Process for manufacturing scrubby substrates and substrates made therefrom

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016270626-A1
Application number	US-201615073438-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2016
Priority date	Mar 18, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In-line processes for producing scrubby substrates, and related scrubby substrate cleaning articles. The process may include melting a polymer resin material, and extruding or otherwise dispensing the molten polymer resin material through one or more orifices of a heated nozzle, into a stream of hot inert gas, which attenuates the molten resin, so that the resin forms into elongated globules (rather than fibers or filaments). Such globules may have irregular cross-section and/or irregular thickness along a length of the globules. Alternatively, the molten resin may be formed into substantially continuous or discontinuous string or chain pattern of abrasive fibers, exhibiting a high frequency, low amplitude substantially linear pattern on the base substrate. In either case the globules or abrasive fibers are collected onto at least a portion of a base substrate layer to form a scrubby substrate that is more abrasive than typical meltblown materials.

First claim

1 . An in-line process for producing a scrubby substrate, the process comprising:
(a) melting a polymer resin material; (b) extruding or otherwise dispensing the molten polymer resin through one or more orifices of a heated nozzle into a stream of hot inert gas which attenuates said molten resin into elongated globules that form a stream of such globules; (c) creating elongated globules having an irregular cross-section and/or an irregular thickness along a length of said elongated globules; (d) collecting said globules onto at least a portion of a surface of a base substrate layer, said globules being abrasive once cooled; wherein a spacing between the one or more orifices of the nozzle and the base substrate layer is less than 6 inches, to aid in globule adhesion to the base substrate layer.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said polymer resin is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyesters, high-density polypropylene, low-density polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamides, nylon, polyvinylidenes, polyurethane, polyurea, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, viscose, rayon, epoxy resin, silicone resins, and copolymers and combinations thereof.

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the molten resin has a meltflow rate of 35 to 400 grams/10 minutes.

4 . The process of claim 1 , further comprising adding an abrasive particulate material to the molten polymer resin material.

5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the abrasive globules are deposited in a stripe pattern that covers only a portion of one face of the base substrate layer.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein the abrasive globules are discontinuous, having irregular lengths.

7 . A scrubby substrate formed according to the process of claim 1 .

8 . A scrubby substrate as recited in claim 7 , wherein the abrasive globules cover only a portion of one face of the base substrate layer.

9 . An in-line process for producing a multi-layer scrubby substrate, the process comprising:
(a) melting a polymer resin material; (b) extruding or otherwise dispensing the molten polymer resin through a plurality of orifices of a heated nozzle into a stream of hot inert gas which attenuates said molten resin into fibers and creates a stream of said abrasive fibers; and (c) depositing said abrasive fibers onto at least a portion of a face of a base substrate layer in a substantially linear high frequency low amplitude pattern to create an abrasive scrubby layer on the face of the base substrate layer.

10 . The process of claim 9 , wherein said polymer resin is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyesters, high-density polypropylene, low-density polypropylene, polystyrene, polyamides, nylon, polyvinylidenes, polyurethane, polyurea, polyethylene terephthalate, polylactic acid, viscose, rayon, epoxy resin, silicone resins, and copolymers and combinations thereof.

11 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the scrubby layer comprises an abrasive particulate material.

12 . The process of claim 11 , wherein the abrasive particulate material is added to the scrubby layer during a process selected from the group consisting of: substrate winding, creating interleaved substrate stacks, attaching multiple layers of substrate articles together, adding abrasive particulate material to the molten polymer resin as it is dispensed from the orifices, and any combinations thereof.

13 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the molten resin has a meltflow rate of 35 to 400 grams/10 minutes.

14 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the abrasive fibers adhere to one another, creating a substantially continuous string or chain of fibers wherein the string or chain has an irregular cross-section along its length.

15 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the abrasive fibers form discontinuous strings or chain of fibers.

16 . The process of claim 9 , further comprising the step of loading a cleaning composition onto one or more layers of said scrubby substrate.

17 . A scrubby substrate formed according to the process of claim 9 .

18 . A scrubby substrate as recited in claim 17 , wherein the abrasive fibers cover only a portion of one face of the base substrate layer.

19 . A scrubby substrate comprising:
(a) a base substrate layer; (b) an abrasive layer on the base substrate layer, the abrasive layer including:
(i) a plurality of abrasive strings or chains of abrasive fibers forming a substantially linear high frequency low amplitude pattern that covers a portion of the base substrate layer; or
(ii) a plurality of abrasive fibers having an irregular cross-section and irregular thickness along a length of said fibers, wherein the abrasive fibers cover a portion of said base substrate layer;
(c) wherein the base substrate layer includes an absorbent layer; and (d) optionally, a cleaning composition loaded in or onto said scrubby substrate.

20 . The scrubby substrate of claim 20 , wherein the abrasive layer is (ii), and the abrasive fibers are substantially separate and discontinuous from one another, having irregular lengths.

Assignees

• Clorox Co

Inventors

• White Edward Jason
• Hugley Samuel

Classifications

• B32B23/10

  next to a fibrous or filamentary layer · CPC title

• B32B7/05

  the layers not being connected over the whole surface, e.g. discontinuous connection or patterned connection (using interposed adhesives or bonding materials applied in spaced arrangements B32B7/14) · CPC title

• B32B5/26

  another layer {next to it} also being fibrous or filamentary {(relative arrangement of fibres or filaments of different layers B32B5/12)} · CPC title

• B32B3/10

  characterised by a discontinuous layer, i.e. formed of separate pieces of material · CPC title

• B32B27/38

  comprising epoxy resins · CPC title