A nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric can include a first surface and a second surface and a visually discernible pattern of three-dimensional features on one of the first or second surface. Each of the three-dimensional features can define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in values for an intensive property. The nonwoven further has a plurality of apertures, wherein at least a portion of the aperture abuts at least one of the first region and the second region of the microzone.

A nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric can include a first surface and a second surface and a visually discernible pattern of three-dimensional features on one of the first or second surface. Each of the three-dimensional features can define a microzone comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in values for an intensive property. The nonwoven further has a plurality of apertures, wherein at least a portion of the aperture abuts at least one of the first region and the second region of the microzone.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a nonwoven fabric. The method according to the invention comprises forming a nonwoven web using a wet lay forming process, hydroentangling the web and providing the web with a high quality hydroembossed pattern. The invention also concerns a nonwoven fabric exhibiting a three dimensional pattern, which remains even in wet wipes prepared from the material.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a nonwoven fabric. The method according to the invention comprises forming a nonwoven web using a wet lay forming process, hydroentangling the web and providing the web with a high quality hydroembossed pattern. The invention also concerns a nonwoven fabric exhibiting a three dimensional pattern, which remains even in wet wipes prepared from the material.

A nonwoven web is made by displacing an air-permeable mesh-belt conveyor in a horizontal travel direction and spinning and then depositing crimped continuous filaments as a web at a deposit region on the air-permeable mesh-belt conveyor. A first preconsolidation stage is provided downstream of the deposit region and a second preconsolidation separated by a suction gap from the first stage. Air is drawn air through the web and the conveyor at the deposit region at a first predetermined speed, the first and second consolidation stages at a second and third predetermined speeds, and at the suction gap either not at all or at a fourth predetermined equal to at most substantially less than the second predetermined speed.

An apparatus for making nonwoven from continuous filaments has a spinner for spinning the filaments, a cooler for cooling the spun filaments, and a mesh belt that moves in a generally horizontal travel direction and that passes through a deposition location where the spun and cooled filaments are deposited on the mesh belt to form thereon a nonwoven web. A nose roller defines a deflection zone over which the mesh belt is deflected from its travel direction downstream of the deposition location. At least one lift roller above the mesh belt downstream of the deposition location separates the nonwoven web from the mesh belt at a separation location at a first spacing upstream from the deflection zone of the nose roller. A treatment device for the nonwoven web is provided downstream of the mesh belt in the travel direction and receiving the nonwoven web from the lift roller.

An apparatus for making nonwoven has a spinning device for spinning continuous filaments and moving the spun filaments in a vertical travel direction along a vertical travel path and a mesh belt below the spinning device, traveling in a horizontal direction, and having a multiplicity of vertically throughgoing openings distributed generally uniformly over its surface and of which a portion are plugged. A cooler and a stretcher are provided along the path downstream of the spinning device and above the belt for cooling and stretching the filaments and depositing the cooled and stretched filaments at a predetermined deposition location on the belt. A blower underneath the belt at the deposition location aspirates air through the openings and thereby holds the deposited filaments down on the belt.

An apparatus for making nonwoven has a spinning device for spinning continuous filaments and moving the spun filaments in a vertical travel direction along a vertical travel path and a mesh belt below the spinning device, traveling in a horizontal direction, and having a multiplicity of vertically throughgoing openings distributed generally uniformly over its surface and of which a portion are plugged. A cooler and a stretcher are provided along the path downstream of the spinning device and above the belt for cooling and stretching the filaments and depositing the cooled and stretched filaments at a predetermined deposition location on the belt. A blower underneath the belt at the deposition location aspirates air through the openings and thereby holds the deposited filaments down on the belt.

An apparatus for making spunbond from continuous thermoplastic filaments has a spinneret for spinning the continuous filaments and advancing them in a filament-travel direction, a cooler for cooling the filaments, a stretcher for stretching the filaments, a depositing device including a foraminous belt extending in a machine direction transverse to the filament-travel direction for deposition of the filaments as a nonwoven web and conveyance away from the stretcher, a diffusor between the stretcher and the foraminous belt so that filaments and primary air from the stretcher enter into the diffusor, and a suction device for extracting air through the foraminous belt at an unobstructed extraction region underneath the diffusor outlet and having a width b in a machine direction that is greater than a width B of the diffusor outlet. The diffusor forms upstream and downstream secondary air-inlet gaps at opposite ends through which secondary air is aspirated into the diffusor.

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.