Nonwoven Manufacturing

Nonwoven companies, in general, depend on highly engineered, high volume production. Due to competitive pressures, innovation is constantly needed to ensure that high-quality, in-specification products are produced at the lowest possible cost. Nonwovens enterprises must be at the forefront of these developments if they are to have a sustainable future. The industry is driven by technological advancements in machinery, process control, and materials.

What is a nonwoven fabric?

Nonwoven fabrics are broadly defined as web structures bonded together by entangling fibres mechanically, thermally fusing the fibres or chemically bonding the fibres. Nonwovens are defined more exactly by various bodies one of the most often quoted is the International Nonwovens & Disposables Association(INDA) definition: Nonwovens are a sheet, web, or bat of natural and/or man-made fibres or filaments, excluding paper, that have not been converted into yarns, and that are bonded to each other by any of several means.

Thevarious methods for bonding are:

1.     Adding an adhesive.

2.     Thermally fusing the fibres toeach other or to the other melt able fibres or powders.

3.     Fusing fibres by firstdissolving, and then re-solidifying their surfaces.

4.     Creating physical tangles ortuft among the fibres.

5.     Stitching the fibres orfilaments in place.

Nonwovens are not made by weaving or knitting and do not require converting the fibers to yarn. Nonwoven fabrics are engineered fabrics that may be single-use disposable or a very durable fabric. They are used in numerous applications, including; baby diapers, adult incontinence products, wet wipes, surgical drapes and covers, liquid cartridge and bag filters, face masks, air-conditioning filters, soil stabilizers and roadway underlayment, erosion control, drainage systems, insulation (fiberglass batting), pillows, cushions, and upholstery padding, carpet backing, automotive headliners and upholstery, house wraps, and disposable clothing (foot coverings, coveralls).

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