Method for forming shaped fibrous articles

Details Method for forming shaped fibrous articles Method for forming shaped fibrous articles

1997-03-24

2001-01-30

Silbaugh, Jan H. (Department: 1732)

Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes

Direct application of electrical or wave energy to work

Using sonic, supersonic, or ultrasonic energy

C264S296000, C264S320000, C264S322000, C264S069000, C264S071000, C425S174200, C425S432000, C604S366000, C604S384000, C028S118000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06180051

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and device for forming shaped fibrous articles or the like, especially of tampons. In particular, it relates to ultrasonic shaping of fibrous articles.
Fibrous articles, for example, tampons, ear plugs or the like, are formed having a specific shape. Moreover, these fibrous products can be formed of a single type of fiber or of mixed fibers (natural or synthetic). These fibrous products are brought to the desired shape either by rolling or by applying a shaping tool. Thus, for example, a shaping tool having a recess is applied to the tip of a tampon, the recess having the shape to be imparted to the tampon tip. An example of this is shown in Brien et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,364.
An additional prior art shape-forming apparatus is illustrated in FIG.
3
. In a conventional shaping device, a tampon
1
having an essentially circular cross-section is held in a guide-holder
2
. By means of this guide-holder
2
, the tip
3
of the tampon
1
projects beyond the guide-holder
2
and is introduced into a recess
4
of a heated shaping tool
5
. The recess
4
has the shape of the desired tampon tip to be produced. The tampon
1
is introduced under pressure into this recess
4
, with the result that the fibers in the tip region are compacted. on account of the continuously decreasing cross-section, the friction of the tampon fibers on the surface of the recess
4
increases and the individual tampon fibers are compressed in the tip region, so that the internal friction also rises sharply. It has been shown that the outermost tampon tip is shaped only insufficiently or, as shown in
FIG. 3
, not at all.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object on which the invention is based is to provide a method for forming shaped fibrous articles, for example, tampons, ear plugs, and the like, and an apparatus for forming these articles. The method involves introducing at least a portion of a fibrous element into a shaping tool and subjecting the fibrous element in the shaping tool to ultrasonic energy. This imparts the shape of the shaping tool to the surface of the fibrous element.
The apparatus has a guide-holder to receive and removably retain a fibrous element and an ultrasonic shaping tool which can be applied to the fibrous element. The shaping tool has a recess corresponding to a predetermined shape for the article. The recess has a periphery and an axis orthogonal to the periphery. Preferably, the shaping tool and guide-holder are reciprocally moveable with respect to one another along the orthogonal axis.


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