Patent ID: 7854813
Filing Date: 2010-12-21
Classification: D04H

Abstract:
1. A method of making a nonwoven thick and voluminous fabric having an excellent textile feel, the method comprising the steps of: depositing a mixture of polypropylene monofilamentary fibers of a first type and polyethylene, polyethyleneterephthalate, polyethyleneterephthalate copolymer, polybutyleneterephthalate, or polybutyleneterephthalate copolymer monofilamentary fibers of a second different type from a single spinning tool on a foraminous belt so that identical nonwoven fabric layers having identical fiber mixtures, one on top of the other, form a nonwoven, virtually homogeneous layer aggregate with the two types of monofilamentary fibers homogeneously distributed in the nonwoven, virtually homogeneous layer aggregate, one of the types of monofilamentary fiber having a different shrinkage behavior and shrinking substantially more during heat treatment than the other type of fiber; compacting the nonwoven virtually homogeneous layer aggregate between calender rolls into a compacted solidified nonwoven fabric layer such that the two different types of monofilamentary fibers are bonded together at crossovers; and heat treating the compacted solidified nonwoven fabric layer to thermally shrink the fibers of the one type substantially more than the fibers of the other type so as to shorten the fibers of the one type between the crossovers and increase thickness to yield the nonwoven fabric with an excellent textile feel.