The concepts of existing spun-bond and melt-blown systems are outlined in relation to a new high capacity process allowing birth systems to operate with same equipment.

The Biax melt-blown and spun-bonded systems are base on a modular design, and existing high capacity melt-blowing lines can easily and quickly be converted into spunbonded lines making high-strength webs by addition of the drawn jet assembly, using the existing melt-blowing spinnerettes. New spinnerettes (fitting existing die block designs) of 200 orifices per inch die width are now in commercial use, and up to 800 orifices per inch have been tested.

Spunbonded webs produce by this system can further be processed into very strong webs by calendaring, spot-bonding, water-jet entanglement or needle-punching. Products described in this have been produced on Biax-Fiberfilm’s 5” pilotline. A 40” commercial melt-blowing line is presently converted to a spunbonded line. This line can be used asboth, a melt-blowing and spunbonded line with only minutes of conversion time.