APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF NEEDLE PUNCHED NONWOVENS

Abstract

An apparatus for the production of needle punched nonwovens makes it possible to introduce different materials via the nonwoven thickness and/or nonwoven width into the individual layers during their production.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the production of multilayer needle punched nonwovens with the same or different materials and quantities over the nonwoven thickness and/or nonwoven width of the respective individual layers, comprising interspersing devices (4, 5, 6, 7) for applying the materials to at least one or more unneedled or needled fibre web layer(s) (1, 2), one or more of the interspersing devices (4, 5, 6, 7) being located between pickup conveyor belts (11, 12) of a card (10).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a card (10) with two, three or four pickups.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising two cards (10) arranged one behind the other, wherein the layers can be laid down on a lay-up device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising two cards (10) and two lay-up devices arranged side by side.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising controllable and/or switchable interspersing devices (4, 5, 6, 7) between two pickup conveyor belts (11, 12).

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, comprising two cards (10) arranged one behind the other, wherein the layers can be laid down on a lay-up device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, comprising controllable and/or switchable interspersing devices (4, 5, 6, 7) between two pickup conveyor belts (11, 12).

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, comprising two cards (10) and two lay-up devices arranged side by side.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, comprising controllable and/or switchable interspersing devices (4, 5, 6, 7) between two pickup conveyor belts (11, 12).

10. The apparatus according to claim 2, comprising controllable and/or switchable interspersing devices (4, 5, 6, 7) between two pickup conveyor belts (11, 12).

Description

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises a double pickup carding machine 10 (FIG. 1), in which the interspersing devices 4, 5, 6, 7 are arranged between the two pickup conveyor belts 11, 12 and can be controlled and/or switched on differently here.

[0012] FIG. 2 shows a multi-pickup card with the corresponding interspersing devices 13, 14 and 15, 16, 17.

[0013] In FIG. 3, 2 cards are arranged one behind the other and the layers then are transferred to a lay-up device. This allows a good reciprocity and variability of the materials to be interspersed. With this arrangement, different base nonwoven qualities can also be realised by selective choice of the individual layers.

[0014] FIG. 4 shows the arrangement of 2 cards and 2 lay-up devices arranged next to each other. The advantage of this arrangement is that the same or different interspersing materials can be used with regard to the number of layers per lay-up device and thus at the top or bottom. The distribution of the interspersing material and thus the variation of the weight ranges is given.

[0015] The core of the present invention is thus the provision of an apparatus which makes it possible to intersperse and needle the same or different materials and/or quantities as regrind and/or fibres and/or flakes and/or powder between fibre webs in a card depending on the acoustic and mechanical requirements of the component to be produced from the nonwoven.

[0016] The apparatus according to the invention thus enables interspersing as required by arranging interspersing devices 4, 5, 6, 7 between the pickups of a card and controlling them.

[0017] The advantage of the present invention lies in the provision of deformation-appropriate/stable nonwovens in which property-influencing layer structures can already be produced during their manufacture via the thickness and/or width of the respective individual layers. This eliminates the need for laminating, sewing and the like of individual layers during the production of components, as well as the time-consuming changing of rolls or blanks; laminating systems are no longer required and this is associated in particular with a reduction in cycle time.

Example of Execution

[0018] For the production of a deformation-resistant/stable nonwoven comprising 8 individual layers with a total weight of 1600 g/m.sup.2 for the manufacture of textile wheel arch liners, 150 g/m.sup.2 glass fibre/panox/PET/BiCo ground material is incorporated into a first layer—later facing the wheel—and 150 g/m.sup.2 PP/PET/BiCo ground material is incorporated into a second layer following the first layer, 150 g/m.sup.2 of PP/PET/BiCo ground material into a second layer following the first, and 150 g/m.sup.2 of glass fibre/Panox/PET/BiCo ground material into the outer eighth layer, which will later face the body, and 150 g/m.sup.2 of mineral and glass fibre ground material into the seventh layer underneath. The base nonwoven consists of a commercially available 40 wt. % PP and 60 wt. % PET fibre.

[0019] An apparatus according to the invention with the interspersing devices as described above is used for this purpose.

[0020] The fleece was then formed into wheel arch shells using standard methods [contact heating field (T=200° C.; t=50 sec; gap width=4 mm), tool (T=20° C.; t=50 sec; gap width=3.5 mm)].

[0021] The wheel arch liner has improved behaviour in terms of stiffness, temperature resistance and flammability due to the interspersed and needled materials.