A nonwoven fabric comprises continuous polymer filaments of 0.5 to 3 denier that
have been hydroentangled in a complex matrix for interconnecting filament loops,
and that is otherwise substantially free of knotting, or of otherwise wrapping
about one another. A process for making a nonwoven fabric comprises continuously
extruding polymer filaments of 0.5 to 3 denier onto a moving support, pre-entangling
the filaments with water jets, and entangling the filaments with a second set of
water jets on a three-dimensional image transfer device. An apparatus for making
a nonwoven fabric comprises means for continuously extruding substantially endless
polymer filaments of 0.5 to 3 denier onto a moving support to form an unbonded
web, a pre-entangling station for entangling the web with a plurality of water
jets, and a plurality of water jets for final entanglement of the filament web
on a three-dimensional image transfer device. In another aspect of the present
invention, plural precursor webs, each comprising polymeric filaments, can be employed
to form a laminated nonwoven fabric.
