On the use of robotics for melt-blowing to form shaped/molded fabric structures

This paper presents an overview of research on the production of nonwoven and tailored 3D structures for protective garments (such as those worn by fire fighters) using robotics and meltblown technology. In particular, the integration of robotics and a small-scale melt-blowing unit is discussed. This paper develops the framework and general motivation for the overall study and describes in detail the novel 3D-fiber application system developed using a seven-degree of freedom system. This system will be used with control algorithms developed at the NCRC to improve uniformity of the shaped fabric structure