Importance

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for forming a non-woven pad consisting of fibrous material in which highly moisture-absorbent particles are intermixed with the fibrous material throughout a predetermined portion of the thickness of the non-woven pad. The non-woven pad is formed atop a conveyor moving through a chamber which has a duct connected to a source of vacuum operable to draw fibrous material injected into the chamber onto the conveyor. A spray gun or an extension thereof is positioned within the chamber relative to the fibrous material atop the conveyor, and is operated to discharge moisture-absorbent material at a predetermined velocity, such that the moisture-absorbent material is intermixed with the fibrous material throughout preferably a center layer of the thickness of the non-woven pad while forming boundary layers on either side of the center layer which are substantially free of moisture-absorbent material. The spray gun preferably operates intermittently to form spaced, sharply defined areas along the length and width of the non-woven pad wherein each area has moisture-absorbent material interspersed throughout a portion of the thickness thereof.

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First Claim