EP1022363B1 - A method for producing polymer fibers and apparatus therefor - Google Patents

A method for producing polymer fibers and apparatus therefor Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1022363B1
EP1022363B1 EP00660006A EP00660006A EP1022363B1 EP 1022363 B1 EP1022363 B1 EP 1022363B1 EP 00660006 A EP00660006 A EP 00660006A EP 00660006 A EP00660006 A EP 00660006A EP 1022363 B1 EP1022363 B1 EP 1022363B1
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Prior art keywords
filaments
fibers
surface treatment
fiber
filament
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
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EP1022363A1 (en
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Joni Hautojärvi
Margareta Huldén
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Suominen Nonwovens Ltd
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Suominen Nonwovens Ltd
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    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
    • D04H3/005—Synthetic yarns or filaments
    • D04H3/007—Addition polymers
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01D—MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS
    • D01D10/00—Physical treatment of artificial filaments or the like during manufacture, i.e. during a continuous production process before the filaments have been collected
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01—NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01F—CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBON FILAMENTS
    • D01F6/00—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof
    • D01F6/02—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof from homopolymers obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
    • D01F6/04—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof from homopolymers obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds from polyolefins
    • D01F6/06—Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of synthetic polymers; Manufacture thereof from homopolymers obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds from polyolefins from polypropylene
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/42—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties characterised by the use of certain kinds of fibres insofar as this use has no preponderant influence on the consolidation of the fleece
    • D04H1/4282—Addition polymers
    • D04H1/4291—Olefin series
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/40—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties
    • D04H1/44—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling
    • D04H1/46—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres
    • D04H1/492—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres from fleeces or layers composed of fibres without existing or potential cohesive properties the fleeces or layers being consolidated by mechanical means, e.g. by rolling by needling or like operations to cause entanglement of fibres by fluid jet
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H1/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres
    • D04H1/70—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres
    • D04H1/74—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of staple fibres or like relatively short fibres characterised by the method of forming fleeces or layers, e.g. reorientation of fibres the fibres being orientated, e.g. in parallel (anisotropic fleeces)
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
    • D04H3/08—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating
    • D04H3/10—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating with bonds between yarns or filaments made mechanically
    • D04H3/11—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating with bonds between yarns or filaments made mechanically by fluid jet
    • D—TEXTILES; PAPER
    • D04—BRAIDING; LACE-MAKING; KNITTING; TRIMMINGS; NON-WOVEN FABRICS
    • D04H—MAKING TEXTILE FABRICS, e.g. FROM FIBRES OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; FABRICS MADE BY SUCH PROCESSES OR APPARATUS, e.g. FELTS, NON-WOVEN FABRICS; COTTON-WOOL; WADDING ; NON-WOVEN FABRICS FROM STAPLE FIBRES, FILAMENTS OR YARNS, BONDED WITH AT LEAST ONE WEB-LIKE MATERIAL DURING THEIR CONSOLIDATION
    • D04H3/00—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length
    • D04H3/08—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating
    • D04H3/16—Non-woven fabrics formed wholly or mainly of yarns or like filamentary material of substantial length characterised by the method of strengthening or consolidating with bonds between thermoplastic filaments produced in association with filament formation, e.g. immediately following extrusion

Definitions

  • Hydroentanglement or spunlacing is a nonwoven production method, where a fiber web is bonded by means of fine water jets under high pressure.
  • a carded web is placed on a moving conveyor belt which transports the web under several rows of water jets.
  • the water pressure in the jets is increased stepwise from the first array to the last array of jets.
  • the fibers in the web are entangled by mechanical energy imparted to the web by the water jets.
  • the entanglement retains the fibers in the nonwoven without the need for additional bonding such as thermal bonding or chemical bonding. Further general information about hydroentanglement can be found, for example, in the US patents nr. 3,485,706 and nr. 3,485,708 (Evans ).
  • Typical fibers used are cellulose-based fibers such as cotton, pulp or viscose, and chemical fibers such as polyester (polyethylene terephtalate) or polypropylene.
  • a typically used fiber mixture ratio is 30-70% viscose fibers and 70%-30% polyester fibers by weight of the web.
  • polypropylene fibers in hydroentanglement is limited due to their hydrophobic nature.
  • a water droplet forms a contact angle of about 105° on a polypropylene surface while it forms a contact angle of about 80° on a polyester surface.
  • a surface is hydrophobic if the water contact angle is greater than 90° and hydrophilic if the said contact angle is smaller than 90°. Due to this difference in fiber wettability properties, hydroentanglement of a web containing polypropylene fibers is more diffucult than hydroentanglement of a web containing polyester fibers for two reasons. First, when the amount of hydrophobic polypropylene fibers is increased in the web, the water repellency of the web increases. Due to the increasing water repellency, the water jets do not penetrate the web completely. This effect leads to a loss of hydroentanglement energy absorbed by the web.
  • the amount of spin finishes needed to control the fiber surface properties is different for polypropylene and polyester fibers.
  • an amount of 0.5% of spin finishes, by weight of the fibers has to be added to a polypropylene fiber surface in a staple fiber spinning process.
  • an add-on level of 0.10-0.15% of spin finishes, by weight of the fibers is sufficient.
  • the spin finishes to be applied are preferably conventional fiber finishes which are well known within the fiber industry.
  • a spin finish is a mixture of surface-active agents containing cohesion agents, lubricants, antistatic agents, wetting agents and emulsifiers.
  • the function of lubricants and cohesion agents is to reduce fiber-to-metal friction and to improve fiber-to-fiber cohesion by increasing fiber-to-fiber friction.
  • the lubricants for fiber-to-metal surfaces are typically fatty acid esters, while the cohesion agents are ethoxylates of fatty acids.
  • Antistatic agents reduce the build-up of static charge during fiber processing by providing a conductive layer on the fiber surface.
  • the most commonly used antistatic agents in spin finishes are phosphate esters or quaternary amines.
  • Wetting agents improve the wettability properties of fibers by reducing the water contact angle on the fiber surface.
  • Emulsifiers are used to create oil-in-water spin finish emulsions which can be diluted with water.
  • Suitable spin finish formulations are available e.g. under the trade names Silastol (Schill & Seilacher GmbH & Co., Boeblingen, Germany), Cirrasol (Uniqema, London, UK) and Stantex (Henkel KGaA, Duesseldorf, Germany).
  • the surface-active agents included in the spin finishes create problems in the hydroentanglement process.
  • spin finishes dissolve from the fibers into the hydroentanglement water.
  • the dissolved spin finishes reduce the surface tension of the entanglement water and stabilize air bubbles in the water.
  • Air stabilization causes water foaming, which is an undesired effect in hydroentanglement. Since the entanglement water has to be purified by filtration and circulated, the amount of impurities dissolved from the fibers in the water has to be kept as low as possible.
  • the consumption of entanglement water during the hydroentaglement of a web containing polypropylene staple fibers is thus high. This is due to the fact that polypropylene fibers require typically about four times higher add-on levels of spin finishes than polyester or viscose fibers.
  • JP 01192871 A presents a method where a nonwoven fabric containing hydrophobic fibers is subjected to corona treatment to give the fabric hydrophilic properties.
  • the patent application publication WO 97/11834 discloses a corona treatment method applicable amoung others for meltblown nonwovens to impart wettability properties to hydrophobic nonwovens.
  • Tsai and Wadsworth, Textile Res. J., vol. 67 (1997), nr. 5., p. 359 report plasma treatment for increasing the surface free energy of polypropylene meltblown nonwovens.
  • Patent publication US 4,310,478 discloses a method for producing reinforcing fibres of a plastic having a specific surface tension.
  • EP 0 484 830 A1 is focused on a method for treating a fibrous porous web, wherein one step is to apply a corona discharge to the web.
  • the present invention concerns a method for producing polymer, especially polyolefin fiber filaments with increased surface free energy, the method comprising the steps of forming a melt from a hydrophobic polymer, spinning the melt to form filaments, applying a spin finish to the filaments, and optionally crimping and cutting the filaments into staple fibers.
  • a surface treatment step preferably a corona discharge, plasma or flame treatment step is included in the method, for increasing the surface free energy of the fibers.
  • the invention also concerns an apparatus or production line for carrying out the invention.
  • the surface free energy is increased by corona or plasma treatment.
  • corona or plasma treatment This leads to two significant improvements to the current state of the art.
  • Second, the add-on level of spin finishes, in order to impart good lubrication and antistatic properties to the fibers, can be reduced by 30-50% during spinning. As a result of the reduction of spin finish add-on level, less impurities dissolve from the web containing said fibers, into the circulating entanglement water.
  • the present invention provides a method for producing polypropylene filaments and staple fibers therefrom for the manufacture of hydroentangled nonwovens.
  • the method comprises corona-discharge, plasma or flame treatment of a polypropylene filament tow during a melt-spinning process.
  • polypropylene is the preferred hydrophobic fiber in the manufacture of hydroentangled nonwovens, it should be observed that the method is also applicable for the production of fibers for hydroentanglement from other polymers having low surface free energy (water contact angle greater than 90°), such as polyethylene. Since the corona treatment is carried out in ambient air and it is a continuous process, corona treatment is the more preferred method for increasing the surface free energy of filaments during the melt-spinning process than the plasma or flame treatment techniques.
  • a typical corona discharge apparatus is comprised of two electrodes.
  • a high AC voltage having typically a frequency of 9-30 kHz and a voltage of 10-15 kV, is connected to a working electrode.
  • the high voltage causes ionisation of the air in the gap between the two electrodes.
  • the grounded electrode is typically a roller made from stainless steel.
  • Suitable materials for the working electrode are for example bare metals or ceramics.
  • the isolator between the electrodes is the treated material and the air gap. When porous materials, such as filament tows, are treated, the material has to be electrically isolated from the electrodes.
  • corona treatment units having a roller-electrode configuration are limited to thin materials since the air gap between the electrodes can be adjusted typically between 1 mm and 2.5 mm.
  • plasma or corona jets are preferred. Corona jets blow ionised air generated by electrical discharge to the surface of the material to be treated.
  • ions, radicals, excited molecules, photons and ozone are generated in the air gap between the electrodes.
  • These components include energy enough to break the polymer chains on the surface of a treated polyolefin material, generating polymer radicals.
  • Oxygen, including oxygen radicals, and ozone in the corona react with the polymer radicals on the material surface, forming peroxides.
  • Figure 1 is shown one preferred embodiment of a line for the production of polyolefin fibers with increased surface free energy.
  • the titer of the fibers is preferably between 1.4 and 6 dtex.
  • polymer granulates are fed to an extruder (11) after which the melted polymer is pumped through a spinnerette (12) having a plurality of holes with a typical diameter of 0.25 mm.
  • Polymer filaments forming a filament tow (13) are drawn from the spinnerette (12) with a first set of godets (17). After the spinnerette (12) the polymer filaments are quenched and a spin finish is added to the filament tow (13) with a kiss-roll applicator (14).
  • the surface treatment unit (15) increases the surface free energy of the polymer filaments in the tow (13) by corona discharge or by plasma jet treatment.
  • the treatment unit (15) is preferably capable of treating both sides of the tow (13).
  • the polymer filaments in the surface portion of the tow (13) have an average water contact angle value of less than 95°, and more preferably a contact angle value of less than 90°. Since the surface treatment (15) imparts some electrical charge to the polymer filaments, the filament-to-filament cohesion in the tow (13) decreases. For this reason, an additional spin finish kiss-roll applicator (16) for the elimination of the electrical charge in the tow (13) is preferably provided after the surface treatment (15).
  • the add-on level of spin finishes in the first kiss-roll applicator (14) is preferably less than 0.10 % by weight of the tow.
  • the surface treatment (15) is preferably provided after the spinnerette (12), in the vicinity thereof, in which case the kiss-roll applicator (14) can be left out.
  • a surface treatment step can be provided prior to the kiss-roll applicator (14), the embodiment comprising, in addition, a second surface treatment (20) and subsequent spin finish addition (21) step after the drawing oven (18).
  • This position for the surface treatment close to the spinnerette is advantageous, as the filament tow (13) is here wide and thin. Also, in this position the filament tow (13) is unfinished and the loss of surface treatment efficiency, caused by spin finish, is avoided.
  • the filament tow (13) is drawn in a drawing oven (18) with a second set of godets (19).
  • the draw ratio ⁇ should preferably be less than 1.50 and most preferably less than 1.20, since drawing extends and enlarges the untreated surface area of the fiber tow (13). If the draw ratio ⁇ exceeds 1.50, a second surface treatment unit (20) can be placed after the godets (19) in order to provide a re-treatment of the extended surface area.
  • the filament tow (13) is surface treated and drawn, it is re-finished with spin finishes in a kiss-roll applicator (21) and crimped in a crimper (22).
  • the crimped filament tow is dried in a drying oven (23) and finally cut into staple fibers in a cutter (24). It should be observed that other fiber spinning techniques, such as long-spinning, can also be used for the production of polyolefin fibers according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 shows schematically a typical corona-treatment unit for the treatment of the filament tow (13).
  • the parts are as follows: (25) corona-discharge generator and high-voltage transformer, (26) discharge electrodes, (27) air gap and (28) grounded metal rolls.
  • Figure 3 shows schematically a typical production line for the manufacture of hydroentangled nonwovens, where the parts are as follows: (31) fiber feeder, (32) card, (33) 1 st hydroentanglement station, (34) 2 nd hydroentanglement station, (35) dryer and (36) nonwoven fabric winder.
  • the characteristic feature of the polyolefin staple fibers produced according to the present invention is the increase of surface free energy compared to fibers produced without the described surface treatment.
  • Untreated polyolefin fibers particularly polypropylene and polyethylene fibers, have a water contact angle value of about 95° - 105° or a critical surface tension of less than 33 mN/m.
  • the surface treated fibers have an average water contact angle of less than 95°, or a critical surface tension higher than 33 mN/m, and more preferably a contact angle of less than 90°, or critical surface tension higher than 35 mN/m.
  • the water contact angle values of individual fibers may vary from 60° to about 105°, or critical surface tension values from 49 mN/m to about 31 mN/m. This variation is due to the variation of the exposure of individual filaments in a tow to the surface treatment. It is clear that the filaments on both sides of the tow absorb most of the treatment energy, while the filaments in the middle of the tow get less
  • the surface tension of neat spin finish oils are typically in the same range, while the surface tension of spin finish water dispersions used in the production of polypropylene staple fibers range from 30 mN/m to 40 mN/m. It is well known to anyone skilled in the art that a liquid having a surface tension lower than the critical surface tension of a solid surface, wets completely the solid surface. Thus, if the surface tension of a spin finish is close to the critical surface tension of a hydrophobic fiber, but not below said critical value, spin finish spreading can be improved by increasing the surface free energy of the fiber.
  • the wetting properties of surfactant solutions can not be estimated by comparing the surface tension values of the wetting liquid to the critical surface tension of the fiber due to adsorption effects of the surfactants and the high polarity of water. Therefore, the contact angle values of spin finishes diluted with water against polypropylene fibers have been measured.
  • the studied spin finishes formed an emulsion with a surface tension varying between 32 mN/m and 38 mN/m.
  • the advancing contact angle has been found to vary between 49° and 57° and the receding contact angle between 20° and 27°, depending on the concentration of the spin finish in water. This indicates incomplete wetting of the fibers by the spin finish emulsions.
  • the antistatic properties of the fibers are improved, not only by the improved spin finish spreading, but also by the increase of the surface free energy of the fibers during treatment.
  • the hydrophilicity of the fibers increases, more water adsorbs on the bare fiber surface from humid air. Water forms a conductive layer on the surface, which dissipates static charge. It is believed that both better spin finish spreading and increased hydrophilicity of the fiber surface improve the antistatic properties of the fibers.
  • the reduction of the spin finish add-on level is particularly beneficial in the manufacture of hydroentangled nonwovens, where polyolefin staple fibers, preferably polypropylene staple fibers, are used.
  • the wettability of treated and untreated polypropylene fibers and filaments were determined by means of a Wilhelmy-plate related dynamic contact angle method. Advancing and receding contact angles of a fiber in water were measured with a Cahn DCA-322 dynamic contact angle analyzer by using an immersion speed of 20 ⁇ m/s. The immersion depth of a fiber was in the range of 1-2 mm. Fiber perimeter, which is required as a parameter in the method, was determined microscopically.
  • the electrical resistance of the fibers was measured with an Eltex Tera-Ohm 6206 resistance meter using a ring electrode according to the DIN 54345 T1 standard.
  • the fibers were carded into a web, and the resistance of a 1 g sample of the web was measured in a constant 60% RH (relative humidity) and 25 °C temperature after 16 h conditioning.
  • the electrical resistance represents the ability of fibers to dissipate static charge.
  • a resistance of lower than 1O 10 ⁇ is required with staple fibers in nonwoven production.
  • the antistatic properties were further characterized by measuring the static charge of a web with an Eltex EM-01 Fieldmeter during carding. 25 g of staple fibers were carded in 60% RH, 25°C and the electric field was measured by placing the field sensor above the web at a distance of 6.0 cm.
  • Fibers were carded into a web, and the sinking time of the web placed on a water container was determined according to the EDANA Recommended Test Method ERT 10.2-96 1. "Liquid Absorbency Time"
  • a polypropylene fiber tow containing 30500 filaments was extruded in the compact spinning line shown in Figure 1 .
  • the titer of the fibers, which did not contain spin finishes, was 5.0 dtex.
  • the fiber tow was corona treated with a Sherman treaters PBS350 electrode unit (shown as (15) in Fig. 1 ) connected to a Sherman treaters GX20 generator.
  • the treatment energy varied between 0.3 - 1.6 J/cm 2 .
  • 3.5 dtex polypropylene staple fibers were produced with the compact spinning line shown in Figure 1 .
  • the corona treatment (15) was performed after the first spin-finishing (14) as described in Example 1.
  • the second spin finishing (21) was done before the crimper (22).
  • the corona treatment energy was 0.6 J/cm 2 during the production.
  • the spin finish used was a conventional finish formulation for PP fibers, comprising a mixture of phosphoric acid ester antistatic agent with ethoxylated fatty acids and fatty acid esters as lubricants.
  • Such a finish formulation is e.g. Silastol GF602 available from Schill & Seilacher GmbH & Co (Boeblingen, Germany).
  • Silastol GF602 available from Schill & Seilacher GmbH & Co (Boeblingen, Germany).
  • the contact angle of the fiber tow after the corona treatment was measured as an average of fifty individual filaments as described in Example 1. Corona treated filaments were found to have an advancing contact angle value of 93° and a receding contact angle value of 79°. The contact angle values for the untreated filaments were 101° and 91°, respectively.
  • the antistatic properties of the fibers were characterized by measuring the resistance of the fibers. The hydrophilicity of the fibers was evaluated by the water absorbency time test method. Table 2 lists the measured properties of the fibers with different spin finish add-on levels.
  • 2.2 dtex polypropylene staple fibres were produced with the compact spinning line shown in Figure 1 as described in Example 2.
  • the corona treatment energy was 0.6 J/cm 2 during the production.
  • untreated fibres were produced with the same spin finish add-on levels.
  • the contact angle of the fibre tow after the corona treatment was measured as an average of forty individual filaments as described in Example 1. Corona treated filaments were found to have an advancing contact angle value of 92° and a receding contact angle value of 83°. The contact angle values for untreated filaments were 97° and 91°, respectively. Antistatic and hydrophilic properties of the fibres were characterized as described in Example 2. In addition, the static charge build-up during carding was measured. The results of the tests are listed in Table 3 Table 3 SAMPLE Spin finish add-on, wt% Corona energy, J/cm 2 Resistance 10 9 ⁇ Antistatic properties Static charge build-up.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Or Physical Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)
  • Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
  • Artificial Filaments (AREA)
  • Spinning Methods And Devices For Manufacturing Artificial Fibers (AREA)
EP00660006A 1999-01-20 2000-01-17 A method for producing polymer fibers and apparatus therefor Expired - Lifetime EP1022363B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FI990109A FI107343B (fi) 1999-01-20 1999-01-20 Menetelmä hydrofobisten polymeerikuitujen valmistamiseksi ja laite sitä varten
FI990109 1999-01-20

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EP1022363A1 EP1022363A1 (en) 2000-07-26
EP1022363B1 true EP1022363B1 (en) 2008-10-15

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EP (1) EP1022363B1 (fi)
AT (1) ATE411417T1 (fi)
DE (1) DE60040500D1 (fi)
FI (1) FI107343B (fi)

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US6709623B2 (en) 2000-12-22 2004-03-23 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Process of and apparatus for making a nonwoven web
FI115639B (fi) * 2001-04-11 2005-06-15 Suominen Nonwovens Ltd Menetelmä polymeerikuiduilla olevan avivaasiaineen määrän mittaamiseksi
SE0200476D0 (sv) * 2002-02-15 2002-02-15 Sca Hygiene Prod Ab Hydroentanglat mikrofibermaterial och förfarande för dess framställning
US7488441B2 (en) 2002-06-15 2009-02-10 Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. Use of a pulsating power supply for electrostatic charging of nonwovens
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JPH10130947A (ja) * 1996-10-31 1998-05-19 Kanegafuchi Chem Ind Co Ltd 親水性に優れたポリオレフィン系繊維およびその製造方法

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FI990109A (fi) 2000-07-21
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EP1022363A1 (en) 2000-07-26
DE60040500D1 (de) 2008-11-27
FI107343B (fi) 2001-07-13

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