A process and plant for making wadding or fiber flocks starting from a padded textile product, either recycled or resulting from surplus production, wherein processing is carried out together and simultaneously of all the textile materials forming the same starting padded product. Compared with the known embodiments of the sector, the process and plant of the invention, in an economical, rapid and entirely mechanized way, allow wadding or fiber flocks to be produced that can be used as insulating padding in the clothing and furnishing sectors.

A process and plant for making wadding or fiber flocks starting from a padded textile product, either recycled or resulting from surplus production, wherein processing is carried out together and simultaneously of all the textile materials forming the same starting padded product. Compared with the known embodiments of the sector, the process and plant of the invention, in an economical, rapid and entirely mechanized way, allow wadding or fiber flocks to be produced that can be used as insulating padding in the clothing and furnishing sectors.

An apparatus for making a nonwoven fabric from thermoplastic plastic filaments has an air permeable deposit conveyor having a horizontal face displaceable in a horizontal travel direction and a spinneret above the conveyor for spinning the filaments and depositing the spun filaments on the deposit conveyor in a deposit area of the conveyor as a nonwoven web for conveyance in the travel direction. An extractor beneath the conveyor draws air or process air through the deposit conveyor in the deposit area in a main extraction area below the deposit conveyor and is delimited by, relative to the travel direction, upstream and downstream suction partitions. One of the partitions has an upper edge set at a predetermined vertical spacing below the conveyor equal to between 10 mm and 250 mm.

An apparatus for making a nonwoven fabric from thermoplastic plastic filaments has an air permeable deposit conveyor having a horizontal face displaceable in a horizontal travel direction and a spinneret above the conveyor for spinning the filaments and depositing the spun filaments on the deposit conveyor in a deposit area of the conveyor as a nonwoven web for conveyance in the travel direction. An extractor beneath the conveyor draws air or process air through the deposit conveyor in the deposit area in a main extraction area below the deposit conveyor and is delimited by, relative to the travel direction, upstream and downstream suction partitions. One of the partitions has an upper edge set at a predetermined vertical spacing below the conveyor equal to between 10 mm and 250 mm.

The feed device for feeding individualized fibers or fiber flocks to a transport device which includes a first feed segment and a second feed segment for feeding in a starting material. Each feed segment has its own feed roller and each feed roller is individually actuatable. The feed device also includes an opening roller, which cooperates with the feed rollers of the first and second feed segments to individualize the starting material into fibers or fiber flocks. The first and second feed segments are arranged a certain distance apart in a circumferential direction of the opening roller.

An article comprising a fabric comprising: (a) a blended yarn comprising: (i) from about 10% to about 85% by weight of at least one biregional fiber comprising an oxidized polymer selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile based homopolymers, acrylonitrile based copolymers, acrylonitrile based terpolymers, and combinations thereof; (ii) at least one companion fiber selected from the group consisting of FR polyester, FR nylon, FR rayon, FR treated cellulose, m-aramid, p-aramid, modacrylic, novoloid, melamine, wool, nylon, regenerated cellulose, polyvinyl chloride, antistatic fiber, poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO), polybenzimidazole (PBI), polysulphonamide (PSA), and combinations thereof; and (b) optionally including a companion yarn different from said blended yarn; wherein said companion yarn includes p-aramid in an amount less than 20% of the fabric weight; and
wherein the fabric has a weight from about 3 oz/yd.sup.2 to about 12 oz/yd.sup.2.

An article comprising a fabric comprising: (a) a blended yarn comprising: (i) from about 10% to about 85% by weight of at least one biregional fiber comprising an oxidized polymer selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile based homopolymers, acrylonitrile based copolymers, acrylonitrile based terpolymers, and combinations thereof; (ii) at least one companion fiber selected from the group consisting of FR polyester, FR nylon, FR rayon, FR treated cellulose, m-aramid, p-aramid, modacrylic, novoloid, melamine, wool, nylon, regenerated cellulose, polyvinyl chloride, antistatic fiber, poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO), polybenzimidazole (PBI), polysulphonamide (PSA), and combinations thereof; and (b) optionally including a companion yarn different from said blended yarn; wherein said companion yarn includes p-aramid in an amount less than 20% of the fabric weight; and
wherein the fabric has a weight from about 3 oz/yd.sup.2 to about 12 oz/yd.sup.2.

Methods of making an artificial leather substrate from leather waste (e.g., shavings, such as wet blue, and/or pulverized trim scrap) and products formed using the artificial leather substrate are disclosed. In one example, the artificial leather substrate comprises a composite web comprising leather waste mixed with a lightweight web, a lightweight web atop the composite web, and another lightweight web atop the first lightweight web. A method of making the artificial leather substrate includes the steps of mixing one or more fiber components, leather shavings, and/or pulverized leather trim scrap to form the composite web; needle punching the composite web; and bonding the composite web.

A high speed vertical textile lapper has a comb reciprocated by a first motor and a presser bar reciprocated by a second motor, both motors being under a common servo motor control. The linear comb is reciprocated by a comb crankshaft in a crankcase while the presser bar is reciprocated by a bar crankshaft in order to deposit a lapped web onto a horizontal conveyor which sends the web through an oven where some of the web fibers fuse to adhere the finished web. The incoming web to be plated is carried to the lapping zone by a combination of horizontal and vertical conveyors. These feed the descending web close to the lapping zone. The comb crankcase has pressurized lubrication and external cooling. The servo control permits PLC synchronization.

A high speed vertical textile lapper has a comb reciprocated by a first motor and a presser bar reciprocated by a second motor, both motors being under a common servo motor control. The linear comb is reciprocated by a comb crankshaft in a crankcase while the presser bar is reciprocated by a bar crankshaft in order to deposit a lapped web onto a horizontal conveyor which sends the web through an oven where some of the web fibers fuse to adhere the finished web. The incoming web to be plated is carried to the lapping zone by a combination of horizontal and vertical conveyors. These feed the descending web close to the lapping zone. The comb crankcase has pressurized lubrication and external cooling. The servo control permits PLC synchronization.