Apparatus and method for degrading a web in the machine direction while preserving cross-machine direction strength
View Patent ↗An embossing system for embossing and perforating at least a portion of a web is provided comprising a first embossing roll having embossing elements and at least a second embossing roll having embossing elements, wherein the elements of the first and second embossing rolls define perforate nips for embossing and perforating the web and wherein at least a predominate number of the perforate nips are substantially oriented in the cross-machine direction. Moreover, substantially all of the nips defined by the embossing elements of the first and second embossing rolls can be substantially oriented in the cross-machine direction. Further, the cross-machine embossing elements are at an angle of about 85° to 95° from the machine direction.
1. A pair of mated perforate embossing rolls having mated embossing elements, wherein a plurality of the embossing elements are oriented in a substantially cross-machine direction, and wherein said embossing elements are juxtaposed such that the mated elements create at least one perforated embossment.
2. A pair of mated perforate embossing rolls having mated embossing elements, wherein at least a majority of the embossing elements are oriented in a substantially cross-machine direction, and wherein said embossing elements are juxtaposed such that the mated elements create at least one perforated embossment.
3. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the cross-machine embossing elements are in full-step alignment.
4. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the cross-machine embossing elements are in half-step alignment.
5. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the cross-machine embossing elements are in quarter-step alignment.
6. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein a portion of the cross-machine embossing elements are in full-step alignment, and wherein a portion of the cross-machine embossing elements are in half-step alignment.
7. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the cross-machine embossing elements are staggered such that pairs of cross-machine embossing elements are in half-step alignment with one another.
8. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the cross-machine embossing elements extend in the cross-machine direction for at least about 10 mils.
9. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the cross-machine embossing elements and a machine direction is between 60° and 120°.
10. A perforate embossed web formed using the perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the perforate embossed web has a plurality of cross-machine direction oriented perforations, and wherein the perforate embossed web has a tensile ratio of less than about 1.2.
11. The perforate embossed web of claim 10 , further having a transluminance ratio of at least 1.005.
12. The perforate embossed web of claim 10 , further having a transluminance ratio of at least 1.01.
13. The perforate embossed web of claim 10 , further having a transluminance ratio of at least 1.015.
14. The perforate embossed web of claim 10 , further having a transluminance ratio of at least 1.02.
15. The perforate embossed web of claim 10 , further having a transluminance ratio of at least 1.025.
16. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the cross-machine embossing elements and a machine direction is between 45° and 135°.
17. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the cross-machine embossing elements and a machine direction is between 75° and 105°.
18. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the cross-machine embossing elements and a machine direction is between 80° and 100°.
19. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein the angle between the cross-machine embossing elements and a machine direction is between 85° and 95°.
20. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the embossing elements are male elements.
21. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the embossing elements have a ratio of cross-machine-direction length to machine-direction width greater than 1.0.
22. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the embossing elements have a ratio of cross-machine-direction length to machine-direction width greater than 2.0.
23. The perforate embossing rolls of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the embossing elements are configured to produce perforating nips extending in the cross-machine direction.