Nonwoven/film laminates

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing nonwoven/film laminates for personal hygiene articles, from an initial film web consisting of a thermoplastic polymer and an initial nonwoven web. According to said method, the initial film web and the initial non woven web, whose melting point lies above the crystallite melting point of the polymer, are heated to a temperature that exceeds the crystallite melting point of the polymer and lies below the melting point of the initial nonwoven web. The laminate is then guided through a cooled nip and is cooled to a temperature that lies below the crystallite melting point of the initial film web. The invention also relates to laminates that can be produced by said method.

1 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A nonwoven-film laminate useful as backsheet for personal hygiene articles, obtained by a method comprising:
 a) providing a film web made of at least one thermoplastic polymer;   b) providing a nonwoven web, wherein the nonwoven web has a melting point in excess of the crystallite melting point of the thermoplastic polymer;   c) jointly heating the film web and the nonwoven web to a temperature above the crystallite melting point of the thermoplastic polymer and below the melting point of the nonwoven web, in order to heat the entire film web to at least a molten state of the thermoplastic polymer and form the nonwoven-film laminate; and   d) guiding the nonwoven-film laminate through a cooled nip in order to cool the nonwoven-film laminate below the crystallite melting point of the film web,   
       wherein the heating comprises heating the film web and the nonwoven web with a heating cylinder and further heating the film web and the nonwoven web with another heating method so that the film web is heated to the molten state. 
     
     
         13 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the another heating method comprises heating with radiant heat. 
     
     
         14 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , where the another heating method comprises heating with an infrared radiator. 
     
     
         15 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the cooled nip is formed by a stamping roller and a rubber roller, wherein the embossed texture of the stamping roller reduces the degree of gloss of the laminate. 
     
     
         16 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the cooled laminate is subjected to a stretching step in machine direction or crossways direction or in machine direction and crossways direction. 
     
     
         17 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the film web is blow-extruded. 
     
     
         18 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the film web is printed. 
     
     
         19 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the film web is stretched in machine direction or crossways direction or in machine direction and crossways direction. 
     
     
         20 . The nonwoven-film laminate of  claim 12 , wherein the nonwoven web is in direct contact with the heating cylinder. 
     
     
         21 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the film web consists of a mixture of LDPE and LLDPE or of a mixture of LDPE, LLDPE and PP. 
     
     
         22 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the nonwoven web consists of PP or PE. 
     
     
         23 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein a low-melting component is contained in the nonwoven web and/or the film web, wherein the nonwoven web contains at least one component which comprises a melting temperature above the crystallite melting temperature of the low-melting component of the film web. 
     
     
         24 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the film web further comprises a filler material. 
     
     
         25 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 24 , wherein the filler material is chalk. 
     
     
         26 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 12 , wherein the film web comprises a second thermoplastic polymer, wherein the second thermoplastic polymer has a melting point in excess of the crystallite melting point of the thermoplastic polymer. 
     
     
         27 . A nonwoven-film laminate for personal hygiene articles consisting of a film web made of a thermoplastic polymer and a nonwoven web, obtained by a method comprising:
 a) providing a film web made of a thermoplastic polymer;   b) providing a nonwoven web, wherein the nonwoven web has a melting point in excess of the crystallite melting point of the thermoplastic polymer;   c) jointly heating the film web and the nonwoven web to a temperature above the crystallite melting point of the thermoplastic polymer and below the melting point of the nonwoven web, in order to heat the film web to a molten state and form the nonwoven-film laminate; and   d) guiding the nonwoven-film laminate through a cooled nip in order to cool the nonwoven-film laminate below the crystallite melting point of the film web, wherein the heating comprises wrapping the film web and the nonwoven web around a heating cylinder a wrap distance so that the film web is heated to the molten state.   
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the cooled nip is formed by a stamping roller and a rubber roller, wherein the embossed texture of the stamping roller reduces the degree of gloss of the laminate. 
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the cooled laminate is subjected to a stretching step in machine direction or crossways direction or in machine direction and crossways direction. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the film web is blow-extruded. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the film web is printed. 
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 27 , wherein the film web is stretched in machine direction or crossways direction or in machine direction and crossways direction. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the nonwoven web is in direct contact with the heating cylinder. 
     
     
         34 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 27 , wherein the film web consists of a mixture of LDPE and LLDPE or of a mixture of LDPE, LLDPE and PP. 
     
     
         35 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 27 , wherein the nonwoven web consists of PP or PE. 
     
     
         36 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 27 , wherein a low-melting component is contained in the nonwoven web and/or the film web, wherein the nonwoven web contains at least one component which comprises a melting temperature above the crystallite melting temperature of the low-melting component of the film web. 
     
     
         37 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 27 , wherein the film web further comprises a filler material. 
     
     
         38 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 37 , wherein the filler material is chalk. 
     
     
         39 . The nonwoven-film laminate according to  claim 27 , wherein the film web comprises a second thermoplastic polymer, wherein the second thermoplastic polymer has a melting point in excess of the crystallite melting point of the thermoplastic polymer.