The lapper carriage swings the web from side to side over an apron moving at right angles, stacking many overlapping layers. This sets batt width and weight and turns fiber orientation toward the cross direction, which balances the MD and CD strength of needled fabrics. Profile control on the lapper evens out the heavy edges that simple lapping leaves.
Cross-lapper is putting down 12 layers, so if one card drops its web we see the stripe all the way to the loom.
Also heard as
- crosslapper
- lapper
- cross-layer
Related terms
Carding
Combing staple fibers between wire-covered rolls to open them and form an even, mostly parallel web.
Batt
Thick layer of fibers built up from several webs, usually by cross-lapping, ready for needling or thermal bonding.
Needlepunch
Mechanical bonding in which barbed needles punch repeatedly through a batt, dragging fibers through and tangling it.
CD
Cross direction: the direction across the width of a nonwoven roll, at right angles to machine travel.