Stationary support member in forming area for uniformly debossing and aperturing a moving plastic web

• Main Author: MULLANE, JR.; WILLIAM I
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 07.11.1989
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; CUTTING; CUTTING-OUT; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF,TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, E.G. STENTS; FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; FIRST-AID KITS; FOMENTATION; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; HAND CUTTING TOOLS; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; PERFORATING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROSTHESES; PUNCHING; SEVERING; SEVERING BY MEANS OTHER THAN CUTTING; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; STAMPING-OUT; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL; WORKING-UP

Apparatus for uniformly macroscopically expanding and, if desired, aperturing a plastic web. This is preferably accomplished by supporting the plastic web on a moving three-dimensional forming structure which is supported in a fluid pressure differential zone by a stationary support member. By providing a relationship between the size and pattern of the apertures in the stationary support member and the size and pattern of the apertures in the three-dimensional forming structure, substantially all of the apertures present in the forming structure are unobstructed by the stationary support member at some point during the forming structure's traverse of the fluid pressure differential zone. Thus the resultant plastic web is uniformly debossed and, if desired, apertured in the pattern of the three-dimensional forming structure.