Method of making a non-woven laminated abrasive article

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN ARTICLE HAVING A ROUGH SURFACE OF HARD GRANULES OF THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL COMPRISING LAMINATING TO OPPOSITE SURFACES OF A SHEET OF CONTINUOUS THERMOPLASTIC FILM ABOUT 3 TO 30 MILS THICK TWO NONWOVEN FIBER WEBS OF THERMOPLASTIC FIBERS, NEEDLE PUNCHING FROM AT LEAST ONE SIDE OF THE RESULTING LAMINATE AND THROUGH SAID FILM TO CAUSE FIBERS OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID WEBS TO PROTRUDE THROUGH SAID FILM, AND INTO THE WEB ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID SHEET, HEATING ONE SIDE OF SAID LAMINATE WHERE SAID FIBERS PROTRUDE TO A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO MELT A LARGE PORTION OF THE WEB ON THE SIDE OF SAID FILM WHICH IS HEATED SO THAT THE FIBERS ON THE HEATED SIDE MELT, CURL AND COLLAPSE TO FORM HEAVY NODULES OF THERMOPLASTIC AGAINST SAID THERMOPLASTIC FILM, WITHOUT SUBSTANTIALLY MELTING THE NONWOVEN FIBER WEB ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID SHEET, SAID FILM FUNCTIONING AS A HEAT BARRIER, TO PREVENT MELTING OF FIBERS ON ITS OPPOSITE SIDE, BECAUSE OF THE BULK AND MASS OF THE FILM, AND COOLING THE WEB TO REHARDEN THE THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL AND PROVIDE A ROUGH SURFACE, THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID PRODUCT BEING SOFT SUBSTANTIALLY UNMELTED NONWOVEN FIBER WEB SUITED FOR ADHESION TO OTHER ARTICLES.