Improvements relating to nonwoven materials

Abstract

Method of producing a spunbond fabric, the spunbond fabric substantially comprising a thermoplastic polymer material, the method comprising: dosing or feeding regranulated thermoplastic polymer materi

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of producing a nonwoven orspunbond material or fabric, to a nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric, to a product comprising a nonwoven or 5 spunbond material or fabric, and to an apparatus for making a spunbond fabric. BACKGROUND TO INVENTION According to EDANA (the European Disposables and Nonwovens Association), a nonwoven fabric is a sheet of filaments (continuous filaments), fibres or chopped yarns of any 10 nature or origin that have been formed into a web by any means, and bonded together by any means with the exception of weaving or knitting. Nonwovens typically have specific characteristics which can be selectively engineered dependent upon end use, e.g., moisture vapour permeability, gas / air permeability, liquid impermeability, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame retardancy, washability, cushioning 15 and / or filtering. A spunlaid nonwoven (also referred to herein as a spunbond material or fabric) comprises । a spunlaid web. Typically, a spunbond or spunlaid nonwoven material is formed of continuous filaments. Nonwoven orspunbond material is made by a process of extrusion of molten polymeric material, e.g., polypropylene. The process involves extrusion of endless filaments, drawing of 20 these filaments using air and laying these polymeric filaments onto a spin belt. The spunbond line typically comprises a system for feeding polymeric materials into an extruder, an extruder for melting the polymer ensuring the molten mixture is at the correct melt viscosity for spinning, a die containing thousands of holes through which thousands of endless filaments are extruded, an air handling system for attenuating the molten filaments as the filaments appear from the die, a 25 laydown spin belt, a bonder or calendar and a unit for winding rolls of finished fabric. The spunlaid web can be bonded by one or more techniques to provide fabric integrity. One such technique is point-bonding (e.g. thermal calender point-bonding) which typically uses heat and pressure in a predetermined discrete (point) pattern to bind thermoplastic filaments or fibres to form a (self-supporting) nonwoven fabric. The filament or fibres of nonwoven fabrics typically comprise 30 polymers or thermoplastics, e.g. polypropylene or alternatively polyethylene or polyester. There are different types of waste generated internally during production of a spunbond material, such as polypropylene spunbond nonwoven. This waste includes: • edge trims; • transition rolls (generated whilst transitioning from one product grade to another when the 35 production equipment is operational); • spunbond fabric produced with properties outside the product specification; • unsold stock that needs to be written off; • waste material, e.g., returned from customers, for recycling. This (polypropylene) fabric waste can be recycled back into the spunbond extrusion process by first passing the fabric waste through a process called regranulation. Once the fabric waste is converted back into regranulated polypropylene pellets, these pellets can be dosed back into a downstream spunbond extrusion process, alongside virgin polymer. As regranulated polymer pellets come from a variety of sources (see above), there can be considerable variability in the consistency of this material. Certain downstream extrusion processes, such as injection moulding, are robust and able to absorb large quantities of this regranulated polymer pellets or granules of variable quality without affecting either process or product performance. However, certain long spin extrusion processes, such as nonwoven spunbond, involving continuous extrusion and attenuation of thousands of endless filaments typically to a diameter of approximately 20-26 microns, are very sensitive to small variances in feed polymer, which can adversely affect process performance and / or quality of the end-product. Hence, in spunbond extrusion, it is only possible to process relatively small quantities of regranulated polymer without disrupting the extrusion process or adversely affecting the quality of the product produced. In addition to regranulated pellets being added into the spunbond process, there can be accompanied the introduction of fabric edge trims directly into the spunbond extruder via a coextruder attached to a side of the main extruder, therefore bypassing the feed hoppers. It is typical to add up to 10% edge trims directly into the co-extrusion process. Hence the wish to add regranulated polymer if it is desired to increase the total recycled content further. So, the total recycled content of a fabric is the sum of: (i) the regranulated pellets introduced into the extruder dosing hoppers, and (ii) fabric edge trims fed directly into a co-extruder. A technical problem exists in that re-granulated polymer, produced from fabric waste streams identified above, may contain several components not present in virgin polymer granules. Such components produce variability when introduced into spunbond extrusion. When regranulated, these components behave as contaminates when introduced into a spunbond downstream extrusion process. These components / contaminates can include: • Different colour pigments that can cause agglomeration during downstream spunbond extrusion. • Chemical additives, such as UV stabilisers, hydrophobic or hydrophilic additives, antistatic or antioxidant additives which, when reintroduced into a downstream spunbond extrusion process, can interact with other substances being processed. • Excess moisture which can build-up in storage bins of re-granulated polymer if stored in damp / frosty conditions. When reintroduced into a downstream extrusion process this moisture can negatively impact the extrusion process. Other factors that can act as contaminates when reintroduced into a spunbond extrusion process include: • The fabric waste stream used in the regranulation process may have been produced with polypropylene with differing polymer melt flow index, having differing melt viscosities. This variability can disrupt a downstream spunbond extrusion process. • The fabric waste stream used in the regranulation process may contain small amounts of other polymers, such as polyethylene, which have differing melting point and extrusion characteristics. Again, this variability can disrupt the continuity of spunbond extrusion and adversely affect the performance of the finished spunbond fabric. • Subjecting waste fabric to the stresses of an extrusion based regranulation process can change the melt flow index of the polypropylene such that, after regranulation, the melt viscosity thereof is reduced. As waste fabric for re-granulation comes from a variety of sources there are often multiple localised, and often small, pockets of the above variability within a single batch of re-granulated polymer. For example, this local variation can often be seen within a single 25kg bag. Regranulated polymer is transported in bins, each typically holding approximately 250kgs, to the downstream spunbond extrusion process which will consume this re-granulated polymer. The regranulated polymer is sucked from the bin using a dosing lance, which introduces the regranulated polymer into a dosing hopper in the spunbond downstream extrusion process. There the regranulated polymer is used to dilute the virgin polymer into the downstream spunbond extruder. Taking re-granulated polymer from a single bin and dosing it into a spunbond extrusion process using a single dosing lance means that if any local variability exists (via any of the sources listed above) in parts of the bin of regranulated polymer, such variability is transferred directly into the dosing hopper of the spunbond extruder. This variability can: • disrupt the spunbond extrusion process, requiring this downstream process to be shutdown resulting in lost manufacturing time, increased maintenance costs and increased waste levels; • adversely affect the quality of the spunbond nonwoven being manufactured during the downstream extrusion process, resulting in increased scrap levels, reduced productivity and increased costs. • Reduce the useable lifetime of the die on the spunbond line. Increased contamination blocks the filters and die holes to the extent that the line has to be taken out of production and the die changed for a fresh, uncontaminated die. A die change is a lengthy process often taking a spunbond line out of production for up to 8 hours Given these inherent variabilities in the regranulated feedstock, it has not been possible up until now to achieve an addition into the downstream spunbond process of regranulated polypropylene polymer of >50%. It is accepted in the art that the introduction of regranulated polymer into the spunbond process adversely affects process performance. Indeed, it had been observed that introducing >50% regranulated feedstock can have such an impact on the variables identified above that such is unsustainable. Up until now, it has been found that the addition of a higher percentage addition of regranulated polypropylene into spunbond extrusion, leads to problems with: • Poor performance of the spunbond production line resulting in the production throughput having to be slowed down to regain control, thus lowering production output. • The production line having to be stopped due to the presence of dripping or broken filaments. • Adverse effects on spunbond product quality resulting in finished product having to be rejected as the properties no longer fall within the product specification. • The spunbond production process becoming unpredictable. This is caused by localised variability within the re-granulated polymer within a bag or bin giving inconsistent quality throughout a production lot of regranulated polymer. • Blocked filter screens in the spunbond extrusion process due to the presence of agglomerates and coarse particulates. • Variations in the colour shade of the final product produced in the downstream extrusion process. • Uneven flow of polymer across the full width of the extrusion die resulting in greater weight variability in the final product. • Excess die pressure, reducing the life span of the die, leading to more frequent die changes and greater downtime of the downstream extrusion process. The net result of all the above variables is that, often, the process of reintroducing regranulated polypropylene back into a spunbond extrusion process can generate more waste than it consumes. Traditional methods of blending polymers involve moving different polymer lots from multiple large silos, each containing up to 50,000 kg (50 tonnes) of polymer, into a single silo. Whilst this technique is effective at harmonising macro variations between polymer lots, this technique is not capable of eliminating small pockets of variability, nor is this technique effective at dealing with different batches of recycled polymer that contain varying quantities with largely different properties. This traditional method is also expensive, requires a lot of space and not a cost-effective solution, even if it were to give the required level of intimate blending required in this instance. There has been identified by the present inventors a desire for a spunbond nonwoven product with a regranulated polymer level of up to 100%, without adversely affecting: • the final product; • the downstream spunbond manufacturing equipment; • the downstream spunbond process performance. It is an object of at least one embodiment of at least one aspect of the present invention to obviate or at least mitigate one or more problems in the prior art. It is an object of at least one embodiment of at least one aspect of the present invention to seek provide an improved method of producing a nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric. It is an object of at least one embodiment of at least one aspect of the present invention to provide an improved nonwoven / spunbond material / / fabric, e.g., made by said method. Embodiments of the invention may seek to ensure maintenance of quality of the material / fabric. It is an object of at least one embodiment of at least one aspect of the present invention to seek to increase the amount of regranulated polymer that can be utilised in the production of a nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric. SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention relates to a method of producing a spunbond fabric (nonwoven material), a spunbond fabric, a product comprising a spunbond fabric, and to an apparatus for making a spunbond / fabric according to the appended claims. According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of producing a spunbond fabric (nonwoven material), the method comprising: providing a regranulated thermoplastic material comprising a plurality of pellets from one pellet source; separately providing one or more other regranulated thermoplastic materials each comprising a plurality of pellets from one or more other pellet sources; dosing or feeding the regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) from each source to a hopper(s) or to a respective (dosing) hopper or to an extruder; extruding the thermoplastic polymer material (using the extruder); spinlaying the thermoplastic polymer material. The method may comprise calendaring (calendar bonding) the spunlaid thermoplastic polymer material. Each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) may comprise a plurality of pellets. Each at least one source may comprise a bin or other receptacle / container. The method may comprise feeding regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) from the / each dosing hopper to the extruder. The method may comprise dosing or feeding virgin / raw (thermoplastic) polymer material and / or (recycled) fabric edge trims to a / the (dosing) hopper or to a / the respective (dosing) hopper or to the extruder. The method may comprise dosing or feeding the recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material and optionally the virgin / raw thermoplastic polymer material from the (dosing) hopper or respective (dosing) hopper to a / the extruder. The thermoplastic polymer material may comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material from two or more sources and optionally virgin / raw polymer material and / or (recycled) fabric edge trims. Having the ability to mix or blend the regranulated polymer material(s) from a plurality of sources into the spunbond extrusion process assists in seeking to meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements for fabric to be supplied into certain industries. For example, for use in furniture and floorcoverings, where there is a growing requirement for fabric containing a much higher level of recycled material than was previously possible. In addition, a lower rating can be obtained on the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) by using higher levels of re-granulated polymer. This is due to a lower carbon footprint using in-house recycled polymer compared to using virgin raw materials. One might expect that drawing regranulated polymer of variable quality, from multiple sources might increase product / process problems as there is potential to introduce more, not less, variability. However, surprisingly, what the Inventors have found is that variations in regranulated polymer occurs as small, localised pockets within a single bin of regranulated thermoplastic polymer material. This is the reason the inventors believe that drawing from multiple bins of regranulated thermoplastic polymer material at the same time reduces variability, providing more consistent downstream processing with no drop in product quality. The regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) from more than one source may be added or introduced simultaneously into a / the downstream spunbond extrusion process from two or more (multiple sources). Each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material may comprise a plurality of pellets. Each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material may be provided in a separate bin. Each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material may be dosed (from the respective bin) to the extruder (or to a dosing hopper) by a respective (dosing or injection) lance. Each lance may communicate with a respective bin. In preferred embodiments there may be provided three or more sources of regranulated thermoplastic polymer material. There may be provided three or more bins and respective lances. For example, there may be provided five sources (five bins and five lances). The polymer material may comprise a polyolefin. The polymer material may comprise polypropylene. The spunbond material may comprise up to 50% or more than 50%, more than 60%, more than 70%, more than 80% or more than 90% recycled / regranulated polymer material. The material may comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material and virgin / raw feedstock thermoplastic polymer material and / or fabric edge trims. The regranulated thermoplastic polymer material and the virgin / raw feedstock thermoplastic polymer material may substantially comprise a same thermoplastic polymer material, e.g., polypropylene. The regranulated thermoplastic polymer material may be sourced from two or more sources. The two or more sources may be selected from (regranulated): • edge trims; • transition rolls; • spunbond fabric, e.g., produced with properties outside a product specification; • unused / unsold stock; • waste material. According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a spunbond fabric (nonwoven material) produced from the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric comprises a thermoplastic polymeric material(s). The thermoplastic polymeric material(s) may comprise up to 50% or at least or more than 50% recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material. The nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric according to the second aspect of the present invention may comprise any of the optional features of the nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric of the third aspect of the present invention. According to an implementation of the present invention there is provided a (nonwoven) spunbond fabric substantially comprising a thermoplastic polymeric material(s), wherein the thermoplastic polymer material comprises material which was regranulated material(s) from a plurality of (different) sources. Having the ability to use regranulated material(s) from a plurality of different sources and / or increased percentages of regranulated polymer in the spunbond fabric assists in meeting increasingly stringent environmental requirements for fabric to be supplied into certain industries. For example, for use in furniture and floorcoverings, where there is a growing requirement for fabric containing a much higher level of recycled material than was previously possible. In addition, a lower rating can be obtained on the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) by using higher levels of regranulated polymer. This is due to a lower carbon footprint using recycled polymer compared to using virgin raw materials or feedstock. The nonwoven material or fabric may comprise a spunbond material or fabric. The spunbond material or fabric may comprise a plurality of spunlaid filaments. The / each spunlaid filament may comprise a thermoplastic material(s) that may comprise up to or more than 50% recycled / regranulated polymeric material. Advantageously the recycled / regranulated thermoplastic material(s) may comprise material from two or more sources. The recycled / regranulated thermoplastic material(s) may comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic materials. The recycled material from a first source may comprise 50% or less of the recycled / regranulated material. The recycled / regranulated material from a second source may comprise 50% or less of the recycled / regranulated material. The recycled / regranulated material may comprise recycled / regranulated material from a plurality of (different) sources. The recycled / regranulated material from the plurality of different sources may be provided in the recycled / regranulated material in equal or nonequal proportions. The thermoplastic polymeric material may comprise a polyolefin. The thermoplastic polymeric material may comprise a first homopolymer. The thermoplastic polymeric material may comprise polypropylene. The spunbond material may comprise up to or more than 50%, more than 60%, more than 70%, more than 80%, or more than 90%, or 100% recycled polymeric material. A remainder of the thermoplastic polymeric material may comprise virgin / raw polymer material or feedstock. The thermoplastic polymer material may comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material and virgin / raw feedstock thermoplastic polymeric material. The recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material and the virgin / raw feedstock thermoplastic polymeric material may substantially comprise a same thermoplastic polymeric material or polyolefin, e.g., polypropylene. The nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric may have been calendared. The nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric may comprise a calendar emboss pattern. The material may be used as a or a component of a furniture material, e.g., an upholstered material, a floorcovering material, or a building material, e.g., roofing underlay or housewrap. According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a (final) product comprising the nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric according to the second aspect of the present invention. The product may comprise an item of furniture, e.g., an upholstered product, a floorcovering, or a building product, e.g., a roofing underlay or housewrap. The nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric may be used as a or as a component of a furniture material, upholstery material, floorcovering material, or building material, e.g., roofing underlay or housewrap. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for making a spunbond fabric, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of sources of pellets of regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s); an extruder and / or hopper(s) and / or a respective (dosing) hopper; an arrangement for dosing or feeding the regranulated thermoplastic polymer materials separately from each of the plurality of sources to the extruder or to the hopper(s) or respective (dosing) hopper; a spinlaying arrangement. Each source may comprise a bin. Each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material may be pelletised. The dosing or feeding arrangement may comprise a plurality of lances, for example, one lance per bin. The apparatus may comprise a calendar for bonding / calendaring material from the spinlaying arrangement. The hopper or respective dosing hopper may feed material to the extruder, in use. According to a further implementation of the present invention there is provided a nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric substantially comprising a thermoplastic polymeric material(s), wherein the thermoplastic polymeric material(s) comprises more than 50% recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material. According to a still further implementation of the present invention there is provided a method of producing a nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric, the nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric substantially comprising a thermoplastic polymer material, wherein the thermoplastic polymer material comprises more than 50% recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material, the method comprising: dosing or feeding recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material from more than one source to a dosing hopper or to a respective dosing hopper or to an extruder; extruding the thermoplastic polymer material; spinlaying the thermoplastic polymer material. According to a yet further implementation of the present invention there is provided a nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric produced from the method according to the still further implementation of the present invention. According to another implementation of the present invention there is provided a (final) product comprising the nonwoven / spunbond material / fabric according to either of the further or yet further implementations of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS One or more embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are: Figure 1 a schematic diagram of an existing apparatus for dosing regranulated polymeric material into a downstream spunbond extruder falling outside of the scope of the present invention; Figure 2 a schematic diagram of an apparatus for dosing regranulated polymeric material into a downstream spunbond extruder in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 a schematic diagram of a further apparatus for dosing regranulated polymeric material into a downstream spunbond extruder in a method according to a further embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 a schematic diagram of a regranulation apparatus and process; and Figure 5 a schematic diagram of a spunbond production method for use in embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Referring initially to Figure 4, there is shown a schematic diagram of a regranulation apparatus, generally designated 2. The regranulation apparatus 2 can be used in a regranulation process where waste thermoplastic polymer material from a source or sources can be regranulated into pellets. The regranulation apparatus 2 comprises a plurality of component parts, namely: • A (conveyor) belt 4. • A shredder 6. Loose fabric to be recycled and bailed waste are fed into the shredder on the belt 4. Rolls of fabric and rolled edge trims are fed into the shredder from a roll feeder 8. These rolls include transition and out-of-specification rolls. • A further (conveyor) belt 10. • A roll / smart feeder12. The shredded material is fed along the further belt 10 to the smart feeder 12 which weighs and further shreds material into a finer fabric. • An extruder 14. The material is melted into a molten mixture and fed through a typically 36 micron filter. • A pelletizer 16. The molten mixture is converted into pellets and cooled using water. • A belt dryer 18. The pellets are dried and any smaller diameter pellets are disposed of. • A centrifuge and bagging apparatus 20: The pellets are dried further via a cyclone drier and bagged ready for use. Referring next to Figure 1 there is shown a schematic diagram of an existing apparatus, generally designated 30, for dosing regranulated polymeric material into a downstream spunbond extruder in a method falling outside of the scope of the present invention. The existing dosing apparatus 30 allows operation of a method of producing a nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric, the nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric substantially 10 comprising a thermoplastic polymer material(s), wherein the thermoplastic polymer material(s) comprises regranulated thermoplastic polymer material from a single source (bin 32). The spunbond fabric comprises less than 50% regranulated thermoplastic polymer material. The method comprises: dosing or feeding regranulated thermoplastic polymer material from a single source or bin 32 using a lance 34 to an extruder 36 via a dosing hopper 38; extruding the thermoplastic polymer materials by transporting the (molten) thermoplastic polymer material(s) to a die body for extrusion of spunbond filaments. In the dosing arrangement of Figure 1, one bin 32 of regranulated polymer is dosed into one (spunbond) hopper 38 via one dosing lance 34. This arrangement has been found to only allow addition rates of less than 50%. Referring now to Figure 2, there is shown a schematic diagram of an apparatus, generally designated 130, for dosing regranulated polymeric material into a downstream spunbond extruder in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dosing apparatus 130 allows operation of a method of producing a nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric, the nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric substantially comprising a thermoplastic polymer material(s). The method comprises: dosing or feeding regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) from more than one source to an extruder or to a dosing hopper or respective dosing hopper; extruding the thermoplastic polymer material(s); spinlaying the thermoplastic polymer material(s). The thermoplastic polymer material(s) can advantageously comprise up to or more than 50% regranulated thermoplastic polymer material. The method may comprise: dosing or feeding regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) from more than one source or bin 132 using a, respective, lance 134 to an extruder 136 via dosing hoppers 138; (extruding the thermoplastic polymer material(s)); transporting the (molten) thermoplastic polymer material(s) to a die body (not shown) for extrusion of spunbond filaments. In the dosing apparatus 130 of Figure 2, a plurality of bins 132 of regranulated polymer are each dosed into a separate hopper 138 (one per bin) using one dosing lance 134 per bin 132. The dosing apparatus 130 allows for production of a nonwoven or spunbond material or fabric (hereinafter referred to as a ‘spunbond fabric’). The spunbond fabric substantially comprises a thermoplastic polymeric material(s). The thermoplastic polymeric material(s) can advantageously comprise more than 50% regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material. Having the ability to increase the percentage of regranulated polymer in the spunbond fabric, e.g., above 50%, can assist in addressing increasingly stringent environmental requirements for fabric to be supplied into certain industries. For example, for use in furniture and floorcoverings, where there is a growing requirement for fabric containing a much higher level of recycled material than was previously possible. In addition, a lower rating can be obtained on the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) by using higher levels of regranulated polymer. This is due to a lower carbon footprint using in-house recycled polymer compared to using virgin raw materials or feedstock. The spunbond fabric comprises a plurality of spunlaid filaments. The / each spunlaid filament comprises a thermoplastic material(s) that advantageously comprises up to or more than 50% regranulated polymeric material. Advantageously the recycled / regranulated thermoplastic material(s) comprises material from two or more sources. The recycled / regranulated thermoplastic material(s), may therefore, comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic materials. Typically, the regranulated material from a first source comprises 50% or less of the regranulated material. Also typically, the regranulated material from a second source comprises 50% or less of the recycled / regranulated material. The recycled / regranulated material comprises recycled / regranulated material from a plurality of (different) sources. The recycled / regranulated material from the plurality of different sources can be provided in the recycled / regranulated material in equal or nonequal proportions. The thermoplastic polymeric material comprises a polyolefin. The thermoplastic polymeric material substantially comprises a first homopolymer. The thermoplastic polymeric material comprises polypropylene. The spunbond fabric can comprise up to or more than 50%, more than 60%, more than 70%, more than 80%, or more than 90%, or 100% recycled polymeric material. A remainder of the thermoplastic polymeric material can comprise virgin / raw polymer material or additive / colour masterbatches. The spunbond fabric can comprise up to 50% or more than 50% regranulated polymer material. The spunbond fabric can comprise up to 10% (recycled) edge trims. The thermoplastic polymer material can comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material, virgin / raw feedstock thermoplastic polymeric material, additive / colour masterbatches. The recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material and the virgin / raw feedstock thermoplastic polymeric material can substantially comprise a same thermoplastic polymeric material or polyolefin, e.g., polypropylene. The spunbond fabric can have been thermally calendared. Thus, the spunbond fabric can comprise a calendar emboss pattern. The spunbond fabric can be used as a or a component of a furniture material, upholstery fabric, floorcovering material, or building material, e.g., roofing underlay or housewrap. Referring again to Figure 2, after extrusion, the method according to the present invention can comprise calendaring (calendar bonding) the spunlaid thermoplastic polymer material. The method can comprise dosing or feeding virgin / raw polymer material to the extruder 136. The thermoplastic polymer material can comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material from two or more sources and optionally virgin / raw polymer material and / or edge trims. Having the ability to increase the percentage of recycled / regranulated polymer into the spunbond extrusion process up to or above 50% assists in meeting increasingly stringent environmental requirements for fabric to be supplied into certain industries. For example, for use in furniture and floorcoverings, where there is a growing requirement for fabric containing a much higher level of recycled material than was previously possible. In addition, a lower rating can be obtained on the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) by using higher levels of re-granulated polymer. This is due to a lower carbon footprint using in-house recycled polymer compared to using virgin raw materials. One might expect that drawing recycled / regranulated polymer of variable quality, from multiple sources might increase product / process problems as there is potential to introduce more, not less, variability. However, surprisingly, what the inventors have found is that variations in recycled / regranulated polymer occurs as small, localised pockets within a single bin. This is the reason the inventors believe that drawing from multiple bins at the same time reduces variability, providing more consistent downstream processing with no drop in product quality. The recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) from more than one source can be added or introduced simultaneously into a / the downstream spunbond extrusion process from two or more (multiple sources). Each recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material comprises a plurality of pellets. Each recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material is provided in a separate bin 132. Each recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material is dosed (from the respective bin) to the extruder 136 (or to a dosing hopper 138) by a respective (dosing) lance 134. Each lance 134 communicates with a respective bin 132. In preferred embodiments there are provided three or more sources of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material. There can be provided three or more bins and lances. For example, there can be provided five sources (five bins and five lances). The thermoplastic polymer material comprises a polyolefin. The thermoplastic polymer material comprises polypropylene. The spunbond fabric can comprise up to or more than 50%, more than 60%, more than 70%, more than 80% or more than 90% recycled / regranulated polymer material. The material / fabric can comprise a blend of recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material, virgin / raw feedstock thermoplastic polymer material, additive / colour masterbatches, and / or (recycled) fabric edge trims. The recycled thermoplastic polymer material and the virgin feedstock thermoplastic polymer material and / or fabric edge trims advantageously substantially comprise a same thermoplastic polymer material, e.g., polypropylene. The recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymer material is sourced from two or more sources The two or more sources can be selected from: • edge trims; • transition rolls; • spunbond fabric, e.g., produced with properties outside a product specification; • unused / unsold stock; • waste material. According to an embodiment of the present invention there is provided a spunbond fabric produced from the method described hereinabove. The spunbond fabric substantially comprises a thermoplastic polymeric material(s), wherein the thermoplastic polymeric material(s) comprises up to or more than 50% recycled / regranulated thermoplastic polymeric material. The spunbond fabric can find typically utility in a (final) such as an item of furniture, e.g., an upholstered product, a floorcovering, or a building product, e.g., a roofing underlay or housewrap. However, the skilled person will appreciate that the spunbond fabric may find use in other fields, e.g., horticulture or agriculture. Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a schematic diagram of a further apparatus, generally designated 230, for dosing regranulated polymeric material into a downstream spunbond extruder in a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The further apparatus 230 is similar in many respects to the dosing apparatus 130 of Figure 2, like parts being identified by like numerals but iterated by 100. However, the further apparatus 230 comprises a single hopper 238. Referring now to Figure 5, there is shown an extrusion apparatus, generally designated E, for use in a method of making a spunbond fabric according to the present invention. The extrusion apparatus E comprises a hopper E1 to which regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) are fed from a number of sources, The hopper E1 feeds material to an extruder E2 which feeds to a spin pump E3 and then to a die block E4. The die block E4 leads to a cooling and stretching chamber E5 and then to a drawoff and laydown system E6. The spunlaid material is laid on a spin belt E8 having a suction blower E7. The spunlaid material is conveyed by the spin belt E8 to a guide belt E9 which feeds to a bonding system E10, such as a calendar. The bonding system E10 in turn feeds to a winding unit E11. EXAMPLES A number of examples of embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed. The tables given below provide average results from multiple trials across multiple downstream spunbond production lines. In each of the tables regranulated polymer was simultaneously 14 introduced from multiple bins using multiple lances. The target values shown are current spunbond specification values shown (including regranulated polymer below 50% addition rate). Table 1: Regranulated polymer at an addition rate of 98.6% combined with UV stabilised 5 addition rate of 1.4%. Summary of Results 70g Spunbond Target (min / target / max) Trial 161J Results (Averages) Tensile Strength N MD 130 / 170 / No max 181.44 N CD 95 / 130 / No max Tear Strength N MD 5.0 / 11.0 / No max Weight gsm 64.5 / 70 / 75.5 16 01 25 Table 2: Regranulated polymer at an addition rate of 100%. Summary of Results 45g Spunbond Target (min / target / max) Trial 262A Results (Averages) Tensile Strength N MD 70 / 100 / No max N CD 35 / 70 / No max 58 18 Tear Strength N MD 2.5 / 6.5 / No max Air Permeability l / m2 / s 2000 / 3000 / 4000 Weight gsm 40.5 / 45 / 49.5 Shrinkage @ 130 °C mm MD No min / 0 / 6 3.23 CD No min / 0 / 2 0 DO Table 3: Regranulated polymer at an addition rate of 100%. Summary of Results 50g Spunbond Target (min / target / max) Trial 262A Results (Averages) Tensile Strength N MD 60 / 100 / No max N CD 30 / 65 / No max. 62,94 Elongation % MD 20 / - / 160 % CD 30 / - / 170 iiili® Tear Strength N MD 2.0 / 5.0 / No max. Air Permeability l / m2 / s 1700 / 2700 / 3700 ili^^ Weight gsm 45 / 50 / 55 iiii^ Shrinkage @ 130 ;C mm MD No min. / 0 / 6 iiiiiiiio CD No min. / 0 / 2 Table 4: Regranulated polymer at an addition rate of 100%. Summary of Results 97g Spunbond Target (min / target / max) Trial 127G Results (Averages) Tensile Strength N MD 190 / 230 / No max N CD 150 / 170 / No max. Tear Strength N MD 5.0 / 8.0 / No max. Weight gsm 92 / 97 / 102 11¾ Each of the above items / examples produced, a final spunbond product containing a 5 regranulated polymer content of between 98% - 100%, with fabric properties within the current specification requirements, along with acceptable fabric quality and production equipment process performance. The spinning process for producing the spunbond fabric will now be discussed. Spunbond is produced by an extrusion process which convert polypropylene pellets or granules into a LO10 finished nonwoven fabric. The process involves extrusion of many tens of thousands of C\l continuous filaments, typically across a 3.2-metre-wide die. Polymer, additives, colour and — regranulated polymer pellets are dosed into the extruder 136; 236 from (weigh) hoppers 138; 238. In the extruder 136; 236 all polymer pellets are melted, creating a homogenized liquid polymer mix at a predetermined temperature and melt viscosity, ready for filament extrusion. A spin pump ■^—15 positioned at the end of the extruder 136; 236 is responsible for transferring the liquid polymer mixture from the extruder 136; 236 to a die block. In the die block the molten polymer mixture is squeezed through thousands of tiny holes in a die plate, producing thousands of continuous filaments that are delivered into a cooling chamber. In the cooling and stretching chamber the filaments are immediately cooled and stretched with air as they flow out of the die plate. The 20 filaments are drawn using air to reduce filament diameter and cool the filaments, before being laid as a continuous fabric on a rotating spin belt forming a continuous web. The fabric on the spin belt is then thermally consolidated through a thermal calender to impart physical properties, such as tensile strength and abrasion resistance. The thermal calender consists of a pair of heated metal rollers, one smooth and the other embossed, thermal bonding the fabric by creating fibre 25 to fibre fusion. The thermal bonded spunbond nonwoven is then wound into the final roll. One or more embodiments adapt the spunbond production process such that recycled material can be sourced from multiple locations and simultaneously reintroduced into the spunbond process, thus minimising the inherent variabilities of recycling polypropylene polymer. It is believed that the benefits observed by this invention can extend to include a content 30 of post-consumer recycling, which has previously not been possible. It will be appreciated that the embodiment(s) of the present invention hereinbefore described is / are given be way of example only, and is / are not meant to be limiting of the scope of the present invention in any way. Modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 5 It has been found by the present inventors that if regranulated polypropylene is introduced back into a downstream spunbond extrusion process from multiple sources (multiple bins) at the same time, using dosing lances in each bin, as opposed to the current practice of using a single bin and a single dosing lance, local variation is minimised within the regranulated polymer. For example, it is possible to simultaneously pull regranulated polymer from up to 5 bins 10 simultaneously using 5 separate lances. Drawing regranulated polymer simultaneously from multiple bins has the effect of diluting any local pockets of regranulated variability that exist in a single bin, creating a more consistent and homogeneous polymer melt during downstream extrusion. This greater consistency in turn allows the addition of a higher percentage of regranulated polymer to be reintroduced into the downstream spunbond extrusion process as the 15 fabric quality is more consistent and the performance of this downstream production equipment is more predictable. LO In some instances, it has been possible to increase the regranulated polypropylene CM addition rate up to 100%. 1— Using this technique selected post-consumer waste, with considerable variability within a 020 single lot of regranulated polymer, has the potential to also be recycled. One might expect that drawing regranulated polymer, of variable quality, from multiple sources might increase process problems as there is potential to introduce more, not less, variability. However, surprisingly, what we have observed is that variations in regranulated polymer occurs as small, localised pockets within a single bin. This is the reason we believe that 25 drawing from multiple bins at the same time reduces variability, providing more consistent downstream processing with no drop in product quality. The invention adapts the spunbond production process such that recycled material can be sourced from multiple locations and simultaneously reintroduced into the spunbond process, thus reducing the inherent variabilities of recycling polypropylene polymer. 30 It is hoped that the benefits observed by this invention can be extended to include a content of post-consumer recycling, which has previously not been possible. 1Q01 25

Claims

1. A method of producing a spunbond fabric, the spunbond fabric comprising a thermoplastic polymer material, the method comprising:5 providing a regranulated thermoplastic material comprising a plurality of pellets from onepellet source;separately providing one or more other regranulated thermoplastic materials each comprising a plurality of pellets from one or more other pellet sources;dosing or feeding the regranulated thermoplastic polymer materials provided from each 10 pellet source to an extruder or to a hopper(s) or respective hopper;extruding the thermoplastic polymer materials; spinlaying the thermoplastic polymer materials.

2. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method 15 comprises calendar bonding the spunlaid thermoplastic polymer material.

3. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2, wherein: each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) comprises a plurality of pellets; each source comprises a bin; and0 the method comprises feeding regranulated thermoplastic polymer material(s) from thehopper(s) or the / each dosing hopper to the extruder.

4. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the method comprises dosing or feeding virgin polymer material and / or recycled fabric25 edge trims to the extruder or to a dosing hopper or respective dosing hopper; andthe thermoplastic polymer material comprises a blend of regranulated thermoplastic polymer materials from two or more sources and granulated / pelletised virgin polymer material and / or recycled fabric edge trims.30 5. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein:each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material is provided in a separate bin; and each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material is dosed from the respective bin to the extruder or to the hopper or respective dosing hopper by a respective lance, optionally each lance communicating with a respective bin.35IQ 01 256. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, wherein: the thermoplastic polymer material comprises a polyolefin; or the thermoplastic polymer material comprises polypropylene.5 7. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein:the spunbond fabric comprises up to 50% or more than 50%, more than 60%, more than 70%, more than 80%, more than 90% or 100% regranulated polymer materials.

8. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the 10 spunbond fabric comprises a blend of regranulated thermoplastic polymer materials and pelletisedvirgin feedstock thermoplastic polymer material, wherein the regranulated thermoplastic polymer materials and the virgin feedstock thermoplastic polymer material substantially comprise a same thermoplastic polymer material.15 9. A method of producing a spunbond fabric as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein theregranulated thermoplastic polymer material is sourced from two or more waste sources selected from:• edge trims;• transition rolls;0 • spunbond fabric;• unused / unsold stock;• waste material.

10. A spunbond fabric made by the method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the spunbond 25 fabric comprises a thermoplastic polymeric material.

11. A spunbond fabric as claimed in claim 10, wherein the thermoplastic materials is selected from one of:a polyolefin;30 a first homopolymer; orpolypropylene.

12. A spunbond fabric as claimed in claim 10, wherein the spunbond fabric is adapted to be used as a or a component of: a furniture material, upholstery fabric, floorcovering material, building 35 material, roofing underlay or housewrap, a horticultural material or an agricultural material.

13. A product comprising the spunbond fabric according to any of claims 10 to 12.

14. A product as claimed in claim 13, wherein:the product comprises: an item of furniture, an upholstered product, a floorcovering, a 5 building product, a roofing underlay or a housewrap, a horticultural product or an agricultural product.

15. An apparatus for making a spunbond fabric, the apparatus comprising:a plurality of sources of pellets of regranulated thermoplastic polymer materials;10 an extruder and / or hopper(s) and / or a respective hopper;an arrangement for dosing or feeding the regranulated thermoplastic polymer materials separately from each of the plurality of sources to the extruder or to the hopper(s) or respective hopper;a spinlaying arrangement.1516. An apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein:each source comprises a bin;each regranulated thermoplastic polymer material is pelletised;the dosing or feeding arrangement comprises a plurality of lances or one lance per bin;0 the apparatus comprises a calendar for bonding material from the spinlaying arrangement.1Q01 25

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