Method of separating strands on a stretching surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9630359-B2
Application number	US-201615131416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2016
Priority date	May 10, 2013
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

A method of increasing a width of a polymeric netting is disclosed. The method includes providing a polymeric netting having a length in a machine direction and running the polymeric netting in the machine direction onto a stretchable surface. The polymeric netting is in contact with the stretchable surface for a path length in the machine direction, and for at least a portion of the path length, the stretchable surface is stretching in the cross-machine direction. The traction between the polymeric netting and the stretchable surface during the stretching increases the width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting in the cross-machine direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of increasing a width of a polymeric netting, the method comprising:
providing a polymeric netting having a length in a machine direction; and
running the polymeric netting in the machine direction onto a stretchable surface,

wherein the polymeric netting is in contact with the stretchable surface for a path length in the machine direction, wherein for at least a portion of the path length, the stretchable surface stretches in the cross-machine direction, wherein traction between the polymeric netting and the stretchable surface during stretching increases a width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting in the cross-machine direction, and wherein the stretchable surface is provided by at least one stretchable band, stretchable tubing, at least one coiled spring, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric netting has a width after contacting the stretchable surface that is at least five percent greater than its width before it contacts the stretchable surface.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric netting comprises mechanical fastening elements on at least one major surface.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the mechanical fastening elements are male fastening elements comprising upstanding posts having bases attached to the polymeric netting.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the polymeric netting is coated with adhesive on its major surface opposite the mechanical fastening elements.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stretchable surface does not have a support surface contacting the stretchable surface on a side opposite a side of the stretchable surface that contacts the polymeric netting.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising directing the polymeric netting onto a high-friction surface after the width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting is increased.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising laminating the polymeric netting to a carrier after the width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting is increased.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the carrier is provided with a layer of adhesive, and wherein the polymeric netting is bonded to the carrier with the adhesive to form a laminate.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein stretchable surface comprises an elastomer.

11. A method of increasing a width of a polymeric netting, the method comprising:
providing a polymeric netting having a length in a machine direction; and
running the polymeric netting in the machine direction onto a stretchable surface,

wherein the polymeric netting is in contact with the stretchable surface for a path length in the machine direction, wherein for at least a portion of the path length, the stretchable surface stretches in the cross-machine direction, wherein traction between the polymeric netting and the stretchable surface during stretching increases a width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting in the cross-machine direction, and wherein running the polymeric netting in the machine direction comprises running the polymeric netting onto a roller comprising two rotating diverging disks that are laterally spaced and have the stretchable surface between them that stretches in the cross-machine direction for a portion of a rotation of the two rotating diverging disks.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein there are multiple stretchable bands, stretchable tubing, multiple coiled springs, or a combination thereof attached to the diverging disks that provide the stretchable surface.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stretchable surface is a sleeve connected to the two rotating diverging disks.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein a distance between the two diverging disks' peripheral surfaces at a point of greatest separation is at least 25 percent greater than a distance between the two diverging disks' peripheral surfaces at a point of least separation.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein stretchable surface comprises an elastomer.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stretchable surface does not have a support surface contacting the stretchable surface on a side opposite a side of the stretchable surface that contacts the polymeric netting.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polymeric netting comprises mechanical fastening elements on at least one major surface.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising directing the polymeric netting onto a high-friction surface after the width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting is increased.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising laminating the polymeric netting to a carrier after the width of at least a portion of the polymeric netting is increased.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the carrier is provided with a layer of adhesive, and wherein the polymeric netting is bonded to the carrier with the adhesive to form a laminate.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Rothwell Neal C
• Bugeja Peter J
• Gilbert Thomas J
• Diekmann Timothy J
• Peltier Mark A
• Luepke Ryan M

Classifications

• B29K2021/003

  Thermoplastic elastomers · CPC title

• D01D5/426

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• B26D3/10

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• D01D10/04 Primary

  Supporting filaments or the like during their treatment · CPC title

• D04H13/02

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