Importance

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Abstract

A distinctive method and apparatus for forming a substantially continuous filament of a thermoplastic work material and for imparting a swirling motion thereto comprises a body member which has a work material supply passage and a gas supply passage formed therein. An outlet nozzle section connects to the body member and has a substantially conically tapered shape. The nozzle section has a nozzle extrusion passage formed therein in communication with the work material supply passage. A housing member operably connects to the body member to delimit a substantially annular gas transfer zone in fluid communication with the gas supply passage and to delimit a substantially annular gas outlet passage arond the nozzle section. The housing member includes an exit section having inner wall surfaces which substantially parallel the conically tapered shape of the nozzle section. The inner wall surfaces are in a selected spaced relation from the nozzle section to define the gas outlet passage. The housing exit section and the nozzle section are configured to provide for a selected gas from which imparts the filament swirling motion substantially without disintegrating the filament, the apparatus thereby constructed to deposit a substantially continuous, swirled filament of the work material onto a selected substrate.

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First Claim