Nonwovens: Tutorial

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What Is a “Nonwoven Fabric”?
 INDA (2002): “A Fabric made directly from a web of fiber, without
the yarn preparation necessary for weaving and knitting. In a
nonwoven the assembly of textile fibers is held together 1) by
mechanical interlocking in a random web or mat; 2)by fusing of the
fibers, as in the case of thermoplastic fibers; or 3) by bonding wit a
cementing medium such as starch, casein, rubber latex, a cellulose
derivative or synthetic resin. Initially, the fibers may be oriented in
one direction or may be deposited in a random manner. This web or
sheet is then bonded together by one of the methods described
above. Fiber lengths can range from 0.25 inch to 6 inches for
crimped fibers up to continuous filament in spunbonded fabrics.”

 ASTM D 123: “A textile structure produced by bonding or

interlocking of fibers, or both accomplished by mechanical,
chemical, thermal or solvent means and combinations of thereof”

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Nonwovens ?
 Nonwovens are Engineered Fabrics
 Nonwovens are manufactured by high-speed,
low-cost processes – Large Volume, Lower Cost
than traditional processes
 Nonwovens have barriers to imports because of
capital requirements & low labor requirements
 Nonwovens are in many applications already,
but most are hidden and you do not see them

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Nonwovens? Not the Other Textiles…
 The beginnings of the nonwovens industry in the US, on a
significant scale, occurred during the 1950’s and 1960’s.
 On April 16, 1968, a trade association called "The
Industrial Nonwovens Disposables Association" (INDA)
was formed and announced.
 The evolution and future potential of this industry was also
recognized by the publication of “Nonwovens Industry”
magazine in 1970.
 Initially, the industry was focused on single-use
disposable products.
 Today’s nonwovens cover a broad array of single-use
(short-life) and multi-use (long-life) products.

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Nonwovens? Not the Other Textiles…
 Historically, the nonwovens industry is organized
differently and separately from the textile industry.
 The nonwovens and the textile industries share some
common heritage, but the nonwoven industry has
grown to present a broad array of engineered fiber and
polymer based products that are driven by high-speed,
low-cost, innovative, value-added processes.
 The Nonwovens industry has adapted technologies
from pulp and paper industry, extrusion industry and
the like to bring about the desired products at
reasonable costs, and consequently a separation from
the more traditional textiles which has been primarily
focused on apparel.
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Nonwoven Products
 Today’s nonwovens are  Hospital Supplies
highly engineered  Hygiene Applications
solutions made up of a  Consumer Products
variety of materials
including fibers,  Interlinings
powders, particles,  Geotextiles
adhesives, films and  Carpet Backings
other materials that  Automotive parts
provide specific solution  Filters
or solutions by
providing a multitude of  Wipes
functionalities.  …

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Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010
Nonwoven Fabrics Manufacturing Principles
 Transform Fiber-based materials into flat,
flexible, porous, sheet structures with fabric-like
characteristics.

 Basic Steps are:

 Raw material (fiber or raw polymer) selection and
preparation
 Web formation
 Web consolidation and bonding
 Finishing

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Nonwoven Manufacturing Process

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Web Formation
 The dry-laid process
Web is produced from staple
fibers Production takes place
in a carding machine fitted with
rotating rollers.

 The wet-laid process

The fibers are separated by water
and laid on a circulating screen
belt on which the water is
drained off.

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Web Formation
Air in New
pulp  The pulp-based airlay process
in
Formi
ng
Formi
ng
This is a continuous production
New
drum drum process, from small fibers – pulp
pulp
in Pulp out Web
 and powders to web.
Vacuum Forming wire
conveyor

 The Rando airlay process

This is a continuous production
process, from staple fibers and
 almost anything else to web.

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Staple Web Formation – Dry Lay
Fiber Preparation

Web Production Web Production

By Airlay By Carding

Cross-lapping

Bonding
Bonding
Stack

Finishing & Winding & Slitting

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Web Formation: SpunMelt
 The sponbonding process
This is a continuous production
process, from raw material
(granulate) to web.
 The web requires boding.

 The meltblowing process

This is a continuous production
process, from raw material
(granulate) to web.
 The web requires no bonding.

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SpunMelt Web Formation
Polymer Preparation

Web Production Web Production

By Spunbonding By Meltblowing

Stack

Bonding Optional
Bonding
Bonding

Finishing & Winding & Slitting

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Spunbond/Melt blown/Spunbond (SMS)

Bonded area Spunbond fiber Melt blown fiber

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Web Bonding
 Needling
Here the fibers are bonded using
needles with barbs.

 Hydroentangling
This is mechanical bonding by
means of ultrafine, powerful jets
of water.

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Web Bonding
 Adhesive bonding
Here the fibers are bonded by
means of an adhesive.

 Thermal bonding
This is homogenous bonding of the
fibers between hot, rotating
cylinders.

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Thermal Bonding
 Conduction
 Calendar bonding
 Convection
 Through air bonding
 Radiation
 Infrared bonding
 Work
 Mechanical (frictional)
 Ultrasonic bonding
 Electrical
 Welding
 Chemical
 Solvent
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Calendar Bonding: Most Common
 Web passed between
two rolls
 One or both are heated
internally.
 One or both may be
embossed.
 Heating via
conduction.
 Cooling via
convection.

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Thermal Bonding - Applications
 Coverstock for sanitary products
 Interlings
 Geotextiles
 Carpet backing
 Insulations
 Upholstery
 Wiping cloths
 Tea bag
 Food coverings

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Chemical Bonding Processes
 Most are based on water-borne latex
 Applied from 5% to 60% by weight
 Common methods of application include
saturation, foam, spray, print and powder
bonding.
 The binder needs:
 Binder application to nonwoven
 Removal of moisture or solvent
 Formation of strong bond between binder and nonwoven
web

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Mechanical Bonding
Hydroentangling Needlepunching
 Spunlacing  Felting
 Jet entangling  Needling
 Water entangling  Needlepunching
 Hydroentangling
 Hydraulic needling

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Bonding Technique – Mechanical Bonding
Hydroentangling Needlepunching

 The fibers twist around  The fibers are forced to

their neighbors and / or entangle in the z direction
inter-lock with them and and inter-lock with other
also penetrate into the z neighboring fibers
as well

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Needle Punching

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Hydroentangling Nozzles

25cm

1000 psi 1500 psi 2000 psi 2500 psi 3000 psi 3500 psi
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How Do We Make Nonwovens?
Let Us Look at Interlinings

Fiber Relaxation and Mixture, fiber transport Carding Calendering Bonding Dryer
material preparation of and fiber room agent addition
fibers

Finishing Drying Paste Sewing interlinings Final inspection Packaging and dispatch
application

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At What Speeds?
 SpunMelt
 > 300-1000 meters per minute – 5 to 7 meters wide

 High Speed Cards

 > 300-400 meters per minute – 5 to 6 meters wide

 Other processes have to become compatible for

these to work. These include winding, bonding,
etc…

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Nonwoven Products
 Most nonwoven products are composites where
roll goods are combined with other materials to
form the final product

 Coating and laminating is a common process

 Introducing particulates into the web is a common

process

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World Nonwovens Roll Goods Production

8000 $30
7000 $25
6000
(thousands)

5000 $20
Tonnes

(billions)
Dollars
4000 $15
3000 $10
2000
1000 $5
0 $0
1996 2001 2006 2011
Tonnes Dollars

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Nonwovens Markets and Applications
Durables (35-45%) Durables (35-45%)

 Baby Diapers  Filtration devices

 Adult Incontinence  Protective Garments
 Feminine Hygiene  Interlinings
 Medical  Home Furnishing
 Wipes  Geotextiles
 Agricultural
 Automotive
 Carpet Backing
 Wipes

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The US Nonwovens Industry
 Growing at a significant rate
 US is the largest market for nonwovens
 US industry > 550 firms
 employment: > 160,000
 annual sales: > $50 billion
 US industry leads world in nonwovens
technology and production
 The firms are typically small
 median employment: 75
 annual sales: $7.5 million

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The US Nonwovens Firms
 Roll goods manufacturers
 Fiberweb, Freudenberg, PGI, DuPont
 Raw material suppliers
 Invista, Goulston, Wellman, FiberVisions, OMNOVA
 Machinery manufacturers
 Fleissner, Nordson, Hills, Reifenhauser, Rieter
 Downstream processors
 Kimberly Clark, P&G, 3M

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The Core US Nonwovens Firms
 Core nonwovens firms 32
states and the District of
Columbia. State Number of Firms
North Carolina 33
 North Carolina has the Massachusetts 17

largest number of core Georgia 12

New York 12
nonwoven firms.
South Carolina 10
New Jersey 8
Michigan 6
Virginia 3

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World Nonwovens Roll Goods Production

N. America Europe Asia-Pacific

2.5

2.0
Tonnes (millions)

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
1995 2000 2005 2010F

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Worldwide Nonwoven Production, 2007
5.751 million tonnes
Region million
tonnes
N. America (NAFTA) 1.491
China 1.136
Japan .338
Europe 1.659
South America .25
Asia-Pacific .573
Middle East .174
Rest of World .126

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Spunlaid Growth
Category Growth (%) Expected Growth (%)
1997-2007 2007-2012
Spunbond (and SM Composites)
Polypropylene 12.6 9.9
Polyester 6.6 5.5
Polyethylene, Nylon, Other 2.1 4.9
Bicomponent 28.0 11.8
Total Spunbond 11.4 9.2
Melt Blown
Polypropylene 7.7 7.5
Other Resins 6.3 6.8
Total Melt Blown 7.6 7.5

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Worldwide Nonwoven Staple Fiber
Consumption in 2007
Binders
Wood Pulp 5%
18% Polypropylene
30%

Cotton, Other
Natural
3%

Rayon
Bico, Other 7%
Synthetics
7% Polyester
30%

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Hygiene Market By Region
000, tonnes

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Wipes Market By Region
000, tonnes

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Filtration Market By Region
000, tonnes

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Technology Usage
70 SpunMelt
SL/Carded
Technology Usage (%) 60 NP/Carded
Ailay & Other
50

40

30

20

10

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Mi
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 Introduction to Nonwoven Products

Imagine the possibilities

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Nonwovens?
 Nonwovens are Engineered Fabrics
 Nonwovens are manufactured by high-speed,
low-cost processes – Large Volume, Lower Cost
than traditional processes
 Nonwovens have barriers to imports because of
capital requirements & low labor requirements
 Nonwovens are in many applications already,
but most are hidden and you do not see them

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Hygiene
 Baby diapers
 Incontinence
products
 Feminine hygiene
items

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Medical
 In medical applications,
nonwovens offer maximized
levels of safety and hygiene.
They are used in adhesive
plasters, wound pads and
compresses, orthopedic
waddings and stoma
products.
 The nonwovens used here
must, for example, be
particularly absorbent and
air-permeable, must not stick
to the wound, and also have
to ensure a skin-friendly
micro-climate.
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Medical Bandages

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Wrap – “horse” wrap

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Medical Masks

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 Thinsulate™

Insulation Products
 Commercial
 Thermal,
 Acoustical
 Industrial
 Thermal,
 Acoustical,
 Vibration Control

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Thermal Insulation

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Furniture/Textile Applications
 In furniture/textile
applications, nonwovens
satisfy even the most
disparate functional
requirements for producing
upholstered furniture,
bedware and quilted
products, and protective
clothing.
 Nonwovens here excel in
terms of their textile look,
their air-permeable
breathability, and high
abrasion resistance values.

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Acoustic Nonwovens
 Optimized noise damping
ranks among the most
important requirements for
the architects and engineers
designing modern-day
offices, administration
buildings, airports and
communication centers.

 The structure and low weight

of acoustic nonwovens offer
a significant advantage in
perforated ceiling systems
compared to conventional
soundproofing materials.

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Sorbents
 Commercial
 automotive,
 chemical,
 emergency response

 Industrial
 chemical,
 packaging,
 emergency response

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Horticulture
 In horticultural
applications,
nonwovens protect the
plants against
temperature extremes
by day and by night,
thus creating the
foundation for earlier
harvests with excellent
results. They are
permeable to both air
and water, UV-stabilized,
and resistant to rotting.

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Nonwovens for Cables
 Nonwovens for cable
bandaging are used in power
and telecommunication
cables. Nonwovens help to
keep the cable fully
functional on a long-term
basis even under the
toughest of conditions.
 Nonwovens act as water-
blocking tapes, as fixing,
bedding and thermo-tapes,
and in an electrically
conductive versions for heat-
barrier protection.

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Composite Materials
 In the glass-fiber-reinforced
plastic industry, nonwovens
are used for surfacing
products like pipes, tanks,
container boards, facade
panels, skis, surfboards and
boats. They very
substantially improve
resistance to both corrosion
and abrasion, as well as
improving the mechanical
strength of the products.

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Window Treatments
 Nonwovens are used in
designer window treatment
fabrics to enhance both
function and appearance.
 Their ability to diffuse light,
while maintaining room
brightness, enhances the
feeling of privacy and helps
protect furniture.
 Their natural insulating
qualities provide added
energy conservation.

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In Shoes…
 A broad spectrum of
applications including:
 liners,
 counterliners,
 interliners and
 reinforcing materials
 Membranes and insoles
ensure a healthy foot
climate and a high
degree of foot comfort.

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As Substrates
 Nonwovens perform
excellently as substrate
for coagulates and
coated materials.
 Appropriately finished
materials are used not
only in shoe and
leather goods but also in
upholstery and even in
the garment industry.

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Tufted Carpets
 In Carpets, nonwovens
constitute the invisible
supporting inside layer
of tufted carpets and
carpet tiles.
 In automotive carpets,
nonwovens are used as
first and second
backings mainly for
making molded
automobile carpets.

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Filtration Products
 Retail
 Room Air Cleaners,
 Furnace Filters,
 Vacuum Bags
 Commercial
 Cabin Air Filters,
 Appliance,
 HVAC
 Industrial
 Air Filters,
 Liquid Filter Bags,
 Cartridges

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Indoor Climate Control and Air Filtration
 Air filters for intake, exhaust
and recirculated air filtration
in indoor climate control
systems:
 filter mats
 pocket filters
 activated-carbon
 combination filters
 cassette filters
 HEPA/ULPA filters
 depth-loading filter cartridges
 high-temperature filters

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Filtration Media Technology

Meltblown Split Film

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Dust Removal
 Filter cartridges, filter
plates, filter bags and
EcoProtec safety filters
for industrial dust
removal applications,
with high-performance
filter media made of
nonwovens.

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Cartridge Filter & Bags

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Special Filtration
 Respirators
 Vacuum cleaners
 Kitchen hood filters
 …

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Liquid Filtration
 Nonwovens for filtering
coolants and lubricants, as
well as washing, phosphating
and coagulation baths in the
metal-processing industry.

 Nonwovens for filtering milk,

frying fats, drinking water,
and blood plasma.

 Membrane support
nonwovens for filtering fruit
juices, enzymes, electro-dip-
coating and effluents.

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Low Density Abrasives
 Retail
 hand pads,
 wipes,
 sponge laminates
 Commercial
 hand pads,
 wipes,
 sponge laminates,
 floor pads
 Industrial
 hand pads,
 brushes,
 wheels,
 belts

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Polishing Pads
 Polishing pads are used in
the manufacture of
semiconductor wafers,
memory discs, precision
optics and metallurgical
components.

 The purpose of these pads is

to produce a surface finish,
in terms of planar uniformity
and smoothness, that can
meet the highest tolerances.

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Automotive Interiors
 Facings and structural
reinforcement materials
are used in a variety of
different applications
including:
 headliners,
 trunkliners,
 door trim,
 package trays,
 sun visors and
 seats.

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Auto Air Filtration
 micronAir particle
filters, with their high-
arrestance microfiber
nonwovens, protect
driver and passengers
of a vehicle from pollen,
dust, soot and other
harmful particles
penetrating inside their
car via the intake air
flow.

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Major Trends
 Materials
 Permanently Hydrophilic Polypropylene/Polyesters
 New sustainable materials – PLA, Bio PET, Kenaf
 Bicomponent Staple Fibers
 Processes
 Innovative SpunMelt
 Bicomponent meltblown/spunbond products
 High speed/high volume processing – Carding
 New Innovative/Combined processes – Coform
 Post-Processes
 Surface treatments
 Coatings/laminations
 Product Innovations
 Composites
 Coforms

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Engineering the Product
Composites
 Composite Nonwovens (CN) are made:
 from 2 or more fibers
 Homogeneous blends and gradients
 Layered structures
 from fibers and particulates
 from 2 or more layers with at least one being a nonwoven

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Why Composites?
 Economical solution:
 Eliminate steps
 One product replaces two or more
 Best technical solution – Engineered solution
 Profit improvement
 Specialized solution

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CN Made From Fibers & Filaments
Examples

 Thinsulate® from 3M
composed of large
fibers + sub-denier
fibers

 Synthetic leather
composed of Spunlaced
splittable fibers

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Layered Composites
 Processes with more than one forming section
adding different fibers or filament to a web.
Examples are:
 multi-card process,
 multi-forming box air-laid process,
 multi-beam spunbond process,
 combinations of various forming processes like SMS

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Composites Made by Lamination
 Lamination are made by thermal bonding,
ultrasonic bonding, adhesive bonding,
extrusion coating, needling and spunlacing.
The laminates are:
 made up from two or more layers of nonwovens or
 made up from at least one nonwoven and at least one
different layer (film, reinforcement net, etc…)

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Spunbond+Spunlace - Hydroknit (KC)

Pulp Fiber
Dispersion Head Box

Composite Fabric
Pulp Fiber Layer

Sluice

Water
Forming Fabric

Continuous Filament
Spunbond Web

Hydroentangling
Unit

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Coform – A Great Example

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Layered Composites
Examples
 Spunlaced fabrics made
of wood pulp and
synthetic fibers
 Tissues paper layered on
top of carded web prior to
hydroentanglement
 Fabric has one side rich in
wood pulp fiber
 Treatment is added to wood
pulp fibers to achieve barrier
properties

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CN With Particulates
 Nonwovens where
particulates are bonded
to the fiber or filament
with an adhesive ( e.g.
Abrasive pad where
abrasive particulates are
bonded to the fibers
with a latex. Same
approach has been used
for carbon black)

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CN With Particulates
 Nonwovens made up
of bicomponent
fibers, where the
outer layer is melted
to form bonds
between the fibers
and between the
fibers and the
particulates.

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Potentials for Growth
Feminine Care
90
Baby Care
80 Medical Fabrics
Market Penetration (%)
70 Industrial Fabrics
Apparel
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

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Market Segments…

EMBRYONIC GROWING MATURE AGING

SALES

Interlinings

Automotive Personal Care

Health Care Carpet
Medical Backing
Filters

Wipes
Industrial
Durable

TIME

Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010

Enabling Technologies
 Major innovations in products will be based on:
 Materials
 New innovative (sustainable) materials
 Bicomponent/multi-component fiber technologies
 Processes
 New innovative processes – Apex,
 Co-forms
 Products
 Composites

Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010

Why Bicomponent Fibers?
 To utilize the properties of two polymers
 To exploit capabilities not existing in each of
the individual polymers
 To improve the material performance suitable
for specific needs by tailoring one or more
properties with minimal sacrifice of other
properties
 To bring about multifunctional properties
without the loss of mechanical properties

Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010

Classification
 Side-by-side

 Sheath-core

 Segmented-pie

 Islands-in-the-sea

 Tipped

 Segmented-ribbon
Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010
Segment-Pie: Splitting by Carding

Card-splittable fiber before splitting Card-splittable fiber after carding

Ref: Middlebrooks, M. C.

Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010

Increased Surface Area
Evolon… The Next Generation

Ref: Freudenberg
Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010
Evolon… The Technology

16 Sector PIE ~ 0.1 dtex

2 Sector S/S ~ 1 dtex

microfilament fabrics

Ref: Freudenberg

Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010

Increased Surface Area
How About Nano Fibers?
 Electrospinning
 10 to 200 nm
104

 Meltblowing 103

Surface Area (m2/g)

 500 nm to 10 mm 102
Textile Micro and
Nano Fibers

 Bicomponent fibers 101

Conventional
Fibers

 200 nm to 1000 nm 100 Electrospun fibers

 Bicomponent Fibers in 10-1 Single and Multiwalled

Carbon Nanotubes Diameter of
spunbonding 10-2
Human Hair

10-3 10-2 10-1 100 101 102

 Bicomponent Fibers in Fiber Diameter (mm)
meltblowing

Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010

300 Islands-in-the-sea As-spun Fiber

Islands: PTT

Sea: EVOH

Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010

 Acknowledgements

The following individuals and organizations are gratefully

acknowledged for helping with this presentation:

David Nelsen, 3M
Pierre Grondin, PGI
Terry O’Regan, Freudenberg
Arnold Wilke, Hills
INDA
Copyright, NWI, NCRC, NCSU, 2000-2010