Patent ID: 8512844

Claim:
A method comprising the following steps: a) mixing a plurality of bicomponent filaments 1 which comprise a component 11 and a component 12 with a plurality of bicomponent filaments 2 which comprise a component 21 and a component 22 wherein iα) at least bicomponent filaments 1 exhibit a core/sheath geometry wherein component 11 represents the core and component 12 represents the sheath or iβ) at least bicomponent filaments 1 exhibit a side by side geometry wherein component 11 represents side 1 and component 12 represents side 2 or iγ) at least bicomponent filaments 1 exhibit an islands in the sea geometry wherein component 11 represents the islands and component 12 represents the sea, ii) the component 11 exhibits a melting temperature Tm(11) and the component 22 exhibits a melting temperature Tm(22), iii) the component 12 exhibits a melting temperature Tm(12), the component 21 exhibits a melting temperature Tm(21) and Tm(12) is higher than Tm(21), and iv) the melting temperatures of both component 11 and component 22 and the melting temperatures of components 12 and 21 obey to the relation Tm(11) and Tm(22)>Tm(12)>Tm(21), and producing a basic fibrous layer consisting of the bicomponent filaments 1 and the bicomponent filaments 2, in which bicomponent filaments 1 contact bicomponent filaments 2 at zones of overlap, b) heating the basic fibrous layer at a temperature for nonwoven production Tnp, which obeys to the relation Tm(12)>Tnp>Tm(21), until component 21 melts at the zones of overlap and then cooling below Tm(21) resulting in a bonded nonwoven, c) tufting the bonded nonwoven with a face material resulting in a tufted nonwoven, exhibiting contacts between the face material and bicomponent filaments 1 and 2, and d) heating the tufted nonwoven at a temperature Ttn, which obeys to the relation Tm(12)<Ttn<Tm(11) and Tm(22), until component 12 and component 21 melt resulting in a tufted nonwoven in which molten component 21 and molten component 12 contact the face material, and then cooling the nonwoven below Tm(21) to obtain a tufted nonwoven.