To provide an apparatus and a method for creating a longitudinal fold in an unconsolidated nonwoven web either with absent mechanical contact or, at least, in a state of a minimal level of the mechanical contact.
The apparatus and method for folding the nonwoven web without coming into the mechanical contact with the folded surface are provided. A first portion of the nonwoven web is secured to a collector by vacuum and a positive pressure differential is applied to a second portion of the nonwoven web during movement. An unbalanced lifting force applied by the positive pressure differential causes the first portion to fold along a longitudinal fold line extending in the machine direction and to assume an overlapping relationship with the second portion. The vacuum assists in the folding process and maintains the overlapping relationship until the nonwoven web in the non-bonded state is consolidated. One or a plurality of elastic strands or bands may be captured in a space defined between the overlapped first and second portions.
CRANE PATRICK L
Nobuaki Kato
Kazuo
Okabe
Shinichi Usui
Takao Ochi
Teruhisa Motomiya
Seiichiro Takahashi
Koji Yoshizawa
Takao Matsui
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