The present disclosure provides: a biodegradable nonwoven fabric for thermoforming, the biodegradable nonwoven fabric being composed of a fiber of a polylactic acid-based polymer, and having a basis weight of 20-300 g/m.sup.2, preferably, a biodegradable nonwoven fabric characterized by being composed of a long fiber of a polylactic acid polymer, having an MD-direction elongation of 50% or more at 120° C., and having an MD-direction dimensional change rate of ±4% or less at 80-140° C. as determined by thermomechanical analysis; a method for producing a molded body by using said biodegradable nonwoven fabric; and a method for molding a biodegradable beverage extraction container, the method being characterized in that the molded body has an MD-direction elongation change rate of 4% or less, as determined by thermomechanical analysis (TMA) under a load of 0.05 N/2 mm at 30-100° C.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatuses for relofting nonwoven substrates. During the relofting process, a substrate is directed to advance in a first direction such that a length of the substrate is in a facing relationship with a radiation source. The advancing substrate is relofted by irradiating the length of the substrate with infrared radiation from the infrared radiation source. The substrate comprises a first caliper upstream of the radiation source and the substrate comprises a second caliper downstream of the radiation source greater than the first caliper. The substrate may also be redirected around an axis to advance the substrate in a second direction, wherein the second direction is different than the first direction. The axis may be selectively movable between a first position and a second position to selectively subject the substrate to infrared radiation and remove the substrate from the infrared radiation.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatuses for relofting nonwoven substrates. During the relofting process, a substrate is directed to advance in a first direction such that a length of the substrate is in a facing relationship with a radiation source. The advancing substrate is relofted by irradiating the length of the substrate with infrared radiation from the infrared radiation source. The substrate comprises a first caliper upstream of the radiation source and the substrate comprises a second caliper downstream of the radiation source greater than the first caliper. The substrate may also be redirected around an axis to advance the substrate in a second direction, wherein the second direction is different than the first direction. The axis may be selectively movable between a first position and a second position to selectively subject the substrate to infrared radiation and remove the substrate from the infrared radiation.

A thermoformable nonwoven composite containing a nonwoven layer which contains a plurality of first staple fibers, a plurality of first binder fibers having a first melting point, and a plurality of second binder fibers having a second melting point, wherein the first staple fibers, first binder fibers, and second binder fibers intertwine and cross at crossover points. The difference first melting point and the second melting point differ by at least about 15° C., and at least 95% by weight of all of the fibers in the nonwoven layer are polyester. The thermoformable nonwoven composite also contains a first resin formulation containing a first resin. The first resin is located within the nonwoven and located in at least a portion of the crossover points. The first staple fibers, the first and second binder fibers, and the first resin all contain a polymer from the same chemical class.

A nonwoven fabric for curtain in an embodiment of the present invention is formed from fibers having a thermoplastic resin as a main component, said nonwoven fabric for curtain being characterized in that: in the surface of the nonwoven fabric, the fibers are fused together at points where the fibers intersect, and the fibers are mutually isolated at locations other than the intersecting points; and furthermore, the KES surface roughness SMD of at least one side of the sheet is 1.2 μm or less, and the longitudinal tearing strength per fabric weight is 0.50 or more.

The present invention provides a cloth having different properties depending on regions, a cloth product comprising the cloth, and a method of producing the cloth product. The cloth of the present invention is characterized in that it includes a first region and a second region having a higher degree of fusion than the first region, wherein the first region includes a thermally fusible fiber and a fiber having a higher melting point than the thermally fusible fiber at a predetermined ratio. The cloth product of the present invention is characterized in that it includes the body made of the cloth, and the second region is positioned in a region requiring a greater strength than other regions.

A press-bonded body or a method for producing the same is provided, such that the press-bonded body is a press-bonded body of at least one of a base material selected from the group consisting of non-woven fabric, stretched porous film, and fiber. The base material contains a fluorine resin (except for polytetrafluoroethylene) having a —CF2- group content of 85% by mass or greater. Polytetrafluoroethylene fibrils bond fibers constitute the base material, and in relation to the entirety of the fibrils, the proportion of the number of fibrils that are oriented at an angle of 45° to 90° relative to the direction of the fibers constituting the base material is 50% or greater.

Stabilizing a textile sheet structure was achieved by forming a plurality of discrete fiber tufts extending from a first face of a fibrous layer of the textile sheet structure, through the fibrous layer and beyond a second face opposite the first face. Each discrete fiber tuft included a plurality discrete fibers. Each discrete fiber tuft was anchored to the first face and the second face of the fibrous layer by joining together the plurality of each discrete fiber tuft at the first face and the second face and bonding the joined plurality of discrete fiber tuft to the first face and the second face.

Stabilizing a textile sheet structure was achieved by forming a plurality of discrete fiber tufts extending from a first face of a fibrous layer of the textile sheet structure, through the fibrous layer and beyond a second face opposite the first face. Each discrete fiber tuft included a plurality discrete fibers. Each discrete fiber tuft was anchored to the first face and the second face of the fibrous layer by joining together the plurality of each discrete fiber tuft at the first face and the second face and bonding the joined plurality of discrete fiber tuft to the first face and the second face.

A method for making a high topography nonwoven substrate includes generating a foam including water and synthetic binder fibers; depositing the foam on a planar surface; disposing a template form on the foam opposite the planar surface to create a foam/form assembly; heating the foam/form assembly to dry the foam and bind the synthetic binder fibers; and removing the template from the substrate after heating the foam/form assembly, wherein the substrate includes a planar base layer having an X-Y surface and a backside surface opposite the X-Y surface; and a plurality of projection elements integral with and protruding in a Z-direction from the X-Y surface, wherein the projection elements are distributed in both the X- and Y-directions, and wherein the density of a projection element is the same as the density of the base layer.