Laminated hook fastener.

ES 2 249 869 T3

DESCRIPTION

Laminated hook fastener.

This invention relates to an improved hook and loop fastener, and to a method of making the same, using a combined extrusion forming / laminating process. The assignee of this application is the owner of US Patent No. 4775310 which describes an apparatus for making a removable bra and US Patent No. 4872243 which describes the product made by the apparatus of the first patent. Band-shaped fasteners of the type described in the cited patents comprise a large multiplicity of closely spaced vertical hook-shaped projections for releasably engaging the loops of an associated fastener band, to form a cyclable or semi-permanent closure, which sold commercially under the trademark Velcro^®. Depending on the configuration of the multi-hook fastener, many different types of material can be adapted for co-action between them to effect the attachment of the structures to which the band fasteners can be attached. Such fastener devices find wide use in various and numerous applications, such as in the fastening of automobile seat liners to foam seat liners, closures for food bags, and in the application of armor on military and commercial vehicles. on the floor coverings.

Each of the cited applications, and many more well-known to those skilled in the art, require that the fastener be permanently attached to a second article such as a piece of fabric, a seat liner, a floor, or the closure cap of a paper bag. The seam, however, is limited to the nature of the material to which the bra can be attached. Adhesive systems have long been used as the primary method of attaching bras to other objects as well. US Patent No. 3773580 discloses a method of attaching a fastener member to a substrate by first applying a synthetic resin adhesive to one side of the base of a fastener, opposite the side containing the elements. of vertical coupling, and then applying an adhesive to the substrate. Subsequently, the adhesive coating of the bra is activated. The two adhesive coated surfaces are brought together in a face-to-face joint to firmly secure the fastener member to the substrate. The patent states that "in order to securely bond an adhesive to the tape member it is preferred that the opposite surface of the tape member has a suitable base coat, which would provide a secure bond between the tape member and the adhesive." . US Patent No. 3726752 discloses that in the preparation of adhesive laminates, where the synthetic resin-based adhesive is laminated to a polyamide polymer membrane, it was found that it was difficult to achieve a strong bond between the polyamine substrate and the adhesive sheet, and that the prior art is "well endowed with attempts to solve this problem." This patent solves these difficulties by treating the polyamide membrane with a primer coating that consists of a complex chemical mixture in a solvent medium to obtain an improved bonding surface. Many patents including US Patent No. 2349290, and US Patent No. 3060070, and US Patent No. 3111448, and US Patent No. No. 2766164, describe methods for bonding a polyamide polymer to primarily natural or synthetic rubber specific surfaces. All of these patent disclosures are based on chemical means to improve the surface bonding ability of a sheet or fibrous material.

Many plastic fastener tapes are manufactured from plastic materials that have the minimum strength and flexibility essential for the proper function of the hook studs. As a general rule, the side of the bra tape opposite the vertical hooks is a smooth, flat, uniform and regular surface, difficult to join, as is well documented in the prior art. Such difficulties present problems in particular for hook and loop fasteners. These kinds of products are convenience products and if complex chemical treatments are necessary to the tape in advance of bonding, the advantage of convenience will be lost. It is known to apply pressure sensitive adhesives to such bras by applying corona treatments in manufacturing facilities where bra tapes are manufactured but such treatments are not available to many users and do not present a reasonable solution for creating a fastener surface that is easily attachable to a wide variety of surfaces using a wide variety of adhesive types. US Patent No. 3594865 describes an apparatus for continuously forming a flexible membrane with molded plastic protrusions incorporated into the base membrane. The basis of the membrane is a porous woven fabric or a non-woven fabric, or an extruded film. The backing fabric is impregnated with molded plastic forming simultaneously as hooks. Although the US Pat. number 3594865 is scarce in the details concerning the nature of the product formed from the apparatus, it characterizes the impregnation of the base fabric in its entirety, noting in the appropriate part that "a liquid moldable plastic material, for example a molded plastic, is injected into the hook molding grooves of the wire and also on the surface and into the interstices of the base fabric which is located below the surface of the drum ”. The base fabric passes under a nozzle, which impregnates it with the same plastic used to inject the dies used to form the plastic hooks with the clear involvement of the porous base membrane that is completely saturated with the plastic. This is considerably different from the products of the present invention, in that the process controls the distribution of the plastic in the support material to the degree necessary to firmly retain the support material to the base of the hook sheet, although it does not fit. the support to destroy its unaesthetic characteristics as a functional support material to modify the support surface of the bra. Support for US Pat. No. 3594865 is primarily a support on which the hooks are formed and does not modify the bra support to receive adhesives or to glue agents, or

ES 2 249 869 T3 it is possible to use crop materials as support material to form fasteners with the joint of the rear parts. It is also known to use complex lamination methods to add a bondable surface to many sheet materials but such methods are expensive, and often create an end product that has undesirable characteristics such as bulging, stiff, prone to delamination, limitations in operating temperature, and other properties that lead to undesirable lamination.

One product that uses such techniques, well known in the art of hook and loop fasteners, is referred to as a back-to-back fastener. Such a product is created by taking a hook fastener and a loop fastener and joining the two together in a reverse-to-reverse relationship such that the resulting laminate has hooks on one side and loops on the other side. Such a combination finds use in many strip taping operations such as cable ties, plant joints, and with tie wraps for fixing slats and the like in position. The limitation of such products in the past has focused on the method used to laminate the two components together in the manner described above. The bulky assembly created by the adhesive bonding of such laminates has clearly limited their usefulness.

Consequently, it is the object of the present invention to manufacture a hook part of a hook and loop fastening system having a surface opposite the surface containing the vertical hooks substantially modified in its characteristics from the usual flat, smooth surface. and uniform, which has little compatibility for bonding to other materials. A further objective of the invention is to create a surface on the back of a base of a plastic hook and loop fastener, which easily accepts adhesive agents such as adhesives, glues, glues and the like, without special treatment of the surface. It is a further object of the invention to create a loop surface on the back of the plastic hook fastener base that is capable of engaging the hooks on the front surface thereof to form a back-to-back laminate. posterior with less bulge, stiffness and thickness.

Brief summary of the present invention

The present invention provides a band-shaped elongated fastening member having a base member consisting of a layer of polymeric material and a multiplicity of hook-shaped coupling elements that is integral with and composed of said layer. polymeric material, with the coupling elements in the form of vertical projections from said layer on a surface thereof in a multi-row matrix formation, wherein said hook-shaped projections have a stem supported at one end thereof on the same surface, and a radial extension on the unsupported end of said stem, characterized in that the clamping member further comprises a material in the form of laminated sheet with said base member on the surface thereof opposite said coupling elements, wherein the base member is bonded to a surface of the sheet-like material without the use of adhesive or other extracts components by intimate intermixing or intermolecular diffusion of the polymeric material that forms the base member with the sheet-like material , such that the base member is fused with the sheet material simultaneously with the formation of the base member and wherein at least a part of the other surface of the sheet material is free of polymeric material.

The fixing member is preferably formed using a process related to that of US Patent No. 4794028. Said process for the manufacture of plastic hooks uses an apparatus described in US Pat. No. 4775310 comprising "a first cooled unitary forming roll having a plurality of hook forming cavities, defined on the periphery thereof and extending inwardly; a second pressure roll positioned for constraint with said first forming roll; means for concurrently rotating said first and second rollers in opposite directions about their respective axis; means for the formation of an extrusion in the form of bands of molded plastic material adjacent to the first and second rollers to be directed intermediately at an interface thereof, such that said plastic material fills said cavities of formation of hooks and forming a band-shaped member having a base portion and a large multiplicity of hook-shaped projections, extending from a surface of said base portion and being integral therewith; means for extracting said band-shaped member from said first forming roller at a position spaced from the interface of said first and second rollers, such that said hook-shaped projections are pulled from said cavities of forming hooks without opening said cavities after being cooled by the first forming roll to a desired temperature ”. It has been found that it is possible to introduce into the joint zone, formed by the two cylinders, various sheet-like materials that become an integral part of the strip-like material on the side opposite the hooks. Surprisingly, the introduction of said materials in the joint zone of the two cylinders together with the molten plastic does not interfere with the operation of the process and although there are some limitations that are of course desirable, the formation in said laminates proceeds with great advantage. . A wide variety of materials, such as non-woven fabrics, woven and knitted textiles, reinforcing yarns, screens and meshes, paper sheets, plastic films, metal window screens, and almost any material in the form of film or thin sheet, can be handled in this way. In situ banding sheet of plastic fasteners with a foreign porous reverse is often accomplished by infusing molten plastic into the structure of the membrane material where there is an intimate intermix of the plastic within the membrane pores. In the case of non-porous films, the films tend to melt

ES 2 249 869 T3 on its surface, forming an intermolecular diffusion that forms a strong bond between the sheets. The inclusion of such foreign materials provides a substantial advantage over prior art methods of creating laminates. Such strip materials do not contain foreign materials; the bonds are strong and can be joined by a wide variety of materials. Additionally, the process of adding the back at the time of hook creation offers economic advantages over the more conventional processes of creating a laminate using adhesives or other bonding agents in the second stage processes. Detailed description of the invention

In order to further understand the invention, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic sectional view of the apparatus used in the prior art to create the hook tape of the prior art plastic fastener.

Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of the apparatus of Figure 1, which is modified in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic rear view of the forming roll configuration of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the hook fastener tape formed by the prior art process.

Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 5A is another schematic illustration of the product of Figure 5.

Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of another product of the invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of another form of the invention.

Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view in which the bottom layer of the product is a hook fastener.

Figure 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view in which the product includes a layer of foam.

Figure 9A shows how the foam layer of Figure 9 can be split.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus used in the prior art to create the hook tape of the prior art plastic fastener. The extruder cylinder 1 melts and presses the molten plastic 3 through the die 2 into the area of ​​union of the cylinders 6 between the base roller 4 and the cavity roller 5 that contains the cavities to form the hooks of the band holder of the well-known hook and loop type. The band fastening material formed in the cylinder joint zone 6 moves around the periphery of the pocket roller 5 and around the traction roller 7, which assists in the pulling of the hook sheet 8 formed by the roller. cavities, and from there to a winding device, not shown.

Although many methods of feeding sheet material are possible in the forming section of the hook forming device, Figure 2 shows a device particularly well suited for that purpose. It has been found that by introducing a preformed sheet material 10 into the cylinder joint zone 6, at the same time that the plastic material 3 is pressed into the cylinder joint zone 6 to create the tape of the hook fastener, the sheet material will be intimately bonded with the fastener to become an integral part of the hook fastener structure. As seen in Figure 1, the extruder 1 forces the plastic material 3 through the die 2 into the contact zone 6 of the rollers 4 and 5. However, it has been added at the edges and around the periphery of the rear side roller 4 a set of pins that support the sheet material 10 into the contact zone 6 of the rollers in a flat state without wrinkles. It is important to keep a sheet smooth, wrinkle free, and properly taut, in order to form a smooth and even laminate back for the bra. To ensure proper tensioning and alignment of the secondary sheet material, a secondary material roll 10 is mounted on an outer device and engages around the separator roll 11 towards a straightening device 12, well known in the art as described. typically sold by the Fife Manufacturing Company, which ensures that the tape edge of the sheet material is centered as it is fed to the rear material roller 4 around the shift roller 13, composed of ribs of elastomeric material to firmly grip the sheet and collide with the reverse roller 4 and on the pins 14. The pins 14 and the roller 4 supply the tape to the joint zone 6 together with the molten plastic 3. As the molten plastic 3 is forced by the pressure created on it by the narrow space of the contact zone 6 between the rollers, it will circulate into the cavities in the cavity roller 5 and also within any pores present in the material. sheet being conveyed by reverse roller 4. In this way the sheet 10 is intimately attached to the forming hook sheet 8, and becoming an integral part thereof to form a laminated sheet 9. Figure 3 is a rear view of the forming roll stack along along line A, A1. Reverse roller 4 is supported on shaft 15, which is held by bearing 16 in its proper position on side plates, not shown. The bearing 16 is coupled to hydraulic lines 19 from the hydraulic pump located remotely from the roll stack. The pins 14 are retained by the hub 16, which is attached to the shaft 15 that retains the reverse roller.

Four. It is possible to incorporate the pins 14 directly into the reverse roll 4 but it is preferred to use pin fixing cubes that add a degree of flexibility in the use of pins of different shapes and sizes to differentiate sheet materials.

The normal procedure for operating the described apparatus is to wind the secondary reverse 10 through the machine, and start the extruder 1 so that the plastic 3 can flow smoothly through the die 2 and moving the lips of the die 2 in the vicinity of contact zone 6 of rollers 4 and

5. The molded plastic is picked up by the reverse roller 4 and is supplied to the joining zone 6 of the two rollers, as the pressure of the hydraulic cylinders 17 lifts the reverse roller 4 into position. Since the clearance 6 between the reverse roller 4 and the pocket roller 5 is reduced 4

ES 2 249 869 T3 do, the molten plastic 3 circulates within the joint 6 between the rollers and is forced into the open cavities in the forming roller 5. The molten plastic is also forced into the pores of the forming material. reverse 22 and penetrating therein depending on the thickness of the reverse, the structure of the pores of the reverse, the viscosity of the molten plastic and the pressure of the plastic in the joint zone between the rollers. The pressure in the joint zone 6 of the rollers is a function of the hydraulic pressure used to close the rollers 4 and 5 and of the amount of material supplied in the joint zone 6 with respect to the amount consumed in the formation of the reverse and the filling of the cavities.

Figure 4 is a cross section of the hook fastener tape formed by the prior art process. The hook tape consists of a base 20 and the hooks 21 projecting from the base. The plastic material that forms the tape is essentially uniform throughout. Figure 5 is an embodiment of a product of this invention created by introducing a nonwoven fabric into the bonding zone of the forming rollers as described above. The base 20 containing the hooks 21 protruding from it is attached to the non-woven fabric 22. At the interface 23 between the two layers, the plastic of the bra circulates around and is sandwiched in some of the fibers of the non-woven fabric. 22, thereby joining the nonwoven fabric to form a laminate of the two layers. Nonwoven fabric can be light or heavy, thin or thick, dense or open. The properties of the nonwoven fabric, the pressure exerted and the viscosity of the plastic in the area where the rollers meet will determine the degree to which the plastic can circulate within the fibrous network, or alternatively the degree to which the fabric will embed. non-woven fabric on plastic. Figure 5a is a schematic representation of the laminate of Figure 5, where the layer 23 represents a zone of a mixture of fabric and plastic. It will be understood that this layer does not have a uniform cross section but rather there is a gradient concentration across this layer ranging from no fibers at the bottom of plastic layer 20 to no plastic on top of the layer. fiber layer 24. If, on the other hand, the non-woven fabric is thick and dense, the plastic will only marginally penetrate the non-woven fabric and the back side of the fastener will have the appearance of the vertical fibrous non-woven fabric. Through the careful selection of the fibrous nonwoven fabric, the plastic to form the fastener and the operating conditions of the process, it will be possible to generate a wide range of products with different grades of fibers projecting from the surface of the plastic, thus providing a wide variety of products targeting many different applications.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional diagram of another additional product of the present invention, in which a woven textile reinforcement screen 25 has been added in the joining zone 6 of the system rollers with a slight overfeed to create an excess of reverse fabric. Due to the open structure, the plastic 20 is encapsulated in large sections of the fabric sieve 25, although the fabric sections enter the surface 26 of the fastener. Such a combination can be used to add strength to the plastic tape, but also provides a substantial modification to the plastic surface of the fastener.

Figure 7 again shows the plastic hook holder 20 with the vertical hooks 21 rolled onto a sheet of paper 27 containing on the surface thereof a layer of adhesive 28. The adhesive can be any convenient type depending on the intended use. of the product. In this way, it is possible to apply reactivatable adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives, or contact adhesives as the bottom layer of the laminate. Depending on the nature of the adhesive laminate being applied, care should be taken to prevent the adhesive from being compressed or distorted by the pressure action of the contact area between the rollers.

Figure 8 shows another embodiment of the technique of the present invention in which the reverse layer 29 is the loop side of a hook and loop fastener. The molten plastic 3 circulates through the die 2 and is forced into the pores on the reverse of the loop 29 at the interface 27 which encapsulates some of the threads on the reverse of the loop integrally retaining the reverse with the plastic sheet. In this way a product is created which is well known when created by adhesive bonding but in this embodiment the laminate is created with no foreign materials required to hold the layers together. Such back-to-back products are useful for the manufacture of so-called back straps, well known in the art of hook and loop materials.

Figure 9 shows an embodiment of the invention in which the sheet-like material is a thin polyurethane foam 30. This thin foam rubber 30 can be introduced into the joining zone of the rollers of the roller system as explained above. The surface of the foam 30 is closely bonded to the plastic of the fastener 20 in the form of bands. Figure 9a shows the same configuration as in Figure 9 with the foam 30 attached to the back of the bra 20 but also showing what happens when attempting to remove the foam 30. The attachment for fixing the foam 30 to the bra member 20 of plastic is greater than the cohesion strength of foam 30. In attempting to separate the foam from the back of the bra 20, the foam 30 splits or tears within the body of the foam 31 leaving a substantial portion of the foam on the back of the plastic band holder.

The following examples will aid in further understanding of the range and uniqueness of this invention.

Example I

The apparatus described in US patent number 4775310 is configured to manufacture a plastic hook product, designated as the CFM-15 hook type, by the Velcro Group Corporation, using a nylon 12 resin, identified such as L-2121 resin sold by Hercules Chemical Corporation. The melting temperature of the resin measured at the exit end of the extruder was 234 ° C. The die head temperature was 238 ° C. The speed of the manufacturing line was 9.14 meters per minute; the width of the tape was 10 inches; calendering pressure was 2000 gauge. Top roll temperature was -1 ° C; the forming roll temperature was 13 ° C; and the temperature of the

ES 2 249 869 T3 lower roll was 3 ° C. The roll of non-woven fabric, Pellón 850 or nylon non-woven fabric, sold by the Freudenberg Company, was divided into a width of 25.4 centimeters, entering the calendering in the joint area formed between the lower rollers and the deformation. After a short start-up period, the fabric smoothly processed through the forming section without difficulty. The non-woven fabric was intimately integrated into the plastic of the hook sheet. The laminate thus formed cannot be separated into its constituents from each other, without destroying the fiber layer. The reverse side of the hook product exhibited a smooth, soft and fibrous surface substantially different from the surface of the product without the laminated layer.

Example II

The apparatus described in U.S. Patent No. 4775310 was configured to manufacture a plastic hook product designated as CEM-15 hook type by Velcro Group Corporation, using a co-polyester resin sold by the company. from Dupont Company, Hytral® 8238 compound with 10% batch fire retardant added to provide fire resistance in the final product. The melting temperature of the polymer, at the end of the extruder, was 246 ° C, and the die temperature was 247 ° C. The speed of the production line was 19.4 meters per minute. A roll of seamless nonwoven fabric, sold as Remay® 2015 weighing 38.27 grams per square yard with a thickness of 0.023 centimeters was divided to 10 inches wide and being introduced into the area formed by the lower and forming rollers of the device as described in Example I. The temperature of the lower roller was 10 ° C, the temperature of the forming roller was 10 ° C and the temperature of the upper roller was 32 ° C. A 45.36 kilogram pressure was exerted against the spun fabric in order to prevent wrinkling as the sheet could pass into the calendering system zone, and the lower roll was overdriven 8% relative to the roll of training. The nonwoven fabric showed minimal creasing and creasing. The tension in the fabric was reduced to 15.88 - 18.14 kilograms and the boost was increased by 8.5%, which reduced the wrinkles to an acceptable level.

The laminated product formed comprised an integral bond between the plastic base of the hook sheet and the top layer of the spunbonded fabric. The forming plastic on the underside of the base of the hook tape was intimately mixed with the interstices of the fabric. The unbonded layer could not be separated from the plastic without being destroyed. Even when tearing the laminate sheet, the two layers could not be separated. Due to the great weight of the spunbond, the fibers were evident below the laminate surface and it was possible to break and loosen the fibers from the surface by vigorous rubbing. Even after substantially rubbing, however, a large number of fibers, mainly from the upper surface of the woven joint, remained attached to the surface of the plastic.

Example III

Exactly the same configuration as in Example II was used, but the bonded nonwoven was of a lighter weight than the Remay version, designated Remay.^® 2006 style, weighing 6

17.01 grams per square yard, with a thickness of 0.015 centimeters. In order to eliminate wrinkles and kinks in the membrane, the tension was reduced to 11.34 kilograms and the same boost as the lower roll was used. The product formed by this configuration was similar to that of Example II, but the mixing of the polymer within the interstices of the nonwoven fabric was greater than in that example, but it was possible to lift the fibers from the surface by vigorous rubbing, and there were many fibers on the surface of the plastic that stuck out like very fine fluff above the surface. Example IV

Exactly the same configuration as in Examples II and III was used but using a non-spun and bonded fabric, being even lighter than in the previous examples. The version of Remay in this example was named Remay^® style 2250, weighing 14.17 grams per square yard with a thickness of 0.010 centimeters. In order to eliminate the wrinkles and folds of the membrane, the tension was reduced to 9.07 kilograms, and the boost was increased to 9% in the lower roll. The product formed by this combination was similar to that of Examples II and III but the mixing of the polymer in the interstices of the nonwoven fabric was marginally greater than in Example III. This mixture was enhanced to an extent that it was difficult to lift the fibers from the surface by vigorous rubbing even using a coin to scrape the surface. It was even possible to clearly see the fibers on the surface of an integral part of it, and even sticking out as a very fine fluff on the surface.

Example V

The apparatus disclosed in US Patent No. 4775310 was configured to make a plastic hook product, referred to as hook-type CFM-15 by the Velcro Group Corporation, using a polyester copolymer resin, Hytrel 8238. , sold by the Dupont Company. The melting temperature of the polymer at the end of the extruder was 246^°C, and the die temperature was 243^°C. The speed of the line was 8.89 meters per minute and the width of the belt was 20.32 - 22.86 centimeters. The temperature of the lower roll of the calendering system was 29 ° C, the forming roll 4 ° C, and the upper roll 4 ° C. The pressure of the calendering system was 1,133.98 kilograms for every 2.54 linear centimeters. A roll of tricot knit fabric sold by Velcro USA as Loop 3200, was divided to a width of 10 inches and fed to the calendering system in the contact zone formed by the lower and the forming rollers. As the hook product formed, the molten plastic from the reverse circulated within the interstices of the knitted fabric. The layers that formed the laminate between the plastic hooks and the knitted fabric could not be separated without destroying the material that made up the layer. Despite the fact that the Loop 3200 product has a very open structure and that the plastic in the hook part of the laminate surrounded and encapsulated many of the lower threads of the fabric, a sufficient part of the product allowed the hooks of the laminate The surface was tightly coupled when a product tape was reversed so that the hooks faced the face of the hooks on the reverse side of the frame. From

ES 2 249 869 T3 this way formed the product commonly known in the trade as hook and loop fasteners as a reverse-to-reverse closure.

Example VI

A sample of the Loop 3200 product described in Example V was laminated into a 0.3175 centimeter thick polyester polyurethane foam using lamination techniques well known in the art. The foam laminate thus formed was divided into a 25.4 centimeter wide roll of material, which was fed into the hook-forming device described in Example V. In this case, however, the resin used was a polyethylene resin manufactured by EXXON Chemical Company, sold as Escorene LL6301.57. The melting temperature of the polymer at the end of the extruder was 216 ° C and the die temperature was also 216 ° C. The pressure of the calendering system was 566.99 kilograms per 2.54 linear centimeters and the temperature of the lower roll was 21 ° C, the temperature of the forming roll was 10 ° C and the temperature of the upper roll was 32 ° C. The speed of the line was 7.62 meters per minute. The foam side of the foam loop laminate was oriented to meet the plastic back of the hook portion of the product and the loop portion faced outward from the bottom side of the product. A tough laminate was obtained. The layers of the laminate could be separated by tearing the loop part away from the plastic part and leading to breakage between the layers along the foam interface, leaving a thin layer of foam both on the plastic as in loops. The force required to separate the layers was approximately 0.91 kilograms for each 2.54 centimeters of width. The use of foam as an interlayer resulted in a product with a soft loopback, which easily engaged the hooks on the front side of the product when placed in a reverse-to-front face relationship. The degree of contamination of the loop structure as occurred in Example II was essentially eliminated and the presence of the foam layer provided a soft cushion to assist in engaging the hooks in the loops.

Example VII

Using the process setup of Example VI, a sample of a different loop, the Style 3610 Velcro Loop, was introduced in place of the loop used in Example V. The 3610 Loop is a relatively high weight loop fabric, having a weight ranging from 3.64 kilograms to 4.51 kilograms per square yard and having a nominal thickness range of 0.1575 to 0.2210 centimeters. The loops passed through the contact zone between the rollers without difficulty using a tension of 45.36 kilograms in the loop fabric, with an overfeed in the lower roller of 8% and with a pressure in the contact zone between rollers. of 566.99 kilograms for every 2.54 linear centimeter. The plastic of the forming hooks mixing and encapsulating many of the fibers on the reverse side of the loop fabric thus created a substantial bond, holding the loop fabric and a substantial bond of the two layers together. Because the Loop 3610 was a substantial product, it was possible to work with a loose end of the corner of the fabric relative to the plastic, and doing so tested the strength of the laminate bond. The separation force was calculated to have an average of 2.72 kilograms to be able to delaminate the two layers. The face of the loops of the Loop 3610 material appeared to be unaffected by the lamination process, and when the laminate was inverted so that the hooks engaged the loops in a frontal relationship, substantial grip was achieved. The performance of the reverse-to-reverse closure thus formed was comparable to the performance of a hook product formed independently from the same polymer relative to the Loop 3610 product.

Example VIII

Using the process setup of Example VI, a sample of a different loop, the Style 3003 Velcro loop, was introduced in place of the loop used in Example VII. Loop 3003 is a circular knit fabric with a substantially high loop on one surface, with a relatively heavy weight of 255.15 grams per square yard, and with a nominal thickness of 0.25 centimeters. The loops passed through roller contact with some difficulty due to their bulging, although the formed sample provided an extremely high degree of mixing of the plastic resin with the fibers on the reverse side of the loop fabric. The union was strong enough. The two layers couldn't be separated to check, destroying one or both layers. The loop fibers of the tug fabric did not appear to be affected by the lamination process and the sealing performance of the back-to-back product and the sealing performance of the back-to-back product thus formed were essentially the same as the performance. of the closure of a comparable independently manufactured hook product versus a separate loop of the same style. Example IX

The extrusion configuration of Examples VI to VIII using Escorene polyethylene was used to create another laminate in which the membrane introduced in the lower and forming roll contact zone was Kraft paper. The paper was strongly attached to the reverse side of the hook tape, and could not be separated from the laminate without being destroyed. The penetration of the plastic into the paper was limited to that shown by the ability to delaminate the paper itself leaving a thin veil of paper fibers still attached to the plastic.

Example X

Instead of the standard Kraft paper of Example IX, a certain length of Kraft paper containing on one surface thereof a water-activatable adhesive was introduced in the area of ​​contact between the lower roll and the forming roll, with the adhesive side of the paper. away from the plastic of the hook tape. The paper was tightly bonded to the plastic on the hook, in the same way as described in Example IX. The paper could be peeled from the laminate, leaving a veil of fine paper fibers on the plastic surface. The interesting aspect of this laminate was the fact that the adhesive layer on the back of the hook tape could be activated by applying water to the adhesive, and the adhesive used to fix the hook laminate to the other objects. The small squares of the laminate thus formed were activated as one might activate a postage stamp, with the tongue, and the small square of the

ES 2 249 869 T3 hook was easily attached to the other objects. The appropriate loops attached to the other objects were releasably attached to each object.

Example XI

The extrusion configuration of Examples VI to IX using Escorene polyethylene without any additives was used to create another laminate in which the membrane that was introduced into the contact zone between the lower roll and the forming roll resulted in a Printed HDPE film. The film attached to the back of the hook tape could not be pulled from the laminate with a relatively small force of less than 0.23 kilograms per 2.54 centimeters of width. An especially interesting aspect of this laminate was that the print could be clearly read through the slightly opaque side of the hook tape. The HD polyethylene printed message was not distorted in this way and was slightly less glossy than the film's original printed message. Example XII

In place of the printed polyethylene film of Example XI, a page from the Rand-McNalley Road Atlas, made of paper with a road map printed on each side, was inserted into the contact area between the lower roller and the roller. deformation. The paper strongly attached to the sheet of plastic polyethylene hooks could not be separated from the plastic without destroying the paper. The fine lines of the map could be visible through the slightly opaque plastic film forming the hook tape. The sheet of paper was printed on both sides and it was also possible to read the map on the reverse side of the hook sheet. The set with the theme printed on its reverse side could be attached to display plates with hook material covers. The combination formed an interesting method of fixing a display material on other objects. Conversely, it is possible to fabricate a display surface with the hooks extending outward from the display surface that can be read through the hook tape to which the objects can be attached. In this way, the design incorporated into the presentation will be readable through the hooks and sections of the image that can be covered by the attachment hook material on the exposed hooks.

Example XIII

The apparatus as described in the previous examples was configured to process polypropylene resin called Ferro HDPS 02500, a fire retardant polypropylene resin, from Ferro Chemical Company. The melt temperature was 203 ° C, and the die temperature was also 204 ° C. The speed of the line was 19.14 meters per minute, and the pressure in the contact zone was 680.39 kilograms for every 2.54 linear centimeters. After operating the process and forming an appropriate hook product, a length of 0.165 centimeter thick polyurethane foam of another type was introduced into the contact zone formed between the lower roll and the forming roll. The foam was tenaciously attached to the plastic on the underside of the hooksheet and could not be removed without destroying the foam layer. In the lamination process, the foam was substantially compressed, but remained strongly attached to the polypropylene and provided a soft and flexible reverse to the polypropylene hook tape, substantially changing the aesthetic and tactile response of the hook product.