Quasi Melt Blow Down System for Nonwoven Fiber Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current spunlaid and meltblown systems for producing nonwoven fabrics are costly, energy-intensive, and prone to maintenance issues due to nozzle clogging, with limited production rates.
Innovation Solution
A quasi-melt blow down system that extrudes metallocene-based thermo-plastic polymers, using a die assembly with multiple slits to dispense fluids at varying velocities to form fibers, which can be incorporated into a uniform fiber deposition system for efficient fiber layering on substrates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional spunlaid and meltblown systems are used to produce nonwoven fabrics, then fibers can be formed and deposited, but the systems have high costs, high energy consumption, maintenance problems due to nozzle clogging, and limited production rates
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the fiber formation process into distinct functional zones: a hopper for material storage, a die assembly with multiple slits for extrusion, and a separate airflow system for fiber drawing and deposition. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, improving production rate while simplifying maintenance of individual parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a airflow system to draw molten polymer through the die slits and transport the formed fibers to the deposition surface. This pneumatic approach replaces complex mechanical extrusion systems, reducing device complexity and maintenance requirements while enabling higher production rates through controlled air flow.
2Reliability
If conventional meltblown systems are used, then fibers can be formed, but nozzle clogging occurs causing maintenance problems
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the clogging-prone nozzle components from the system by using open slits in the die assembly instead of enclosed nozzles. The slit configuration allows for easier cleaning and maintenance, and the open structure prevents material buildup that would cause clogging in conventional nozzle systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical parameters of the die structure from enclosed nozzles to open slits with specific dimensions and orientations. This parameter change allows molten polymer to be extruded without the confinement that causes clogging, while still maintaining control over fiber formation through the slit geometry and airflow parameters.
3Productivity
If conventional systems are used to extrude polymers into fibers, then nonwoven fabrics can be produced, but energy consumption is high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces high-energy mechanical extrusion systems with a lower-energy pneumatic system. Air flow is used to draw the molten polymer through the die slits and transport the fibers, eliminating the need for high-power mechanical extruders and reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining high production rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the phase transition of polymer from molten to solid state during fiber formation. By controlling the temperature and cooling conditions as the polymer exits the slits, the system efficiently solidifies the fibers without requiring additional high-energy processing steps, reducing overall energy consumption.
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
The system reduces costs, energy consumption, and maintenance problems while increasing production rates by efficiently forming nonwoven fibers with improved control over fiber flow and deposition.
Implementation Method 1
A quasi-melt blow down system that extrudes metallocene-based thermo-plastic polymers, using a die assembly with multiple slits to dispense fluids at varying velocities to form fibers
Implementation Method 2
The second velocity of the second fluid flows F2 are generally greater than the first velocity of the first fluid flow F1, so that the second fluid flows F2 draw the first fluid flow F1 downward, such that the drawn first fluid flow F1 is attenuated to form a first fluid filament
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A melt blown system for adding a fine fiber layer to a substrates includes a die assembly, a first channel in the die assembly for carrying a first fluid, a first cavity fluidically coupled to the first channel that is configured to collect the first fluid, a first orifice for carrying a second fluid through the die assembly which is fluidically coupled to a second orifice in the die assembly by at least one channel, a plurality of first nozzles in the die assembly that are fluidically coupled to the first orifice, a plurality of second nozzles in the die assembly that are fluidically coupled to the second orifices, and a plurality of third nozzles in the die assembly that are fluidically coupled to the first cavity.