EP1227741A1

EP1227741A1 - Method and apparatus for producing the male component of a separable fastener, the product produced in this manner and the system containing this product

Info

Publication number: EP1227741A1
Application number: EP00976199A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jozsef Mandzsu, Sr.; Zoltan Mandzsu; Jozsef Mandzsu Jr.
Original assignee: Mandzsu Jozsef Jr; Mandzsu Jozsef Sr; Mandzsu Zoltan
Current assignee: Mandzsu Jozsef Jr; Mandzsu Jozsef Sr; Mandzsu Zoltan
Priority date: 1999-11-09
Filing date: 2000-11-08
Publication date: 2002-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2020-11-08
Also published as: EP1227741B1; WO2001033989A1; ATE303735T1; AU1407401A; DE60022532D1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing the male component of a separable fastener, in which protrusions are formed on the whole base surface of the male component or on one or more part thereof to be attached with the female component the base surface of the male component by arranging particles on said base surface in random orientation way, in which the particles angle accidentally in one of their possible stable static orientation states and the particles are fixed to the base surface, in which one or more hooking protrusions are formed on one or more parts of the base surface of the male component by a) forming said hooking protusions as hooking stems and/or b) arranging one or more particles having a concave surface on the base surface and fixing them to the base surface in said random orientation manner and/or c) arranging one or more particles on one or more protrusions projecting from the base surface in said random orientation manner and fixing them to the protusions. Another subject-matter of the invention is a male component of a separable fastener.

Description

Method and apparatus for producing the male component of a separable fastener, the product produced in this manner and the system containing this product

Technical Field

The invention relates to fixing clips closing after getting into contact with each other and production of such fixing clips. Within this field the subject-matter of the invention is a separable fastener and its producing (method and apparatus), closable by touch or press whose function is based on the engaging of its male and female components, and which fixes two surfaces to each other in a separable way and the fixing has a higher or lower shearing, peeling and lifting strength. Furtheron the invention relates to the system containing the male component according to the invention.

Background of the Art

The separable fasteners closable by touch or press typically consist of two different components: a penetrating, male component and a receiving, so-called fe- male component.

The female component usually comprises free fibres which can be hooked, caught by the engaging protrusions of the male component. The female component can comprise a yarn or yarns or pieces of yarn comprising one or more elementary fibres and/or fabric produced by means of one or more of weaving, knitting and non-woven production technologies. The female component is usually fixed to one of the surfaces to be fixed or this surface is covered with this component. The female component can comprise loops and/or free fibre sections which do not form loops. At the same time such a female component is also known which does not comprise fibres, but it has a receiving character or is usable as a fixing component due to its comprising such a relatively soft, permeable e.g. foamed component into which the hooking protrusions of the male component can penetrate and can make in this way a fixing contact.

The male component of some of the known types of fastener comprises such engaging protrusions which are formed as more or less resilient hooking stems. The hooking stem projects from the base surface carrying the engaging protrusions perpendicularly to it or closes an acute angle with this surface, one end of the stem is strongly fixed to the base surface and such a hooking part is formed in its section(s) positioned farther from the base surface and/or at its distal from the base surface end that is suitable for hooking and fixing the attaching parts of the female component. These hooking stems are produced by means of one or more of plastic moulding, fibre production, knitting and weaving technologies. Such types of male components are disclosed in the US 4 894 060 and US 5 761 775 Patent Specifications. In the other known type of male components (such a type is disclosed in the

WO 99/21683 International Patent Application) the engaging elements of the male component are protrusions forming one unit with its so-called base surface to be attached to the female component, the protrusions being formed by granules. One of the most advantageous known ways of producing such a type of male component (a solution of the present inventors, WO 98/34775 Patent Application and International Publication) is to disperse particles, preferably granules over the said base surface and fix the particles in relation to the base surface. In an advantageous way of its realisation plastic powder is dispersed utilising the gravity force onto a horizontal thermoplastic layer capable of welding forming the base surface, and this state of the base surface is maintained until the solidity of the welding between the granules of the powder dispersed onto the surface and the plastic base surface achieves the appropriate degree.

The advantage of the known male components comprising hooking stems lies in their typically high shear strength and their high lifting and peeling strength. Meanwhile their disadvantage lies in their relatively expensive production as well as in that in certain applications their usual lifting and peeling strengths are too high and make the separation of the components of the fastener too difficult (such an application is e.g. the application in conventional Velcro-buffers, the back surface of which is covered by velour, the female component of said Velcro).

The advantage of the known male components comprising protrusions formed by granules lies in that these male components can be produced very cheaply by applying the above mentioned known method because on the one hand the method itself can be carried out at low cost and on the other hand the element necessary to this method (powder consisting of granules) is one of the cheapest forms of the given basic material. So the essence of the known method for producing this type of male component lies in that protrusions ensuring the engagement with the female component are formed on the base surface or on one or more parts of the base surface of the male component to be attached to the female component by dispersing particles (in the known cases e.g. granules) onto the said base surface and fixing these particles to the base surface. The economic efficiency of the method lies in that the particles are not to be brought onto the base surface one by one and fully or partly oriented in a certain direction (e.g. their top surfaces arranged necessarily upwards and their lower surfaces arranged downwards), but their bringing onto the base surface is carried out in a so-called random orientation manner in which the particles accidentally become fixed relative to the base surface randomly taking any one of their possible stable balanced orientation states.

As it is known, the actual spatial position of a particle in relation to the base surface is defined precisely by the position of the particle's centre of mass in rela- tion to the base surface and the particle's orientation state, this latter being the direction of the spatial co-ordinate system ordered to the particle in relation to the coordinate system of the base surface. So the method is very simple and cheap, because the particles are brought to the base surface in a random orientation manner and they can get into any final orientation state in relation to the base surface. In 4

this case the particles can randomly get into any stable orientation state defined by the shape of the receiving environment and forces acting to the particles, so none of such orientation states is excluded or required as the final position. As far as the said example is concerned there is no such state defined in which the particle could be abnormally upside down and the particle has no special points that should look for example upward or downward. The bringing of the particles onto the base surface in the random orientation way is a method easier, simpler and cheap than any other different method. Taking an illustrative example, it is simpler and easier to throw down the same dice randomly than putting them down in such a manner that the upper surface of all the dice show e.g. an even number or the number six.

A further advantage of the known male components comprising protrusions formed by granules lies in that they characteristically offer a high shear strength due to the granules fixed strongly to the base surface.

These separable fasteners offer a significant strength in the shearing direc- tion, but their serious disadvantage lies in their very low peeling and lifting strengths, so these products can only be used in applications in which this deficiency causes no difficulty. Such an application is the fixing of abrasive tools in which the pressing force is usually ensured during abrading. However, in the case of use of separable fasteners the fasteners are also usually affected by load in the lifting or peeling direction which the fastener should stand without any external pressing force, i.e. the fastener should have a minimum lifting and peeling strength. In such cases at these kinds of separable fasteners according to the known solution it is necessary to use a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, which may be disadvantageous e.g. because of the higher costs of production, the undesirable contamination of the adhesive layer or the too short lifetime of the fastener.

Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the invention is to form such a new type of separable fastener by improving the known type of male component formed in the said random orienta- tion manner, whose male component can be cheaply manufactured and has a high shear strength and an appropriate lifting and/or peeling strength.

The following factors have lead to the development of the solution according to the invention. The high shear strength and low lifting and peeling strength of the male component comprising attaching parts formed by granules is caused by the fact that, although the particles projecting from and strongly fixed to the base plane can strongly fix the attaching parts of the female component adjacent to them in the case of load acting in shearing direction i.e. at a load acting essentially in a direction par- allel with the base plane, they can not fix these attaching parts in the case of a stress in the lifting and/or peeling direction, at a load acting in a direction removing from the base plane (i.e. the load containing more or less component peφendicular to the base plane), because said attaching parts slip off the protrusions because of their shape. The contact between the male and female components of a separable fastener has a relatively high lifting and/or peeling strength if the male component can fix the attaching parts (e.g. fibre sections) of the female component abutting adjacently to the male component even if the direction of the resultant load exerted by them to the male component is nearly pcφendicular to and removing from the base plane of the male component. The known solutions based on hooking stems are typically this kind. So in order of a required lifting and peeling strength such a male component is necessary that not only comprises protrusions which ensure an appropriate shear strength and can be produced cheaply by applying the said method, but also comprises such so-called hooking protrusions that, -due to their concave, undercut character shape-, can also fix the attaching parts of the female component in directions non-parallel with, i.e. comprising more or less component peφendicular to, the base surface. The invention is based on the recognition that such hooking protrusions can be formed by using more or fewer hooking stems or more cheaply in such a manner that in the said random orientation manner one or more such particles are brought onto and fastened to the base surface that have concave surfaces, or by bringing in the said random orientation manner and fixing one or more particles, preferably granules, onto existing protrusion(s) projecting from the base surface.

The essence of the method for producing the male component of a separable fastener according to the invention lies in that on the base surface, to be engaged with the female component, of the male component or on one or more portions of that protrusions ensuring engagement with the female component are formed in such a manner that particles are brought onto said base surface in such a random orientation manner in which the particles settle in randomly any of their possible stable balance orientation states relative to the base surface and are fixed to the base surface and, according to the invention, hooking protrusions are formed on said base surface of the male component or on one or more portions of that by forming said hooking protrusions as hooking stems and/or bringing in the said random orientation manner and fixing to the base surface one or more such particles that have concave surfaces and/or by bringing in the said random orientation manner and fixing one or more particles onto one or more protrusions projecting from said base surface.

So the product according to the invention is essentially the male component of a separable fastener that on its base surface to be engaged with the female component comprises protrusions ensuring the engagement with the female component, the protrusions comprising granules, the male component according to the invention on its base surface comprises one or more such hooking protrusions that comprise hooking stems and/or comprise such hooking particle, preferably granule, that is directly or indirectly fastened to a protrusion projecting from the base surface.

The base surface of the male component to be engaged with the female com- ponent can be continuous, unbroken in a plate like manner, or can be porous, braced, reticular, trellised, braided or other non plate-like-continuous, in addition the surface can be a planar or curved, rigid or flexible, resilient or inelastic surface which can border the male component from one, more or even all the sides, so it can form one or more parts or the whole of the external bounding surface of the male component. As far as the layers of the structure of the male component are concerned, the male component can comprise one or more (e.g. 2, 3, 4 or more) layers also including the layer forming the surface to be dressed of said base surface. Both said layers and the particles brought onto the base surface can also comprise (in certain cases in the form of fibres) metals and/or metallic oxides and/or other metallic compounds and/or paper and/or textile and/or wood and /or (thermoplastic or non-thermoplastic) plastic and/or natural or synthetic rubber and/or ceramic and/or glass and/or adhesive or binding material or any other materials which ensure an appropriate strength, flexibility, elasticity, mechanic or thermal behaviour, wear resistance, reagent or wash resistance, appropriate exterior, durability, weight etc.

The particles can also be brought in the said random orientation manner onto the base surface in a way that the particles are dispersed onto the base surface (which may already comprise protrusions) in a field of force acting with force to the particles and the particles are allowed to settle in any position in relation to the sur- face. Said field can be the gravity field and/or an electrostatic field and/or electromagnetic field and/or centrifugal field and/or aerodynamic field etc. The dispersing means that the particles are released in the field in order that they can become fixed directly or indirectly to the base surface or protrusions projecting from the base surface. The particles can be brought onto the base surface by spraying, blowing, ketching or pouring the particles and/or the medium containing the particles (e.g. liquid, powder mixture or paste etc.) onto the base surface. The particles can also be brought onto the base surface by precipitating the particles (from steam, compound, solution etc.) on or onto the base surface. The bringing of the particles onto the base surface can also be carried out by mechanically contacting the particles with the base surface and so a part or all of the contacting particles adhere to the base surface by the particles and/or base surface having sticky surfaces. The bringing or spraying of the particles onto the base surface is preferably carried out evenly in time during the operation and in space over the concerned surface area. The evenness can also be ensured with additional operations e.g. passing the moving particles through an equalising or averaging screen or sift. Both the particles and the base surface can be either solid or more or less plastic when the particles are brought onto the base surface. The fixing can be carried out by embedding and/or by sticking the plastic surface(s) together and/or by adhesive binding and/or welding or in any other ap- propriate manner. The binding fixing the particles or granules to the base surface and the particles or granules themselves are strong enough to ensure said engagement at least in shearing direction.

The hooking protrusion ensuring the appropriate lifting strength can also be formed in such a manner that hooking stem(s) is(are) fastened to said base surface of the male component. These are preferably resilient to such an extent that their reversible deformation allows separation without any damage in the case of separation of the fastener. But these hooking stems can also be so rigid that the attaching parts of the male or female component are damaged in the case of the separation of the fastener. The direction of the inclination of their stems can be either pcφen- dicular to the base surface or close an acute angle with the base surface and they can be arranged in a regular order or at random. They can also comprise a common carrier, on which they can form a separate isle in relation to the other protrusions, but such a carrier is not necessarily needed. It is possible that the common carrier of the hooking stems is also the base surface of the male component, on which other pro- trusions arc also formed on the free surface portions between the hooking stems. Their basic material can be similar or different (e.g. plastic and plastic material) or the same as the that of the other protrusions. Their size and colour can be different, but preferably similar to those of the other protrusions.

The other possibility is that one or more hooking protrusions are formed on the base surface in a way that one or more particles having concave surface are brought onto and fixed on the base surface in said random orientation manner. The concave, i.e. recessing surface parts of the irregular particles oriented accidentally in different directions allow such an engagement with the attaching parts of the female component, that has an appropriate lifting and peeling strength due to the attaching parts of the female component getting into the concave recesses of the particle. The greatest dimension of the concave particles is generally between 3 microns and 30 millimetres but can also be outside this interval.

A similar effect is achieved if one or more further particles are brought and fixed to a protrusion already being on the base surface of the male component during the forming of said hooking protrusion. In this case, due to the said random orientation method and/or particles of basically irregular, random shape (granules) being applied, such undercuts, corners, recesses and hollows are formed in the hooking protrusion, that enable the hooking protrusion to render the fastener a cer- tain lifting strength.

Particles can also be brought onto existing protrusions by using a base surface (of the male component), on which one or more protrusions have already been formed e.g. by embossing and/or moulding and/or chipping and/or previous fixing of particles to the base surface or in any other appropriate manner. The particles brought in the method onto the base surface of the male component can be granules. The granules can be produced by means of the known size reducing methods, in which a bigger body is transformed into particles with braying, grinding or chopping and perhaps screening etc. or by moulding or direct isolation from a liquid or gas typically in a chemical way (such is the so-called reactor powder produced from polyethylene) or precipitation (e.g. from solutions) and/or by means of any powder production technology or in any other appropriate manner. As far as the sizes of the granules are concerned, they can be relatively small (powder granules), but their greatest dimension is usually between 3 microns and 30 millimetres but can also be outside this interval. The shape of the granules is more or less regular depending on the production technology and can vary from the completely irregular shape to the regular one (e.g. spherical).

The proportion of the hooking protrusions in relation to all engaging protrusions is determinative for the rate of the lifting or peeling and shear strength. This proportion can vary from 0, but it can be at most 100%, but within this interval the proportion can be in any interval depending on the concrete aim of utilisation or way of forming, the limits of which can be for example any of 0.1%, 10% 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%. The hooking protrusions are preferably distributed evenly over the base surface and the projections of their pos- sible main hooking directions are preferably distributed symmetrically and evenly in its plane. These can be two or more opposite or symmetric directions or a continuous trend distribution is also possible.

The particles (preferably granules) utilised in the method can be classified, divided into size intervals (preferably by screening through several screens having different mesh sizes i.e. division into fractions) in advance, before the bringing of the particles onto the base surface and so a step of the method can be providing particles belonging to appropriate size intervals.

In the method particles are brought onto the base surface or protrusions projecting from that and are fixed to the base surface or the protrusions projecting from the base surface. In this method- step the base surface or one or more parts of that, one or more protrusions projecting from the base surface or one or more brought particles can be solid or more or less plastic. In this latter case it is advantageous if, as a further step of the method, the particles, the base surface and/or protrusions of the base surface arc solidified in the case of necessity at least in a measure that al- lows the appropriate fixing of the particles. The non-solid components can be solidified by cooling, drying, chemical processes e.g. crystallisation or cross-linking, by external effects (e.g. energy-, light-, ultraviolet-light- etc. irradiation, addition of heat, heat-distracting, environmental air change etc.) or without any of these effects. The advantageous hooking effect of the concave particle is even more effec- tive if the particle has a concave outline, which means that the particle has such a projection view the external outline of which is concave, this namely ensures better the hooking of the attaching parts of the female component.

The concave particles and those of concave outlines can be formed by moulding and/or profiling and/ore melt-spinning and a possible further heat treat- ment and/or any other physical or chemical treatment and/or by chopping or by fixing several particles to each other or in any other appropriate way. The particles are advantageous which have e.g. a spatial shape similar to marguerite, i.e. they have projections positioned in several directions of the space. Shaped particles can also be formed preferably by fixing granules to each other. In this method step 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or more granules can be fixed to each other, preferably in an essentially random arrangement. The number of the granules fixed to each other can also be chosen at random. The material of the granules can contain metal, metallic oxides and/or other metallic compounds and/or paper and/or textile and/or wood and/or (thermoplastic or non thermoplastic) plastic and/or natural or synthetic rubber and/or ceramic and/or glass and/or adhesive or binding material or any other materials which ensure an appropriate strength, flexibility, elasticity, mechanic or thermal behaviour, wear resistance, reagent or wash resistance, appropriate exterior, durability, weight etc. The fixing of the said particles, preferably granules, to each other can be carried out by embedding and/or cohering of plastic surfaces to each other and/or adhesive binding and/or welding or in any other appropriate way. Concave particles can be preferably formed by coating a (preferably relatively big) granule with adhesive material (e.g. an adhesive or varnish cross-linking from the effect of ultraviolet irradiation) or making the granule weldable by heating or making it able to fix in any other appropriate way and dropping it among other loose particles preferably also enabled to fix and preferably having relatively smaller sizes or spraying it with these other granules or bringing it into contact with these other granules in another way, e.g. by knocking them against each other in air, and solidifying the adhesive material or carrying out the welding in an appropriate way or carrying out the fixing in any other appropriate way. Said operation can preferably be carried out on a release surface, e.g. PTFE or silicone, from which the concave particles or particles having concave outlines can easily be detached after the finishing of fixing and utilised. The sizes of the particles fixed to each other can be more or less identical or different. One of the particles fixed to each other is preferably bigger and there are preferably one or more smaller particles, the rate of bigger and smaller sizes being preferably more than 1 , more preferably more than 1.5 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or more. So the method according to the invention preferably also includes, as a further step, the forming of the concave particles or particles of concave outlines for example in the aforementioned manner before bringing them onto the base surface. In a possible realisation of the method further one or more particles are brought onto and fixed to the protrusion(s) already being on the base surface of the male component. The bringing of particles onto existing protrusions can be carried out in such a manner that such a base surface of male component is used on which one or more protrusions have been previously formed e.g. by embossing and/or moulding and/or machining and/or previous fixing of particles to the base surface or in any other appropriate manner. Thus providing the base surface with protrusions can be one of the steps of the method before bringing the particles on the base surface and the applied base surface can also be a surface which has previously been provided with protrusions.

However, the protrusions projecting from the base surface (to which particles or granules can be fixed according to the invention) can be formed in the most pref- erable way by bringing particles or granules on the base surface in random orientation way and fixing them to this surface. Said protrusions arc preferably protrusions formed by granules and fixed to the base surface. So in this way of realisation of the method particles are brought and fixed onto the base surface and then further particles are brought and fixed to these particles and this latter bringing and fixing can be repeated once or several times. Said particles brought and fixed can be concave particles, preferably granules. The random orientational bringing of the particles is preferably the earlier mentioned dispersing of the particles. Said fixing can, on request, always be supplemented by jamming, rolling or pressing of the particles or protrusions, which e.g. in the case of adhesive binding or welding can promote the fixing.

When a particle is brought in the random orientation manner and fixed onto the base surface or a protrusion projecting from it, it is necessary for the particle to settle having arrived to its destination position and having contacted the base surface or the protrusion and to get fixed to it at the contact surface. Therefor it may be necessary to render at least one of the surfaces to be fixed able to fix. This rendering fixable can be carried out before and/or after the moment of contact. If, under the given circumstances, e.g. the actual force effects (such as gravity force etc.) the particle can only appropriately settle on the base surface or protrusion at the moment of being brought there if at least one of the surfaces to be fixed is already fix- able at the moment of the contact, the surface should preferably rendered fixable before the said bringing. For example, the elements need not to be rendered fixable before bringing the particles onto the base surface if the particles are to be dispersed and fixed onto a horizontal base surface in a gravitation field, because the particle can even this way settle on the base surface in the required manner. If, however, the particle is to be brought and fixed onto an existing, e.g. hemispherical, protrusion, then it may be necessary for the particle and/or the protrusion to be rendered fixable (i.e. made capable of fixing) before the bringing, because the particle can only this way be reliably fixed to it in an appropriate measure, otherwise the particle is likely to drop off the protrusion. So in the method the particles brought onto the base surface and/or the base surface and/or the protrusions of the base surface should preferably be rendered fixable before and/or after the bringing of the particles to their destination. The said rendering fixable can be any appropriate action depending on the manner of fixing, by which the required surface becomes capable of fixing the required counteφart surface in a required measure, e.g. bringing adhesive material onto the surface or rendering the surface capable of welding or using plastic, sticky, preferably hot (e.g. so-called hot melt) particles etc. The material of the base surface of the male component and/or that of the engaging protrusions formed on the base surface of the male component and/or that of particles brought onto the base surface is preferably an amoφhous or semi- crystalline material, e.g. an appropriate thermoplastic material, more preferably a weldable polymer, more preferably a weldable polyolefine, e.g. polyethylene. Terms polymers or polyolefmes or polyethylenes also include such materials comprising appropriate additives. The manner of fixing the particles brought onto the base surface of the male component to each other and to the base surface is preferably welding. In an advantageous way of realisation the particles are fixed in the re- quired position by welding. In this case rendering fixable means heating of the particles or base surface part or protrusion to a temperature at which they can weld in an appropriate measure. In the case of polyethylene the particle can get transparent or "glassy" at reaching the weldable state, which can be preferably used for adjusting the parameters of the method. The basic material of the preferably used particles and base surface should be chosen so that they at the appropriate welding temperature are plastic to at most such an extent that in the process they maintain more or less their original shape during and after the fixing. For achieving a wide interval of welding temperature the melt flow index established normally by the ASTM D 1238 Standard of the used polyethylene material is preferably relatively low, preferably lower than 200, more preferably than 100, 50, 25, 10, 5, 2 or l or more preferably lower than 0.5 grams per 10 minutes. If, however, the rendering of the components fixable should be carried out quickly, such polyethylene materials are more preferable whose melt flow index is relatively high, preferably higher than 0.5, more preferably higher than 1 , 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 or 100, but more preferably higher than 200 grams per 10 minutes.

In said manner of realisation of the method, in which particles are brought onto the base surface and its protrusions and fixed to them and then further particles are once or more times brought onto them and fixed to them, the protrusions which have recently been formed are preferably rendered fixable before further particles are brought onto them. This way it can be achieved that the particles brought before the rendering fixable do not settle on each other but on the base surface and are fixed there. And after rendering these particles fixable, the further particles brought to them can be fixed to them. Thus the particles brought within a period of time not containing a finished rendering fixable do typically not get fixed to each other. Thus the required forming of the structure of protrusions can be controlled, e.g. forming base granules and attached granules. This said rendering fixable or enabling to fix can be carried out by e.g. coating the particles newly fixed to the base surface or to its protrusions with adhesive material or by heating them to the welding tempera- ture. This heating is preferably carried out from the direction of the base surface by conducting the heat into the said particle from the direction of the base surface through the protrusion. The level of the heat current is preferably maintained at such a low value that at the temperature gradient caused by this heat current none of the parts is over-heated such that it is not suitable any longer for utilisation. Said direc- tion of the heat flow is more preferable than direct heating of the part of the particle positioned farthest from the base surface carried out e.g. by heat radiation, because just the surface part of the particle to be welded which is in contact with the base surface or its protrusion is heated to the highest temperature, so the excessive heating or overheating of the other parts of the particle can be avoided. In an advantageous realisation of the method a male component is used, the base surface of which is an unintermittcnt or intermittent thermoplastic polymer layer which can be either an independent plastic film or a plastic film layer fixed to a carrier. A further step of the method preceding the previously said method steps can be the fixing of said plastic layer to the said carrier or forming thereof on the carrier. Said fixing can be carried out by adhesive binding of the plastic film to the carrier and/or heating the film in an appropriate measure and then fixing the film to the carrier by pressing it to the carrier and possibly by cooling the film. The forming carried out on said carrier can be carried out by bringing a plastic layer, molten in an appropriate measure and having a thickness great and even enough, onto the car- rier (which can be carried out by dispersing polymer particles, preferably powder onto the carrier and then melting the particles there or by pouring melted, e.g. extruded plastic material onto the carrier) and pressing it to the carrier and possibly cooling them. In the process the base surface is heated (in the presence of a carrier, from the direction of the carrier) and so rendered fixable. The heating can be carried out e.g. by heat radiation or heat conduction or convection or even by heat generated in the carrier itself (e.g. by electromagnetic excitation, e.g. by eddy-current). For achieving geometrical stability the plastic layer of the base surface preferably contains no or only a very low orientation, because the maintenance of the original shape and sizes of the heated plastic layer can be ensured in this way. Therefore such plastic film is preferably used which has not been produced by means of blowing technology, but cast. Said carrier is preferably stable at the said temperature of rendering fixable and changes neither its shape nor its sizes in a long time, does not melt, soften, shrink and does not burn either. The carrier can preferably be e.g. an appropriate paper and/or natural fabric and/or a film, plate or fabric based on a polymer having an appropriate heat resistance, which can be non-woven, and/or woven and/or produced by means of any other technology. In case of a polyethylene base surface, a carrier containing an appropriate polypropylene and/or polyester and/or polyamidc is preferably used. If the male component contains no appropriate carrier besides the plastic film of the base surface, the softened base surface film is preferably provisionally supported mechanically while the film is maintained at a relatively high temperature. For this puφose the plastic film is preferably supported before the heating on an appropriately solid and heat resistant supporting surface having a release surface (e.g. PTFE or silicone), preferably cohered and smoothed onto this supporting surface and then detached from it only after an appropriate cooling of the plastic film.

Particles are brought onto the protrusions on the base surface in order that they get fixed to the protrusions and at this time it is disadvantageous if some of the brought particles get and fix to the base surface itself, because there they do not ful- fil their hooking role sufficiently enough. The engaging efficiency of the male component can be enhanced by bringing in the said random orientation manner and fixing one or more particles onto one or more protrusions projecting from the base surface in a way that the base surface and the particles are maintained unable to fix with each other and the protrusions and the particles are appropriately rendered fix- able with each other. So this is advantageous because if the particles happen to settle on the base surface instead of the protrusions they do not get fixed to the base surface and can easily be removed e.g. swept off there. This method can be realised for example by utilising such different materials in the base surface, the protrusions and the particles that are, as in pairs, fixable with each other under different circumstances and the said selective rendering fixable is achieved by proper setting of the said circumstances. For example paper can be used as base surface on which protrusions can be formed by fixing grains of a polyethylene based (e.g. having an ethyl- ene/acrylic-ester/maleic-anhydrid teφolymer agent) polymer adhesive, which fixes to paper when hot, under hot circumstances, and these can, still maintaining the whole system hot, be sprinkled with polyethylene base-polymer grains. This way the polyethylene granules are fixed to the hot protrusions, since their substances are fixable with each other when hot, but the polyethylene granules do not happen to get fixed to the paper base surface, because the pure polyethylene is not fixable with paper even when hot.

In another realisation of the method according to the invention, which is advantageous for achieving a higher lifting and peeling strength of the fastener, particles are dispersed from a dispersing direction closing an angle (the so-called dispersing angle) smaller than 90° with the base surface, onto the protrusions (preferably made fixable, e.g. tacky) projecting from the base surface of the male component and fixed to the protrusions (preferably in the position of the hit). For example, the said slanting dispersing, i.e. carried out in an angular direction, can be carried out by positioning the base surface in a direction which is not peφendicular to the field lines of the field of force and dispersing the particles in the direction of the field lines or positioning the base surface peφendicularly to the field lines of the field and dispersing the particles in a direction differing from that of the field lines. E.g. the particles are dropped downwards in vertical direction and the base surface is maintained in a position differing from horizontal or the base surface is main- tained in horizontal position and the particles are dispersed in a direction differing from vertical e.g. with slanting throwing. The particles brought onto the existing protrusions do not land peφendicularly to the base surface, so they are fixed to the existing protrusions in a direction which is angular in relation to the direction perpendicular to the base surface and so they increase the peφendicular lifting strength of the protrusions mentioned above. Also, said dispersing carried out in angular direction (in a direction differing from the direction perpendicular to the base surface) is advantageous, because while a part of the particles dispersed peφendicularly to the base surface characteristically get into contact with the base surface on its parts free of protrusions, the path of the particles dispersed in an angular direction meets one of the protrusions with more probability than in the case of dispersing in a direction perpendicular to the base surface and these particles land on the given protrusions and not on the part of the base surface free of protrusions. This makes the forming of hooking protrusions more efficient. The dispersing angle can be larger or smaller than 80°, 70°, 60°, 50°, 40°, 30°, 20° or 10°. The size of this angle is most preferably between 10 and 30°, but more preferably 15 and 25°. The size of the particles dispersed onto the protrusions from the dispersing direction is preferably smaller than that of the said protrusions.

Furtheron particles are preferably dispersed from other dispersing direction or directions onto the protrusions of the base surface and fixed (preferably in the position of landing) on said protrusions. A given base surface of male component having protrusions is preferably dispersed with particles from several dispersing directions, the projections of which as vectors projected to the plane of the base surface show to different directions. It is also advantageous to choose dispersing directions, the said projections of which are either parallel with or peφendicular to the possible moving course of the base surface. For achieving greater isotropy of fixing strength the angular domain of 360° is more preferably divided to at least approximately equal parts by said projection vectors ordered to the dispersing directions (the dispersing angles of which are preferably equal to each other), in this case the language "approximately equal" means that the proportion between any larger and smaller part is at least 0.3, more preferably at least 0.5, more preferably at least 0.7 and more preferably at least 0.9. For achieving greater isotropy of fixing strength the dispersing angles of each of the said dispersing steps are preferably at least approximately equal to each other and in this case the language "approximately equal" means that the proportion between any larger and smaller angle is at least 0.3, more preferably at least 0.5, more preferably at least 0.7 and more preferably at least 0.9 in the case of any such dispersing angle. Approximately the same quantities of particles are preferably dispersed onto a given male component from all said dispersing directions. Particles are more preferably dispersed continuously from a dispersing direction, which is in a continuos and circular rotation (the dispersing angle of which is preferably about constant), onto the protrusions of the base surface and fixed to them.

For achieving greater strength and isotropy of fixing strength a realisation of the method according to the invention is preferable, in which further particles arc fixed to the protrusions of the base surface of the male component by rendering said protrusions fixable and bringing said protrusions into contact with the free particles (preferably granules) carried by a provisional carrier by approaching the base surface and the provisional carrier to each other, due to which they (i.e. the protrusions) provisionally fix some free particles to themselves and then removing the provisional carrier and then finally solidifying the provisional fixings.

In a possible realisation said carrier is formed as a support opened from above, in which said particles (preferably granules) are loose and the loose plurality of these particles forms a relatively smooth top boundary layer and the base surface looking downwards with its protrusions is moved in a way that the protrusions pre- viously rendered fixable of the base surface are immersed into the aggregation of said loose particles by approaching the base surface to the support in such a measure that the protrusions permeate through the relatively smooth boundary layer (the base surface itself is preferably not approached up to the loose particles), due to which the protrusions provisionally fix some free particles to themselves and then the provisional carrier is removed from the base surface and the provisional fixings are permanently reinforced.

A realisation of the method according to the invention is advantageous for increasing the lifting strength of the fastener, in which granules (so-called base granules) are fixed to the base surface of the male component and attached granules (so-called attached granules) are fixed indirectly and/or directly to at least a part of these base granules. Attached granules are preferably fixed to at least 10% of the base granules, more preferably at least to 25% of the base granules, more preferably at least to 50% of the base granules, more preferably at least 75% and more prefera- bly to almost all the base granules. The average size of the attached granules is preferably smaller or at least not much larger than that of the base granules. The proportion between the average size of the attached and base granules is preferably between 0.1 and 1.5, more preferably between 0.2 and 0.8 and more preferably between 0.5 and 0.75. The number of attached granules fixed directly and/or indi- rectly to a base granule provided with attached granule(s) is preferably 2, more preferably 3, more preferably 4, more preferably 5 and more preferably more than 5. In this case the indirect fixing means the fixing of the attached granules to other attached granules which are fixed to base granules. Preferably the most possible, more preferably all the attached granules are in contact with a base granule or at least with attached granules being in contact with base granules. The distribution of the attached granules on the base granule is preferably at least approximately symmetric in the projection to the plane of the base surface. The positioning angles of the attached granules are preferably at least approximately evenly distributed. For achieving greater fixing strength of the fastener preferably the highest possible ratio of the attached granules (preferably at least 71 %, more preferably at least 85% and more preferably at least 95% of the attached granules) are formed such that the perpendicular projection of the attached granule projected onto the average plane of the section of the attached granule and the base garnule has portion(s) uncovered by the section of the attached granule and the base granule. Preferably the highest possible ratio of the attached granules (preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 75% and more preferably at least 95% of the attached granules) are formed such that the proportion between the area of the section of the attached granule formed with the base granule and the area of the peφendicular projection of the attached granule projected onto the average plane of said section is preferably at least 5%, more preferably at least 15%, more preferably at least 30% and more preferably 40%. At least a part of the protrusions and/or attached granules preferably have such a surface point looking towards the base surface whose tangent plane is parallel with the base surface. An advantageous realisation of the product according to the invention is the male component of a separable fastener, whose base surface to be attached to the female component is formed by a plastic layer (preferably a thermoplastic film fixed, preferably laminated, to the male component), on the external surface of this plastic layer protrusions forming one unit with the plastic layer, preferably welded into that and ensuring engagement at least in the shearing direction with the female component are provided, the protrusions constituted by granules, the male component, according to the invention, is formed such that on its base surface it has one or more hooking protrusions comprising hooking stems and/or comprising so-called hooking granules that are directly or indirectly fixed to one of the protrusions pro- jecting from the base surface.

It is an advantageous product that has on its base surface one or more such protrusions that contain more granules fixed to each other.

For the fixing strength of the fastener preferably the highest possible ratio of the projections of the base surface of the male component (preferably at least 71 %, more preferably at least 85% and more preferably at least 95% of them) are formed such that the peφendicular projection of the protrusion projected to the plane of the base surface has portion(s) uncovered by the section of the protrusion with the plane of the base surface. For achieving the appropriate fixing strength of the fastener preferably the highest possible ratio of the protrusions of the base surface of the male component (preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 75% and more preferably at least 95% of the protrusions) is formed such that the proportion between the area of the section of the protrusion with the plane of the base surface and the area of the per- pendicular projection of the protrusion projected to the plane of the base surface is at least 0.05, more preferably at least 0.15, more preferably at least 0.3 and more preferably 0.4.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention the plastic layer forming the base surface of the male component is fixed to a carrier, the material of which can be paper, textile or any other material. The fixing can comprise a separate adhesive layer or can be a directly laminated binding. However, the base surface of the male component can also be an independent plastic layer without carrier. The plastic layer forming the base surface of the male component is preferably transparent. In an advantageous embodiment the plastic layer forming the base surface is trans- parent and written sign(s) and/or figure(s) are provided underneath, which are visible through the transparent plastic layer forming the base surface. The protrusions of the base surface are also preferably formed of transparent plastic.

The separable fastener according to the invention can be used very well for separable fixing of abrading or grinding and polishing means to the driving plate. Due to its appropriate lifting strength the abrading or polishing means can be fixed on the driving plate with safety and prevented from flying off the driving plate also without the said known additional pressure sensitive adhesive layer, even in the case of high-speed vibrating, so-called orbital grinding machines as well. At the same time the product can be produced with low costs, the grinding means can be removed very easily from the driving plate and the product offers an isotropic shear strength.

Either the male or the female component can be on the backside of the abrasive means. However, since the male component can be produced with lower costs than the female component, the male component is preferably brought onto the backside of the grinding means for saving costs. In an advantageous embodiment of the solution according to the invention a base surface is used the carrier of which is an abrasive plate, whose surface opposite to the base surface is an abrasive or polishing surface. Having been produced, the base surface can be fixed to the backside of a grinding plate in the case of necessity or on the surface of the male component opposite to the base surface abrasive or polishing surface can be formed. In case of plate-like grinding means (e.g. coated abrasives such as abrasive paper or cloth) the thermal expansion of the layer (e.g. plastic layer) forming the base surface of the male component is preferably at least approximately identical with the thermal ex- pansion of the basic carrier of the grinding means e.g. paper. Due to this no mechanic deformation stress develops in the grinding means provided with fastener and possibly heating up during the grinding. If, for example, a too thick polyethylene male component is fixed to the backside of the abrasive paper, the grinding plate can deform and crook, which can also weaken the efficiency of the fixing, all due to the thermal expansion of polyethylene being considerably greater than that of paper. This deformation can be avoided if the polyethylene layer is thin enough, because in this case it can not develop a significant incurvating force sufficient for the grinding means to deform in a perceptible measure. The thickness of the layer forming the base surface of the male component is preferably smaller than 200 mi- crons, more preferably smaller than 150, 100, 75, 50, 40, 30, 20 or 10 microns.

The female component can be fixed directly to the driving plate. There is also an embodiment, in which the female component is brought onto the surface of a converter cushion, the other surface of which is a loop fabric to be attached to the surface of a driving plate having hooking stems. In this case the system is prefera- bly so dimensioned that the peeling strength of the contact between the grinding plate and converter cushion is much higher than the peeling strength of the contact between the male component brought onto the grinding means and the female component brought onto the external surface of the converter cushion, because this en- sures that the user grasping the edge of the grinding means peels the grinding means off the converter cushion without breaking up the contact between the converter cushion and driving plate for exchanging the grinding means. This ensures the easiness of the exchange of grinding means and the long lifetime of the surface of the converter cushion being in contact with the driving plate. The minimising of the generation of heat is usually required if the separable fastener is affected by a high-frequency vibrating load especially in the case of using in vibrating grinding machines, but also in other cases. Both in the fastener according to the invention and the conventional hook and loop fastener such as Velcro comprising only hooking stems a generation of heat can happen, because the protru- sions are exposed to a continuous and repeated resilient deformation. As it is known, the repeated resilient deformation causes generation of heat, which is the lower, the lower the deformation and flexibility modulus of the deforming material are. The conventional hooking stems keep bending due to their slim and elongated shape in a relatively great measure even if they are formed of a relatively rigid ma- terial having a high elasticity modulus and thus develop considerable heat. The protrusions consisting of granules of the male component according to the invention can preferably be so robust that they practically do not deform at all. If, in addition, the protrusions have a high elasticity modulus, the shearing and lifting strength of the fastener can be very high without its generating heat. Furtheron, the avoiding of the resilient deformation also results in the minimising of the internal slackness and clearance of the fastener to be observed in shearing direction in contrary with the hooking-stem fasteners. For achieving higher fixing strength, the elasticity modulus of the plastic forming one or more, but more preferably all the protrusions of the base surface which has been, as usual, established by the ASTM D790 is at least 40, more preferably 100, 250, 500 or 700 MPa. Depending on the puφose of usage the protrusions can consist of material(s) having the same, similar or different elasticity moduli. The elasticity modulus of the base and attached granules can be at least approximately identical with each other or any of them can be higher or lower than the other one.

The said problem of deformation due to the difference between the thermal expansion properties of the layers of the multi-layer male component can be avoided by using layers of approximately identical thermal expansions. In respect of thermal expansions paper or fabric on the one hand and that of polymers on the other hand are very different, so in cases where this aspect is important (e.g. in the case of abrasives) it is advantageous to apply a male component based on plastics and free of unintermittent surface layer of paper or fabric or a male component having a base surface that comprises a paper or fabric substance and is at least partly free of an unintermittent polymer surface layer. In the case of abrasive plates, in the most practical case, the abrasive paper or cloth on its engaging surface opposite to its abrading surface comprises the said engaging protrusions, otherwise, however, is free of unintermittent polymer layers. This is, for example, possible, if the back side base surface of the abrasive paper or cloth comprises, as base granules, polymer adhesive granules adhered to it with hot adhesion, the granules being e.g. polyolefin-based (for example having an ethylene / acrylic ester / maleic anhy- drid tcrpolymcr agent), to which further plastic or other granules arc fixed as attached granules. Thus the paper or fabric is sustained free, free of unintermittent plastic layer or film on the surface parts between the protrusions.

The touch of conventional, i.e. purely hooking-stem male components of the separable fasteners is usually rough and unpleasant. This unpleasant feeling can be decreased by decreasing the sizes of the protrusions and increasing their density along the base surface. The small size and high density of the protrusions which are necessary for a pleasant and smooth feeling can usually not or hardly be achieved in the conventional hooking-stem male components. However, the product according to the invention, comprising protrusions constituted by granules can be produced in the fine quality required because through applying very small powder granules, very small protrusions positioned in a high surface density can be formed. This type of male component contains granules the typical maximum dimension of which is preferably smaller than 500 microns, more preferably smaller than 400, 300, 200, 100, 50, 25, 15, 10, 8 or 5 microns. The density of the protrusions is preferably higher than 50 per square centimetres more preferably higher than 100, 150, 200, 250 or 300 per square centimetres. The relatively high surface closeness of protrusions is also advantageous, because many protrusions can better resist the possible surface pressure affecting the male component because of a lower pressing force affecting one protrusion than in the case of a lower density, so said effect causes less the deformation, damage or undcsired flattening of the protrusions. The male component can make an excellent binding with appropriately fine elementary fibres having a diameter possibly smaller than the size of granules, the so-called (e.g made of PA 6.6. substance, preferably textured) microfilaments, so together with a female component comprising such filaments a fine, thin separable fastener offering a smooth touch i.e. a "micro-hook-and-loop-fastener" can be obtained.

The diameter of the fibres or bundles of fibres forming the attaching parts of the female component of the system is preferably at least partly smaller than the maximum height of the protrusions of the male component, more preferably smaller than the 50, 30, 15, 10 or 5% of this height. The diameter of said fibres or bundles of fibres is preferably at least partly smaller than 100, 50, 30, 15, 10 or 5% of the biggest height of the base granule of the male component. The diameter of said fibres of bundles of fibres is preferably at least partly smaller than 100, 50, 30, 15, 10 or 5% of the largest measure of the projection of an attached granule from a base granule of the male component. The diameter of said fibres or bundles of fibres is preferably at least partly smaller than 100, 50, 30, 15, 10 or 5% of the of the longest or shortest distance between the attached granule projecting from the base granule of the male component and the base surface. The attaching surface of the female component is preferably so permeable, loose and receives the protrusions of the male component in such a measure that the protrusions can penetrate into the attaching surface of the female component in at least 25, 50, 75 or 100%. The height of the free fibre loops of the female component is at least 25, 50, 75 or 100% of the height of the protrusions of the male component. The surface density of the protrusions of the male component and the attaching parts of the female component (the number of these is measured per square centimetres) are at least approximately identical with each other, i.e. the quotient of the lower and higher value is at least 0.01 , more preferably 0.1 , 0.5, 0.75 and more preferably approximately 1. The strength of fixing which fixes the attaching protrusions of the male component to the base surface is preferably larger than the largest force breaking or tearing them possibly exertable by the attaching parts of the female component. Thus said protrusions do not break off the base surface because of load or separation. If the hooking protrusions are too inelastic to drop out with their own resilient deformation the hooked attaching parts e.g. fibre loops of the female component attached to themselves, the hooking protrusions or the attaching parts of the female component can typically be damaged at separation (especially in the case of a nearly perpendicular separation i.e. lifting). This damage can be avoided by carrying out the separation not by perpendicular lifting but rather by rolling off or peel- ing during which the planes of the components arc curved in order that the separation of the attaching parts is helped. Thus both of the components can have a long lifetime. Furthcron the fixing (e.g. adhesive binding, welding) strength of the attached granules can preferably be lower than the breaking strength of the loops or fibres of the female component, especially if the shorter lifetime of the male com- ponent and the longer lifetime of the female component is required. In this case the size of the attached granules is preferably relatively small, because the smaller attached granules torn by the attaching parts of such a female component cause a less serious polluting effect. If the lifetime of the male component should be long and meanwhile that of the female component can be short, said fixing strength of the attached granules is preferably higher than the breaking strength of the loops or fibres of the female component. Thus rather the fibres are torn in the case of separation, but the granules remain undamaged.

In an advantageous embodiment of the system according to the invention one or more hooking protrusions are provided on the base surface of the male component getting into contact with the female component, whose largest fixing angle is at least 45°, where the fixing angle is the smaller angle closed by base surface of the male component to be attached and the line passing through the protrusion, in the direction of which line the resultant force is exerted to the protrusion by the female component in static balanced position at a load comprising a component of separating direction. The largest fixing angle is more preferably at least 65° , 75°, 80° or 85°, but most preferably 90°.

The largest fixing angles of the protrusions of the base surface are preferably relatively large, if a relatively high lifting strength of the system is required in the case of a load developed by a perpendicular lifting of the female component from the base surface of the male component. For achieving a relatively high lifting strength the loops projecting from the female component preferably project in angular directions in relation to the base plane of the female component, i.e. in angles smaller than 90°, more preferably in an angle equal to or smaller than the largest fixing angles of the protrusions of the male component preferably such that the dip directions of the loops point at the most possible different directions of the said base plane, possibly distributed symmetrically. These features of the female component can also compensate the possible disadvantage caused by the too small largest fixing angles of the protrusions of the male component. In an advantageous application of the system according to the invention the fastener is used for closing a longitudinal cut of an insulating element made by moulding, serving for insulating pipelines, pipe-shell formed, cut on one longitudinal side for installation, of open or closed cell foamed plastic, after its being installed. In an advantageous embodiment of this the female component is fixed to the external surface of the insulator element and positioned along both sides of the cut, while the male component according to the invention overarches the cut in form of a long plastic band having a surface roughened with said protrusions and forms a fixing with the female components positioned on the two sides of the cut. In another embodiment the male component is positioned on the two longitudinal sides and the female component is formed as a separate long closing band having a fibrous structure. In a further possible embodiment the male component is positioned in one side of the cut while the female component is positioned on the other side in the whole length of the insulator element and one of the two components overarches the cut so as to form a fixing with the other. The advantage of this new system in relation to the earlier adhesive binding formed by means of a self-adhesive tape lies in its being much cheaper and that in contrary with the conventional system this system can, at an application error, be uncoupled without any damage or other disadvantageous consequence and fixed again as well as is not sensitive to the ambient dust and humidity.

The solution according to the invention also includes the fixing of foamed plastic elements formed as plates or boards to each other or to surfaces also for forming complete surface coatings.

In an application according to the invention edges of unit insulators contain- ing plastic fibres and/or fibres of mineral origin arc fixed to each other for forming planar or curved - e.g. tubular - surface coatings. If necessary the female component itself forms the fibrous insulating material, which can also be reinforced with impregnation.

In another application of the system according to the invention the male and female components cover the two opposite surfaces of a flexible multi-layer plate product so that the attaching surfaces of both components are positioned outwards. The strips cut of said plate product can be used for cable bunching or any other similar fixing puφoses, because the two ends brought into overlapping of the loop bent from a part of said strip form a detachable fixing. Such bunching systems are known in the application of conventional Velcro-s, but the new system according to the invention can be produced with much lower costs.

If the female component covering one of the surfaces of the above mentioned plate product is a heat-insulating material, the strip cut off the plate product is suit- able for a comfortable and quick insulation of pipes, because the insulation strip rolled up spirally in longitudinal helices around the pipe with overlaps in all the helices forms a separable fixing with itself, because in the overlaps the surface covered by the male component is in contact with the surface covered by the female component. The advantage of this system lies in that it ensures cheaply the stable fixing of the rolled up threads without application of any further operation or auxiliary materials. Its use is not influenced by a dusty or humid environment. In the case of false rolling up the incorrectly rolled .section can be removed and rolled up again.

In another application of the system according to the invention the male and female components are brought onto a packaging sack, a hose used for packing or planar film in such a manner that it ensures the closing of the opening of the sack after the filling of the sack, opening thereof by the user and spilling a part of its content. The components are preferably brought onto the two surfaces opposite to each other of the opening of the sack and fixed so that after the opening of the sack one of the component can move freely enough to form a fixing by closing the opening and overlapping the other component. Thus the pouring or destruction of the rest of the content of the sack can be avoided.

In another possible application of the system according to the invention the fastener fixes a caφet to the floor. The male and female component can be arbitrar- ily fixed to the caφet resp. the floor. One of the components, preferably the female component is formed on the caφet or directly on the lower surface of the caφet.

The male component can also be formed as an double-faced embodiment, in which both of the surfaces of the male component formed as board or plate or film are the base surfaces according to the invention. The male component is preferably a single plastic film. This film can be used as a converter in different fixing systems.

The system can be used as well e.g. for fixing the opening elements of napkins, nappies, clothes, footwear, bibs, disposable sanitary products, disposable robes, bonnets, aprons or file-cases or fixing e.g. billboard advertisements, pictures or announcements on the basic wall surface, where the male component can be can be on the basic wall surface on its whole surface or a part of its surface or on the backside of the advertisement.

In the following part of the specification an advantageous manner of carrying out the method according to the invention is disclosed on the basis of an example.

A laminated material is applied as the base surface of male component, which contains 35 gams per square metres chemical paper, onto which 20 gams per square metres polyethylene is laminated with extrusion die-casting and rolling technology. The laminated material is kept approximately horizontal and is pressed in order of good heat transfer tightly from above and its paper surface down towards a heating surface, the temperature of which is maintained at 148°C. Thus in about 5 seconds the polyethylene layer of the laminated material is heated to welding temperature, which can also be detected from the polyethylene layer getting brighter and glassy. After this step ground polyethylene powder forming the material of the future base granules is dispersed onto the approximately horizontally positioned polyethylene surface through a screen having a gap size of 300 microns from an altitude of about 300 millimetres in an amount of 10 gams per square metres while the screen is being shaken in a horizontal plane. The dispersing is carried out with an appropriate speed, i.e. within about 0.5 to 1 second while the granules dispersed recently are not heated such that they can fix, so the granules do not settle on each other, but rather on the base surface in an approximately even distribution. The granules are heated through the base surface within about 1 to 3 seconds and thus they are welded to the base surface and the base granules are formed. The interval of the sizes of powder granules used for this operation is approximately between 100 and 250 μm, their density is 0.938 kilograms per cubic decimetres,, their melt flow index is 2.6 grams per 10 minutes measured according to the usual ASTM D1238 standard, their elasticity modulus is 655 MPa measured according to the usual ASTM D790 standard and their Vicat softening point is 114°C.

The heating of the said base granules through the base surface is continued for about 2 to 4 seconds (in this time the base granules are getting apparently brighter and more glassy) and so they are enabled to become fixed. Meanwhile the base surface is rotated about a horizontal rotational axis traversing the base surface, together with the heating surface pressed to it from below, so that it closes an angle of about 70° with the horizontal and the base surface to be machined is upward and the heating surface is down.

After enabling the base granules to fix polyethylene powder forming the material of the future attached granules and having a size limit of 100 microns and a typical granule size of 100 microns, the material of which is the same as that of the base granules, is dispersed onto the angularly positioned surface to be machined through a screen having a gap size of 300 microns from an altitude of about 150 to 500 millimetres in a total amount of about 5 grams per square metres while the screen is being shaken in a horizontal plane. The dispersing is carried out with an appropriate speed, i.e. within about 0.5 to 1 second while the granules dispersed recently are not heated such that they can fix, so the granules do not settle on each other, but rather on the base surface in an approximately even distribution. The granules are heated through the base surface and the base granules for about 1 to 3 seconds and thus they are welded to their place and the attached granules are this way formed.

Meanwhile the base surface is returned to horizontal about said rotational axis with the heating surface pressed towards the base surface from below and then immediately rotated further in the other direction so that the surface closes again an angle of about 70° with the horizontal and the base surface to be machined looks again upward and the heating surface is below.

After dispersing the above mentioned attached granules, polyethylene powder forming the material of further attached granules, the material of which is the same as that of the granules dispersed the last time, is dispersed onto the newly angularly positioned surface to be machined in a quantity of about 5 grams per square metres and in the above mention manner. The dispersing is carried out with an appropriate speed, i.e. within about 0.5 to 1 second while the granules dispersed recently are not heated such that they can fix, so the granules do not settle on each other, but rather on the base granules, in less part on the base surface and in a very small quantity on the existing attached granules dispersed before in an approximately even distribution. The attached granules dispersed before and possibly able to fix by now are already positioned head down and the granules recently dispersed typically do not settle on them. The granules recently dispersed are heated the known way within about 1 to 3 seconds and thus they are welded to their places, so further attached granules are formed. The base surface is meanwhile returned about said rotational axis with the heating surface pressed towards the base surface from below until its a horizontal position. Then the laminated material is removed from the heating surface and cooled by means of air having an ambient temperature or cooled air. The male component formed in this manner is rolled up, cut into pieces having appropriate sizes and post-processed in accordance with the required utilisation.

The product according to the invention can for example have the following advantageous embodiment. The male component according to the example is formed on the backside of a coated abrasive disk having a diameter of 150 millimetres. Protrusions ensuring the engagement with the female component and formed by granules are provided on its base surface to be fixed to the female component and forming the whole back- side of the abrasive disk. Most of these protrusions are hooking protrusions containing hooking granules fixed directly or indirectly to said protrusions.

The coated abrasive disk is abrasive paper, whose base paper layer, weighing 300 grams per square metre, comprises on the surface opposite the abrasive surface a polyethylene layer having an average thickness of 30 microns which is fixed to the base paper layer without any adhesive layer, but with extrusion moulding and pressing. The polyethylene layer is transparent and the titles and/or figures (e.g. "P 100") printed onto the backside of the paper layer before coating the paper layer with plastic can be clearly seen. The material of the attaching protrusions brought onto the backside is also natural and transparent polyethylene. The protrusions brought onto the backside consist of polyethylene granules welded into the base surface and/or to each other.

The number of the protrusions of the base surface is about 100 per square centimetres and 70% of these protrusions contain more than 1 granules. 70% of the base granules being in direct contact with the base surface has characteristically a largest size of 200 to 500 microns while the rest 30% has an average size of about 200 microns. Said granules having a largest size of 200 to 500 microns arc characteristically base granules containing attached granules. The size of the attached granules is characteristically about 200 microns. One base granule usually contains about 4, but at least 1 and at most 8 attached granules. The attached granules are positioned on the base granules angularly in relation to the "upwards" direction pcφcndicular to the base surface, in an even distribution in all the directions of the plane and accidentally turned. There is almost no attached granule positioned symmetrically on the top of the base granules. The directions connecting the approxi- mate centres of the base granules and those of the attached granules positioned directly onto the base granules close an angle of about 45° with the base surface. The base granules are fixed firmly to the base surface and about 90% of the attached granules are directly and firmly fixed to the base granules. About 10% of the attached granules are fixed to other attached granules, also by welding. The whole arrangement is characterized by the random orientation and statistic symmetry, which results in an isotropic fixing strength of the grinding means.

The following solution is disclosed as an example of the system according to the invention. The male component is the grinding means according to the preceding example. The female component is a loop fabric formed of polyamide 6.6 material. The projecting free loops consist of a yarn having a fineness of 105 dtex and has 12 elementary filaments. The breaking strength of the filaments is about 80 cN/tex. The total height of the fabric is about 1.6 millimetres and the weight thereof is 320 grams per square metres. The fabric is fixed to the work surface of the driving plate of a random-orbital grinding machine, the diameter of which is 150 millimetres.

An apparatus is known, which is suitable for dispersing particles onto a plate shaped piece having adherent surface and forming a coating on the surface of the piece of these particles. This coating, however, is generally formed as an unintcr- mittent solid layer (e.g. laminated coating) or as protrusions which are not suitable for engagement with a female component. Such as is e.g. the laminating machine suitable for dispersing plastic powder onto heated and horizontally moved pieces and melting the plastic powder onto the piece, then solidifying the melt and thus forming the coating. Such a machine is also known, that is suitable for dispersing granules onto a base surface enabled to fix and fix them to it. However, all these fixed granules arc fixed to the base surface, so they can not necessarily function as hooking protrusions for engagement with the female component.

The aim of the invention is to develop an apparatus which is suitable for fixing particles to a base surface, appropriately fixing further particles to at least a part of the particles fixed to the base surface before and thus forming more or less irregularly shaped hooking protrusions capable of hookingly engaging with a female component. So the apparatus according to the invention for producing a male component is used for producing or processing the base surface of the male component in a suitable manner and then providing the base surface with engaging protru- sions and appropriate, irregularly shaped hooking protrusions comprising more particles.

The apparatus according to the invention comprises

- a fixable base surface producing unit (which is suitable for producing a fix- able /i.e. suitable for fixing/ base surface) and

- a base surface forwarding unit, suitable for forwarding the base surface enabled to fix from the said fixable base surface producing unit, and

- a so-called first and one or more further, so-called following particle dispersing units, the particle dispersing units being located, along the advancing path of the base surface, following the fixable base surface producing unit and in the said sequence in relation to each other, and being suitable for participating in the forming of engaging and hooking protrusions projecting from the base surface, because these dispersing units can disperse the particles onto the base surface (which may also comprise protrusions) in an appropriate closeness, evenness and direction and - one or more units for rendering fixable, being located, along the advancing path of the base surface, between the said particle dispersing units, and being suitable for participating in the forming of hooking protrusions projecting from the base surface, because they arc suitable for enabling the protrusions of the base surface to fix without damaging them, whereas the main feature of the apparatus according to the invention lies in that

- one or more of its said following particle dispersing units are formed in such a manner that they can disperse the particles onto the base surface provided with protrusions in an angular dispersing direction closing a landing angle smaller than 90° with the plane of the part being dispersed of the base surface. In this relation the enabling of the base surface or protrusions thereof to fix means bringing said base surface or protrusions thereof into such a state, in which they can fix to themselves the particles brought onto them, at least approximately in the position of bringing, let them settle in contact with themselves and thus hold them fixed to themselves. In this relation the dispersing of particles from a given direction means a dispersing, due to which the direction of the landing speed of the particles at the moment of their arrival on the actually dispersed area, i.e. the direction of their landing is the said given direction.

Due to the dispersing of the particles in an angular direction the particles dis- persed in this way land on the protrusions, consisting of the particles dispersed to the base surface by the preceding particle dispersing units and enabled to fix by the proper units for rendering fixable, in said landing angle relative to the plane of the base surface, and there they, at least approximately in the position of landing, settle, get fixed, and thus form hooking protrusions consisting of basic protrusions and further particles fixed to them in an angular direction relative to the plane of the base surface, these further particles being able to sustain the fibres of the female component also in a direction non-parallel with the plane of the base surface just due to their undercuts deriving from the said angular positioning.

The fixable base surface producing unit can be a unit suitable for the appro- priate changing of the state of the surface of a prefabricated carrier, for making its surface tacky, adherent, weldable etc. (e.g. a heating unit or a unit for coating the surface with an adhesive layer) or a unit suitable for producing the male component as a carrier and at the same time providing the it with a base surface properly fix- able (e.g. an extrusion film casting and heating unit). The base surface forwarding unit is preferably suitable for the forwarding of a base surface e.g. comprising windable planar plate such as film, substrate laminated with plastic layer or multi-layer flexible plate product, e.g. soft or more or less solid, with or (for example temporarily) without individual stability from the fixable base surface producing unit. The base surface forwarding unit can preferably com- prise a pulling mechanism e.g. comprising a pair of niprolls for forwarding the base surface by pulling it, this pulling mechanism being arranged such that it follows all the previously mentioned elements in respect to the direction of the advance of the base surface, or a conveyor belt for supporting and conveying the base surface possibly not having an appropriate solidity (e.g. a plastic film temporarily melted) and for maintaining its original shape and protecting it from damage, this conveyor belt preferably being appropriately heat-resistant and preferably covered with a release coating such as PTFE, preferably an endless spliced conveyor belt, and a driving mechanism for moving the conveyor belt. The base surface forwarding unit prefera- bly comprises a speed regulating and controlling unit.

The particles dispersing units are preferably suitable for properly transferring the base surface through themselves and at the same time properly dispersing said particles onto the base surface. The units dispersing the particles from said appropriate dispersing direction are suitable for holding the plane of the base surface transferred through themselves in the needed direction (e.g. by means of rollers or other guide elements) and dispersing the particles from an appropriate dispersing direction relative to this plane. For dispersing the particles from an angular direction the one or more said following particle dispersing units are preferably suitable for keeping the plane of the base surface in a said landing angle smaller than 90° in relation to the vertical direction and simultaneously dispersing the particles onto the base surface approximately vertically . The landing angle smaller than 90° mentioned concerning the following particle dispersing units can be smaller or larger than 80°, 70°, 60°, 50°, 40°, 30°, 20° or 10°.

One or more said following particle dispersing units are preferably suitable for dispersing the particles in a dispersing direction positioned in the plane that includes the direction of advance of the base surface (which is in the plane of the base plane) and the surface normal of the base surface.

The apparatus preferably has more than one, e.g. two or four said following particles dispersing units. Said following dispersing units can preferably be divided into one or more such disjunct groups, within which the landing angles of the dispersing directions of the individual following particle dispersing units relative to the base surface are at least approximately the same. Even more preferably, the unit vectors of the projections projected to the base surface of the dispersing directions of the said particle dispersing units belonging to one group relative to the advancing direction of the base surface are such that all of these unit vectors together extinguish themselves at least approximately.

The unit for rendering fixable is suitable for enabling the particles previously dispersed and fixed onto the base surface to fix without damaging (e.g. melting, flattening or squeezing) the protrusions. This unit preferably comprises e.g. an adhesive layer applicator or heating unit which is suitable for providing the protrusions with adhesive layer or heating to a temperature, which is high enough for achieving the ability to weld and at which the original shape of the protrusions can be maintained. This unit preferably comprises a heating unit heating the base sur- face from a side opposite to the protrusions, which can be a radiating, connective or other heat source, but can also comprise a heating unit which is suitable for heating the base surface from the direction of the conveyor belt by the electromagnetic excitation of the metallic or non-metallic heating layer included by said conveyor belt. The unit for rendering fixable preferably comprises a temperature controller unit. The apparatus preferably also comprises a so-called solidifying unit positioned after the particle dispersing units in relation to the direction of advance of the base surface which is suitable for the appropriate solidifying of the base surface and/or protrusions projecting from the base surface. This unit can comprise a unit capable of getting cooling air or other cooling medium onto the base surface and the protrusions, or units suitable for solidifying the applied adhesive material(s), e.g. a unit suitable for irradiating infra red light, ultra violet light, beta radiation or other electromagnetic radiation or other energy, or for heating the base surface.

Disclosure of the Drawings

An embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention will be disclosed in details on basis of the following drawings in which

Fig.1 shows the top view of the male component,

Fig.2 shows a section of the male component,

Fig.3 shows the female component and

Fig.4 is a schematic illustration of the apparatus. In Fig.l the base surface la is shown which comprises protrusions 2. The title "P 100" shown in this Fig. can be clearly seen, because the base surface 1 a and protrusions 2 are transparent.

The section shown in Fig.2 illustrates a plastic base surface la and a paper carrier lb and abrasive surface 13, and the protrusions 2 are also sown in this Fig, some protrusions are hooking protrusions comprising attached granules. Angle 12 is the angle closed by the base surface and the direction connecting the centre of the base granule with the centre of the attached granule placed directly on it.

Fig.3 shows the female component, in which loops 4 are formed on the basic plate 3.

Fig.4 shown the apparatus more detailed to help understand its essence.

The fixable base surface producing unit of the apparatus shown in Fig.4 comprises a stand for unwinding a film reel, a pair of rolls 6 for laying on the film to the endless conveyor belt 5, and a heat radiator 7 arranged preceding the pair of rolls 6 concerning the direction of the advance of the conveyor belt 5 capable of heating the active surface of the conveyor belt 5, as well as a further heat radiator 7 following the pair of rolls 6. This part of the apparatus is suitable for producing a film layer smoothly laid on the prc-hcated conveyor belt 5 and heated to-welding temperature as a base surface being able to fix. The base surface forwarding unit comprises a glass-fabric-based endless spliced conveyor belt 5 covered by a release coating layer of appropriately heat resistant PTFE and a driving mechanism 8 for driving it. The conveyor 5 is suitable for forwarding the melted plastic layer without damage.

The first particle dispersing unit 9 of the apparatus comprises a powder stor- ing hopper and a horizontal powder discharging opening positioned peφendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor belt 5, through which it can evenly discharge plastic powder in an appropriate quantity. The supporting rollers of conveyor belt 5 can maintain the horizontal position of the base surface in the zone of dispersing. Each of the two following particle dispersing units 9 comprises a powder storing hopper and a horizontal powder discharging opening like mentioned before, through which it can vertically, evenly discharge plastic powder in an appropriate quantity. The conveyor supporting rollers 10 ordered to these can maintain the de- dining position of the base surface in the case of the first following particle dispersing unit 9 and its ascending position in the case of the second following particle dispersing unit 9.

The apparatus comprises a heat radiator 7 following the first particle dispersing unit 9 and another heat radiator 7 following the first following particle dis- persing unit 9, these heat radiators forming further units for rendering fixable of the apparatus, and suitable for re-heating the newly formed protrusions to welding temperature and thus rendering them fixable.

The apparatus comprises a solidifying unit arranged following the particle dispersing units 9 concerning the direction of the advance of the base surface, which is formed as a cooling fan 1 1.

Furtheron, the apparatus comprises a rewinding unit for rewinding the produced male component.

Claims

Claims:

1. Method for producing the male component of a separable fastener, in which on the base surface, to be engaged with the female component, of the male component or on one or more portions of that protrusions ensuring engagement with the female component are formed in such a manner that particles are brought onto said base surface in such a random orientation manner in which the particles settle in randomly any of their possible stable balance orientation states relative to the base surface and are fixed to the base surface, characterized in that one or more hooking protrusions are formed on the base surface of the male component or on one or more portions of that by a) forming said hooking protrusions as hdόking stems and/or b) bringing in the said random orientation manner and fixing to the base surface one or more such particles that have concave surfaces and/or c) by bringing in the said random orientation manner and fixing one or more particles onto one or more protrusions projecting from said base surface.

2. The method according to claim 1., wherein particles are brought onto the base surface in random orientation manner and one or more particles having concave surfaces are fixed to these particles.

3. The method according to any of claims 1 to 2., wherein one or more fur- ther particles are brought and fixed onto protrusions readily existing on the base surface.

4. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3., wherein such a base surface is used, the protrusions of which have already been formed by random orienta- tional bringing and fixing.

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 4., wherein repeated operations of bringing particles on the surface and fixing them are carried out.

6. The method according to any of claims 1 to 5., wherein at least a part of the used particles are granules.

7. The method according to any of claims 1 to 6., wherein at least partly irregularly shaped particles are used.

8. The method according to any of claims 1 to 7., wherein particles are as- sorted according to their sizes before they are brought onto the base surface and particles belonging to the appropriate size intervals arc used.

9. The method according to any of claims 1 to 8., wherein the base surface and/or a part of the base surface and/or the particle brought are somewhat plastic and the fixing of the particles is carried out by solidifying.

10. The method according to any of claims 1 to 9., wherein the concave particles are particles of concave outlines.

1 1. The method according to any of claims 1 to 10., wherein the shape of the concave particles or those of concave outlines is formed with treatment before they are brought onto the base surface.

12. The method according to any of claims 1 to 1 1., wherein at least one of the surfaces to be fixed is rendered fixable.

13. The method according to claim 12., wherein the manner of fixing is welding.

14. The method according to claim 12., wherein the newly formed protrusions are rendered fixable before further particles are brought onto them.

15. The method according to any of claims 1 to 14., wherein a base surface being on a carrier is used.

16. The method according to any of claims 1 to 14., wherein a softened base surface film without carrier is used and is provisionally supported.

17. The method according to any of claims 1 to 16., wherein particles are dispersed onto protrusions projecting from the base surface from a dispersing direction closing with the base surface a dispersing angle smaller than 90° and are fixed to the protrusions.

18. The method according to claim 17., wherein the base surface to be dispersed is held in a direction differing from horizontal.

19. The method according to claim 17., wherein the dispersing is carried out from an angular direction.

20. The method according to claim 19., wherein the dispersing is carried from more angular directions.

21. The method according to any of claims 1 to 14., wherein free granules arranged on a provisional carrier and a base surface comprising protrusions are approached to each other and then the protrusions and the granules are brought into contact with each other.

22. The method according to any of claims 1 to 21., wherein one or more particles are brought in the random orientation manner and fixed onto one or more protrusions projecting from the base surface in a way that the base surface and the particles are kept unable to fix with each other and the protrusions and the particles are rendered fixable relative to each other in case of necessity.

23. Male component of a separable fastener that on its base surface to be engaged with the female component comprises protrusions ensuring the engagement with the female component, the protrusions comprising granules, characterized in that on its base surface the male component comprises one or more such hooking protrusions that a) comprise hooking stems and/or b) comprise such hooking particle, preferably granule, that is directly or indirectly fastened to a protrusion projecting from the base surface.

24. The male component according to claim 23., wherein one or more such protrusions are formed on the base surface that comprise more particles, preferably granules, fixed to each other.

25. The male component according to any of claims 23 to 24., wherein the male component on its base surface comprises concave particles having concave outlines.

26. The male component according to any of claims 23 to 25., wherein the base surface is constituted by a plastic film provided with a carrier.

27. The male component according to any of claims 23 to 26., wherein the elasticity modulus of the protrusions is at least 40.

28. The male component according to any of claims 23 to 27., wherein it comprises a base surface of paper or fabric substance which is at least partly free of unintermittent plastic surface layer.

29. The male component according to any of claims 23 to 28., wherein it is carried out in the back side of an abrasive plate.

30. Separable fastener comprised of female and male components closable by touch or press, in which the male component on its base surface to be engaged with the female component comprises protrusions ensuring the engagement with the female component, the protrusions comprising particles, preferably granules, characterized in that the fastener comprises as male component the male component produced with the method according to any of claims 1 to 22.

31. The fastener according to claim 30., wherein the base surface of the male component is provided with a carrier, which carrier is an abrasive plate.

32. The fastener according to any of claims 30 to 31., wherein the elasticity modulus of the protrusions projecting from the base surface of the male component is at least 40.

33. The fastener according to any of claims 30 to 32., wherein the base surface of the male component comprises protrusions in a closeness of at least 50 pro- trusions per square centimetres with granules having a size of at most 500 microns and the fastener comprises a female component attaching by means of micro- filaments.

34. The fastener according to any of claims 30 to 33., wherein the largest fixing angle of one or more hooking protrusions formed on the base surface of the male component is at least 45°.

35. The fastener according to claim 30., wherein the male and female com- ponents cover the two opposite surfaces of a multi-layer, flexible plate product such that both components are positioned with their engaging surfaces looking outwards.

36. Separable fastener comprised of female and male components closable by touch or press, in which the male component on its base surface to be engaged with the female component comprises protrusions ensuring the engagement with the female component, the protrusions comprising particles, preferably granules, characterized in that the fastener comprises as male component the male component according to any of claims 23 to 29.

37. Separable fastener according to claim 36., wherein the fastener is a fastener of opening elements of a file-case.

38. Separable fastener according claim 36., wherein the fastener is a fastener of an insulating system.

39. Apparatus for producing the male component of a separable fastener, comprising a fixable base surface producing unit and a base surface forwarding unit, suitable for forwarding the base surface enabled to fix from the fixable base surface producing unit, and a first and one or more further, following particle dis- persing units (9), the particle dispersing units being located, along the advancing path of the base surface, following the fixable base surface producing unit and in the said sequence in relation to each other, and one or more units for rendering fix- able (7), being located, along the advancing path of the base surface, between the said particle dispersing units (9), characterized in that one or more of the said following particle dispersing units (9) are formed in such a manner that they can disperse the particles onto the base surface provided with protrusions in an angular dispersing direction closing a landing angle smaller than 90° with the plane of the part being dispersed of the base surface.