Patent Application
20100269283
The present invention relates to nonwoven towels having protrusions, and more particularly, to a nonwoven towel having protrusions and improved cleaning and water-absorbing capacity, in which nonwoven fabric has fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereon, thus imparting the functionality of many small protrusions of a fiber towel, and has therein recesses structured by perforations caused by punching, thus realizing cleaning and water-absorbing capacity.
The nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention is adapted for use as a wet towel, a wet tissue, a handkerchief, a makeup remover, a dishwashing sponge, an electrostatic dustcloth and so on, and is classified depending on whether the fibrous wrinkled protrusions and the perforations caused by the punching are respectively present on and in the nonwoven fabric. Specifically, the nonwoven towel according to the present invention has fibrous wrinkled protrusions and thus exhibits skin cleansing, wiping, cleaning, dishwashing, and dewatering abilities.
A disposable wet towel or a disposable wet tissue is widely used in city life.
The disposable wet towel composed of a fabric which cleans is not repeatedly used but is discarded after a single use, thus blocking the use of the wet towel as a propagation path of bacteria. The disposable wet towel is provided for wiping the hand of a user in a restaurant and so on, wiping the excretion of a baby in the course of caring for the baby, and wiping the body of a patient as part of treatment in a hospital.
1) A problem of a conventional disposable nonwoven wet towel or tissue is that the surface of a nonwoven tissue should be layered with protrusions of fibers of nonwoven fabric. Examples of nonwoven fabric used for manufacturing nonwoven products such as disposable wet tissues or towels include spunlace nonwoven fabric, hydrophilic treated polypropylene (PP) meltblown nonwoven fabric, and other hydrophilic treated PP nonwoven fabric. Below in the present invention, PP indicates polypropylene.
The aforementioned nonwoven fabric has a flat surface and a smooth texture, and thus has adhesion and cleaning capacity inferior to those of a fiber towel having fibrous protrusions thereon. Upon contact with the skin of a user, the nonwoven fabric is smooth and does not have any scraping ability and thus gives a different texture to the user.
With the goal of solving the above problem, the surface of the nonwoven fabric is layered with an embossing pattern to increase the adhesion of the conventional nonwoven wet towel.
The embossing pattern of the nonwoven wet towel is obtained by forming recesses having a depth of about 50 to the surface of a nonwoven fabric having a thickness of about 400. The recesses formed as the embossing pattern in the surface of the nonwoven fabric may improve adhesion and flexibility of the nonwoven fabric to some degree but have very poor adhesion compared to the fibrous wrinkled protrusions of a fiber towel.
2) Another problem of the nonwoven wet towel is the harmfulness of the chemicals contained therein. Korean Patent Unexamined Publication No. 10-1998-0086503 points out the skin troubles of a user caused by a nonwoven wet towel containing a surfactant, a fungicide and a preservative.
The reason why the chemicals are contained in the nonwoven wet towel is as follows. Inexpensive nonwoven fabric usable as a replacement for a woven wet towel is PP-based nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 5 to 80 g/. The commercially available wet towel or tissue is composed mainly of hydrophilic treated PP meltblown nonwoven fabric. Also useful are PP spunbond nonwoven fabric, nonwoven fabric obtained by layering PP spunbond and meltblown nonwovens in a single process, and spunlace nonwoven fabric. However, the PP-based nonwoven fabric consists of a hydrophobic fiber layer having no ability to absorb water. When water drops on the inclined surface of the PP nonwoven fabric not subjected to hydrophilic treatment, water does not wet the surface of the nonwoven fabric but flaws down. In order to cause the hydrophobic PP nonwoven fabric to absorb water, the PP nonwoven fabric should be coated with a hydrophilic agent. For hydrophilic coating, the PP nonwoven fabric is dipped in a hydrophilic agent solution and then dried in an oven or using hot air. The hydrophilic agent is a surfactant series chemical similar to a detergent such as soap or shampoo. When the hydrophilic treated wet towel is used, a small amount of surfactant contained in the wet towel is transferred to the skin and remains thereon. The surfactant remaining on the skin negatively affects the skin of a user, in particular, the skin of an infant or portions around the lips having kw resistance.
3) A further problem of the disposable wet towel is the use of the chemicals contained in the wet towel. In order to prevent the deterioration of the conventional wet tissue during the shelf life storage period, chemicals such as a disinfecting agent, an alcohol, a fungicide, a preservative and a surfactant for increasing cleaning capacity are contained in a solution in which the wet towel is dipped. The chemical such as the surfactant or the alcohol functions to prevent the deterioration of the conventional disposable wet tissue or towel during the shelf life storage period and increase cleaning capacity thereof.
Further examples of the nonwoven fabric used for cleaning purposes include kitchen towels, electrostatic dustcloths, makeup removers and so on. The kitchen towel, the electrostatic dustcloth, the makeup remover and so on are relatively expensive and have no fibrous protrusions and poor cleaning capacity. Hence, there is a need for a material being inexpensive and having improved cleaning capacity.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present invention provides an absorbent nonwoven towel having protrusions and improved cleaning capacity, which is of a novel type for those using PP-based nonwoven fabric as a wet towel.
In addition, the present invention provides a nonwoven towel having protrusions, in which fibrous wrinkled protrusions are formed on the surface of nonwoven fabric so as to impart the functionality of many small protrusions of a fiber towel.
In addition, the present invention provides a nonwoven towel having protrusions, in which fibrous wrinkled protrusions are arranged on the surface of nonwoven fabric, and thus, upon contact with the skin, there is no difference in texture and adhesion and scraping ability are improved.
In addition, the present invention provides a nonwoven towel having protrusions, in which fibrous wrinkled protrusions are arranged on the surface of nonwoven fabric, the nonwoven fabric is fluffed out to reduce fiber density so as to increase cushioning capacity, recesses are structured in the nonwoven fabric by perforations caused by punching, and embossing treatment is performed to thus form unevenness, thus increasing adhesion and cleaning capacity.
In addition, the present invention provides an absorbent nonwoven towel having protrusions, in which fibrous wrinkled protrusions are formed on the surface of nonwoven fabric thus increasing adhesion and cleaning capacity, thereby obviating a need for an impurity such as a surfactant coming from a solution for wetting a disposable nonwoven wet towel.
In addition, the present invention provides a nonwoven towel having protrusions, in which fibrous wrinkled protrusions are formed on the surface of nonwoven fabric thus improving the soft touch, scraping ability and cleaning capacity and enhancing water-absorbing capacity, thereby decreasing a need for hydrophilic treatment.
In addition, the present invention provides a hydrophobic nonwoven towel having protrusions with water-absorbing capacity, in which fibrous wrinkled protrusions are formed on the surface of hydrophobic nonwoven fabric, the density of the nonwoven fabric is reduced, recesses are structured in the nonwoven fabric by perforations caused by punching, and corona treatment is performed, thus enhancing cleaning capacity.
In addition, the present invention provides a dishwashing sponge which may be sanitarily used and which is capable of reducing the amount of a detergent to be used, an electrostatic dustcloth and other dustcloths which generate more static electricity to easily remove dust, and a makeup remover and a facial cleansing towel for easily removing makeup and makeup residues from skin wrinkles, thanks to the improved cleaning capacity of the nonwoven fabric having protrusions.
In addition, the present invention provides a nonwoven towel having protrusions and enhanced cleaning and water-absorbing capacity, which is suitable for use in novel types of disposable wet towels, disposable wet tissues, handkerchiefs, makeup removers, dishwashing sponges, and electrostatic dustcloths, which are necessary for daily life.
According to the present invention, there is provided a nonwoven towel having protrusions and improved cleaning and water-absorbing capacity, suitable for use as any one selected from among a wet towel, a wet tissue, a handkerchief, a makeup remover, a dishwashing sponge and an electrostatic dustcloth, manufactured by press punching a nonwoven fabric made of fibers having a denier of 0.1˜10 selected from among a polyolefin-based hydrophobic nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 5˜80 g/including a polypropylene-based hydrophobic nonwoven fabric not subjected to hydrophilic treatment and an absorbent nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 5˜80 g/, using heated pins, so that the nonwoven fabric has fibrous wrinkled protrusions having a height of 0.1˜5 mm on one surface thereof and thus has a reduced fiber density and has recesses structured by perforations having a perforation rate of 5˜50% caused by the punching in the surface thereof opposite the surface having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions, and fibers of a portion of the nonwoven fabric other than a portion which is pin punched are fluffed out thus reducing a fiber density, thereby preparing a nonwoven fabric having protrusions and improved cleaning and water-absorbing capacity; stacking two layers of the nonwoven fabric having protrusions one on another; and pressing the two layers of the nonwoven fabric along an embossing pattern of an embossing roll, thus imparting an embossing pressed pattern and unevenness and reducing lint of the nonwoven fabric because of the embossing pressed pattern.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. The terms and words used in the specification and claims must be regarded as having concepts selected by the inventor as the best method of illustrating the present invention, and must be interpreted as having meanings and concepts adapted to the scope and sprit of the present invention for purposes of understanding the technology of the present invention.
According to the present invention, the nonwoven towel having protrusions has a reduced fiber density thanks to fibrous wrinkled protrusions, recesses structured by perforations caused by punching, increased elasticity thanks to the totally reduced fiber density of the nonwoven fabric and embossed unevenness, and thus exhibits improved cleaning and water-absorbing capacity at a lower price, as compared to conventional cleaning nonwoven products.
Thus, products made of the nonwoven towel according to the present invention are expected to increase the expediency of daily life activities, be beneficial to the health, and reduce the use of detergents.
Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of a nonwoven towel having protrusions and improved cleaning and water-absorbing capacity according to the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements, and redundant descriptions are omitted. In order to make the characteristics of the invention clear and for the sake of description, a detailed description pertaining to the other known techniques may be omitted.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, a single-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions is manufactured by punching nonwoven fabric made of fibers having a denier of 0.1˜10 so that the nonwoven fabric has absorbent fibrous wrinkled protrusions having a height of 0.1˜5 mm on one surface thereof and thus has a reduced fiber density, and the nonwoven fabric has recesses structured by perforations caused by the punching in the surface of the nonwoven fabric opposite the surface having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions, whereby the nonwoven fabric is totally fluffed out.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, a two-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions is manufactured by stacking two layers of the nonwoven fabric having protrusions one on another so that the fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereof are disposed outwards, the nonwoven fabric being selected from among hydrophobic nonwoven fabric having protrusions and absorbent nonwoven fabric having protrusions, and pressing them along an embossing pattern of an embossing roll of an ultrasonic sealer, thus imparting an embossed pattern and embossed unevenness to the surfaces having fibrous wrinkled protrusions.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, a three-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions is manufactured by stacking two layers of the nonwoven fabric having protrusions one on another so that fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereof are disposed outwards, sandwiching a layer of absorbent nonwoven fabric or paper towel between the two layers of the nonwoven fabric having protrusions, and pressing them along an embossing pattern of an embossing roll of an ultrasonic sealer, thus imparting embossed unevenness to the surface having fibrous wrinkled protrusions.
According to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, a one or more-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions is manufactured by pressing the nonwoven towel having fibrous wrinkled protrusions along an embossing pattern of an embossing roll of an ultrasonic sealer, thus imparting unevenness and reducing the lint of the nonwoven fabric.
The hydrophobic polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric may be increased in water absorptiveness through corona treatment.
The nonwoven fabric of the punched nonwoven towel having protrusions enables the use of the hydrophobic polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric as a wet towel or a wet tissue.
The nonwoven towel according to the present invention may be applied in various objects including wet towels, wet tissues, makeup removers, dishwashing sponges, handkerchiefs, and electrostatic dustcloths.
Below, the present invention is described in more detail.
Material for Nonwoven Towel Having Protrusions
The material for the nonwoven towel having protrusions is hydrophobic nonwoven fabric or absorbent nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 5˜80 g/.
Examples of the hydrophobic nonwoven fabric include polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric, including polyolefin-based spunbond nonwoven fabric (S), polyolefin-based meltblown nonwoven fabric (M), nonwoven fabric (SMS, SMMS) resulting from layering of polyolefin-based spunbond nonwoven fabric (S) and polyolefin-based meltblown nonwoven fabric (M), and polyolefin-based thermal bond nonwoven fabric.
The fiber material mainly used for the polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric is PP, and the other examples thereof include copolymers of propylene and ethylene, bi-component fibers of PP and polyethylene, and polyethylene.
Examples of the absorbent nonwoven fabric include nonwoven fabric obtained by coating the surface of the hydrophobic polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric with a hydrophilic agent, spunlace nonwoven fabric, air through nonwoven fabric, air-laid nonwoven fabric, polyester nonwoven fabric, and polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric containing viscose fibers or polyester fibers.
The nonwoven fabric adapted for the present invention is the hydrophobic polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric or the absorbent polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric which is inexpensive, has a high fiber content and facilitates the formation of protrusions.
The polyolefin-based spunbond nonwoven fabric (S) is manufactured by melting a PP material in an extruder, spinning the molten resin from a spinning nozzle to obtain fibers having a denier of 1˜5, heat pressing the spun fibers into a sheet form using a heated roll, and curing the sheet, thus obtaining a nonwoven fabric in a sheet form having a high fiber density and being thin.
The punched nonwoven fabric having protrusions according to the present invention permits, even with the use of the hydrophobic polyolefin-based nonwoven fabric not subjected to hydrophilic treatment, the penetration of water, on account of the fibrous wrinkled protrusions having a reduced fiber density in the form of loop protrusions of elastic fibers of the nonwoven fabric, the perforations of the nonwoven fabric and the totally reduced fiber density of the punched nonwoven fabric. Further, the hydrophobic nonwoven fabric is subjected to corona treatment to enhance water-absorbing capacity and thus may be used as a wet towel and a wet tissue.
In the present invention, in order to enhance the penetration of water into the hydrophobic nonwoven towel having protrusions not subjected to hydrophilic treatment, the hydrophobic nonwoven fabric is subjected to corona treatment, thus increasing water-absorbing capacity.
Typically, corona discharge treatment is mainly conducted on the surface of a plastic film before printing, so that ink efficiently attaches to the surface of the film.
In the present invention, the nonwoven fabric is subjected to corona discharge treatment, whereby water efficiently attaches and is absorbed by the nonwoven towel having protrusions. Actually, when the nonwoven towel having protrusions is subjected to corona discharge treatment, water-absorbing capacity is increased upon contact of the nonwoven towel with water, and the contact angle of water is increased upon dropping of water on the nonwoven towel.
In the present invention, the nonwoven towel having protrusions, which is the most economical, sanitary and inexpensive, is a single-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions obtained by heat pressing and pin punching hydrophobic PP spunbond nonwoven fabric having about 5˜80 g/, so that the nonwoven fabric has fibrous wrinkled protrusions on one surface thereof and recesses structured by perforations having a perforation rate of 5˜50% caused by the punching in the other surface thereof, totally reducing the fiber density of the nonwoven fabric; pressing the nonwoven fabric with an embossing line thus reducing the lint of the nonwoven fabric and imparting embossed unevenness; and subjecting the nonwoven fabric to corona treatment, thus increasing cleaning and water-absorbing capacity.
Also, when the two or more-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions is formed, the fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereof are preferably disposed outwards, as shown in
This is considered to be because the surface of the nonwoven fabric having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions exhibits good cleaning capacity.
In order to further increase the water-absorbing capacity of the nonwoven towel having protrusions, a nonwoven towel having protrusions is manufactured from the absorbent nonwoven fabric.
Also, when the nonwoven towel having protrusions is provided in the form of a three-layered composite, as shown in
In this way, when the two or more-layered nonwoven towel composite having protrusions is manufactured, the layers are pressed by ultrasonic embossing, using a heated embossing roll or using a hot melt adhesive. Preferably useful is ultrasonic embossing facilitating the formation of unevenness.
Formation of Fibrous Wrinkled Protrusions on One Surface of Nonwoven Fabric, Formation of Perforations and Reduction of Fiber Density
The fibrous wrinkled protrusions are formed at a height of 0.1˜5 mm on the surface of the nonwoven fabric to impart the functionality of many small protrusions of a fiber towel. In the present invention, the surface of the nonwoven fabric is heat pressed and pin punched to form the fibrous wrinkled protrusions on the surface thereof.
In the protruding procedure, the elastic fibers are fluffed out and thus constitute a bundle of loops of elastic fibers having a reduced fiber density. Through this procedure, the nonwoven fabric is manufactured into the absorbent nonwoven towel 24 having protrusions in which the fibrous wrinkled protrusions 23 are formed on one surface of the nonwoven fabric to be similar to the protrusions of a woven towel.
In the present invention, the nonwoven fabric is punched using a pin punch roll set. In order to punch the nonwoven fabric to thus form the fibrous wrinkled protrusions, the pin punch roll is constructed such that pin punches with mountain-shaped ends are arranged on the roll and then heated for thermal forming of the nonwoven fabric. The detailed dimension of the pin punches is set depending on the size and the height of the protrusions to be formed on the nonwoven fabric.
As in
When the nonwoven fabric is heat pressed and punched using the pin punch roll, the base pocket roll for supporting the nonwoven fabric and protruding elastic fibers in the form of protrusions is provided. The base pocket roll includes, in the surface of the roll, forming pockets respectively corresponding to the pin punches of the pin punch roll. The detailed dimension of the pockets is set depending on the size and the height of the protrusions of the elastic fibers to be formed on the nonwoven fabric. The nonwoven fabric in a sheet form is heated and punched between the heated pin punch roll and the heated pocket roll, and the elastic fibers protrude in the bundle of loops and are cured, thus forming the fibrous wrinkled protrusions having a desired density and size on the surface of the nonwoven fabric.
In the present invention, the pin punch roll 11 having about 130,000 pin punches 11a arranged per about 1 square meter is used. The pocket roll 12, 13 corresponding to the pin punch roll has about 130,000 forming pockets 12a per about 1 square meter. The pin punch roll 11 very precisely corresponds to the pocket roll 12, 13, and these rolls are used to perform precise heat punching so that the fibrous wrinkled protrusions which are the bundle of loops of such elastic fibers are arranged on the surface of the nonwoven fabric.
The flat nonwoven fabric sheet is punched between the heated punch roll and the heated pocket roll so that the fibers fluff out and are provided in the form of protrusions on one surface of the nonwoven fabric. The distribution of the fibrous wrinkled protrusions is determined by the density of the pin and the diameter of the pin body in the pin punch roll.
The perforations are formed in the nonwoven fabric because of the heat punching which forms the protrusions on one surface of the nonwoven fabric. As such, the perforations distributed in the nonwoven towel function to increase water-absorbing capacity and improve cleaning capacity due to the recesses structured by the perforations.
The fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the nonwoven fabric formed using the pin punch roll and the pocket roll function to impart the surface of the nonwoven fabric with a fiber texture similar to that of a woven towel and adhesion. The loop protrusions of the elastic fibers of the nonwoven fabric are formed with microfibers having a denier of 0.1˜10. Unlike a conventional disposable wet towel or tissue which causes a different texture upon contact with the skin of a user, the nonwoven towel according to the present invention comes into close contact with the skin and is very soft to the touch, resulting in no damage to the skin and no irritation. Further, the fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the nonwoven fabric exhibit superior adhesion and cleaning capacity, and thus a need for a surfactant or a detergent is reduced. The fibrous wrinkled protrusions formed on one surface of the nonwoven fabric according to the present invention are brought into soft and close contact with the skin and the skin wrinkles upon use, thus exhibiting very good cleaning capacity and a touch softer than the protrusions of a fiber towel.
Although the punching means includes the pin punch roll and the pocket roll in the present invention, the same fibrous wrinkled protrusions may also be formed using a pin punch plate and a pocket plate.
Through the above process using the pin punches, one surface of the nonwoven fabric has fibrous wrinkled protrusions and the other surface thereof has perforations.
The perforation rate of the nonwoven fabric should be about 5% or more so that the fibrous wrinkled protrusions are efficiently formed on the surface opposite the surface having the perforations. The perforation rate of the nonwoven fabric is proportional to the area of the fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the nonwoven fabric and the area of the punching pin body.
It is difficult to mechanically obtain a perforation rate of 50% or more.
The perforation rate of the nonwoven fabric is calculated as a ratio of the area of the punching pin body relative to the area of the punching roll.
The surface of the nonwoven fabric opposite the surface having fibrous wrinkled protrusions has recesses structured by the perforations caused by the punching and manifests enhanced cleaning capacity.
In the present invention, when the nonwoven fabric is pin punched, the fiber density of the portion of the nonwoven fabric which is not subjected to pin punching is also reduced. Upon pin punching of the nonwoven fabric at a kw speed of 50 m/min or less, the fiber density of the portion of the nonwoven fabric not subjected to pin punching is reduced.
When the nonwoven fabric is pin punched at a low speed, stress is applied to the portion of the nonwoven fabric not subjected to pin punching, the bundle of fibers of the nonwoven fabric is slightly fluffed out and thus the fiber density of the nonwoven fabric is reduced.
By reducing the fiber density of the nonwoven fabric in this way, the nonwoven fabric having protrusions has increased cushioning capacity and higher water-absorbing and cleaning capacity compared to before undergoing the punching process.
When the nonwoven fabric is pin punched at a speed of about 50 m/min or more, the time during which the nonwoven fabric is pressed by the pins is short, and thus the degree of reduction in fiber density of the nonwoven fabric is small and the fibrous wrinkled protrusions are formed to be considerably kw. As the pin punching speed decreases, the height of the fibrous wrinkled protrusions increases and the fiber density of the entirety of the nonwoven fabric is reduced.
The preferred pin punching speed is 30 m/min or less.
Formation of Embossed Unevenness and Effects Thereof
In the present invention, the nonwoven towel having fibrous wrinkled protrusions is manufactured through punching using the pin punch roll, and then pressed with an uneven embossing pattern using an ultrasonic sealer.
The ultrasonic sealer is composed of an ultrasonic generator and an embossing roll having a variety of patterns. Some ways of forming the embossing pattern on the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention are described below.
The single-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions is imparted with the embossing pattern using an ultrasonic sealer, thus manufacturing a desired nonwoven towel.
In addition, two nonwoven towels having protrusions are stacked one on another so that the fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereof are disposed outwards, after which the stacked towels are pressed with the embossing pattern using an ultrasonic sealer and simultaneously the embossing pattern is formed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions, thus manufacturing a double-sided nonwoven towel having protrusions and an uneven pattern.
In addition, two nonwoven towels having protrusions are respectively placed on both surfaces of a layer of absorbent nonwoven fabric or paper tissue so that the fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereof are disposed outwards, after which the three-layered composite is pressed with the embossing pattern using an ultrasonic sealer and simultaneously the embossing pattern is formed on the surface of the nonwoven fabric having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions, thus manufacturing a desired nonwoven towel having protrusions and an uneven pattern. Also, the surface of the two- or three-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions may include the surface having perforations, if necessary.
The nonwoven towel having protrusions and an uneven pattern includes a portion which is not pressed with the embossing pattern to thus have a thickness of the nonwoven towel and a portion which is pressed or laminated with the pattern to thus form a pressed pattern. These two portions constitute the unevenness which causes the difference in thickness of the nonwoven towel having protrusions thus enhancing scraping ability and frictional force of the nonwoven towel, resulting in increased cleaning capacity.
As for the uneven structure, the thickness of the PP spunbond nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 40 g/is about 300. When the pressed portion is formed in the nonwoven fabric in the shape formed in the embossing roll using the ultrasonic sealer, the thickness of the pressed portion is about 44, and the difference in depth of the uneven structure is about 200.
For example, in the case where the embossing pattern of the ultrasonic embossing roll is provided in the form of a diamond line, the thickness of the pressed portion in the diamond line is different from the thickness of the nonwoven towel having no deformation, thus forming unevenness.
When the nonwoven towel having protrusions is imparted with unevenness in this way, the cleaning capacity of the absorbent nonwoven towel having protrusions is increased.
The embossing pattern may have a variety of shapes using lines or dots, or may include letters.
Also, when the nonwoven towel having protrusions is imparted with the embossing pattern, the fibers of the nonwoven fabric are bonded along the embossing line, thus remarkably reducing the lint of the nonwoven fabric generated by friction upon use of the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention. The generation of too much lint upon use of the nonwoven towel having protrusions adversely affects the quality of nonwoven products.
Typically, the cleaning capacity of nonwoven fabric is superior when there is no lint in the nonwoven fabric.
In the present invention, although the lint of the nonwoven fabric is described as being increased by the fibrous wrinkled protrusions, the fluffing of the nonwoven fabric due to the total reduction in fiber density, and the recesses structured by the perforations caused by the punching, it may be adjusted through embossing treatment.
For the embossing and the embossing pressing (lamination), the heated embossing roll may be used in the present invention.
At least one layer of the nonwoven fabric having protrusions is fed between the heated embossing roll and the confronting roll, and then heat pressed along the embossing line, thus imparting the nonwoven fabric having protrusions with the uneven pattern.
Cleaning Effects and Uses of Nonwoven Fabric having Protrusions
The cleaning capacity of the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention is enhanced by the fibrous wrinkled protrusions, the fluffing of the entirety of the nonwoven fabric, the recesses structured by the perforations caused by the punching, the unevenness due to the embossing line, and the increase in water-absorbing capacity resulting from corona treatment.
The fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the nonwoven fabric having a reduced fiber density are provided in the bundle of loops of elastic fibers protruding from the nonwoven fabric sheet. The fibrous wrinkled protrusions provided in the bundle of loops of elastic fibers function to increase the contact area between the elastic fiber strands and the skin wrinkles and enhance the adhesion and the scraping ability between it and the skin. Upon wiping of the skin using the nonwoven towel, such fibrous wrinkled protrusions are responsible for separating impurities from the skin, thus increasing cleaning efficiency.
The surface of the nonwoven fabric opposite the surface having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions has perforations formed through the punching process. Thanks to the recesses structured by such perforations, the surface of the nonwoven fabric opposite the surface having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions may exhibit increased water-absorbing and cleaning capacity as compared to before punching the nonwoven fabric.
The cleaning effects of the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention are enhanced thanks to the adhesion of the fibrous wrinkled protrusions formed on one surface of the nonwoven fabric and the increase in elasticity of the nonwoven fabric which has been fluffed out due to the reduction in fiber density.
The nonwoven towels having such cleaning capacity are useful as disposable sponges, electrostatic dustcloths, makeup removers, handkerchiefs and so on.
In the case where the nonwoven towel having protrusions is used as the dishwashing sponge, it exhibits superior dishwashing effects and is effective for removing Kimchi stains from a plastic kitchen board or plastic storage containers. Upon cleaning of a frying pan, the nonwoven towel having protrusions manifests good surface cleaning without causing damage to the coating surface of the frying pan. Upon use of the nonwoven towel having protrusions as a dishwashing sponge, the nonwoven towel having protrusions is inexpensive and thus may be discarded after a single use, thus achieving sanitary effects. Further, because the nonwoven towel having protrusions is separatable recyclable waste, causing environmental pollution is avoided and the use of detergent may be reduced.
In the case where the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention is used as an electrostatic dustcloth, a lot of dust is caught in the fibrous wrinkled protrusions having a low density, thus easily removing dust and preventing the release of trapped dust. Thereby, the nonwoven towel having protrusions may be conveniently used as an electrostatic dustcloth. Upon use as a dustcloth, the nonwoven fabric subjected to hydrophilic treatment generates a small amount of static electricity, and thus the use of the hydrophobic nonwoven fabric not subjected to hydrophilic treatment is preferable.
The dustcloth made of the hydrophobic nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention generates much more static electricity than presently commercially available dustcloths made of spunlace nonwoven fabric, and thus upon cleaning of hairs, the use of the dustcloth made of the hydrophobic nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention is more effective.
The electrostatic dustcloth according to the present invention includes a dustcloth used for wiping a sink, a washstand, pieces of furniture and so on. Upon cleaning of the sink, dirt stains are easily removed, and upon cleaning of furniture, dirt stains are easily removed and there is no damage caused to the surface of the furniture.
Also upon use of the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention as a makeup remover, the makeup is removed from the skin mainly by the fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the nonwoven fabric, and further, upon facial cleansing after removal of the makeup, the makeup residue may be completely removed.
Upon skin cleansing, because the fibrous wrinkled protrusions and the low-density fibers around the perforations of the nonwoven fabric are responsible for removing the impurities from the skin wrinkles, the same effects as when using the soap may be obtained even when soap is not used.
Also, when the skin and hair of a hospitalized patient who has not bathed are wiped using the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention as a replacement for bathing, the patient s body may feel as clean as when it is bathed.
Manufacture of Nonwoven Towel having Protrusions for Wet Towel and Other Uses
The nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention is cut to the size of a disposable wet towel or tissue, wet with water, and then packaged, and thus used as a disposable wet towel or tissue.
Also, the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention may be provided in the form of a towel roll having perforated tear lines so that it may be torn in a predetermined size, like a roll of toilet paper. In this case, a consumer may directly wet the towel with water and then may use it as a wet towel.
The nonwoven towel having protrusions is cut to a predetermined size and thus may be used as a disposable makeup remover, a facial cleansing wet towel used after removal of the makeup, a dishwashing sponge, a handkerchief, and an electrostatic dustcloth, or may be provided in the form of a towel roll having perforated tear lines to tear it to a predetermined size, like a roll of toilet paper.
In the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention, the bundle of fibers of the nonwoven fabric protrude in the form of protrusions of the towel on the surface of the nonwoven fabric opposite the surface having perforations, and the pin punched surface has recesses structured by the perforations caused by the punching. Thereby, the fiber density of the entirety of the nonwoven fabric is reduced, thus improving cleaning and water-absorbing capacity. Also, thanks to the embossed unevenness, the lint of the nonwoven fabric is reduced. The water-absorbing capacity may be enhanced through corona treatment.
The nonwoven products having protrusions according to the present invention are not yet used as disposable wet towels, disposable wet tissues, handkerchiefs, makeup removers, dishwashing sponges, dustcloths and so on, and thus the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention is of a novel type imparting expedience to daily life.
Also, the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention is environmentally friendly thanks to the reduction of the use of hydrophilic agent and detergent.
Below, examples of the nonwoven towel having protrusions according to the present invention are described.
Hydrophobic PP spunbond nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 40 g/and not subjected to hydrophilic treatment was punched at a speed of 10 m/min using a pin punch roll set, and thus fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the elastic fibers of the nonwoven fabric were formed on one surface of the nonwoven fabric, thereby manufacturing an absorbent nonwoven towel having protrusions and enhanced cleaning capacity. In the punching process, the pin punch roll was heated to 120° C., and the pocket roll was heated to 110° C. The pin punches of the pin punch roll had a diameter of 1.9 mm, and the arrangement density of the pin punches was about 13/.
As an absorbent layer, spunlace nonwoven fabric having an average thickness of 200 was prepared, and then sandwiched between the two nonwoven towels of Example 1 in which the fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereof were disposed outwards. The three-layered nonwoven composite was pressed using an ultrasonic sealer. The embossing press of the embossing roll of the ultrasonic sealer had a diamond line shape having one side 7 mm long and a line thickness of 0.5 mm.
Through the pressing of the three-layered nonwoven composite using the embossing roll of the ultrasonic sealer, unevenness was imparted to the surface of the nonwoven fabric having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions.
PP spunbond nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 40 g/and subjected to hydrophilic treatment was punched as in Example 1 using a punching machine of a pin punch roll set. In the punching process, the nonwoven fabric having absorbent fibrous wrinkled protrusions on one surface thereof was passed through an ultrasonic sealer, and thus a pressed portion by the uneven embossing pattern of the embossing roll of the ultrasonic sealer was formed in the surface of the nonwoven fabric having the fibrous wrinkled protrusions. The pressed portion by the embossing roll had a diamond line shape having one side 7 mm long and a line thickness of 0.5 mm.
Nonwoven fabric having protrusions was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, with the exception that the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric was 25 g/.
Two layers of the nonwoven fabric having protrusions were stacked one on another so that the fibrous wrinkled protrusions thereof were disposed outwards and then pressed while forming the pressed portion by the embossing pattern of the embossing roll of an ultrasonic sealer. The pressed portion by the embossing roll had a diamond line shape having one side 7 mm long and a line thickness of 0.5 mm.
The nonwoven fabric having perforations of each of Examples 1 and 4 was subjected to corona treatment, thus enhancing water-absorbing capacity.
The portion pressed by the embossing pattern of the embossing roll of the ultrasonic sealer was formed in the nonwoven fabric of Example 1 subjected to corona treatment. The portion pressed by the embossing roll had a diamond line shape having one side 7 mm long and a line thickness of 0.5 mm.
Use Example
The nonwoven fabric of each of Examples 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 was cut to a width of 30 cm and a length of 20 cm, and the nonwoven towels having protrusions represented by Roman numerals I, II, III, . . . corresponding thereto were manufactured.
The nonwoven towels I, II, III, . . . were used as follows.
The nonwoven towels I, II, III, . . . were wet with water and used as a wet facial cleansing wipe and a general wet tissue.
When the face of a user was wiped with the nonwoven towel having protrusions, oiliness and dirt were removed not only from the surface of the skin but also from the facial wrinkles, thus making the user feel cool. The surface texture of the wet towel was good. Also, the user had the same feeling as when cleansing the face using soap. In particular, facial dirt was mainly caught in the fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the nonwoven fabric and also in the perforations of the nonwoven fabric.
In addition, the face of a user was wiped using a commercially available disposable nonwoven wet tissue.
Compared to the conventional nonwoven wet tissue having no fibrous wrinkled protrusions, the frictional force and the cleaning capacity of the nonwoven wet towel having fibrous wrinkled protrusions were greater and the feel after cleansing was much finer.
Compared to the single-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions, the two- or three-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions was more suitable for use as a facial cleansing wet towel. The three-layered nonwoven towel having protrusions gave the user a feeling like that of a woven wet towel.
The comparison test for wiping the excrement of an infant using a commercially available disposable nonwoven tissue was conducted. Compared to the commercially available wet tissue, the nonwoven towel having fibrous wrinkled protrusions exhibited superior cleaning effects.
When the nonwoven towels I, II, III, . . . were used as a dishwashing sponge, good dishwashing effects were exhibited.
In the case of being used as a dishwashing sponge, the cleaning effects were greater even without the use of a detergent. Further, the nonwoven towel having protrusions was effective for the removal of Kimchi stains from a plastic kitchen board, a plastic storage container or the like. Upon cleaning of a frying pan, there was no damage to the coating surface of the frying pan and good surface cleaning capacity was exhibited.
When makeup was removed from the face of a user using the nonwoven towels I, II, III, . . . , the makeup was removed well and the use texture thereof was good. In particular, the makeup was mainly caught in the fibrous wrinkled protrusions of the nonwoven fabric.
When the nonwoven towel having protrusions was used as a facial cleansing wet tissue after removal of the makeup, good cleaning capacity was exhibited. Also, the nonwoven towels I, . . . were used as an electrostatic dustcloth.
In this case, the same dust removal effects as when using a commercially available electrostatic dustcloth made of spunlace nonwoven fabric were exhibited.
The nonwoven towels I, . . . generated static electricity greater than the commercially available dustcloth made of spunlace nonwoven fabric, and exhibited hair cleaning effects superior to the commercially available dustcloth made of spunlace nonwoven fabric.
Both the surface of the nonwoven fabric having fibrous wrinkled protrusions and the surface thereof having the perforations were effective for the removal of dust. In particular, much dust was caught in the surface having fibrous wrinkled protrusions.
The nonwoven towel having protrusions had water-absorbing capacity greater than the nonwoven towel having protrusions I.
The nonwoven towel having protrusions generated lint less than the nonwoven towel having protrusions I.
As an absorbent layer, paper tissue having a basis weight of 20 g/was prepared, and then sandwiched between two nonwoven towels having protrusions as shown in
The shape of the embossing laminator of the embossing roll of the ultrasonic sealer was a diamond line having one side 7 mm long and a line thickness of 0.5 mm.
The sandwich type nonwoven towel having protrusions was cut to a width of 30 cm and a length of 30 cm, and then used as a handkerchief.
When the wet hand of a user was wiped with the nonwoven towel having protrusions, water was removed well.
External Appearance of Nonwoven Fabric
The average thickness of the PP spunbond nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 40 g/before punching in Examples 1 and 3 was about 300. After punching, the average thickness of the PP spunbond nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 40 g/was about 600.
The average thickness of the three-layered nonwoven composite of Example 2 was about 1600, and was considerably increased compared to about 800 which was the thickness before punching.
As a thickness gauge, a digital thickness gauge available from Mitutoyo was used. The thickness was measured in a state in which the punched protrusions were slightly pressed.
Due to the increase in the thickness, the external appearance of the nonwoven fabric gave a feel like that of a woven wet towel.
As the thickness increased, the portion of the nonwoven fabric which was not pin punched became soft and was reduced in fiber density and increased in elasticity, which was confirmed with the naked eye and the sense of touch.
Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2007-0136069 | Dec 2007 | KR | national |
| 10-2008-0123281 | Dec 2008 | KR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/KR2008/007525 | 12/18/2008 | WO | 00 | 6/23/2010 |
