Patent ID: 6877196

Claim:
A method for changing the orientation of fibers in a nonwoven web produced by hydroentangling wherein a portion of the fibers are oriented in substantially the machine direction and a portion of the fibers are oriented in substantially the cross-machine direction comprising the steps of (a) providing a first plurality of fluid jets offset at an appreciable angle from the perpendicular with respect to the web, (b) applying a plurality of fluid streams from the jets of step (a) onto a surface of the nonwoven web at a pressure sufficient to move the fibers into a different position wherein the streams form a substantially coplanar curtain, (c) providing a first plurality of nonangled fluid jets, (d) applying a first plurality of fluid streams from the first plurality of nonangled jets onto the nonwoven web of step (b), wherein the streams form a substantially coplanar curtain (e) providing a second plurality of fluid jets offset at an appreciable angle from the perpendicular with respect to the web, (f) applying a plurality of fluid streams from the jets of step (e) onto the nonwoven web of step (d) at a pressure sufficient to move the fibers into a different position wherein the streams form a substantially coplanar curtain, (g) providing a second plurality of nonangled jets, (h) applying a plurality of fluid streams from the second plurality of nonangled jets onto the nonwoven web of step (f), wherein the streams form a substantially coplanar curtain.