/cm.sup.3 ; and a third fibrous layer comprising a breathable outer layer, such as a nonwoven web of spunbonded fibers. The multiple layers can be thermally laminated wherein laminate has a peel strength in excess of 200 grams and a WVTR in excess of 300 g/m.sup.2 /day.

Abstract: There is provided in accordance with the present invention a spin pack for filaments that contains one or more electroformed plates. The invention additionally provides a process for producing a plate for a spin pack, which process has the step of electroforming the plate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a web containing superfine microfibers. The web contains a blend of a first group of split microfibers which contains a first polymer component and a second group of split microfibers which contains a second polymer component, wherein at least one of the polymer components is hydrophilic. The invention additionally provides a meltblown fiber web having at least two groups of fibers, wherein each group of the fibers has a distinct cross-sectional configuration.

Abstract: A method of making a stretchable composite by applying an elastomeric precursor to a neckable material, neck-stretching the neckable material and heating the elastomeric precursor such as by heating, while the neckable material is in a necked condition. The elastomeric precursor can comprise a latex or thermoset elastomer which is applied to the fibrous neckable material in an amount between 5 g/m.sup.2 to about 50 g/m.sup.2.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a cleaning implement formed from spunbond fiber webs having a basis weight less than about 85 grams per square meter and wherein the fibers comprise macrofibers having an average fiber diameter greater than 50 microns and less than about 500 microns. A section of macrofiber web having a mass between about 10 and 30 grams is bundled into a deformable three-dimensional shape which is about 8 to 25 cm in at least one dimension. The cleaning implement is particularly well suited for use in conjunction with shower gels or soaps for washing the body.