Method Of Making An Insulation Material And An Insulated Mailer

Abstract

A method for producing an insulation material is described herein. The method includes mixing cellulose reinforcement fibers with thermoplastic binder fibers to form a mixture. In addition, the method includes applying heat to the mixture to melt the thermoplastic binder fibers such that the thermoplastic binder fibers bind the cellulose reinforcement fibers together to form a batt. The thermoplastic binder fibers make up about 0.5% to about 25% by weight of the batt. Furthermore, the method includes slicing the batt along a horizontal plane to form a first pad having a first thickness and a second pad having a second thickness. Each of the first and second thicknesses is greater than or equal to about 1/16 of an inch.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing an insulation material, the method comprising:
 mixing cellulose reinforcement fibers with thermoplastic binder fibers to form a mixture;   applying heat to the mixture to melt the thermoplastic binder fibers such that the thermoplastic binder fibers bind the cellulose reinforcement fibers together to form a batt, the thermoplastic binder fibers making up about 0.5% to about 25% by weight of the batt; and   slicing the batt along a horizontal plane to form a first pad having a first thickness and a second pad having a second thickness, wherein each of the first and second thicknesses is greater than or equal to about 1/16 of an inch.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the first and second thicknesses are equal to one another. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the second thickness is different than the first thickness. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the thermoplastic binder fibers have a length of less than about 24 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the thermoplastic binder fibers include at least one of bicomponent fibers and fibers made of a material selected from a group consisting of polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the thermoplastic binder fibers make up less than about 10% by weight of the batt. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the cellulose reinforcement fibers include at least one of paper fibers and cardboard fibers. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the batt has a weight within a range from 1000 GSM to 1600 GSM. 
     
     
         9 . A method for producing an insulation material, the method comprising:
 mixing cellulose reinforcement fibers with thermoplastic binder fibers to form a mixture;   applying heat to the mixture to melt the thermoplastic binder fibers such that the thermoplastic binder fibers bind the cellulose reinforcement fibers together to form a continuous batt, the thermoplastic binder fibers making up about 0.5% to about 25% by weight of the continuous batt;   cutting the continuous batt along a first plane extending through its thickness form a discrete pad; and   slicing the discrete pad along a second plane extending along its length to form a first pad having a first thickness and a second pad having a second thickness, wherein each of the first and second thicknesses is greater than or equal to about 1/16 of an inch.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the discrete pad has a third thickness that is equal to a sum of the first and second thicknesses of the first and second pads. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein at least one of the first and second thicknesses is equal to about 1/16 of an inch. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the thermoplastic binder fibers make up less than about 10% by weight of the batt. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the discrete pad has a weight within a range from 1000 GSM to 1600 GSM. 
     
     
         14 . A system for producing an insulation material, the system comprising:
 a mixer configured to mix cellulose reinforcement fibers with thermoplastic binder fibers to form a mixture, the thermoplastic binder fibers making up about 0.5% to about 25% by weight of the mixture;   a heat tunnel configured to apply heat to the mixture to melt the thermoplastic binder fibers such that the thermoplastic binder fibers bind the cellulose reinforcement fibers together to form a continuous batt; and   a first cutting apparatus configured to:
 cut the continuous batt along a first plane extending through its thickness form a discrete pad; and 
 slice the discrete pad along a second plane extending along its length to form a first pad having a first thickness and a second pad having a second thickness, wherein at least one of the first and second thicknesses is greater than or equal to about 1/16 of an inch. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  further comprising a plurality of conveyors configured to move the continuous batt through the heat tunnel and past the first cutting apparatus. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14  further comprising a series of rollers configured to position first and second paper layers about one of the first and second pads. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  further comprising a second cutting apparatus configured to separate the first and second paper layers from a continuous paper layer. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16  wherein:
 the rollers are positioned within a first distance from the first cutting apparatus; and 
 the first distance is within a range from about 0 mm to about 2 mm. 
 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14  further comprising a pair of tapered edge plates configured to compress the batt to a target width. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14  further comprising a compression roller configured to compress the batt to adjust at least one of a thickness of the batt and a density of the batt to a target value.