An apparatus for making a nonwoven fabric from thermoplastic fibers has a spinneret for spinning fibers into continuous filaments and a cooler for cooling the filaments. The cooled filaments are then deposited on a conveyor to form a nonwoven web. A first consolidator surface treats the nonwoven web with a hot fluid or hot air as it is conveyed on the conveyor. A second consolidating downstream of the first consolidator has a dual-belt furnace in which the nonwoven web is passed between two circulating belts or continuous belts for surface treating the nonwoven web with a hot fluid or hot air and for applying surface pressure can be applied to the nonwoven web at the same time.

A method for improving the translation efficiency of fiber strength into composite strength is provided. A single unidirectional tape, single unidirectional fiber web or a stack of unidirectional web/unidirectional tape plies formed from partially oriented fibers/tapes is primed under mild conditions followed by subjecting the primed plies to an axial extension stress in the axial fiber direction of each fiber ply by passage through a compression apparatus. The axial extension stress extends the fibers, strengthening them, while also compacting the plies together and thereby forming a composite having improved strength. Production yield is improved by avoiding maximal fiber stretching and thereby avoiding typical manufacturing loss, and low weight composite armor having increased strength is achieved.

A fixation/transfer device for control of dye waste in a dye sublimation process. The device comprises a textile inlet, a textile outlet, a heat press or calender, an endless belt for driving the textile from the textile inlet to the textile outlet through the heat press, the heat press being held at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the printing dye, and a cleaning station for cleaning the endless belt, the cleaning station being located downstream of the textile outlet and upstream of the textile outlet. The feed belt may be heated at the cleaning station so that sublimation may assist cleaning.

A nonwoven fabric structure according to the present invention is a nonwoven fabric structure comprising a long-fiber nonwoven fabric as a main constituent, wherein the nonwoven fabric structure has a basis weight of 250 to 2000 g/m.sup.2, a Frazier permeability of 0 to 20 cc/cm.sup.2.Math.s, and an apparent density of 0.5 to 1.3 g/cm.sup.3, and therefore has excellent shaping properties and excellent mechanical strength properties.

A nonwoven fabric structure according to the present invention is a nonwoven fabric structure comprising a long-fiber nonwoven fabric as a main constituent, wherein the nonwoven fabric structure has a basis weight of 250 to 2000 g/m.sup.2, a Frazier permeability of 0 to 20 cc/cm.sup.2.Math.s, and an apparent density of 0.5 to 1.3 g/cm.sup.3, and therefore has excellent shaping properties and excellent mechanical strength properties.

A fixation/transfer device for control of dye waste in a dye sublimation process. The device comprises a textile inlet, a textile outlet, a heat press or calender, an endless belt for driving the textile from the textile inlet to the textile outlet through the heat press, the heat press being held at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the printing dye, and a cleaning station for cleaning the endless belt, the cleaning station being located downstream of the textile outlet and upstream of the textile outlet. The feed belt may be heated at the cleaning station so that sublimation may assist cleaning.

A fixation/transfer device for control of dye waste in a dye sublimation process. The device comprises a textile inlet, a textile outlet, a heat press or calender, an endless belt for driving the textile from the textile inlet to the textile outlet through the heat press, the heat press being held at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the printing dye, and a cleaning station for cleaning the endless belt, the cleaning station being located downstream of the textile outlet and upstream of the textile outlet. The feed belt may be heated at the cleaning station so that sublimation may assist cleaning.

A method for improving the translation efficiency of fiber strength into composite strength is provided. A single unidirectional tape, single unidirectional fiber web or a stack of unidirectional web/unidirectional tape plies formed from partially oriented fibers/tapes is primed under mild conditions followed by subjecting the primed plies to an axial extension stress in the axial fiber direction of each fiber ply by passage through a compression apparatus. The axial extension stress extends the fibers, strengthening them, while also compacting the plies together and thereby forming a composite having improved strength. Production yield is improved by avoiding maximal fiber stretching and thereby avoiding typical manufacturing loss, and low weight composite armor having increased strength is achieved.

A fixation/transfer device for control of dye waste in a dye sublimation process. The device comprises a textile inlet, a textile outlet, a heat press or calender, an endless belt for driving the textile from the textile inlet to the textile outlet through the heat press, the heat press being held at a temperature sufficient to cause sublimation of the printing dye, and a cleaning station for cleaning the endless belt, the cleaning station being located downstream of the textile outlet and upstream of the textile outlet. The feed belt may be heated at the cleaning station so that sublimation may assist cleaning.

A device for the thermal treatment of yarns comprising at least one inlet opening and at least one outlet opening for at least one transport means, which transports the yarn through the device, and comprising separating elements at the inlet opening and the outlet opening for thermal shielding, in order to minimise the exchange of media to the environment. The separating elements are configured to have a low bending rigidity and are arranged such that a surface load is applied onto the yarn lying on the transport means, for example a conveyor belt, which is not greater than 0.005 kg*cm.sup.2.