Polymer fiber tubular structure having kinking resistance
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for forming a tubular structure having improved kinking resistance from a liquefied polymer, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a dispenser for dispensing the liquefied polymer;
(b) a precipitation electrode being at a first potential relative to said dispenser, said precipitation electrode being designed and constructed for generating a fibrous polymeric shell thereupon; and
(c) a pressing mechanism for increasing a local density of said polymeric shell in a plurality of predetermined sub-regions of said polymeric shell, thereby to provide a tubular structure having an alternating density in a longitudinal direction, wherein the alternating density regions formed comprises compressed sub-regions and non-compressed sub-regions in a longitudinal direction of the tubular structure, wherein a basis weight of said compressed sub-regions is larger than a basis weight of said non-compressed sub-regions.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for forming a tubular structure from a liquefied polymer, the apparatus comprising: (a) a dispenser for dispensing the liquefied polymer; (b) a precipitation electrode being at a first potential relative to the dispenser, the precipitation electrode being designed and constructed for generating a polymeric shell thereupon; and (c) a mechanism for increasing a local density of the polymeric shell in a plurality of predetermined sub-regions of the polymeric shell, thereby to provide a tubular structure having an alternating density in a longitudinal direction.
119 Citations
37 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for forming a tubular structure having improved kinking resistance from a liquefied polymer, the apparatus comprising:
-
(a) a dispenser for dispensing the liquefied polymer; (b) a precipitation electrode being at a first potential relative to said dispenser, said precipitation electrode being designed and constructed for generating a fibrous polymeric shell thereupon; and (c) a pressing mechanism for increasing a local density of said polymeric shell in a plurality of predetermined sub-regions of said polymeric shell, thereby to provide a tubular structure having an alternating density in a longitudinal direction, wherein the alternating density regions formed comprises compressed sub-regions and non-compressed sub-regions in a longitudinal direction of the tubular structure, wherein a basis weight of said compressed sub-regions is larger than a basis weight of said non-compressed sub-regions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. An apparatus for forming a tubular structure having improved kinking resistance from a liquefied polymer, the apparatus comprising:
-
(a) a dispenser for dispensing the liquefied polymer; (b) a precipitation electrode being at a first potential relative to said dispenser, said precipitation electrode being designed and constructed for generating a fibrous polymeric shell thereupon; (c) a pressing mechanism for increasing a local density of said polymeric shell in a plurality of predetermined sub-regions of said polymeric shell, thereby to provide a tubular structure having an alternating density in a longitudinal direction;
wherein the alternating density regions formed comprises compressed sub-regions and non-compressed sub-regions in a longitudinal direction of the tubular structure, wherein a basis weight of said compressed sub-regions is larger than a basis weight of said non-compressed sub-regions and(d) a system of electrodes, being laterally displaced from said dispenser, being at a third potential relative to said dispenser and capable of providing an electric field having at least one rotating component around a first axis defined between said dispenser and said precipitation electrode, for intertwining at least a portion of a plurality of polymer fibers dispensed by said dispenser, so as to provide at least one polymer fiber bundle moving in a direction of said precipitation electrode. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
17. A method of forming a tubular structure having improved kinking resistance from a liquefied polymer, the method comprising:
-
(a) via electrospinning, dispensing the liquefied polymer from a dispenser in a direction of a precipitation electrode, hence forming fibrous polymeric shell; and (b) applying pressure onto predetermined sub-regions of said polymeric shell such as to increase a local density of said polymeric shell in said plurality of predetermined sub-regions, thereby providing a tubular structure having an alternating density in a longitudinal direction (b), wherein the alternating density regions formed comprises compressed sub-regions and non-compressed sub-regions in a longitudinal direction of the tubular structure, wherein a basis weight of said compressed sub-regions is larger than a basis weight of said non-compressed sub-regions. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
-
- 18. A tubular structure having improved kinking resistance, comprising at least one layer of electrospun polymer fibers, each layer having a predetermined porosity and an alternating density characterized by compressed sub-regions and non-compressed sub-regions in a longitudinal direction of the tubular structure, wherein a basis weight of said compressed sub-regions is larger than a basis weight of said non-compressed sub-regions.
Specification