A male surface fastener has a sheet having a main surface, and a group of engagement elements in which the engagement elements are regularly arranged, the engagement element having a pillar that stands on the main surface of the sheet and an engagement head that is expanded along the main surface from the top end of the pillar, wherein 0.05S2/S10.15 is satisfied where S1 represents an area of the main surface which corresponds to a region in which the group of engagement elements is arranged, and S2 represents a sum of areas of the top surfaces of the engagement heads of the engagement elements of the group of engagement elements.

A method of making a laminated touch fastener includes introducing a flexible substrate to a resin applicator, applying flowable resin to a limited region of a surface of the substrate, and molding the applied resin to form a plurality of defined structures extending from a layer of the applied resin. The substrate surface, as the substrate is introduced to the resin applicator, has a surface characteristic that varies across the surface. The surface includes both a first region and a second region adjacent the first region, the surface characteristic varying to a greater degree within the second region than within the first region. The flowable resin may be applied within the first region such that an edge of the resin layer is disposed within, and adjacent an exposed portion of, the first region of the substrate surface.

A loop surface fastener in which numerous looped engaging elements formed from loop yarns inserted in parallel to ground warp yarns are provided upright on one side of a base fabric formed from ground warp yarns and ground weft yarns satisfies all the following requirements 1) to 3). 1) The loop yarn is a multi-filament yarn formed by bundling 5 to 9 filaments of 30 to 45 decitex. 2) The density of the looped engaging elements is in a range of 100 to 200/cm.sup.2. 3) Loop surfaces of the looped engaging elements are substantially facing in the same direction and the loop surface facing direction is a ground weft yarn direction.

A loop-forming closure element for hook-and-loop fasteners embodies an embossed nonwoven material having continuous fibers of a spun bonded fabric and carded staple fibers. The continuous fibers and the staple fibers are intertwined and form a common nonwoven material layer as a fiber blend.

A fixturing apparatus which includes a tubular member formed to have an aperture extending therethrough, the aperture having a first end and a second end, in combination with a plurality of locking teeth disposed on a surface defining said aperture and extending into the aperture.

A method of bonding or debonding objects includes providing a first object including a first substrate with moveable features thereon which provide an actuated and a non-actuated state having different protrusion from the first substrate or a different curvature. A second object has an array of loops thereon. The moveable features while in one of the actuated state and non-actuated state are positioned, sized and shaped to fit within the loops. The moveable features include or are mechanically coupled to a material which responds to application of an actuating condition including electrical current, temperature, or an electromagnetic field by changing between the actuated state and the non-actuated state. Electrical current, temperature, or an electromagnetic field is automatically applied or changed to trigger a state change between the actuated state and non-actuated state that results in a bonding event or a debonding event between the first object and the second object.

A fixturing apparatus that includes a housing defining an interior space and having a trapezoidal cross-section, a first end, and an opposing second end, and is formed to include an aperture extending therethrough from the first end to said second end. The fixturing apparatus further comprises a flexible strap and a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip to allow identifying and tracking the fixturing apparatus.

Sheet having fastening elements, comprising a base strip made of thermoplastic material and at least one element made from the strip, the element consisting of a stem extending in a transverse, in particular vertical, direction to the plane of the base strip, and having a cross section which is substantially uniform or decreases from the base strip towards the apex of the stem, in particular as far as the apex of the stem, and a part forming a head which protrudes laterally from the apex of the stem.

The invention relates to a method for forming a fastener having fastener members (23, 63) wherein molten polymer material is deposited by a deposition device onto a contact release surface (7, 27, 32), thereby forming preform projections (20, 60), which contact the front surface (21) of a carrier (13, 62) with their terminal ends (22, 61) and bond to the carrier (13, 62). The carrier (13, 62) is removed with the preform projections (20, 60) attached, thereby separating the preform projections (20, 60) from the contact release surface (7, 27, 32) and forming fastening members (23, 63) projecting from the front surface (21) of the carrier (13, 62). The invention relates further to a method for manufacturing a precursor web (66) for manufacturing a fastener, a fastener web (91, 94,101) for engaging with a loop fabric and a precursor web (66) for manufacturing a fastener.

A fastening strip for touch fasteners is provided which includes a corrugated portion as well as fastening elements. The corrugated portion allows the strip to be bent in a plane perpendicular as well as parallel with the longitudinal axis of the strip such that it may be applied to curved surfaces and remain substantially flat. Fastening elements such as hooks, loops, mushroom-shaped, bulbous and double hooks may be included on both sides of the strip and on the walls of the channels that form the corrugations as well as between the corrugations. The corrugated fastening strips may be useful for automotive seating and diaper applications. Processes for forming the corrugated fastening strip area also disclosed.