Abstract: Engineered leather substrates, methods of making the substrates, engineered leather composites including the substrates, and articles of manufacture which include the engineered leather substrates or composites are disclosed. The substrate includes leather, non-leather fibers, a binding agent and one or more additional components such as cushioning agents, softeners, processing aids, and colorants. A composite material can be formed including the substrate and one or more additional layers, such as top coat layers, reinforcing layers, and cushioning layers. The substrate and or the composite can be chemically or mechanically embossed. The leather used to form the engineered leather substrate can be derived from post-industrial and/or post-consumer materials. The non-leather fibers can be organic or inorganic, and the composition can also include inorganic fillers, such as calcium carbonate, and clays.

Abstract: A cotton fiber particulate and method of manufacture including, generally, obtaining cotton fibers; mixing the cotton fibers with a solvent such as water to obtain a fiber furnish; milling the fiber furnish; and drying the fiber furnish to recover the cotton fiber particulate. Other steps include modifying the pH of the fiber furnish with a material such as calcium carbonate in an effort to make the fibers brittle, and filtering the fiber furnish to recover the cotton particulate. The fibers are milled to between 5-25 microns in length with a mean length of less than 50 microns with a mean length of 20 microns preferred.

Abstract: A composite web and process for manufacture from post-industrial scrap wherein the fibers are pre-opened and cut to an average fiber length of about 4 mm. A scrap fiber component and a cellulosic component of such fibers are blended into a fiber furnish. The scrap fiber component includes at least 15% synthetic fibers and may include a blend of natural fibers, high melting point synthetic fibers, and low melting point synthetic fibers. The cellulosic component may include post-industrial cotton fibers which may be refined before blending with the scrap fiber component. The fiber furnish is processed into an intermediate web such as by a drylaid or a wetlaid nonwoven process. The intermediate web is saturated with a latex binding agent and pressed and/or dried to form a composite web capable of further processing into molded or formed consumer or industrial products. The process is capable of producing a high basis weight composite web.

Abstract: Provided is a process for preparing a smooth and glossy surfaced paper web. The process comprises subjecting the paper web to shear by using calender rolls driven at different speeds or calender rolls with different diameters. The resulting paper has a totally different structure than the original paper, as it has a much smaller void structure and a much higher degree of bonding between the elements of the sheet. The process is particularly applicable to improving the electrical insulation properties of an aramid paper web.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for forming a non-woven fibrous web comprised of aramid fibers and aramid fibrid which comprises forming a foam furnish by agitating the fibers and fibrid in a foamed medium, and passing the foam furnish onto a screen and defoaming the furnish. In effectively agitating the aramid fibers in the foamed medium, the agitating means is mounted for displacement within the foamed medium and includes a convex leading surface facing in the direction of displacement. The leading surface includes upper and lower portions converging in the direction of displacement to form a generally convex leading surface and driving means for displacing the agitating means in the direction of displacement for dispersing and mutually separating the aramid fibers within the foamed medium.