Method of Manufacturing a Foam and Fiber Composite:

Jun G. Zhang, Appleton, WI; April Montoya Vaverka, Roswell, GA; Palani Raj Ramaswami Wallajapet, Neenah, WI; Richmond R. Cohen, Appleton, WI; Mary Alice Berceau, De Pere, WI; Joseph K. Baker, Cumming, GA; Udaykumar Raval, Cumming, GA; and David Glen Biggs, New London, WI.
Assigned to Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc., Neenah, WI.

Filed: 9/9/16
Issued: 6/4/24

A process for manufacturing a foam and fiber composite, the process comprising the steps of: a. providing a foam material comprising a first planar surface and a second planar surface; b. providing a fluid treatment device having a pressurized fluid jet capable of emitting a pressurized fluid stream of fluid from the pressurized fluid jet in a direction towards the foam material; c. directing the pressurized fluid stream of fluid in a direction from the pressured fluid jet of the fluid treatment device towards the first planar surface of the foam material; d. after directing the pressurized fluid stream of fluid towards the first planar surface of the foam material, providing a fibrous material comprising a plurality of individual fibers and layering the fibrous material onto the first planar surface of the foam material to form a layered composite; e. providing a fluid insertion device having a pressurized fluid jet capable of emitting a pressurized fluid stream of fluid from the pressurized fluid jet in a direction towards the layered composite; and f. directing the pressurized fluid stream of fluid in a direction from the pressurized fluid jet of the fluid insertion device towards the fibrous material of the layered composite to cause a portion of the plurality of individual fibers of the fibrous material to be directed into the foam material to form the foam and fiber composite; wherein the pressure of the fluid of the pressurized fluid streams of the fluid treatment device is from 150 psi to 1000 psi.