HIGH DEFINITION PATTERNING OF THERMOPLASTIC SUBSTRATES

摘要

An apparatus and method for imparting a permanent, high resolution pattern to a heat-settable fabric, particularly one having a pile-like surface, using modulated streams of pressurized heated air that are individually controllable and electronically addressable, using a patterning technique capable of extremely fine gauge (i.e., high dots-per-inch or high pixel count) and extremely fine carve depth control (e.g., allowing for multiple finely spaced carve levels, as compared with techniques in the prior art), and which results in the formation of patterns of extraordinary resolution, definition and detail without the harsh hand associated with prior art techniques in which fibers and yarns are melted within patterned areas.