Longitudinally Pleated Hook Fastener Substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for processing longitudinally continuous flexible substrates with longitudinal pleats and forming continuous laminations with touch fastener elements are limited in efficiency and stability, particularly in creating products with regions of varying thickness and pleated structures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a substrate trained around a first roll with a circumferential groove, where a resin is introduced and molded into discrete cavities to form fastener elements, while the substrate is pleated and supported by a second roll, allowing for the formation of pleats and subsequent spooling with increased stability and thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a substrate is processed through a molding nip to form fastener elements on limited regions, then fastener elements can be provided on specific zones of the substrate surface, but the method lacks efficiency and stability in processing longitudinally continuous substrates with pleats
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into different regions by forming longitudinal pleats that create distinct zones. The pleats divide the continuous substrate into pleated regions and non-pleated regions, allowing different processing conditions and fastener element formations in different zones, thereby improving manufacturing flexibility while maintaining stability through structured segmentation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a longitudinal dimension to the substrate processing by creating pleats that extend along the length of the substrate. This longitudinal pleating adds a new dimension to the otherwise planar substrate, enabling three-dimensional structural variations that improve both manufacturing capability and product stability
2Productivity
If pleats are formed in the substrate, then the required nip width is reduced and laminating capacity is increased, but the substrate structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The pleats are formed dynamically during the substrate processing through the interaction between the substrate and the molding nip. The pleating structure is not a static pre-formed feature but is created on-demand as the substrate passes through the processing zone, allowing the system to adapt to different production requirements without changing the basic device configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The molding nip serves multiple functions: it forms fastener elements, creates longitudinal pleats, and controls substrate positioning all simultaneously. This multi-functionality increases laminating capacity and productivity without requiring separate dedicated devices for each operation, thereby avoiding increased device complexity
3Shape
If the substrate is passed through the nip with regions disposed within the groove, then nip pressure is applied to form pleats, but the processing precision and control become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The groove acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates pleat formation. By providing a defined groove geometry, the system creates a controlled environment for pleat development, mediating between the applied nip pressure and the resulting pleat shape. This intermediary structure standardizes the pleating process and improves manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The invention controls pleat formation by adjusting processing parameters such as nip pressure, substrate feed rate, and groove dimensions. By systematically varying these parameters, the system achieves consistent pleat formation with controlled dimensions and spacing, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision despite the complexity of forming three-dimensional pleated structures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enhances the stability of the spooled product by creating a pleated structure that maintains thickness consistency, reduces the required nip width, and increases the laminating capacity, leading to cost-effective production of finished products with improved stability and features.
Implementation Method 1
The substrate is passed through the nip in a machine feed direction with the first region disposed within the groove, thereby applying nip pressure to the second regions of the substrate in the nip, and transferred to the second roll at the nip
Implementation Method 2
The method also includes introducing a resin into the nip with the substrate, and bonding the extruded resin to the substrate
Implementation Method 3
The transferred substrate is maintained against the second roll over a distance extending from the nip, over which distance the second regions of the substrate are supported by the outer surface of the second roll
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a continuous sheet of pleated, hook-form, fastener product includes training a substrate about a pressure roll having an outer surface defining circumferential grooves. As the substrate approaches a nip between the pressure roll and a mold roll calendered with the pressure roll, a portion of the substrate is disposed within a corresponding one of the grooves between the pressure roll and a stationary horn extending into the groove whereby a longitudinally-extending pleat is formed in the substrate. The pleated substrate is then passed through the nip where resin regions are laminated to a side of the substrate opposed to the pleat.