Method for making a three-dimensional web

Abstract

A method for producing a three-dimensional web is provided. The method includes spinning continuous filaments from a spinneret, moving the spun continuous filaments along a traveling path having an end, and rotating a collecting surface at or near the end of the traveling path. The collecting surface includes a cavity and a land area. The land area is planar tangential to an outer surface of the collecting surface. The cavity is recessed relative to the outer surface of the collecting surface. The method includes applying fluid pressure to the collecting surface and collecting the filaments on the collecting surface to create an intermediate three-dimensional web having a first region formed in the cavity and a second region formed on the land area. The first and second regions differ in at least one intensive property. The method includes bonding the intermediate web using a bonding operation to form a final three-dimensional web.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] SUMMARY The present disclosure is directed to methods of making three-dimensional webs, and more particularly, to methods of making three-dimensional webs using a rotating collecting surface. [Background technology]

[0002] Webs, such as nonwoven webs, are used in many industries, including the hygiene and medical industries. One application of nonwoven webs in the hygiene industry is absorbent articles, such as taped diapers, pants, sanitary napkins, and adult incontinence products. Such nonwoven webs can be used in absorbent articles as, for example, topsheets, outer cover nonwovens, portions of waistbands, front or back ears (with taping) or portions of side panels (pants), acquisition materials, masking materials, landing zones, and core bags. Typical nonwoven webs are generally flat and have uniform basis weight, caliper, volume density, opacity, and air permeability. Some consumers, particularly high-end consumers, desire more intricate and complex nonwoven webs with three-dimensional features. Manufacturing these more intricate and complex nonwoven webs is expensive and involves using currently existing technologies. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for more cost-effective and simpler techniques for producing these more intricate and complex nonwoven webs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a method for producing intricate, complex three-dimensional webs in a more cost-effective and simpler manner than conventional techniques. The inventors have found an alternative solution to using conventional three-dimensional nonwoven production belts, while achieving the same or similar benefits as such belts. The inventors have discovered that intricate, complex three-dimensional nonwoven webs can be produced using a rotating collecting surface with various surface features. The rotating collecting surface achieves a much smaller footprint than conventional nonwoven production belts. In some cases, the rotating collecting surface can be a drum, or a drum with a three-dimensional textured sleeve positioned thereon. This rotating collecting surface produces a high-quality three-dimensional nonwoven web that is highly desirable to consumers.

[0005] This disclosure is directed in part to a method for making a three-dimensional web. The method may include spinning continuous filaments from a spinneret, moving the spun continuous filaments along a traveling path having an end, and rotating a collecting surface at the end of the traveling path. The collecting surface may include a cavity and a land area. The land area may be planar tangentially to an outer surface of the collecting surface. The cavity may be recessed relative to the outer surface of the collecting surface. The cavity may have a higher fluid permeability than the raised land area. The method may include applying fluid pressure to the collecting surface and collecting the filaments on the collecting surface to create an intermediate three-dimensional web having a first region formed in the cavity and a second region formed on the land area. The first region and the second region may differ in at least one intensive property, such as basis weight, volume density, caliper, air permeability, and / or opacity. In some cases, the intensive property is basis weight. The values ​​of the intensive properties in the first region and the second region can be greater than zero. The method can include bonding the intermediate three-dimensional web using a bonding operation, such as, for example, air-through bonding, to form the final three-dimensional web.

[0006] This disclosure also relates to a method for producing a three-dimensional web. The method may include spinning continuous filaments from a spinneret, moving the spun continuous filaments along a traveling path having an end, and rotating a collecting surface at or near the end of the traveling path. The collecting surface may include a land area and a raised area. The land area may be planar tangentially to an outer surface of the collecting surface. The raised area may extend outward from the outer surface of the collecting surface. The land area may have a higher fluid permeability than the raised area. The method may include applying a fluid pressure to the collecting surface and collecting the filaments on the collecting surface to create an intermediate three-dimensional web having a first region formed on the land area and a second region formed on the raised area. The first and second regions may differ in at least one intensive property, such as basis weight, volume density, caliper, air permeability, and / or opacity. In some cases, the intensive property is basis weight. The method may include bonding the intermediate three-dimensional webs using a bonding operation to form the final three-dimensional web. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter regarded as constituting the invention, the disclosure will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which reference numerals are used to designate substantially identical elements and in which: [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional sleeve forming part of the rotating collection surface of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional sleeve positioned over a rotating member that together form a rotating collection surface of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the rotating collection surface of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotating collection surface without a three-dimensional sleeve of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is an exploded view of a portion of a first exemplary three-dimensional sleeve or outer surface of a rotating collection surface of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a portion of a second exemplary three-dimensional sleeve or outer surface of a rotating collection surface of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional example of a texture on a rotating collection surface that is either a rotating member or drum of the present disclosure, or that includes a three-dimensional sleeve disposed on the rotating member or drum. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional example of a texture on a rotating collection surface that is either a rotating member or drum of the present disclosure, or that includes a three-dimensional sleeve disposed on the rotating member or drum. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional example of a texture on a rotating collection surface that is either a rotating member or drum of the present disclosure, or that includes a three-dimensional sleeve disposed on the rotating member or drum. [Figure 10] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional example of a texture on a rotating collection surface that is either a rotating member or drum of the present disclosure, or that includes a three-dimensional sleeve disposed on the rotating member or drum. [Figure 11] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional example of a texture on a rotating collection surface that is either a rotating member or drum of the present disclosure, or that includes a three-dimensional sleeve disposed on the rotating member or drum. [Figure 12] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional example of a texture on a rotating collection surface that is either a rotating member or drum of the present disclosure, or that includes a three-dimensional sleeve disposed on the rotating member or drum. [Figure 13] 1 is a schematic diagram of a method for creating a three-dimensional web using a rotating collecting surface of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic diagram of a method of creating a three-dimensional web using multiple rotating collecting surfaces of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 1 is an example of an auxiliary roll engaged with a portion of a rotating collection surface of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is an example of an auxiliary roll engaged with a portion of a rotating collection surface of the present disclosure. [Figure 17]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of two spinnerets depositing filaments onto a single rotating collecting surface. [Figure 18] 1 is a schematic example of a rotating collection surface having a support screen and a porous member. [Figure 19] 1 is another schematic example of a rotating collection surface with a support screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described to provide a comprehensive understanding of the principles of the structure, function, manufacture, and use of the methods for making three-dimensional webs disclosed herein. One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the methods for making three-dimensional webs specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments, and that the scope of the various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure is defined only by the claims. Features shown or described with respect to one non-limiting embodiment may be combined with features of other non-limiting embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0009] The term "absorbent article(s)" is used herein to refer to consumer products whose primary function is to absorb and contain body exudates and exudates. Absorbent article as used herein may refer, for example, to taped diapers, pants, and / or adult incontinence pants, or other suitable absorbent articles.

[0010] The term "machine direction" (MD) is used herein to refer to the primary direction of a material, web, or article moving through a process. In various manufacturing and converting processes, such as a bi-folding process, it may be possible for articles to have multiple machine directions as they undergo simultaneous processes. In other words, a production line may have an overall machine direction, but materials or articles may progress in directions other than the overall machine direction as they move through various processes along the production line. For example, an individual article having a trailing end and a leading end may progress in two different directions simultaneously, with each portion attached to a different roll and / or conveyor surface. In this example, either direction of progress may be considered the machine direction.

[0011] The term "cross direction" (CD) is used herein to refer to a direction generally perpendicular to the machine direction.

[0012] The term "rotating collecting surface" is used herein to refer to one of the following: 1) a rotating element or drum having a three-dimensionally textured outer surface; 2) a rotating element or drum having a non-three-dimensionally textured outer surface but with variable vacuum capability over at least a portion of the outer surface of the rotating element or drum; or 3) a three-dimensional sleeve positioned over the rotating element or drum. In all cases, the outer surface of the rotating element or drum and the textured sleeve have areas that are permeable to fluids (e.g., air) but impermeable to filaments. This allows for a shift in basis weight as the filaments are collected on the collecting surface. The rotating collecting surface is not a belt and does not contain resin or photocurable resin. At least a portion of the rotating collecting surface, in the filament deposition zone, may or may not be perpendicular to at least some of the filaments being laid thereon due to the curved or arcuate nature of the rotating collecting surface. In other words, the rotating collecting surface may not have a flat, planar portion, but instead may have a curved periphery.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional sleeve 10 forming a portion of the rotating collecting surface of the present disclosure. The three-dimensional sleeve 10 can have a fluid-permeable portion and a portion that imparts texture to a web, such as a nonwoven web. The three-dimensional sleeve 10 can be configured to be positioned over a rotating member or drum to form the rotating collecting surface. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the three-dimensional sleeve 10 positioned over a rotating member or drum 12 that together form the rotating collecting surface 14 of the present disclosure. The rotating collecting surface, three-dimensional sleeve, and rotating member or drum of the present disclosure are not belts, as typically used to create nonwoven webs. Although not shown in FIG. 2, it will be understood that the three-dimensional sleeve 10 can have texture and fluid-permeable portions. The rotating member or drum 12 can also have fluid-permeable portions. Thus, a vacuum can be applied through the rotating member or drum 12 and through the three-dimensional sleeve 10 so that filaments are collected on the rotating collecting surface 14. The rotating member or drum 10 can be more or less fluid-permeable than the three-dimensional sleeve 10. In some cases, the rotating member or drum 10 may have the same fluid permeability as the three-dimensional sleeve 10. Figure 3 is a side view of the rotating collection surface 14 of Figure 2, showing both the three-dimensional sleeve 10 and the rotating member or drum 12. The rotating member or drum 12 and the three-dimensional sleeve 10 may not include a photocurable resin or resins.

[0014] 4 is a perspective view of a rotating collection surface 14 that does not include a three-dimensional sleeve of the present disclosure. It will be understood that the outer surface of the rotating collection surface 14 can have portions that are textured and portions that are fluid-permeable so that filaments are collected on the rotating collection surface 14. In some cases, the rotating collection surface can be provided without a texture, but instead can be provided with only fluid-permeable portions on the outer surface. In such cases, a vacuum can be applied preferentially to portions of the outer surface, with filaments being drawn to those vacuum areas compared to areas where no vacuum is present. This can result in variations in the basis weight of the web as filaments migrate to certain vacuum areas during filament laydown.

[0015] Regardless of the shape of the rotating collection surface, including the three configurations described herein, the rotating member or drum, or the three-dimensional sleeve may or may not be circular. For example, the rotating member or drum and / or the three-dimensional sleeve may be oval or other non-circular.

[0016] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a portion of a first exemplary three-dimensional sleeve or outer surface of a rotating collection surface of the present disclosure. It will be understood that the three-dimensional sleeve or the outer surface of the rotating member or drum can be textured. The texture can include land areas 18, cavities 20, and raised areas 22. The land areas 18, cavities 20, and / or raised areas 22 can be made of photocurable resin or can be resin-free. The land areas 18 can be planar tangentially to the outer surface 24 of the collection surface. The rotating collection surfaces disclosed herein can have land areas of different sizes and / or shapes, or all of the same size and / or shape. The cavities 20 can be recessed relative to the outer surface 24 of the collection surface. Cavity 20 may be recessed relative to outer surface 24 by about 0.4 mm to about 20 mm, about 0.4 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm, or about 0.8 mm to about 2.5 mm. Cavity 20 may have a diameter, or major dimension if non-circular, in the XY plane of about 0.4 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.4 mm to about 10 mm, about 0.4 mm to about 8 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 6 mm, or about 0.5 mm to about 4 mm. Cavity 20 may have any suitable shape, such as, for example, circular, oval, diamond, triangular, and / or rectangular. The rotating collection surfaces disclosed herein may have cavities of different sizes and / or shapes, or may all have cavities of the same size and / or shape. The cavity 20 may have a permeable bottom surface so that fluid pressure, such as a vacuum, may be applied to the three-dimensional sleeve or outer surface of the rotating collection surface. The raised areas 22 may extend outward from the outer surface 24 of the collection surface. The raised areas 22 may extend outward from the outer surface 24 by about 0.5 mm to about 20 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm, about 1 mm to about 8 mm, about 1 mm to about 6 mm, or about 2 mm to about 5 mm. The diameter of the raised areas 22 closest to the outer surface 24, or the major dimension if not circular, may range from about 0.4 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm, about 1 mm to about 8 mm, or about 1 mm to about 6 mm. The rotating collection surfaces disclosed herein may have raised areas of different sizes and / or shapes, or may all have raised areas of the same size and / or shape.Such a textured collecting surface as shown in Figure 5 can result in a web, such as a nonwoven web, having protrusions formed in cavities 20, protrusions or openings formed by raised areas 22, and flat areas formed by land areas 18. Essentially, using a rotating collecting surface, an intricate, complex, three-dimensional web is formed that is highly desirable to consumers.

[0017] The cavities 20 may include several openings 21 to allow for their permeable bottom surfaces. The openings 21 may be circular or noncircular, e.g., elongated or oval. The diameter or major axis of the openings 21 may range, for example, from about 150 microns to about 2,000 microns, or from about 250 microns to about 600 microns. Based on information and belief, the openings 21 should not be too small or too large. If the openings 21 are too small, there may not be enough vacuum in the cavity 20 to draw the filaments into the cavity 20 and / or to fill the cavity 20 with the filaments. If the openings 21 are too large, the filaments may overextend, partially or completely, through the openings 21, which may cause problems when releasing the web from the cavity 20. In normal operation, it may be expected that some filaments will extend partially through the openings 21 while still achieving acceptable web release. Similar openings in the cavity may have similar characteristics to the openings described herein.

[0018] The open area of ​​the various rotating collection surfaces discussed herein can range, for example, from about 5% to about 55%, or from about 8% to about 40%. The open area of ​​the various rotating collection surfaces should be considered so that adequate three-dimensional formation can be achieved without having such a large open area that the rotating collection surface becomes mechanically weak and / or excessive filament penetration occurs.

[0019] The air permeability of the various rotating collecting surfaces discussed herein is approximately 45 mm when no filaments are positioned thereon.3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 300m 3 / m 2 / min, about 60m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 250m 3 / m 2 / min, or approximately 75m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 200m 3 / m 2 / min range.

[0020] FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a portion of a second exemplary three-dimensional sleeve or outer surface of a rotary collecting surface of the present disclosure. It will be understood that a texture can be imparted to the three-dimensional sleeve or outer surface of a rotating member or drum. The texture can include land areas 18 and cavities 20. The land areas 18 can be planar tangentially to the outer surface 24 of the collecting surface. The cavities 20 can be recessed relative to the outer surface 24 of the collecting surface. The land areas 18 and cavities 20 may be free of photocurable resin or resin. The cavities 20 can have a permeable bottom surface so that fluid pressure, such as a vacuum, can be applied to the three-dimensional sleeve or outer surface of the rotary collecting surface. Such a textured collecting surface, as shown in FIG. 6, can result in a web, such as a nonwoven web, having protrusions formed within the cavities 20 and flat areas formed by the land areas 18. Essentially, intricate, complex three-dimensional webs that are highly desirable to consumers can be formed using a rotary collecting surface.

[0021] 7-12 are schematic examples of contemplated three-dimensional textures for either a rotating collection surface 14 that is a rotating element or drum of the present disclosure, or a rotating collection surface 14 that includes a three-dimensional sleeve 10 disposed on the rotating element or drum. A rotating collection surface 14 that is a rotating element or drum, or a rotating collection surface 14 that includes a three-dimensional sleeve 10, may not include a photocurable resin or resin. FIGS. 7-12 are not to scale and are merely used to illustrate some concepts of three-dimensional textures. FIG. 7 shows a rotating collection surface 14 that includes a land area 18 and a cavity 20. The bottom 26 of the cavity 20 is shown as fluid-permeable by the dashed line. When a vacuum is applied to the bottom 26, filaments 28 will collect more in the cavity 20 than in the land area 18, as shown in the portion of FIG. 7. The portion of the filaments within the cavity 20 may have a different intensive property in the web than the filaments above the land area 18. The intensive property can be one or more of basis weight, volume density, caliper, air permeability, and / or opacity. In some cases, the intensive property can be basis weight. In the example of FIG. 7 , the portion of the web within the cavity 20 has a higher basis weight, volume density, thickness, air permeability, and / or opacity than the portion of the web over the land area 18. The higher accumulation of filaments 28 within the cavity 20 is primarily due to the application of a vacuum to the cavity 20. While it is within the scope of the present disclosure to apply a vacuum or fluid pressure to the land area 18, the vacuum or fluid pressure can typically be lower than the vacuum or fluid pressure applied to the cavity 20 to achieve a higher intensive property of basis weight, volume density, caliper, air permeability, and / or opacity in the portion of the web within the cavity 20. The height difference between the cavities 20 and the land area 18 can be in the range of about 0.1 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, about 0.3 mm to about 3 mm, about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, greater than about 0.3 mm, greater than about 0.5 mm, or greater than about 0.8 mm. Having these height differences between the cavities 20 and the land area 18 allows for the formation of visually appealing, substantial three-dimensional features in the final three-dimensional web.

[0022] FIG. 8 shows a rotating collection surface 14 including a land area 18 and a cavity 20. The bottom 26 of the cavity 20 is shown as fluid permeable by a dashed line. When a vacuum is applied to the bottom 26, filaments may collect more in the cavity 20 than in the land area 18, as shown above in FIG. 7. The primary difference between the rotating collection surface of FIG. 7 and the rotating collection surface of FIG. 8 is the addition of pins 30 that reside on or extend outward from the land area 18. The pins 30 may have a height relative to the land area 18 of about 0.4 mm to about 20 mm, about 0.4 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 8 mm, or about 0.6 mm to about 6 mm. The diameter of pin 30 closest to exterior surface 24, or the major dimension if not circular, can range from about 0.4 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 10 mm, about 1 mm to about 8 mm, or about 1 mm to about 6 mm. Pin 30 can be used to create an opening in a portion of the web formed on land area 18. A vacuum can be applied through land area 18 and / or pin 30, but the vacuum force can be less than the vacuum force provided in cavity 20 to achieve a higher filament concentration within cavity 20. Pins the same as or similar to pin 30 can be provided within cavity 20 to create an opening in the portion of the web formed within cavity 20. The height differences between the cavities 20 and the land areas 18, and between the land areas 18 and the pins 30, can range from about 0.1 mm to about 15 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 3 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, greater than about 0.3 mm, greater than about 0.5 mm, or greater than about 0.8 mm. Having these height differences between the cavities 20 and the land areas 18, and between the land areas 18 and the pins 30, allows for the formation of substantial, visually appealing three-dimensional features in the final three-dimensional web.

[0023] FIG. 9 shows a rotating collection surface 14 including a land area 18 and a cavity 20. The bottom 26 of the cavity 20 is shown as fluid-permeable by a dashed line. When a vacuum is applied to the bottom 26, filaments may collect more in the cavity 20 than in the land area 18, as shown above in FIG. 7. In FIG. 9, pins 30 are shown in the cavity 20. The pins 30 may create openings in the portion of the web formed in the cavity 20. The portion of the web formed on the land area 18 may be flat. If desired, some vacuum may be applied through the pins 30. It is also possible to apply a vacuum through the land area 18, but the vacuum force may be less than the vacuum force provided in the cavity 20 to achieve a higher filament concentration in the cavity 20. Pins the same as or similar to the pins 30 may be provided on the land area 18 to create openings in the portion of the web formed on the land area 18. The height difference between the cavities 20 and the land area 18 or pins 30 can be in the range of about 0.1 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, about 0.3 mm to about 3 mm, about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, greater than about 0.3 mm, greater than about 0.5 mm, or greater than about 0.8 mm. Having these height differences between the cavities 20 and the land area 18 or pins 30 allows for the formation of visually appealing, substantial three-dimensional features in the final three-dimensional web.

[0024] FIG. 10 shows a rotating collection surface 14 including a land area 18 and a cavity 20. The bottom 26 of the cavity 20 is shown as fluid-permeable by a dashed line. When a vacuum is applied to the bottom 26, filaments may collect more in the cavity 20 than in the land area 18, as shown above in FIG. 7. In FIG. 10, the land area 18 includes a raised area 22 that forms a protrusion in the portion of the web formed by the land area 18. While it is possible to apply a vacuum through the land area 18 and / or the raised area 22 in some cases, that vacuum may typically be applied at a lower intensity than the vacuum provided in the cavity 20 to achieve a higher filament concentration in the cavity 20. The height differences between the cavities 20 and the land areas 18, and between the land areas 18 and the raised areas 22, can range from about 0.1 mm to about 15 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 3 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, greater than about 0.3 mm, greater than about 0.5 mm, or greater than about 0.8 mm. Having these height differences between the cavities 20 and the land areas 18, and between the land areas 18 and the raised areas 22, allows for the formation of substantial, visually appealing three-dimensional features in the final three-dimensional web.

[0025] 11 shows a rotating collecting surface 14 having a fluid-permeable outer surface 32. The outer surface 32 may or may not include raised areas 22. If raised areas 22 are not provided, the vacuum within the rotating collecting surface 14 may be varied to create a zone of vacuum 34 and a zone of no vacuum or lower vacuum 36. More filaments may be drawn into the zone of vacuum 34 than into the zone of no vacuum or lower vacuum 36. As a result, the portion of the web formed in the zone of vacuum 34 may have a higher intensive property than the portion of the web formed in the zone of no vacuum or lower vacuum 36. The intensive property may be basis weight, volume density, caliper, air permeability, and / or opacity.

[0026] If raised areas 22 are provided on exterior surface 32, zones of vacuum 36 and zones of no or lower vacuum 36 may or may not be provided. If zones 34 / 36 are not provided, the vacuum force applied to the filaments may be interrupted in the areas below raised areas 22. This may allow the filaments to concentrate where the vacuum is applied, i.e., between raised areas 22. Thus, the portions of the web formed between raised areas 22 may have a higher intensity than the portions of the web formed above raised areas 22. While it is possible to apply vacuum through raised areas 22 in some cases, the vacuum may typically be applied at a lower intensity than the vacuum provided between raised areas 22 to achieve a greater filament concentration between raised areas 22. The height difference between the land areas 18 and the raised areas 22 can range from about 0.1 mm to about 15 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 3 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, greater than about 0.3 mm, greater than about 0.5 mm, or greater than about 0.8 mm. Having these height differences between the land areas 18 and the raised areas 22 allows for the formation of substantial, visually appealing three-dimensional features in the final three-dimensional web.

[0027] FIG. 12 shows a rotating collection surface 14 having a fluid-permeable outer surface 32. Pins 30 extend outward from the fluid-permeable outer surface 32. The vacuum force applied to the filaments can be interrupted in the area under the pins 30. This can concentrate the filaments where the vacuum is applied, i.e., between the pins 30. Therefore, the portion of the web formed between the pins 30 can have a higher intensiveness compared to the portion of the web formed above the pins 30. While it is possible to apply a vacuum through the pins 30 in some cases, the vacuum can typically be applied at a lower intensity than the vacuum provided between the pins 30 to achieve a greater filament concentration between the pins 30. In some cases, the pins 30 can be used to create openings in the web. The height difference between the land area 18 and the pins 30 can range from about 0.1 mm to about 15 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, from about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 3 mm, from about 0.3 mm to about 2 mm, greater than about 0.3 mm, greater than about 0.5 mm, or greater than about 0.8 mm. Having these height differences between the land area 18 and the pins 30 allows for the formation of visually appealing, substantial three-dimensional features in the three-dimensional final web.

[0028] Any of the land areas, pins, raised areas, and / or cavities discussed herein can have at least one dimension of length or width ranging from, for example, about 0.1 mm to about 15 mm, about 0.1 mm to about 10 mm, about 0.3 mm to about 10 mm, about 0.5 mm to about 8 mm, about 0.8 mm to about 5 mm, about 0.8 mm to about 3 mm, about 0.8 mm to about 2 mm, or about 0.8 mm to about 1.2 mm, such that the land areas, pins, raised areas, and / or cavities can create sufficient three-dimensionality in the final three-dimensional web.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 13 , a method of making a three-dimensional web is provided. The method may include spinning continuous filaments 28 from a spinneret 52 and moving or drawing the spun continuous filaments 28 along a path of travel 54 having an end 56. The method may include rotating a collecting surface 14 at or near the end 56 of the path of travel 54. The rotating collecting surface 14 may include cavities 20 and land areas 18 (as shown in FIGS. 5-10 ). The land areas 18 may be tangentially planar with the outer surface of the collecting surface 14. The cavities 20 may be recessed relative to the outer surface of the collecting surface 14. The method may include applying a fluid pressure, such as a vacuum, to the rotating collecting surface 14. The fluid pressure may be applied to the entire contact area on the rotating collecting surface between the collecting surface 14 and the filaments 28, or to less than the entire contact area. The method may include collecting filaments 28 on a collecting surface 14 to create an intermediate three-dimensional web 60 having a first region formed within the cavities 20 and a second region formed on the land area 18. The first region and the second region may differ in at least one intensive property, where the intensive property is basis weight, volume density, caliper, air permeability, and / or opacity. The method may include bonding the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 using a bonding operation 62 to form a final three-dimensional web 63. Alternatively, the method may include conveying the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 through the bonding operation 62 to form the final three-dimensional web 63. The bonding operation 62 may include calendar bonding, ultrasonic bonding, air-through bonding, or a combination thereof. In the case of an air-through bonding operation, the method may include creating inter-filament bonds in the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 to form the final three-dimensional web 63.

[0030] In some cases, the collecting surface 14 may include raised areas 22 or pins 30 in the cavity 20 ( FIG. 9 ) or land area 18 ( FIGS. 8 and 10 ). The raised areas 22 or pins 30 may have any suitable shape, such as, for example, molded pins, protrusions, and / or cylinders. The raised areas 22 or pins 30 may be used to form openings or protrusions (e.g., three-dimensional elements) in the intermediate three-dimensional web 60. The bottom of the cavity 20 may be fluid-permeable but not substantially permeable or impermeable to the filaments 28. Some of the filaments 28 may be able to extend partially through the bottom 26 of the cavity 20, but for the most part, the entire filaments 28 may not be able to move through the bottom 26. The method may include accumulating the filaments 28 in the cavity 20.

[0031] As the filaments 28 travel along the travel path 54, the method may include cooling and stretching the filaments 28. The filaments 28 may comprise monocomponent, bicomponent, or multicomponent fibers. Bicomponent fibers may include, for example, side-by-side fibers, sheath-core fibers, eccentric fibers, or islands-in-the-sea fibers. Bicomponent fibers may have a first component including a first material and a second component including a second, different material. The first material may have a first melting temperature, and the second component may have a second melting temperature. The difference between the first and second melting temperatures may be at least 10°C, but may be less than 180°C. This melting temperature difference causes the filaments to cool at different rates, causing them to crimp. The crimping may help provide loft to the web.

[0032] As mentioned above, the rotating collection surface 14 can be a rotating member or drum, which may or may not be circular. The rotating member or drum can have a textured, at least partially fluid-permeable outer surface. In other cases, the rotating collection surface can be a rotating member or drum, or a rotating member or drum with a three-dimensional sleeve positioned thereon.

[0033] Referring again to FIG. 13 , the method may include compressing the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 using one or more compression rolls 66. The compression rolls 66 may form a nip with the rotating collecting surface 14 through which the intermediate three-dimensional web may be transported. Downstream of or upon exiting the nip, the three-dimensional web may be removed from the rotating collecting surface and transported onto a belt. The web may be removed from the rotating collecting surface and transported onto the belt in the opposite direction from that shown in FIG. 13 . In other words, the web may exit or be removed from the rotating collecting surface and proceed to the left in FIG. 13 . The rotating collecting surface may rotate in either direction, and similarly, the web may be transported to the left or right. The compression rolls 66 may be positioned on one side or the other of the rotating collecting surface depending on which side the web is intended to proceed. The compression rolls 66 may have a smooth surface or may be textured to complement the texture on the rotating collecting surface 14 or to form a male / female profile on the opposite side of the rotating collecting surface, as discussed in more detail below. The one or more compression rolls 66 may be heated to a temperature ranging from about 50° C. to about 200° C. The one or more compression rolls 66 may provide varying pressures to the web. In some cases, hot air knives may be used in place of or in addition to the one or more compression rolls 66, at the position of the compression rolls 66 and / or at other positions.

[0034] In other cases, it may be desirable to apply hot air to the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 using a hot air knife 68 or other energy source downstream of the compression roll 66 to at least partially bond the intermediate three-dimensional web 60. The hot air knife 68 may be positioned anywhere intermediate the rotating collecting surface 14 and the bonding operation 62. The hot air knife or other energy source may also be positioned proximate to or toward the rotating collecting surface 14 to consolidate the web on the rotating collecting surface 14. The hot air knife may provide hot air in a range of, for example, from about 120°C to about 300°C, or from about 140°C to about 200°C.

[0035] The method may include conveying the final three-dimensional web 63 to an absorbent article manufacturing line 70. In other cases, the method may be performed as part of an absorbent article manufacturing line. The method may include spreading the filaments 28 along the travel path 54 using a spreader 51. The final three-dimensional web 63 may or may not be hydroentangled.

[0036] In any of the various configurations described herein, the formed web can be combined with pre-bonded or non-pre-bonded webs to increase the basis weight of the web or to form a laminate, which can be done on the same line as the web is formed, if desired.

[0037] The machine direction length of the filaments laid down on the rotating collecting surface of the present disclosure can be less than 25%, less than 15%, less than 13%, but at least 2% or at least 5% of the circumference or outer circumference of the rotating collecting surface. The transverse width of the filaments laid down on the rotating collecting surface of the present disclosure can be greater than 20 mm and less than 400 mm.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 14 , the method may include additional steps, such as providing a second rotating collecting surface 72 and providing a meltblown die or pulp source 74. Numbers in FIG. 14 that are the same as those in FIG. 13 indicate the same or similar elements. The second rotating collecting surface 72 may be the same as or similar to the rotating collecting surface 14, or may simply be a non-textured collecting surface. Thus, the second rotating collecting surface 72 may produce a web 76 with a variable intensive property, such as basis weight, similar to that described above with respect to the collecting surface 14, or the second rotating collecting surface 72 may simply produce a web 76 without a variable intensive property to add basis weight to the intermediate three-dimensional web 60. When the second rotating collecting surface 72 produces a web 76 with a variable intensive property, the web 76 may or may not be aligned with the intermediate three-dimensional web 60. The web 76 may be combined with the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 to form the laminate 58. The second rotating collecting surface 72 may produce a web 76 with a variable intensive property that may be the same as or different from the variable intensive property of the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 produced by the rotating collecting surface 14. In such cases, the web 60 may have the same or a different pattern as the web 76. This may be achieved by having a different texture on the rotating collecting surface 14 compared to the second rotating collecting surface 72, or by using different texture sleeves on the rotating collecting surfaces 14, 72. Any of the webs with variable intensive properties described herein may have one pattern or zone (e.g., a wallpaper pattern) or multiple patterns or zones.

[0039] The method may include, after the collecting step and before the combining step, spinning second continuous filaments 78 from a second spinneret 80 and collecting the second continuous filaments 78 onto the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 to increase the basis weight of the intermediate three-dimensional web 60.

[0040] The method may include providing pulp, staple, and / or meltblown fibers 82 to the intermediate three-dimensional web 60. The pulp, staple, and / or meltblown fibers 82 may be provided to the rotating collecting surface 14 and / or the second rotating collecting surface 72 using a meltblown die or pulp source 74. Thus, the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 may include pulp fibers, staple fibers, and / or meltblown fibers 82. A compression roll 66 may also be provided adjacent the rotating collecting surface 14 and / or the second rotating collecting surface 72 to compress the web prior to the bonding operation 62.

[0041] A method for making a three-dimensional web may include spinning continuous filaments 28 from a spinneret 52 and moving the spun continuous filaments 28 along a path of travel 56 having an end 56. The method may include rotating a collecting surface 14 at or near the end 56 of the path of travel 54, the collecting surface 14 may include land areas 18 and raised areas 22 (see, e.g., FIGS. 11 and 12 ), the land areas 18 being tangentially planar with an outer surface 32 of the collecting surface 14, the raised areas 22 extending outward from the outer surface 32 of the collecting surface 14, and the land areas 18 having a higher fluid permeability than the raised areas 22. The method may include applying a fluid pressure, such as a vacuum, to the collecting surface 14. The method may include collecting filaments 28 on a collecting surface 14 to create an intermediate three-dimensional web 60 having first regions formed on the land areas 18 and second regions formed on the raised areas 22, where the first and second regions may differ in at least one intensive property. The intensive property may be basis weight, volume density, caliper, air permeability, and / or opacity. The method may include bonding the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 using a bonding operation 62 to form a final three-dimensional web 63. Alternatively, the method may include conveying the intermediate three-dimensional web 60 through the bonding operation 62 to form the final three-dimensional web 63.

[0042] The method may include providing a cavity 20 recessed relative to the outer surface 32 of the collection surface 14, with a bottom 26 of the cavity 20 being fluid permeable but substantially impermeable to the filaments 20. The raised areas 22 may be continuous and the land areas 18 may be discrete. Alternatively, the land areas 18 may be continuous and the raised areas 22 may be discrete.

[0043] The bonding operation 62 may include through-air bonding, calendar bonding, ultrasonic bonding, or other suitable bonding such as mechanical bonding.

[0044] The collecting surface 14 may include a three-dimensional sleeve 10 positioned on a rotating member or drum 12. The method may be performed on an absorbent article manufacturing line 70, or the final three-dimensional web 63 may be conveyed to an absorbent article manufacturing line 70.

[0045] Instead of or in addition to using a compression roll 66, an auxiliary roll 86 can be positioned where the compression roll 66 is shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 15 is an example of an auxiliary roll 86 engaged with a portion of a rotating collection surface 14 of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is an example of an auxiliary roll 86 engaged with a portion of a rotating collection surface 14 of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 shows a rotating collection surface 14 having raised areas 22 or pins 30 and an auxiliary roll having cavities 20′. A method can include providing an auxiliary roll 86 adjacent to the rotating collection surface 14, the auxiliary roll including the cavities 20′. A method can include rotating the auxiliary roll 86 with the rotating collection surface 14 and engaging the raised areas 22 or pins 30 of the rotating collection surface 14 with the cavities 20′ of the auxiliary roll 86. This will enable the formation of effective apertures for the following reasons. That is, (1) higher basis weight areas are formed on the rotating collecting surface 14 in areas without raised areas 22 or pins 30, leaving lower basis weight areas or partially formed openings above the raised areas 22 or pins 30 (see, for example, FIG. 12), and (2) additional or new openings are created by the mechanical female / male engagement of the web.

[0046] FIG. 16 shows a rotating collecting surface 14 having cavities 20 and an auxiliary roll 86 having raised areas 22′ or pins 30′. The method may include providing the auxiliary roll 86 adjacent to the rotating collecting surface 14, the auxiliary roll having raised areas 22′ or pins 30′. The method may include rotating the auxiliary roll 86 with the rotating collecting surface 14 and engaging the raised areas 22′ or pins 30′ of the auxiliary roll 86 with the cavities 20 of the rotating collecting surface 14 to create protrusions or openings. This will allow for the formation of effective apertures because: (1) higher basis weight areas are formed on the rotating collecting surface 14 in areas without raised areas 22 or pins 30, leaving lower basis weight areas or partially formed apertures above the raised areas 22 or pins 30 (see, e.g., FIG. 12 ); and (2) additional or new apertures are created by mechanical female / male engagement of the web.

[0047] The method may include a web releasing step or web blowing step. For example, fluid pressure may contact the web downstream of the laying position on the rotating collecting surface to at least partially or completely release the web from the rotating collecting surface. This may be achieved by providing fluid pressure directed from the inside to the outside of the rotating collecting surface. This may also be achieved by essentially sucking the web from the rotating collecting surface using a vacuum, such as a vacuum roller. In some cases, fluid pressure directed directly outward from the inside of the rotating collecting surface may be used in conjunction with a vacuum to achieve proper web release from the rotating collecting surface. Due to the intricate patterns of three-dimensional features created by the methods disclosed herein, web releasing may be a preferred step to achieve proper web formation. As an example, the web releasing step may occur downstream of a compression roll or auxiliary roll during rotation of the rotating collecting surface.

[0048] In addition to using fluid pressure and / or vacuum directed from the inside to the outside of the rotating collecting surface for web release, the same or similar processes can be used to clean the rotating collecting surface. Given the intricate pattern formed by the rotating collecting surface, some filaments or portions thereof may become caught or entangled in permeable or other areas of the rotating collecting surface. Cleaning the rotating collecting surface can be an important step to achieve adequate run times. As an example, the cleaning step can occur downstream of the compression roll or auxiliary roll while the rotating collecting surface is rotating.

[0049] The rotating collecting surface of the present disclosure can be used to produce a nonwoven fabric or three-dimensional web comprising a first surface and a second surface and a visually distinguishable pattern of three-dimensional features on one of the first surface or the second surface. Each of the three-dimensional features can define a microregion comprising a first region and a second region. The first and second regions can have a difference in the value of an intensive property, which can be one, two, or all three of caliper, basis weight, and volume density. Such nonwoven fabrics are described in International Publication No. 2017 / 105997, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0168893, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0216271, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2018 / 0214318, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0268572, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2020 / 0299880, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0369511.

[0050] The rotating collection surface of the present disclosure may have the following dimensions: The land area 18 with low (or no) fluid permeability may have a major dimension (in any direction) of about 0.1 mm to about 100 mm. The cavity 20 with high fluid permeability may have a (fluid permeable) opening with a major dimension ranging from about 0.1 mm to about 4 mm, or from about 0.2 mm to about 1.5 mm (e.g., for a circular opening, the diameter may be about 0.1 mm to about 4 mm, or from about 0.2 mm to about 1.5 mm). The major dimension of the cavity 20 may be about 0.1 mm to about 100 mm in any direction. The rotating collection surface or three-dimensional sleeve may have a fluid permeable area ranging from about 5% to about 95%, about 20% to about 80%, or about 40% to about 70% of the total surface area of ​​the rotating collection surface or three-dimensional sleeve. These selected fluid permeable area ranges are chosen to ensure sufficient preferential fluid flow between different regions, allowing for the movement of different filaments to different regions. For spun filaments with an average filament diameter of 10 to 40 microns (alternatively, 0.7 to 6 denier filaments), at least one of the cavity dimensions can be greater than 1 mm, greater than 2 mm, or greater than 3 mm. The dimension should be in the machine direction of travel. The spinneret can spin at least about 15 filaments per cm and at least about 30 filaments per beam. The beam's machine direction width should be at least 15 mm and can range from about 25 mm to about 60 mm. The total web basis weight can be at least 12 gsm up to about 150 gsm or 100 gsm. The above design criteria can ensure sufficient resolution during web production to achieve high-quality definition and uniform structure in the formed web.

[0051] For circular rotating collection surfaces or three-dimensional sleeves, the diameter can be from about 300 mm to about 10 meters. For non-circular rotating collection surfaces or three-dimensional sleeves, the circumference can range from about 1 meter to about 100 meters.

[0052] The filaments may comprise any suitable composition and may be monocomponent or bicomponent. Exemplary polymers may include polypropylene, polyethylene, polar solvent-soluble materials, non-polar solvent-soluble materials, polyvinyl alcohol, water-soluble starch, water-soluble hydroxyl polymers, polysaccharides, or combinations thereof. The filaments may also comprise recycled and / or bio-based materials. The filaments may also comprise pulp.

[0053] The filaments may comprise any suitable composition and may be monocomponent or bicomponent. Exemplary polymers for the filaments may include polypropylene, polyethylene, polyolefins, polyesters, PLA, polar solvent-soluble materials, nonpolar solvent-soluble materials, polyvinyl alcohol, water-soluble starch, water-soluble hydroxyl polymers, polysaccharides, cellulose, cellulose derivatives, or combinations thereof. The filaments may also comprise recycled and / or bio-based materials. Exemplary polymeric materials may include those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2013 / 0171421, 2012 / 0052037, and 2015 / 0071572. Further exemplary polymeric materials comprising cellulose or cellulose derivatives may include those described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2023 / 0098304 and U.S. Patent No. 11,326,283. Bicomponent filaments may be crimped. Crimp can be induced in bicomponent fibers by the first component cooling at a different rate than the second component.

[0054] Three-dimensional webs formed using the methods described herein can also include mixtures of filaments, individualized fibers, and / or particles, or so-called coform webs. Individual fibers include, for example, wood pulp fibers, cellulose fibers, cellulose derivative fibers, staple fibers, plant-derived fibers, bamboo fibers, and combinations thereof. Exemplary three-dimensional webs comprising filaments and particles are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0139394. No. 0172226, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009 / 0233072, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0071572, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2017 / 0165720, WO 2020 / 147227, WO 2020 / 147228, WO 2020 / 147229, WO 2020 / 147230, WO 2020 / 147231, WO 2020 / 147232, U.S. Patent No. 8,017,534, U.S. Patent No. 8,852,474, U.S. Patent No. 10,513,801, U.S. Patent No. 11,326,276, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2022 / 0325440.

[0055] In some cases, two spinnerets may deposit filaments onto a single rotating collecting surface at different locations on the surface. This may eliminate or reduce the need for alignment between two three-dimensional webs produced on different collecting surfaces. This may also improve throughput and line speed and reduce material costs. Depositing filaments onto a single rotating collecting surface at different locations on the surface may provide improved three-dimensional patterning compared to having two separate rotating collecting surfaces onto which one spinneret deposits filaments.

[0056] 17 , a first spinneret 100 can deposit a first filament 102 onto a single rotating collecting surface 114 at a first location 104, and a second spinneret 106 can deposit a second filament 108 onto the single rotating collecting surface 114 at a second, different location 110. The second filament 108 can be deposited onto the first filament 102. A compression roll 166 similar to the compression roll 66 described herein can also be provided. Alternatively, an auxiliary roll similar to the auxiliary roll 86 described herein can be provided. The remainder of the web creation process can be similar to that described herein.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 18 , a schematic example of a rotating collection surface 214 is shown. The rotating collection surface 214 includes an outer three-dimensional sleeve 210, a porous member 200, and a support screen 202. The support screen 202 can provide structural integrity to the three-dimensional sleeve 210, for example, when a compression roll 66 or auxiliary roll 86 is used to exert a force on the three-dimensional sleeve 210. The support screen 202 can typically have a large open area, such as in the range of about 25% to about 60%, and can have a thickness, for example, in the range of about 0.2 mm to about 6 mm. Due to the fact that the open area of ​​the support screen is typically not 75 to 95%, for example, the porous member 200 can be disposed intermediate the three-dimensional sleeve 210 and the support screen 202 to provide uniform fluid pressure to the three-dimensional sleeve 210. The porous member 200 also provides a gap between the three-dimensional sleeve 210 and the support screen 202, again providing uniform fluid pressure to the three-dimensional sleeve 210. The fluid conduits 204 can provide fluid pressure to the support screen 202 and ultimately to the three-dimensional sleeve 210. Any of the fluid conduits 204 can be turned on or off, or can increase or decrease fluid flow. In one example, a fluid conduit 204 can be turned on when a portion of the web is present on that portion of the three-dimensional sleeve 210. In another example, a higher fluid pressure can be provided to the three-dimensional sleeve 210 in the filament laydown area. As mentioned herein, the fluid conduits 204 can be configured to deliver positive and / or negative fluid pressure. Negative fluid pressure can be used to draw the filaments and / or web into the three-dimensional screen 210, while positive fluid pressure can be used to release the web from the rotating collection surface 210 or to clean the three-dimensional sleeve by expelling some or all of the filaments that are caught or entangled in the three-dimensional sleeve.

[0058] 19, a schematic example of another rotating collection surface 314 is shown. The rotating collection surface 314 is the same as the rotating collection surface 214 of FIG. 18, except that the porous member may not be provided. The rotating collection surface 314 may include a three-dimensional sleeve 310, a support member 302, and a fluid conduit 304.

[0059] Various support screens are approximately 45m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 400m 3 / m 2 / min, about 60m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 350m 3 / m 2 / min, or approximately 75m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 300m 3 / m 2 The support screens of the present disclosure may have air permeabilities in the range of 1 / min. The support screens of the present disclosure may have circular patterns of cutout material to achieve fluid permeability. Other shapes of cutout material may also be used, such as ovals, elongated shapes, and / or slots.

[0060] The porous material is approximately 45 m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 400m 3 / m 2 / min, about 60m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 350m 3 / m 2 / min, or approximately 75m 3 / m 2 / min ~ approx. 300m 3 / m 2 / min range.

[0061] The three-dimensional sleeve may comprise a polymeric material, such as, for example, polyoxymethylene, or may comprise a metallic material, such as, for example, steel, nickel, and / or brass. Other suitable materials may also be used.

[0062] The porous member may comprise, for example, a metallic material such as steel, or a polymeric material, although other suitable materials may also be used.

[0063] The support screen may comprise, for example, a metallic material such as steel. Other suitable materials may also be used.

[0064] The methods discussed herein may produce webs at speeds of about 40 meters / minute to about 300 meters / minute for a single spinneret. The methods discussed herein may produce webs at speeds of about 80 meters / minute to about 600 meters / minute for two spinnerets. The methods discussed herein may produce webs at speeds of about 120 meters / minute to about 1200 meters / minute for three spinnerets.

[0065] Surface Topography The rotating collecting surface disclosed herein may have a specific surface texture Sa (arithmetic mean height) in the land area, on the surface of the raised areas, protrusions, or pins, and / or on the bottom and / or sidewalls of the cavities. A specific range of surface texture Sa in the land area, on the surface of the raised areas, protrusions, or pins, and / or on the bottom and / or sidewalls of the cavities helps to enable filaments to be released from the rotating collecting surface after web formation. In one example, the specific surface texture may be present anywhere the filaments contact the rotating collecting surface. The surface texture Sa may be in the range of, for example, about 10 μm to about 220 μm, about 10 μm to about 200 μm, about 10 μm to about 150 μm, about 10 μm to about 100 μm, or about 15 μm to about 100 μm. The surface texture Sa is measured using the Surface Topography Test Method herein. In one example, the surface texture Sa can be in the range of, for example, about 10 μm to about 220 μm, about 10 μm to about 200 μm, about 10 μm to about 150 μm, about 10 μm to about 100 μm, or about 15 μm to about 100 μm in the land area. The surface texture Sa is measured using the Surface Topography Test Method herein.

[0066] Surface Topography Test Method In surface topography testing, the areal surface topology of a sample surface is measured using optical profilometry. The three-dimensional (3D) surface data is then processed and analyzed to extract a microscale areal surface texture parameter, Sa (arithmetic mean height). Sa is the average absolute value of the heights of each point within a defined area.

[0067] The 3D surface topography image of the belt is acquired using a high-brightness LED in the projection unit on the Keyence VR-6000 / 6200 3D Optical Profilometer. The system includes the following major components: a) a controller (VR-6000) that houses the high-brightness LED light source, control circuit board, and other hardware used for observation; and b) a head, which is a unit containing the high-brightness LED light source, CMOS camera, scanning optical element, and telecentric lens for measurement. The fringe projection light passes through the telecentric projection lens and strikes the object from above at an angle. If there is a height difference on the object surface or if the light is irradiated at an angle relative to the object, the fringe projection image will be distorted. The VR-6000 series uses a camera to capture the distorted fringe projection image from directly above and measures the object's height from the distortion.

[0068] The sample was placed flat on a motorized stage under the camera at ambient conditions. A weight was placed on the sample outside the measurement area to remove large-scale waviness within the sample. Four images were stitched together to form a 3D surface topology image (approximately 30 mm x 40 mm) of the sample surface. The images were preprocessed prior to measurement according to the instrument manufacturer's recommended procedures to correct for surface shape and noise. A region of interest containing the three-dimensional features of the rotating collection surface of this disclosure within the filtered height image was used to measure Sa according to ISO 25178-2:2012.

[0069] Examples / Combinations: 1. A method of making a three-dimensional web, comprising: spinning continuous filaments from the spinneret; moving the spun continuous filaments along a travel path having an end; rotating a collection surface at or near an end of the travel path, the collection surface including land areas and raised areas, the land areas being planar tangentially to an outer surface of the collection surface and the raised areas extending outward from the outer surface of the collection surface, the land areas having a higher fluid permeability than the raised areas; applying a fluid pressure to the collection surface; collecting the filaments on a collecting surface to form a land area to create an intermediate three-dimensional web having a first region formed on the land area and a second region formed on the raised area, the first region and the second region differing in at least one intensive property; bonding the intermediate three-dimensional webs using a bonding operation to form a final three-dimensional web; A method comprising: 2. The method of paragraph 1, comprising providing a cavity recessed relative to the outer surface of the collection surface, and creating fluid pressure at a bottom of the cavity that is fluid permeable but not substantially filament permeable. 3. The method of paragraph 1 or 2, wherein the raised areas are continuous and the land areas are discrete. 4. The method of paragraph 1 or 2, wherein the land area is continuous and the raised areas are discrete. 5. The method of any one of paragraphs 1-4, wherein the bonding operation comprises air bonding, calendar bonding, ultrasonic bonding, or a combination thereof. 6. The method of any one of paragraphs 1-5, wherein the collection surface comprises a three-dimensional sleeve positioned on the rotating member. 7. The method of any one of paragraphs 1-6, wherein the method is carried out on an absorbent article manufacturing line. 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1-7, providing an auxiliary roll adjacent to the rotating collecting surface, the auxiliary roll including a cavity; rotating an auxiliary roll having a rotating collecting surface; engaging raised areas of the rotating collecting surface with cavities of the auxiliary roll; A method comprising: 9. The method according to paragraph 2, providing a back-up roll adjacent to the rotating collecting surface, the back-up roll having a raised area; rotating an auxiliary roll having a rotating collecting surface; engaging a second raised area of ​​the auxiliary roll with a cavity in the rotating collecting surface to create a protrusion or opening; A method comprising: 10. The method of paragraph 1, including using raised areas to form apertures in the intermediate three-dimensional web. 11. The method of any one of paragraphs 1-10, wherein the filaments comprise polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, PLA, a polar solvent soluble material, a non-polar solvent soluble material, polyvinyl alcohol, a water soluble starch, a water soluble hydroxyl polymer, a polysaccharide, or a combination thereof. 12. The method of any one of paragraphs 1-11, wherein the three-dimensional web comprises filaments, individualized fibers, and / or particles. 13. The method of any one of paragraphs 1 to 12, wherein a portion of the land area of ​​the rotating collection surface has a surface texture Sa in the range of about 10 μm to about 220 μm according to the Surface Topography Test Method. 14. A method of making a three-dimensional web, comprising: spinning a first continuous filament from a first spinneret; moving a first spun continuous filament along a first path of travel having a first end; spinning a second continuous filament from a second spinneret; moving the second spun continuous filament along a second path of travel having a second end; rotating a single collection surface at or near a first end of a first path of travel and at or near a second end of a second path of travel, the collection surface including a cavity and a land area, the land area being planar tangentially to an outer surface of the collection surface and the cavity being recessed relative to the outer surface of the collection surface; applying a fluid pressure to the collection surface; collecting the first and second filaments on a collecting surface to create an intermediate three-dimensional web having first regions formed in the cavities and second regions formed on the land areas, wherein the first and second regions differ in at least one intensive property, and both values ​​of the intensive property in both the first and second regions are greater than zero; bonding the intermediate three-dimensional webs using a bonding operation to form a final three-dimensional web; A method comprising: 15. The method of paragraph 14, wherein the collecting step includes collecting a second filament on the first filament. 16. The method of paragraph 14, wherein the first end of the first traveling path is at a different location on the single rotating collecting surface from the second end of the second traveling path. 17. The method of any one of paragraphs 14 to 16, wherein a land area of ​​a portion of the single rotating collecting surface has a surface texture Sa in the range of about 10 μm to about 220 μm according to the Surface Topography Test Method.

[0070] The dimensions and values ​​disclosed herein should not be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values ​​recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as "40 mm" is intended to mean "about 40 mm."

[0071] All documents cited herein, including cross-referenced or related patents or applications, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any embodiment disclosed or claimed herein, or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference(s), teaches, suggests, or discloses any such embodiment. Furthermore, to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall control.

[0072] While particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. 1. A method of making a three-dimensional web, comprising: spinning continuous filaments from the spinneret; moving the spun continuous filament along a travel path having an end; rotating a collection surface at or near the end of the travel path, the collection surface including a cavity and a land area, the land area being planar tangentially to an outer surface of the collection surface, and the cavity being recessed relative to the outer surface of the collection surface; applying a fluid pressure to the collection surface; collecting the filaments on the collecting surface to create an intermediate three-dimensional web having first regions formed within the cavities and second regions formed on the land areas, wherein the first and second regions differ in at least one intensive property, and wherein both values ​​of the intensive property in the first and second regions are greater than zero; bonding the intermediate three-dimensional webs using a bonding operation to form a final three-dimensional web; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the collection surface includes a raised area extending outward from the outer surface of the collection surface.

3. The method of claim 2 , including using the raised areas to form openings in the intermediate three-dimensional web.

4. The method of claim 2 , including using the raised areas to form protrusions in the intermediate three-dimensional web.

5. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a fluid pressure at a bottom of the cavity, the bottom being fluid permeable but not substantially permeable to the filaments, and accumulating the filaments in the cavity.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising cooling and stretching the filaments along the travel path.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the continuous filaments comprise bicomponent continuous filaments having a first component and a second component.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the bicomponent filament is a side-by-side bicomponent filament or an eccentric bicomponent filament.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first component has a different melting temperature than the second component.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the collecting surface is a rotating drum and not a belt.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the collection surface comprises a three-dimensional sleeve positioned on a rotating member, the three-dimensional sleeve not being a belt.

12. 12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising air-through bonding the intermediate three-dimensional web to create interfilament bonds in the web and form the final three-dimensional web.

13. 13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising compressing the intermediate three-dimensional web on the collecting surface using a compression roll, wherein a nip is formed intermediate the compression roll and the collecting surface, and the intermediate three-dimensional web is removed from the collecting surface downstream of or as it exits the nip.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, comprising applying hot air to the intermediate three-dimensional web to at least partially bond the intermediate three-dimensional web.

15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising combining a second web with the intermediate three-dimensional web to form a laminate.

16. 16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising spinning second continuous filaments from a second spinneret after the collecting step and before the combining step, and collecting the second continuous filaments onto the intermediate three-dimensional web to increase the basis weight of the intermediate three-dimensional web.

17. 16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising, after the collecting step and before the combining step, spinning second continuous filaments from a second spinneret onto a second collecting surface, and conveying the second continuous filaments onto the intermediate three-dimensional web to increase the basis weight of the intermediate three-dimensional web.

18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, comprising conveying said final three-dimensional web into an absorbent article manufacturing line.

19. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising spreading the filament along the path of travel.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the intensive property is basis weight, caliper, or volume density.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the intensive property is air permeability or opacity.

22. The method of any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the web comprises pulp fibers or the web comprises staple fibers.

23. The method of any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the bonding operation comprises calendar bonding, ultrasonic bonding, or a combination thereof.

24. The method of any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the final three-dimensional web is not hydroentangled.

25. The method of any one of claims 1 to 24, wherein the cavity has a higher fluid permeability than the land area.

26. The method of any one of claims 1 to 25, wherein the method is carried out on an absorbent article manufacturing line.

27. 27. The method of any one of claims 1 to 26, wherein the land area of ​​a portion of the rotating collection surface has a surface texture Sa in the range of about 10 μm to about 220 μm according to the Surface Topography Test Method.

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