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Non-woven

Non-wovens are textiles which are neither wovens nor knits, for example felt. Non-wovens are typically not strong (unless reinforced by a backing), and do not stretch. They are cheap to manufacture.

Non woven fabrics are manufactured by putting small fibers together in form of a sheet then binding them either with a adhesive or by interlocking them with sirrated needles such that the inter fiber friction results in a strong fabric.

Raw materials

Nonwovens are nowadays mainly produced from man-made fibers. Two synthetic polymers dominate the market: polypropylene and polyesters (mainly PET).

Applications

Nonwovens are used in numerous applications, including:

• Hygiene
  • Baby diapers
  • Feminine hygiene
  • Adult incontinence products
• Wipes
  • Domestic
  • Technical
• Filters
• Geotextiles
• Carpet backing
• Composites

Manufacturing processess

Staple nonwovens

Staple nonwovens are made in two steps. Fibers are first spun, cut to a few centimeters length, and put into bales. These bales are then dispersed on a conveyor belt, and the fibers are spread in a uniformous web by a wetlaid process or by carding.

Spunlaid nonwovens

Spunlaid nonwovens are made in one continuous step. Fibers are spun and directly dispersed in a web by deflectors. This technique leads to faster belt speeds, and cheaper costs. Several variants of this concept are available, but the leading technology is the Reicofil machinery, manufactured by Reifenhaüser (Germany).

Bonding

Both staple and spunlaid nonwovens would have no mechanical resistance per se without the bonding step. Several methods can be used:

• thermalbonding: calendering through heated rolls (called spunbond when combined with spunlaid)
• hydroentanglement: mechanical intertwining of fibers by water jets
• needlefelt: mechanical intertwining of fibers by needles

See also

• Fuzzy felts