Patent ID: 8506865

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a thermoformed, two or three dimensional composite fabric product with a single web, comprising the steps of: (a) weaving warp and weft threads of at least one thermoplastic layer comprising thermoplastic textile material melting fibers or yarns (MFY) which are meltable at a melting temperature of said MFY and at least one type of non-melting fibers or yarns (NMFY) which are not meltable at said melting temperature, while simultaneously (i) weaving warp and weft threads of at least one outer layer of textile material made entirely of NMFY and (ii) interlacing NMFY textile material from said at least one outer layer, at least at one location, with MFY textile material from said at least one thermoplastic layer; (b) heating said at least one thermoplastic layer to a temperature less than or equal to said melting temperature which is sufficient for causing the MFY textile material to at least partially melt; and (c) allowing the fabric to cool, thereby to create a solid matrix layer which contains MFY textile material interlaced with reinforcing NMFY textile material originating from the outer textile layer.