METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLATS FOR FABRIC IN COVERINGS FOR ARCHITECTURAL OPENINGS AND THE SLATS FORMED THEREBY

摘要

A method and apparatus for forming a transversely curved or formed strip of material which can be cut to length for use in a fabric for coverings for architectural opening includes a supply role of a flexible fabric strip material that is sequentially passed through a heating chamber with an elongated upwardly convex extrusion across which the strip material is drawn and a cooling station before being wrapped on a take-up drum. The apparatus includes driven rollers about which the str ip material passes and the strip material is exposed to tension detectors and controlled temperatures such that the strip material formed in the apparatus is uniform along its length. The curved strip of material made with the method and apparatus has a nonwoven base comprised of binder and matrix fibers wherein at least part of the binder fiber has a lower melting point than the matrix fibers so the binder fibers can be melted to thermally bond the binder and matrix fibers. A coating of resin applied to the thermally bonded material before it is passed through the aforenoted apparatus and formed into the curved strip pursuant to the defined method.