MXPA00011857A - Facing system for an insulation product - Google Patents

Abstract

An insulation product (60) includes an elongated batt (62) of fibrous insulation material, and a facing adhered to a major surface of the batt (62), wherein the facing (64) is a coextruded polymer film of barrier (70) and bonding layers (72), with the bonding layer (72) having a softening point lower than the softening point of the barrier layer (70), with the bonding layer (72) being one or more materials of the group consisting of ethylene N-butyl acrylate, ethylene methyl acrylate and ethylene ethyl acrylate, and wherein the facing (64) has been heated to a temperature above the softening point of the bonding layer (72), but below the softening point of the barrier layer (70), whereby the facing (64) is adhered to the batt (62) by the attachment of the bonding layer (72) to the fibers in the batt (62) due to the softening of the bonding layer (72).

Description

COATING SYSTEM FOR AN INSULATED PRODUCT TECHNICAL FIELD AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to fibrous insulating products, and in particular to those insulating products of the appropriate type for insulating buildings. More particularly, this invention pertains to insulating products that have a coating system to provide a vapor barrier and / or to help handle the insulating products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Fibrous insulation is typically formed by converting fibers into molten fibers and depositing the fibers on a collection conveyor. Typically the fibers for insulating products are mineral fibers, such as glass fibers, although some insulating products are made of organic fibers, such as polypropylene. Most fibrous insulating products contain an adhesive or binder material for bonding the fibers. joints where they come into contact with each other, forming a mesh or network. The adhesive or binder gives the insulating product elasticity to recover after packing, and provides rigidity or maneuverability so that the product can be handled and applied as necessary in the insulating cavities of the buildings. During manufacturing the insulation is cut into lengths to form individual insulating products, and the insulating products are focused to be transported to customer locations. A typical insulating product is an insulated cut fiber block, usually about 8 feet in length, and generally suitable for use as a wall insulation in residential rooms, or as insulation in the loft and concrete insulation cavities. floor in buildings. The width of the insulated cut fiber blocks designed for wall cavities fits the widths of typical insulating cavities, such as approximately 14 1/2 inches (36.8 cm) or 22 1/2 inches (57.2 cm) for Asparagus separations of 16 (40.6 cm) and 24 inches (61 cm), respectively. Some insulating products have a coating on one of the larger surfaces In many cases the coating acts as a vapor barrier, and in some insulating products, such as products without adhesive or binder, the coating gives the product integrity and maneuverability. The coated insulating products are installed with the coating placed flat on the edge of the insulating cavity, typically the inner side of the edge of the insulating cavity.

Insulating products where the coating is a vapor barrier are commonly used to isolate cavities in the wall, floor or ceiling that separate a warm interior space from a cold exterior space. The vapor barrier is usually placed to prevent the air charged with moisture from the hot interior of the room from entering the insulation. Otherwise, the water vapor in the warm indoor air enters the insulating material and then it is cooled and condensed inside the insulation. This will result in a wet insulating product, which is unable to function at its designed efficiency. In hot climates it is sometimes preferable to install the vapor barrier on the outside of the insulating cavity to reduce the amount of steam entering the building during the air conditioning season. There are some requirements of the insulating products that establish that the insulation nd must be impervious to steam, but must allow water vapor to pass through it. For example, retrofit insulation products designed to add additional insulation material to the top of the existing loft insulation should not have a vapor barrier. Also, insulation for cavities in the wall that have a completely separate vapor barrier, such as a 4.0 mil polyethylene film (101.6 μm) on the inner or hot side of the wall, does not require a vapor barrier on the insulating product itself. In addition, the encapsulation of fibrous glass cut fiber blocks for handling purposes is known. U.S. Patent No. 5,277,995 to Schelhorn et al., Discloses a block of staple fiber encapsulated with an encapsulating material adhered with an adhesive that can be applied in longitudinal strips or strips, or in patterns such as dots, or in an adhesive matrix . The Schelhorn et al. Patent also discloses that an alternative method for bonding is that the adhesive layer is an integral part of the encapsulation film, which, when softened, joins the fibers in the cut fiber block. . U.S. Patent No. 5,733,624 to Syme et al. Discloses a block of fiber cut mineral fiber impregnated with a coextruded polymer coating system, and U.S. Patent No. 5,746,854 to Romes et al discloses a method for impregnating a block of fiber cut from mineral fiber, a co-extruded film. Vapor barriers for insulating products are typically created as an asphalt layer in conjunction with a kraft paper or metallized paper coating material. The asphalt layer is applied in molten form and pressed against the fibrous insulating material before hardening to bond the kraft paper coating material to the insulating material. This system of asphalt and kraft paper has the advantage of being relatively cheap. However, this coating system lacks flexibility because the asphalt / kraft layer is rigid, and working with the rigid asphalt / kraft coating slows down the installation of insulating products. Also, cutting the coating without tearing the kraft paper is difficult in cold ambient temperatures because the asphalt can become brittle. In addition, and the asphalt material is sticky at hot ambient temperatures, resulting in the cutting tool taking on a gummy consistency. Although cut fiber blocks are manufactured to be placed in typical insulating cavities, many of the insulating cavities in buildings are of standard dimensions. Window frames, door frames, ventilation pipes, air ducts and electrical ducts are some of the typical obstructions that change the shape of the insulating cavity. During the installation process of the cut fiber blocks, a significant portion of the cut fiber blocks must be cut to fit those non-standard insulating cavities. Therefore, an important attribute of a cladding insulation product is the ease with which the cladding can be cut and the ability of the cladding to be laid flat on the edge of the insulating cavity after the cladding has been cut. . If the coating is not flat on the edge of the insulating cavity, the vapor barrier will only be partially effective. In addition, users of insulators desire a smooth coating that is relatively flat on the edge of the insulating cavity. In view of the above problems with the currently available insulating products, it would be advantageous if a coated insulating product having a coating material can be developed which can be easily cut to be placed in non-standard insulating cavities, and which has a coating material which is sufficiently flexible so that it can more quickly accommodate the installation of the insulated product cut into standard insulating cavities with the coating in a flat condition at the edge of the insulating cavity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The above objects as well as other objects not specifically listed are achieved by means of an insulating product comprising an elongated cut fiber block of fibrous insulating material, and a coating adhered to a larger surface of the staple fiber block, wherein the coating is an extruded polymeric film of barrier and bonding layers, with the bonding layer having a softening point less than the softening point of the barrier layer, with the bonding layer being one or more materials of the group which consists of ethylene N-butyl acrylate, ethylene methyl acrylate and ethylene ethyl acrylate, and wherein the coating has been heated to a temperature above the softening point of the bonding layer, but below the softening point of the barrier layer, whereby the coating adheres to the block of staple fiber by joining the fiber binding layer in the block that of fiber cut due to the softening of the bonding layer. In another embodiment, the invention is an insulating product comprising an elongated cut fiber block of fibrous insulating material, and a coating adhered to a larger surface of the cut fiber block, where the coating is a coextruded polymer barrier film, which supports and joins the layers, with the tie layer having a softening point less than the softening point of the barrier layer, and with the barrier layer being placed between the barrier and tie layers, where the coating has been heated to a temperature higher than the softening point of the tie layer, but below the softening point of the barrier layer, whereby the coating adheres to the block of staple fiber by bonding the fiber tie layer in the cut fiber block due to the softening of the tie layer. In another embodiment, the invention is a method for manufacturing an insulating product comprising placing a coating in contact with a larger surface of an elongate cut fiber block of fibrous insulating material, where the barrier film and the bonding layers are polymer coextruded, with the tie layer being one or more materials from the group consisting of ethylene-N-butyl acrylate, ethylene-methyl acrylate and ethylene-ethyl acrylate, and with the tie layer having a softening point less than the of softening the barrier layer, and heating the coating to a temperature above the softening point of the tie layer, below the softening point of the barrier layer, while keeping the coating in contact with the block fiber cut to soften the tie layer a sufficient degree to bond the fiber tie layer in the cut fiber block and therefore adhere the coating to the o Cut fiber. In yet another embodiment, the invention includes a method for installing an insulating product comprising providing an insulating product comprising an elongated cut fiber block of fibrous insulating material, and a coating adhered to a larger surface of the staple fiber block, where the The coating is a barrier film and bonded layers of the co-extruded polymer, with the tie layer having a softening point less than the softening point of the barrier layer, and where the coating has been heated to a temperature above the point of softening of the tie layer, but below the softening point of the barrier layer, whereby the coating adheres to the block of staple fiber by bonding the fiber tie layer in the staple fiber block to the softening of the joining layer, and where the coating has no flanges, and install the insulating product in an insulating cavity pressing the insulating product instead of opposite structural members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of typical non-standard wall insulation cavities. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the wall cavities of Figure 1, partially cut, and installed with typical prior art insulating products.

Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view of a coated insulating product according to the present invention, with a cutout portion. Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view of the insulating product of Figure 3, partially cut and installed in the wall cavity of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view, similar to that of Figure 3, of another embodiment of the insulating product according to the present invention, which has no extensions on the side edges. Figure 6 is a schematic, perspective view of another embodiment of the insulating product according to the present invention, with a cutout portion, and having encapsulation material on the back and sides of the insulating product. Figure 7 is a schematic, perspective view of an apparatus for manufacturing the insulating products of the invention. Figure 8 is a schematic, perspective view illustrating a coated insulating product of the invention, which has been longitudinally grooved to provide a block of partial cut fiber suitable for insulating the non-standard insulating cavity of Figure 1. Figure 9 is a schematic cross sectional elevation view, illustrating the different layers of a multi-layer coating film of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED MODALITIES OF THE INVENTION Although the description and drawings describe insulation products of fibrous glass insulation, it should be understood that the insulating material may be any compressible fibrous insulating material, such as mineral wool and polypropylene. As shown in Figure 1, a typical wall structure, generally indicated at 10, includes a lower plate 12 on which a plurality of studs 14 rest. The bottom plate, the studs and the top plate, not shown, they define the four sides of the cavities of the insulating wall 16, 18 and 20. The front part and the rear part of the wall cavity are typically made of a dry wall on the inner side and a foam covering on the outside, both not shown. The cavity of the wall 16 can be considered as a non-standard wall cavity because it has a much narrower width than that of a typical wall cavity. The insulating wall cavity 16 will require that the insulating product be cut to a smaller width. The insulating cavity 18 is also difficult to insulate because there is a ventilation tube 22 running vertically inside the cavity, making the cavity 18 a non-standard cavity. The insulating cavity 18 will usually require that the insulated cut fiber block be cut longitudinally into two narrower insulating pieces, not shown in Figure 1. For insulation purposes, the cavity 18 can be considered to comprise two partial cavities, indicated at 24 and 26, each of which must be isolated. The insulating cavity 20 is also a non-standard cavity because the insulating material must be placed around an electrical outlet connection box 28 and the conduit 30. The installation of the insulating material around these obstructions requires that the cut fiber block Cut to fit around the obstruction. Other tipleas obstructions include door wings, window frames, air ducts, and water pipes, all not shown. As shown in Figure 2, a rounded insulating product typical of the prior art has been cut into a narrow partial insulation product 32 and installed in the insulating cavity 16. Also another prior art insulating product 34 has been installed in a cavity non-standard wall 18, and another similar prior art insulating product 36 has been installed in a non-standard wall cavity 20. The back of the insulating cavities 16, 18 and 20 is defined by an outer skin 38. It can be seen that to install the product insulator 34 in the non-standard insulating cavity 38, the insulating product was divided longitudinally into two partial cut fiber blocks 40 and 42. In addition, the coating material 44, which is a kraft paper bonded to the fibrous insulating material by asphalt, was cut to form the coating for the two partial cut fiber blocks 40 and 42. The coating material of the insulating product 34 is attached to the studs 14 by means of staples 46. Although the clamping of the flanges of the insulating product 32 can be made to the ends of the studs, it is preferred that the flanges be stapled laterally to the sides of the studs. This procedure leaves the exposed ends or edges of the asparagus smooth for a potentially better application of the dry wall. Unfortunately lateral or insertion of the flanges requires that the asphalt / kraft coating be bent, creating a depression or valley-like groove 48 running along the insulating product. This groove 48 is undesirable because it prevents the insulating material from coming into flat, smooth contact with the front edge of the insulating cavity, and additionally the insulating material can be overcompressed, thereby decreasing the insulating value of the insulating product. Also, the rigid asphalt / kraft liner 44 can not always be stapled flat against the side of the stud 14, leaving fish droplets or openings 50 between the lining of the sides of the studs. The isolation of the two partial cavities also presents a problem. It can be seen that the portions of the coating material on the two partial cut fiber blocks 40 and 42 are slightly spaced apart, forming a space 52 through which steam can be displaced towards the insulating material of the cut fiber block. The space 52 is typically caused because the cutting of the cut fiber block and the coating material is difficult when the coating material is an asphalt / kraft paper system, as shown in Fig. 2. The opening 50 spaces 52 are undesirable aspects of the insulation work illustrated in Figure 2. The installation of the prior art insulating product 36 in the insulating cavity 20 involves cutting a portion of the fibrous insulating material around the outlet electrical outlet box. If the insulation was installed without cutting for the electrical outlet junction box, the insulation would be over-compressed, and could still affect the dry wall. Cutting the insulation to accommodate the outlet connection box requires that a portion of the flange be removed. With a conventional asphalt / kraft lining it is difficult to obtain a good seal if a portion of the rim is lost. The difficulty in obtaining a good seal due to the cut-out for the outlet connection box and other obstructions and due to other imperfections in structure, results in openings 50 between the facing material 44 and the walls of the stud 14. Due to the rigidity of the asphalt / kraft coating combination, similar openings to the openings 50 can still occur with standard insulating cavities that have no obstructions in situations where the studs are not uniform or not aligned. As shown in Figure 3, the insulating product of the invention, generally indicated at 60, is comprised of a block of elongated cut fiber 60 of fibrous insulating material, and a coating 64 adhered to a larger surface, the front surface 66 of the cut fiber block 62. The fibrous insulating material is preferably fibrous glass having a density in the range of about 0.3 (4.8) to about 1.0 inches per cubic foot (pcf) (16.0 kilograms per cubic meter), although they can be used other densities. Also, other fibers may be used, such as mineral fibers of rock, slag or basalt as well as organic fibers such as polypropylene polymer fibers, polyester and polysulfide, as well as other organic fibers. The fibers may be joined in conjunction with an adhesive or binder material, such as urea phenol-formaldehyde commonly used with fibrous glass insulations, or the glass fibers may not be bonded. The unbonded glass fibers will be able to move much more within the structure of the insulating package than the fibers in a package structure with adhesive or binder. As used in this specification and the claims, the term "without adhesive or binder" means the absence of adhesive or binder materials or the presence of only small amounts of such adhesive or binder materials, contributing to no more than one percent by weight of the insulating product. The addition of superiors, for example oils for dust control or for other purposes is not considered an adhesive or binder. An example of a product without an encapsulated adhesive or binder is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,227,995 to Shelhorn et al., As mentioned above. The coating 64 is a double layer coating comprising a co-extruded polymer film of a barrier layer 70 and a bonding layer 72. The purpose of the barrier layer 70 is to provide a tough but flexible external surface for the insulating product 60. The barrier layer 70 is a barrier against vapor, although in other embodiments of insulation, where the insulating product does not need to be provided with vapor protection, the barrier layer can be porous to the vapor. Although the preferred form of the coating 64 is a coextruded polymeric film, it should be understood that in other forms of the invention the coating is made of a double layer film which is not coextruded, without being otherwise formulated, such as by means of an adhesive, hot lamination or chemical bonding. The softening temperatures of the barrier layer 70 and the tie layer 72 are different by about 100 ° F (37.8 ° C) with the tie layer having a softening point lower than the softening point of the barrier layer. During the manufacturing process the coating 64 adheres to the cut fiber block 62 by heating the coating to a temperature above the softening point of the tie layer, but lower than the softening point of the barrier layer. The coating adheres to the cut fiber block 62 by joining the bonding layer 72 to the fibers in the cut fiber block due to the softening of the bonding layer. A preferred material for the barrier layer is a high density polyethylene (HDPE) film having a softening point in the range of about 250 (121) to about 280 ° F. (137.8 ° C), more preferably about 275 ° F (135 ° C). HDPE of high molecular weight can also be used, but at a higher cost. Another suitable material for the barrier layer is a polypropylene film having a softening point in the range of about 330 (165.6) to about 390 ° F. (198.9 ° C). Other polymeric films, such as polypropylene, polyester and polystyrene, can also be used. A preferred material for the tie layer is the film of one or more materials from the group consisting of ethylene N-butyl acrylate, ethylene methyl acrylate and ethylene ethyl acrylate. These materials are available from Ne tech Plastics, Inc., Covington, Ohio, and can be used alone, in combination with each other, or in combination with other materials, such as a low-melting polyethylene material. The softening points of these materials are within the range of approximately 100 (37.8) to approximately 180 ° F (82.2 ° C), and more preferably within the range of about 120 (48.9) to about 140 ° F (60 ° C). Preferably those ethylene acrylate materials are synthesized using a metallocene catalyst to lower the softening point. Another potentially useful material for the low melting point bond layer is a low melting point polyethylene, which preferably has a metallocene catalyst to decrease the softening point. The difference in the softening temperatures of the barrier layer and the bonding layer is preferably in the range of about 50 (10) to about 225 ° F (107 ° C) and for an HDPE / ethylene acrylate system to say, ethylene N-bu.thyl acrylate, ethylene methyl acrylate and ethylene ethyl acrylate), the temperature difference is about 140 ° F (60 ° C). One of the major advantages of the HDPE / ethylene acrylate coating system of the invention is that the coating and the insulating product can be easily cut over a wide temperature range. The tie layer 72 is easily cut even at hot temperatures up to about 110 ° F (43.3 ° C), and will not leave a gummy residue on the cutting tool. The coating does not soften at temperatures below about 110 ° F (43.3 ° C), and does not become brittle at temperatures greater than about 30 ° F (-1.1 ° C). Another advantage of the coated insulating product 60 of the invention is that the coating 64 is more flexible than a conventional asphalt / kraft paper coating. As measured to the ASTM D-1388 test, the bending stiffness of the coating of the invention is preferably less than 500 gm cm, while the flexural stiffness of the standard asphalt / kraft coating is greater than 2000 gm. cm. In addition, the elastic modulus (tangent) of the cladding 64 of the invention, as measured by ASTM D-882, is within the range of about 25,000 (172,367) to about 200,000 pounds per square inch (psi) (1,378,940 kPa ). Typically, the elastic modulus of the coating of the invention is approximately 100.00 psi (689.470). In its most preferred form the coating is a multilayer film 78, as shown in Figure 8, which comprises a barrier layer 80, a tie layer 82 and a barrier layer 84. The barrier layer 80 and the Binding layer 82 may be similar to the layers of HDPE and ethylene acrylate (ie, ethylene N-butyl acrylate, ethylene methyl acrylate and ethylene ethyl acrylate) 70 and 72, respectively. The barrier layer can be a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) with a softening point of approximately 230 ° F (110 ° C), and the support layer can be reinforced by any material. Using a support layer is particularly advantageous where the difference in the softening temperatures between the barrier layer and the bonding layer is large. The support layer provides an insulating barrier between the barrier layer and the tie layer during co-extrusion of the polymeric film sufficient to improve the allowable difference in the softening temperatures between the barrier layer and the tie layer, preferably at least 30 ° F (-1.1 ° C). Another advantage of using a support layer is that it allows the separation of the function of the quality of the vapor barrier from the barrier layer and the external surface of the coating as follows: the support layer (ie the middle layer) of the three layers) can be configured to be a barrier layer against the actual vapor and the outer layer can be a high friction surface that is not necessarily a barrier against vapor, but is a surface designed for good printing capacity . High density polyethylene can be too slippery for a good impression. In another embodiment, not shown, the multilayer coating film includes four individual layers, two layers of HDPE, a support layer, and a tie layer. The coating 64 for the insulating product 60, and the coating 78 of the multilayer product both have a total thickness, before the bonding step, in the range of about 0.4 to about 4 mils (about 10 to about 100 microns) , and preferably within the range of about 0.5 to about 1.5 mils (about 12.5 to about 37.5 microns). The two layers of the two-layer coating 64 preferably have equal thicknesses. For multiple coating 78, preferably each of its three layers is approximately one third of the thickness of the coating. As shown in Figure 4, the insulating product 60 of the invention is applied in non-standard insulating cavities 16, 18 and 20. In the insulating cavity 18 the insulating product has been divided or cut into partial cut fiber blocks to be placed around of the ventilation tube 22. Due to the flexibility and cutting ability of the liner 64, however, the last evidence of the fact that the insulating product 60 is divided into two partial cut fiber blocks is the joint 88 in the liner 64. This joint can be of a minimum width, with practically no space, as shown. In addition, in contrast to the notched space 48 in the cut asphalt / kraft liner of the prior art 44 illustrated in Figure 2, the joint 88 is relatively straight. In a similar way, the cutting of the insulating product 60 to accommodate the electrical connection box 28 can be achieved without a joint. The insulation of the cavities 16, 18 and 20 with the insulating product 60, which has the flexible coating 64, endows the insulating product with a smooth appearance, and the friction fit of the insulating product 60 allows installation without the need for staples or other fasteners. Optionally, the joints 88 can be covered with tape to provide an absolute vapor barrier, but this will not usually be necessary with the coating of the invention. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the liner 64 can be provided with extension skirts 92 that can be adjusted between the insulating product 60 and the studs 14 to provide a better vapor seal at the side edges of the insulating product. Those extension skirts 92 are not strong enough for stapling purposes, and therefore are not considered stapling rims. Preferably, the extension skirts extend about half "(1.27) to 1 inch (2.54 cm) beyond the side edges of the cut fiber block.When the liner is a two or three layer film, co-extruded, having a low softening point bonding layer on the side covering the block of fibrous insulating cut fiber, the difference in the softening points and coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers can cause a rolling of the extrusion skirt This insulating material helps to provide a good seal when the extension skirt is fitted between the liner and the stud A particular advantage of the insulating product and the method of the invention is the reduction of the installation time of the insulation. Removal of the stapling of the flanges for the product of the invention significantly reduces the installation time, with the product installation product of the invention being at least 10 percent faster, and possibly up to 50 percent faster than the standard asphalt / kraft coated insulation. The time saving comes from the elimination of the stapling operation and the elimination of the use of rigid kraft paper that is difficult to handle and install on the wall. As shown in Figure 5, another embodiment of the invention is similar in all respects to the insulating product illustrated in Figure 3 except that there are no extension skirts. In an alternative embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 6, an insulating product 94, a coating 96, similar to coating 64, on the larger surface of cut fiber block 98. This insulating product is provided with an encapsulation film 100 on the side edges 102 and the rear greater surface 104 of the staple fiber block. The encapsulation film can be attached to the fibrous cut fiber block in any suitable form, such as by means of an adhesive layer or band. For example, a hot melt adhesive strip may be applied in liquid form during the manufacture of the insulating product. For example, the US Patent NO. 5,227,995 to Schelhorn et al. discloses a block of staple fiber encapsulated with an encapsulating material adhered with an adhesive that can be applied in longitudinal strips, or patterns such as stitches, or in an adhesive matrix. Alternatively, the encapsulation film can be secured attached to the entire surface of the side edges and the larger rear surface, such as by the use of a film constructed of multiple layers similar to the coating 64. Such a film can be, for example , a double film of HDPE and polyethylene (PE), with a thickness, within the range of approximately 0.5 to 0.8 thousandths of an inch (0.001 to 0.002 centimeters). Although the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 6 includes the encapsulation on the side edges and the larger rear surface of the cut fiber block 98, it should be understood that other embodiments of the invention, not shown, provide encapsulation material on the back surface only, with the side edges lacking encapsulation material.

The insulating product 94 can optionally be provided by an opening 106 in the side edge of the liner 100 to expose the glass fibers in the staple fiber block 28. Glass fibers that inherently have a high friction component, and therefore the opening 106 provides an appearance that increases the friction of the cut fiber block to assist the application of friction fitting or fitting of the insulating product 94 into insulating cavities. Another element that increases friction is the addition of a surface friction treatment, such as the semi-adhesive coating, to the side edge of the coating 100. The encapsulation material can be applied to the block of insulated cut fiber by any suitable process. Apparatus suitable for directing and guiding the encapsulation material on the fiberglass package are described in US Pat. 5,545,279 to Hall et al., Which is incorporated herein by reference. As shown in Figure 1, a pack 110 of glass fibers is supported on a conveyor 112. The manufacture of a glass fiber pack 110 is a well-known technology, and those skilled in the art will know several conventional methods for produce fiberglass packages. The fiberglass package is preferably a light density insulating material, having a density in the range of about 0.3 (4.8) to about 1.0 inches per cubic foot (pcf) (16.0 kilograms per cubic meter). The fiberglass package can be bonded with an adhesive or binder material, such as a phenol-formaldehyde urea binder, as is well known in the art. Alternatively, the fiberglass package may be without adhesive or binder. A sheet of coating material 64 is distributed from a roller 114 and directed towards a contact with the glass fiber package 110. The coating material 64 is pressed into forced contact with the package by the action of articulated press rolls 116 and 118, which compress the fiberglass package in a ratio of up to 25: 1, and preferably of approximately 10: 1. The amount of compression needed will depend on the density. The upper press roll 116 is heated so that the temperature of the coating 64 will increase to a point above the softening point of the tie layer. Roller heating 116 can be achieved by any means, such by heating with an electrical resistance or by circulating hot oil. The combination of the softened tie layer and the external pressure applied by the two press rolls 116 and 118 causes the tie layer to firmly bind the barrier layer to the glass fiber bundle 110. An alternative method for heating the layer of union is, an infrared heater 120, as shown. Such a heater would have to be placed immediately upstream of a pair of press rolls, not shown, similar to rolls 116 and 118, so that the softened tie layer could be pressed into the block of fibrous cut fiber and be integrally bonded to the cut fiber block. The ultrasonic connection can also be used, with laser or microwave. Optionally, a cooling section, not shown, can be used to cool the softened layer after the joining process. As also shown in Figure 7, the remainder of the fibrous pack surface 110, ie the side edges 102 and the posterior major surface 104 can be encapsulated with encapsulating material or film 100 which can be supplied by means of the film roll of encapsulation 122. The film 100 can be applied using a crease shoe 124, an example of which is described in U.S. Patent No. 5,545,279 to Hall et al., identified above. As described above, the encapsulation film can be bonded in small amounts of discrete bands of adhesive. The adhesive can be applied by any suitable means, such as an adhesive nozzle 126, fed with an appropriate adhesive from a source, not shown. In the alternative, the encapsulation film 100 can be securely bonded to the entire surface of the side edges and the larger rear surface with a multi-layer coextruded film similar to the coating 64, as described above. Also, it should be understood that the encapsulation material can be applied only on the back surface, leaving the side edges uncapsulated. As shown in Figure 8, a coated insulating product 60 of the invention has been longitudinally grooved to provide partial cut fiber blocks 130 and 132 suitable for insulating non-standard insulating cavities. The insulating product 60 is coated with the coating 64 of the invention, but there is no encapsulating material. The insulating product is a bonded or bonded product, and therefore the partial cut fiber blocks 130 and 132 will maintain their shape and maneuverability even when cut. Any of the partial cut fiber blocks is suitable for insulating non-standard insulating cavities, such as the partial cavity 26 shown in Figure 1, or such as the narrow cavity 16 shown in Figure 1. The principle and mode of operation of this invention have been described in their preferred embodiments. However, it should be noted that this invention can be practiced otherwise than specifically illustrated and described without departing from its scope.

Claims (18)

1. CLAIMS 1. An insulating product, characterized in that it comprises a block of elongated cut fiber of fibrous insulating material, and a coating adhered to a larger surface of the cut fiber block, where the coating is a co-extruded polymeric film of barrier and bonding layers, with the tie layer having a softening point less than the softening point of the barrier layer, with the tie layer being one or more materials of the group consisting of ethylene N-butyl acrylate, ethylene methyl acrylate and acrylate of ethylene ethyl, and where the coating has been heated to a temperature above the softening point of the tie layer, but lower than the softening point of the barrier layer, whereby the coating adheres to the block of staple fiber by the bonding of the bonding layer of the fibers in the cut fiber block due to the softening of the bonding layer.
2. 2. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier layer is a vapor barrier.
3. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the difference in the softening temperatures for the barrier layer and the bonding layer is within the range of about 50 to about 225 ° F (10 to about 107.22 ° C) ).
4. 4. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the coating is cuttable, does not soften at less than 110 ° F (43.33 ° C), and does not become brittle at a temperature greater than about 30 ° F (- 1.11 ° C).
5. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the staple fiber block has edges, and the cladding has extensions beyond the edges of the staple fiber block to fit between the edge of the insulating product and a stud of the staple fiber. stop construction.
6. 6. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the coating has a flexural stiffness of less than 500 gm cm.
7. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the coating has an elastic modulus in the range of about 25,000 (172,367) to about 200,000 pounds per square inch (psi) (1,378,940 kPa).
8. 8. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the barrier layer is selected from the group of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester and polystyrene.
9. 9. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the insulating product has a portion that increases the friction on the sides of the insulating product for a frictional adjustment assisted by the insulating product in an insulating cavity.
10. 10. The insulating product according to claim 1, characterized in that the bonding layer is low density polyethylene.
11. 11. An insulating product, characterized in that it comprises an elongated cut fiber block of fibrous insulating material, and a coating adhered to a larger surface of the cut fiber block, where the coating is a co-extruded polymeric film of barrier, support and joint, with the tie layer having a softening point less than the softening point of the barrier layer, and with the support layer being placed between the barrier and tie layers, where the coating has been heated to a temperature higher than the softening point of the tie layer, but lower than the softening point of the barrier layer, whereby the coating adheres to the block of staple fiber by joining the fiber tie layer in the block. fiber cut due to softening of the tie layer. The insulating product according to claim 11, characterized in that the barrier layer provides an insulating barrier between the barrier layer and the bonding layer during the co-extrusion of the polymeric film sufficient to improve the allowable difference in the softening temperatures between the barrier layer and the bonding layer at least 30 ° F (-1.1 ° C). 13. The insulating product according to claim 11, characterized in that the support layer is a linear low density polyethylene. The insulating product according to claim 11, characterized in that the difference in the softening temperatures for the barrier layer and the bonding layer is within the range of 50 (10) to about 225 ° F (107 ° C) . A method for manufacturing an insulating product, characterized in that it comprises: placing a coating in contact with a larger surface of an elongated cut fiber block of fibrous insulating material, wherein the coating is a co-extruded polymeric film of barrier and bonding layers, with the tie layers being one or more materials of the group consisting of ethylene N-butyl acrylate, ethylene methyl acrylate and ethylene ethyl acrylate, and with the tie layer having a softening point lower than the softening point of the barrier layer; and heating the coating to a temperature above the softening point of the tie layer, but below the softening point of the barrier layer, while maintaining the coating in contact with the block of cut fiber to soften the layer. Binding layer to a sufficient degree to join the fiber-binding layer in the cut fiber block and thereby adhere the coating to the cut fiber block 16. The insulating product according to claim 15, characterized in that the The barrier layer is a film and the joining layer is a plurality of discrete joining portions 17. The insulating product according to claim 15, characterized in that the bonding layer is one or more materials of the group consisting of ethylene N-butyl, ethylene methyl acrylate and ethylene ethyl acrylate 18. A method for installing an insulating product, characterized in that it comprises: providing a product insulator comprising an elongated cut fiber block of fibrous insulating material, and a coating adhered to a larger surface of the cut fiber block, where the coating is a co-extruded polymeric film of barrier layers and tie layers, with the tie layer having a softening point less than the softening point of the barrier layer, and where the coating has been heated to a temperature above the softening point of the tie layer, but below the softening point of the barrier layer , whereby the coating adheres to the block of staple fiber by joining the fiber tie layer in the staple fiber block due to the softening of the tie layer, and where the coating has no ridges; and installing the insulating product in an insulating cavity by pressing the insulating product in place between opposing structural members. 19 r The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the opposed structural members are wall studs. 20. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the coating has extension skirts.