Unitary Deflection Member for Making Fibrous Structures Having Increased Surface Area and Process for Making Same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016354979-A1
Application number	US-201615132295-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 19, 2016
Priority date	May 1, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A unitary deflection member and a method for making a unitary deflection member is disclosed. The method can include the steps of: providing an additive manufacturing making apparatus; providing a material for the unitary deflection member, the material being compatible for use with the additive manufacturing making apparatus; generating a 3-D digital image of objects in a repeat element of the unitary deflection member, the objects including at least a reinforcing member and at least one protuberance of the unitary deflection member; assembling the objects into a digitized file including the at least one protuberance being on said reinforcing member; importing the digitized file to make numerical control file; and depositing the material using the additive manufacturing making apparatus to make the unitary deflection member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for making a unitary deflection member, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing an additive manufacturing making apparatus; b. providing at least one material for the unitary deflection member, the material being compatible for use with the additive manufacturing making apparatus; c. generating a 3-D digital image of objects in a repeat element of the unitary deflection member, the objects including at least a reinforcing member and at least one protuberance of the unitary deflection member; d. optionally, assembling the objects into a digitized file including the at least one protuberance being on said reinforcing member; e. importing the digitized file to make a numerical control file of the additive manufacturing making apparatus; and f. depositing the material using the additive manufacturing making apparatus to make the unitary deflection member.

2 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 1 , wherein the additive manufacturing making apparatus is a 3-D printer.

3 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 1 , wherein the digitized file describes a unitary deflection member having at least two of said protuberances are adjacent one another and separated by a void defining a deflection conduit.

4 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 1 , wherein the objects further include transition portions and forming portions on said at least one protuberance, and the digitized file describes a unitary deflection member comprising a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances extending from said reinforcing member, at least two of said protuberances being similar in size and shape, each said protuberance having a transition portion having a transition portion width and a forming portion having a forming portion width, and wherein the transition portion width is less than the forming portion width.

5 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 1 , wherein the digitized file describes a reinforcing member defining an X-Y plane, and a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances, wherein each protuberance has a three-dimensional shape such that any cross-sectional area of the protuberance parallel to the X-Y plane has an equal or lesser area than any cross-sectional area of the protuberance being a greater distance from the X-Y plane in the Z-direction.

6 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are discrete units disposed in a regular, spaced apart configuration in both the MD and CD, each discrete unit having a cross-sectional shape, the cross-sectional shape being selected from key-hole-shaped, mushroom-shaped, circular, oval, inverted triangle, T-shaped, inverted L-shaped, egg- or pebble-shaped, and combinations thereof.

7 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are disposed in a regular, spaced apart configuration of discrete units in the X-Y plane and distributed in both the MD and CD in a regular, spaced pattern.

8 . A method for making a unitary deflection member, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing an additive manufacturing making apparatus; b. providing at least one material for the unitary deflection member, the material being compatible for use with the additive manufacturing making apparatus; c. generating a 3-D digital image of objects in an element of the unitary deflection member, the objects including at least a reinforcing member and at least one protuberance of the unitary deflection member; d. optionally, assembling the objects into a digitized file including the at least one protuberance being on said reinforcing member; e. importing the digitized file to make a numerical control file of the additive manufacturing making apparatus; and f. depositing the material using the additive manufacturing making apparatus to make the unitary deflection member.

9 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 8 , wherein the additive manufacturing making apparatus is a 3-D printer.

10 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 8 , wherein the digitized file describes a unitary deflection member having at least two of said protuberances are adjacent one another and separated by a void defining a deflection conduit.

11 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 8 , wherein the objects further include transition portions and forming portions on said at least one protuberance, and the digitized file describes a unitary deflection member comprising a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances extending from said reinforcing member, at least two of said protuberances being similar in size and shape, each said protuberance having a transition portion having a transition portion width and a forming portion having a forming portion width, and wherein the transition portion width is less than the forming portion width.

12 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 8 , wherein the digitized file describes a reinforcing member defining an X-Y plane, and a plurality of regularly spaced protuberances, wherein each protuberance has a three-dimensional shape such that any cross-sectional area of the protuberance parallel to the X-Y plane has an equal or lesser area than any cross-sectional area of the protuberance being a greater distance from the X-Y plane in the Z-direction.

13 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are discrete units disposed in a regular, spaced apart configuration in both the MD and CD, each discrete unit having a cross-sectional shape, the cross-sectional shape being selected from key-hole-shaped, mushroom-shaped, circular, oval, inverted triangle, T-shaped, inverted L-shaped, egg- or pebble-shaped, and combinations thereof.

14 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of regularly spaced protuberances are disposed in a regular, spaced apart configuration of discrete units in the X-Y plane and distributed in both the MD and CD in a regular, spaced pattern.

15 . A method for making a unitary deflection member, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing 3-D printer apparatus; b. providing at least one material for the unitary deflection member, the material being compatible for use with the additive manufacturing making apparatus; c. generating a 3-D digital image of objects in an element of the unitary deflection member, the objects including at least a reinforcing member and at least one protuberance having transition portions and forming portions; d. optionally, assembling the objects into a digitized file including the at least one protuberance being on said reinforcing member; e. importing the digitized file to make a numerical control file of the additive manufacturing making apparatus; and f. depositing the material using the additive manufacturing making apparatus to make the unitary deflection member.

16 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 15 , wherein the digitized file describes a unitary deflection member having at least two of said protuberances are adjacent one another and separated by a void defining a deflection conduit.

17 . The method for making a unitary deflection member of claim 15 , wherein the digitized file describes a unitary deflection member comprising a plurality of regularly spaced protuberance

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Manifold John Allen
• Brent Jr John Leslie
• Singer James Michael

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• D04H1/425

  Cellulose series · CPC title

• D21F7/086

  Substantially impermeable for transferring fibrous webs · CPC title

• D04H3/11

  by fluid jet · CPC title