The present invention relates to a face spinneret and/or nylon face fiber having a certain shape and dimension which impart improved characteristics to the fiber, such a softer feel and a reduced sheen. In another embodiment, the invention is directed to a thatch spinneret and/or nylon thatch fiber having a certain shape and dimension which impart improved characteristics to the fiber, such a softer feel and a reduced sheen.

An apparatus for continuously making a spunbond web of filaments comprises a spinneret, a cooling chamber into which process air for can be introduced for the purpose of cooling the filaments, a monomer suction device between a spinneret and cooling chamber, a stretcher and a deposition device for depositing the filaments of the spunbond web. The cooling chamber is divided into two cooling compartments, and process air can be suctioned out from a first upper cooling compartment at a volumetric flow rate (V.sub.M) to a monomer suction device. Process air exits from the first upper cooling compartment at a volumetric flow rate (V.sub.1) into a second lower cooling compartment and from the first upper cooling compartment at a volumetric flow rate (V.sub.1) into a second lower cooling compartment. A ratio (V.sub.M/V.sub.1) is 0.1 to 0.35.

Apparatus and methods are provided for providing an artificial turf system having an array of integrated fibers and base arrangement. The fibers can be integrally formed with a substrate, for example, by using a molding process. The fibers can be formed to be bonded directly to the base using molecular bonds of the material that formed the base and the fibers at the same time.

Provided are: a method and apparatus for manufacturing a highly permeable elastic sheet; a method and apparatus for manufacturing a highly gas-permeable stretchable composite sheet; and a highly gas-permeable stretchable composite sheet. An elastic resin material containing a thermoplastic elastic resin as a main component is melted by being heated to a temperature higher than a temperature range in which the elastic resin material is elastically deformed, the molten elastic resin material is discharged in a fibrous or linear form, the discharged elastic resin material (intermediate) is applied in a net shape onto a cooling member, the applied elastic resin material is cooled by the cooling member to the temperature region in which the elastic resin material is elastically deformed, and the applied elastic resin material is solidified to obtain an elastic sheet. The elastic sheet and non-woven fabrics are stacked and joined to obtain a stretchable composite sheet.

Spoolable RFID-enabled wristbands with maximized read range. In an embodiment, a wristband comprises flexible material formed into a flag portion and a strap portion. The flag portion comprises a radio-frequency identification (RFID) inlay embedded within the material. The strap portion extends from the flag portion, and is perforated in a line along a longitudinal axis of the wristband from a distal end of the strap portion that is distal to the flag portion to a hole at a proximal end of the strap portion that is proximal to the flag portion, such that the strap portion may be torn, from the distal end to the hole at the proximal end, along the perforated line, into two sections of substantially equal dimension, which each extend from the flag portion.

A spinneret is used to reduce filament breakage during spinning of multifilament yarn being stretched at a high stretch ratio. The spinneret has a first group of spinning holes with capillaries and a second group of spinning holes with capillaries. The capillaries of the second group of spinning holes have a lower length to diameter (L/D) ratio than the capillaries of the first group of spinning holes. All of the capillaries have the same diameter, which is 100 m or less.

A method for manufacturing bulked continuous carpet filament, the method comprising: (1) reducing a chamber pressure within a chamber to below about 5 millibars; (2) after reducing the chamber pressure to below about 5 millibars, providing a polymer melt to the chamber; (3) separating the polymer melt into at least eight streams; (4) while the at least eight streams of the polymer melt are within the chamber, exposing the at least eight streams of the polymer melt to the chamber pressure of below about 5 millibars; (5) after exposing the at least eight streams of the polymer melt to the chamber pressure of below about 5 millibars, recombining the at least eight streams into a single polymer stream; and (6) forming polymer from the single polymer stream into bulked continuous carpet filament.

Apparatus and methods are provided that provide an artificial turf fiber having an integrated fiber and base arrangement. The fibers can be integrally formed with a substrate such by using a molding process. The fibers can be formed to be bonded directly to the base using the molecular bonds of the material that formed the base and fiber at the same time.

Provided are a strand which extends in one direction and includes 30 to 8,000 strands of thermoplastic polymer filaments including an amorphous organic polymer, a semi-crystalline organic polymer, or an alloy thereof, wherein each of the filaments has a fineness of 10 to 100 denier and the filaments are bonded to one another by surface fusion; and a method of preparing the same. Provided also are a weft using the strand, a wet look wig using the same, and a method of preparing the wig. When the strand is used, the filaments thereof may be bonded to one another through thermal surface-fusion using thermal properties of the filaments even without using a conventional water-soluble adhesive (binder), and thus a wet look wig washable with water even when worn by a user may be prepared by a simple and economical method.

Poly(ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) (ETFE) polymers having an average molecular weight of at least 300,000 g/mol and a melt enthalpy of at least 57 J/g are provided. The ETFE polymer may include at least one additional comonomer. The ETFE polymer is used to form a porous tape or membrane that has a node and fibril structure. A porous ETFE tape may be formed by lubricating the ETFE polymer and subjecting the lubricated polymer to pressure at a temperature below the melting point of the ETFE polymer. Optionally, the ETFE tape may be expanded at a temperature below the melting temperature of the ETFE polymer to form an expanded ETFE membrane. Alternatively, the ETFE polymer may subjected to heat and pressure without the addition of a lubricant to form a dense preform. The dense preform may be subsequently slit in a length direction and stretched to form a dense ETFE fiber.