Patents by Inventor Martin NEUENHOFER

Martin NEUENHOFER has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230332342
    Abstract: A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2023
    Publication date: October 19, 2023
    Inventors: Michael NITSCHKE, Martin NEUENHOFER, Hans-Georg GEUS, Detlef FREY
  • Patent number: 11697897
    Abstract: A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2023
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Michael Nitschke, Martin Neuenhofer, Hans-Georg Geus, Detlef Frey
  • Publication number: 20230203729
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbond from continuous thermoplastic filaments has a spinneret for spinning the continuous filaments and advancing them in a filament-travel direction, a cooler for cooling the filaments, a stretcher for stretching the filaments, a depositing device including a foraminous belt extending in a machine direction transverse to the filament-travel direction for deposition of the filaments as a nonwoven web and conveyance away from the stretcher, a diffusor between the stretcher and the foraminous belt so that filaments and primary air from the stretcher enter into the diffusor, and a suction device for extracting air through the foraminous belt at an unobstructed extraction region underneath the diffusor outlet and having a width b in a machine direction that is greater than a width B of the diffusor outlet. The diffusor forms upstream and downstream secondary air-inlet gaps at opposite ends through which secondary air is aspirated into the diffusor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Inventors: Detlef FREY, Martin NEUENHOFER, Sebastian SOMMER
  • Patent number: 11655571
    Abstract: A nonwoven web is made by first depositing fibers as a nonwoven web in a deposition area, then conveying the web away from the deposition area in a web-travel direction, preconsolidating the web in the path, and passing the preconsolidated web between a pair of rollers that compress and final consolidate the preconsolidated web, One of the rollers is separated from the web such that final consolidation of the web at a starting level is stopped and at the same time or immediately beforehand upstream preconsolidation of the web increased. After separating the one roller from the web, another roller is engaged with the web at the consolidation station and then final consolidation is recommenced, whereupon upstream preconsolidation of the web is reduced back to the starting level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Detlef Frey, Hans-Georg Geus, Michael Maas, Martin Neuenhofer, Michael Nitschke, Christine Noack, Hartmut Kopp
  • Patent number: 11603614
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbond from continuous thermoplastic filaments has a spinneret for spinning the continuous filaments and advancing them in a filament-travel direction, a cooler for cooling the filaments, a stretcher for stretching the filaments, a depositing device including a foraminous belt extending in a machine direction transverse to the filament-travel direction for deposition of the filaments as a nonwoven web and conveyance away from the stretcher, a diffusor between the stretcher and the foraminous belt so that filaments and primary air from the stretcher enter into the diffusor, and a suction device for extracting air through the foraminous belt at an unobstructed extraction region underneath the diffusor outlet and having a width b in a machine direction that is greater than a width B of the diffusor outlet. The diffusor forms upstream and downstream secondary air-inlet gaps at opposite ends through which secondary air is aspirated into the diffusor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2023
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Detlef Frey, Martin Neuenhofer, Sebastian Sommer
  • Publication number: 20220205156
    Abstract: A spunbonded nonwovens is made by first spinning thermoplastic continuous filaments and emitting them from a spinneret in a direction and then passing the filaments in the direction through a cooling chamber. Meanwhile cooling air is fed from respective manifolds flanking the chamber into the chamber to cool the filaments and the cooling air is guided into the manifolds through respective manifolds and through respective planar homogenizing elements each having a plurality of openings forming a free open surface area constituting 1 to 40% of the total surface area of the respective planar homogenizing element. The cooling air passes from the planar homogenizing element into the cooling chamber through a flow straightener.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Inventors: Michael NITSCHKE, Martin NEUENHOFER, Hans-Georg GEUS, Detlef FREY
  • Patent number: 11365498
    Abstract: Spunbonded nonwoven is made from continuous thermoplastic filaments emitted downwardly by a spinneret in a filament direction. A cooling chamber directly beneath the spinneret receives the filaments from the spinneret and cools the spun filaments with cooling air and has relative to a longitudinally extending machine direction a pair of longitudinal sides extending parallel to the machine direction and a pair of transverse sides extending substantially perpendicular to the machine direction between the longitudinal sides. Respective air-supply manifolds on the transverse sides feed cooling air therefrom into the cooling chamber. The cooling air is extracted from the cooling chamber at the longitudinal sides. A stretcher directly beneath the cooling chamber receives and elongates the cooled filaments, and a device deposits the stretched filaments as a band and conveys the band off in the machine direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Michael Nitschke, Martin Neuenhofer, Detlef Frey, Christine Noack
  • Patent number: 11306421
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwovens has a spinneret for emitting continuous thermoplastic filaments in a filament-travel direction, a cooling chamber downstream in the direction from the spinneret for cooling the spun filaments with cooling air, two manifolds on opposite sides of the cooling chamber opening transversely of the direction into the cooling chamber, and a respective conduit having a conduit cross-sectional area and connected to each manifold for feeding cooling air thereto. The conduit cross-sectional area increases toward the manifold to a manifold cross-sectional area, and manifold cross-sectional area is at least twice as large as the conduit cross-sectional area. At least one flow straightener is provided upstream from the cooling chamber in each manifold for orienting air flow in an air-flow direction, and at least one perforated planar homogenizing element is provided in each manifold for homogenizing the cooling air flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Michael Nitschke, Martin Neuenhofer, Hans-Georg Geus, Detlef Frey
  • Patent number: 11225739
    Abstract: An apparatus for making a nonwoven spunbond web has a spinneret for making endless filaments moving in a predetermined direction. A monomer extractor downstream from the spinneret has an upstream extractor end face directed upstream and forming a gap with a downstream spinneret end face. A cooler downstream of the extractor for the filaments has an upstream cooler end face forming with a downstream extractor end face a second gap. A stretcher downstream of the cooler for the cooled filaments has an upstream stretcher end face forming a third gap with the downstream cooler end face. The filaments are deposited on a web former by the stretcher to form the nonwoven spunbond web. A deformable seal for seals one of the gaps, and means connected to the deformable seal press the seal against the end faces forming the one gap with a variable pressure or contact face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Detlef Frey, Martin Neuenhofer, Sebastian Sommer
  • Patent number: 11066766
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwoven from continuous thermoplastic filaments has a spinneret for downwardly emitting the continuous filaments in a filament direction, a cooling chamber directly beneath the spinneret for receiving the filaments from the spinneret and cooling the spun filaments with cooling air and having relative to a longitudinally extending machine direction a pair of longitudinal sides extending parallel to the machine direction and a pair of transverse sides extending substantially perpendicular to the machine direction between the longitudinal sides. Respective air-supply manifolds on the transverse sides feed cooling air therefrom into the cooling chamber. The cooling air is extracted from the cooling chamber at the longitudinal sides. A stretcher directly beneath the cooling chamber receives and elongates the cooled filaments, and a device deposits the stretched filaments as a band and conveys the band off in the machine direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Michael Nitschke, Martin Neuenhofer, Detlef Frey, Christine Noack
  • Publication number: 20210172104
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbond from continuous thermoplastic filaments has a spinneret for spinning the continuous filaments and advancing them in a filament-travel direction, a cooler for cooling the filaments, a stretcher for stretching the filaments, a depositing device including a foraminous belt extending in a machine direction transverse to the filament-travel direction for deposition of the filaments as a nonwoven web and conveyance away from the stretcher, a diffusor between the stretcher and the foraminous belt so that filaments and primary air from the stretcher enter into the diffusor, and a suction device for extracting air through the foraminous belt at an unobstructed extraction region underneath the diffusor outlet and having a width b in a machine direction that is greater than a width B of the diffusor outlet. The diffusor forms upstream and downstream secondary air-inlet gaps at opposite ends through which secondary air is aspirated into the diffusor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Detlef Frey, Martin Neuenhofer, Sebastian Sommer
  • Patent number: 11001942
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwoven has a spinneret for emitting the continuous filaments in a filament-travel direction, a cooling chamber downstream in the direction from the spinneret and receiving the filaments, and two air-supply manifolds flanking the chamber for feeding cooling air thereinto transverse to the direction. A flow straightener for equalizing flow of the cooling air on the filaments is provided in at least one of the air-supply manifolds and has passage walls forming a plurality of flow passages that extend transversely to a filament-travel direction. A flow cross section of the flow straightener is greater than 85% (preferably more than 90%) of a cross-sectional size of the straightener, a ratio of a length L of the flow passages to an inner diameter Di of the flow passages L/Di is 1 to 15.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRICK
    Inventors: Detlef Frey, Tristan Tiedt, Michael Nitschke, Martin Neuenhofer, Hans-Georg Geus
  • Publication number: 20200157715
    Abstract: A nonwoven web is made by first depositing fibers as a nonwoven web in a deposition area, then conveying the web away from the deposition area in a web-travel direction, preconsolidating the web in the path, and passing the preconsolidated web between a pair of rollers that compress and final consolidate the preconsolidated web. One of the rollers is separated from the web such that final consolidation of the web at a starting level is stopped and at the same time or immediately beforehand upstream preconsolidation of the web increased. After separating the one roller from the web, another roller is engaged with the web at the consolidation station and then final consolidation is recommenced, whereupon upstream preconsolidation of the web is reduced back to the starting level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Inventors: Detlef FREY, Hans-Georg Geus, Michael Maas, Martin Neuenhofer, Michael Nitschke, Christine Noack, Hartmut Kopp
  • Publication number: 20200047391
    Abstract: The invention relates to various aspects in the production of extrusion products. The properties of extruded articles are dependent significantly, in addition to their formulation, also on the setting variables and in particular on the thus resulting process variables. The setting variables and in particular the process variables thus represent a state of the extrusion process characterized as “fingerprint”. The thus claimed invention takes into account these facts and supports the operator of a production plant to detect earlier changes in quality and to systematically counteract a deterioration in the quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2017
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Christoph Lettowsky, Thomas Fett, Mark Hilgers, Jens Mager, Andreas B. Rösner, Christian Stelter, Asmir Vodencarevic, Paul Walach, Hans-Georg Geus, Michael Nitschke, Martin Neuenhofer
  • Publication number: 20190360140
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwoven from continuous thermoplastic filaments has a spinneret for downwardly emitting the continuous filaments in a filament direction, a cooling chamber directly beneath the spinneret for receiving the filaments from the spinneret and cooling the spun filaments with cooling air and having relative to a longitudinally extending machine direction a pair of longitudinal sides extending parallel to the machine direction and a pair of transverse sides extending substantially perpendicular to the machine direction between the longitudinal sides. Respective air-supply manifolds on the transverse sides feed cooling air therefrom into the cooling chamber. The cooling air is extracted from the cooling chamber at the longitudinal sides. A stretcher directly beneath the cooling chamber receives and elongates the cooled filaments, and a device deposits the stretched filaments as a band and conveys the band off in the machine direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Michael Nitschke, Martin Neuenhofer, Detlef Frey, Christine Noack
  • Publication number: 20190360138
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwovens has a spinneret for emitting continuous thermoplastic filaments in a filament-travel direction, a cooling chamber downstream in the direction from the spinneret for cooling the spun filaments with cooling air, two manifolds on opposite sides of the cooling chamber opening transversely of the direction into the cooling chamber, and a respective conduit having a conduit cross-sectional area and connected to each manifold for feeding cooling air thereto. The conduit cross-sectional area increases toward the manifold to a manifold cross-sectional area, and manifold cross-sectional area is at least twice as large as the conduit cross-sectional area. At least one flow straightener is provided upstream from the cooling chamber in each manifold for orienting air flow in an air-flow direction, and at least one perforated planar homogenizing element is provided in each manifold for homogenizing the cooling air flow.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Michael NITSCHKE, Martin Neuenhofer, Hans-Georg Geus, Detlef Frey
  • Publication number: 20190360123
    Abstract: An apparatus for making spunbonded nonwoven has a spinneret for emitting the continuous filaments in a filament-travel direction, a cooling chamber downstream in the direction from the spinneret and receiving the filaments, and two air-supply manifolds flanking the chamber for feeding cooling air thereinto transverse to the direction. A flow straightener for equalizing flow of the cooling air on the filaments is provided in at least one of the air-supply manifolds and has passage walls forming a plurality of flow passages that extend transversely to a filament-travel direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Detlef FREY, Tristan TIEDT, Michael NITSCHKE, Martin NEUENHOFER, Hans-Georg GEUS
  • Patent number: 10465319
    Abstract: An apparatus for making a spunbond nonwoven from endless filaments of a thermoplastic synthetic resin has a spinneret for spinning the filaments in a filament-travel direction into a spinning zone and a monomer aspirator downstream of the spinneret and having two vacuum intake ports flanking the spinning zone zone, horizontally confronting each other, and each extending transversely to the direction opposite one another. Suction means connected to the two ports withdraws gas through both the vacuum intake ports. The suction and/or the ports are set up to vary the flow through the vacuum intake ports such that substantially more gas flows through one of the ports than through the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Michael Nitschke, Martin Swiatek, Martin Neuenhofer, Hans-Georg Geus, Detlef Frey
  • Patent number: 10385491
    Abstract: An apparatus for making a spunbond nonwoven from monofilaments of thermoplastic synthetics has a spinneret for spinning and emitting the filaments in a travel direction, a cooler downstream of the spinneret for cooling the spun filaments, and a stretcher downstream of the cooler for stretching the filaments. An intermediate passage extending in the travel direction between the cooler and the stretcher has upstream and downstream converging passage sections. The upstream passage section in the travel direction of the filaments having a shorter length than the downstream passage section in the travel direction of the filaments. A ratio BE/BA of an inlet width BE to an outlet width BA of the upstream passage section is 1.5 to 5.5. A ratio of an inlet width bE, to an outlet width bA, of the downstream passage section is 1 to 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG. MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Michael Nitschke, Martin Swiatek, Martin Neuenhofer, Hans-Georg Geus, Detlef Frey
  • Patent number: 10094058
    Abstract: A nonwoven web made of plastic fibers and having a web thickness less than 2 mm (preferably less than 1.5 mm) and a grammage less than 30 g/m2 (preferably less than 25 g/m2) and conveyed this web in a travel direction so that it physically contacts a guide or treatment roller. A stabilization plate extending in and transversely to the travel direction of the nonwoven web is provided upstream or downstream of the roller in the travel direction, and the nonwoven web is guided in the travel direction past the stabilization plate such that a spacing between a face of the stabilization plate turned toward the nonwoven web and the nonwoven web face is 0 to 20 mm (preferably 0.1 to 10 mm, and very preferably 0.2 to 5 mm).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: REIFENHAEUSER GMBH & CO. KG MASCHINENFABRIK
    Inventors: Hans-Juergen Hofemeister, Hans-Georg Geus, Felix Goretzki, Alexander Klein, Michael Nitschke, Detlef Frey, Martin Neuenhofer