World of Nonwovens

A Presentation by
Dr. V. K. Kothari Professor Textile Technology Department Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

At NIT Jalandhar 6 March 2010

What are Nonwovens?

Nonwovens are engineered fabrics Nonwovens are manufactured by high speed low cost processes- large volume, lower cost than traditional processes Nonwovens are produced by a variety of processes with a wide range of properties Nonwovens are in many applications already, but most are hidden and you do not see them

INDA Definition Nonwovens are a sheet, web, or batt of natural and/or manmade fibers or filaments, excluding paper, that have not been converted into yarns, and that are bonded to each other by any of several means. The various methods for bonding are: a) Adding an adhesive b) Thermally fusing the fibers or filaments to each other or to the other meltable fibers or powders. c) Fusing fibers by first dissolving, and then resolidifying their surfaces. d) Creating physical tangles or tuft among the fibers. e) Stitching the fibers or filaments in place.

EDANA Definition Nonwovens are a manufactured sheet, web or batt of directionally or randomly oriented fibers, bonded by friction, and/or cohesion and/or adhesion, excluding paper or products which are woven, knitted, tufted stitchbonded incorporating binding yarns or filaments, or felted by wetmilling, whether or not additionally needled. The fibres may be of natural or man-made origin. They may be staple or continuous or be formed in situ.

Nonwoven Products

Todays nonwovens are highly engineered solutions made up of a variety of materials including fibres, powders, particles, adhesives, films and other materials that provide specific solution or solutions by providing a multitude of functionalities.

Hospital Supplies Hygiene applications Consumer products Interlinings Geotextiles Carpet Backings Automotive Parts Filters Wipes

Products That Use Nonwovens

Agriculture
Crop Covers Turf protection products Weed control fabrics Root bags Containers Capillary matting

Home Furnishings
Furniture construction fabrics: Insulators, arms and backs Cushion ticking Dust covers Decking Skirt linings Pull strips Bedding construction fabrics: Quilt backings Dust covers Flanging Spring wrap Spring insulators Blankets Wallcovering backings Acoustical wallcoverings Upholstery backings Pillows, pillowcases Window treatments Drapery components Carpet backings Carpeting Mattress pad components

Industrial/Military
Coated fabrics Filters Semiconductor polishing pads Wipers Clean room apparel HVAC filters Military clothing Abrasives Cable insulation Reinforced plastics Tapes Protective clothing, lab coats Sorbents Lubricating pads Flame barriers Packaging Conveyor belts Display felts Papermaker felts Noise absorbent felts

Automotive
Trunk liners Carpet backing Door trim panel carpeting Door trim panel padding Wheelhouse covers Rear shelf trim Seat applications Headliners Cover slip sheets Foam reinforcements Oil, fuel, air & other filters Vinyl, landau cover backings Sound, heat insulation
Charting the Path Forward

Products That Use Nonwovens..continued

School, Office
Book covers Mailing envelopes, labels Floppy disk liners Towels Pen nibs

Healthcare
Surgical: caps, gowns, masks, shoe covers Sponges, dressings, wipes Orthopedic padding Bandages, tapes Dental bibs Drapes, wraps, packs Sterile packaging Bed linen, underpads Transdermal drug delivery Contamination control gowns Electrode pads Examination gowns Filters for IV solutions, blood oxygenators & kidney dialyzers

Leisure, Travel
Sleeping bags Tarpaulins, tents Artificial leather, luggage Airline headrests, pillow cases

Clothing
Interlinings Clothing and glove insulation Bra and shoulder padding Handbag components Shoe components

Personal Care

Geotextiles
Asphalt overlay Road and railroad beds underlay Soil stabilization Drainage Dam and stream embankments Artificial turf Sedimentation & erosion control Pond liners

Household
Wipes, wet, dry, polishing Filters Vacuum cleaner bags Scouring pads Fabric softener sheets Dust cloths, mops Place mats, napkins, table clothes Ironing board pads Washcloths

Baby diapers Feminine care, tampons Tea, coffee bags Toddler training pants Incontinence products Dry and wet wipes Cosmetic applicators, removers Lens cleaning tissues Hand warmers Buff pads

Construction
Insulation Roofing and tile underlay Acoustical ceilings House wrap Pipe wrap

Charting the Path Forward

Nonwoven Products

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.

Web Formation

The spunbonding 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.

Web Formation
The pulp-based airlay process This is a continuous production process, from small fibers pulp and powders to web.

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

Web Bonding
Adhesive bonding Here the fibers are bonded by means of an adhesive. Needling Here the fibers are bonded using needles with barbs.

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

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

Nonwoven Fabrics

How do we make nonwovens?

From Fibres: Web Forming Dry-lay (Carding) Air-lay Wet-lay Bonding Mechanical - Needling - Hydroentangling Thermal - Calendering - Thru-air Chemical Adhesive From Polymers: Extrusion & Web Forming Spunbond Meltblown Bonding Mechanical - Hydroentangling Thermal - Calendering - Thru-air

Production of Nonwovens
Two major steps in the manufacture of nonwovens:
web formation bonding of fibers in the web

CARDED Air-laid Web

The most effective way of minimizing fiber alignment Sweeps the opened fibers from a wire- wound roll (either card or opening system) into a stream of air, and then condenses the fiber on a slowly moving screen or perforated drum Normal cards may be modified in-house in yarn manufacturing operations to allow the production of a marketable product from manufacturing waste Commercial machine manufacturers: Rando Machine Co., D.O.A., and Fehrer

Air-lay Process

Rando-webber

Spunbond Process

Uses air as dispersing medium for continuous filament fibers Is a single operation (fiber manufacturing and web formation processes are linked ) Nonwoven batt is produced by falling through the air and by landing on a moving conveyor of continuous filament fibers Requires a large number of filaments (from multiple spinnerettes) to produce a web of reasonable width

Spunbond (continued)
Is a random dispersion of the filaments (desirably) Electrostatics may be used to keep the filaments separated and dispersed in the web Bonding of the fibers (thermal-bonding or needle punching) is done in line before take-up of the batt

Spunbond Process

Reicofil Spunbond Process

Multiple spunbond layers

Spunbonding Process
Integrated process Production rate: 30 to 300 m /min. Filament production speed: 1000-6000 m/min being operated. Isotactic polypropylene has been used predominantly in commercial production. Other Polymers Used- Polyesters, Nylons PE and Bicomponents
2

Spunbonded Fabrics
Random fibrous structure Basis weights range between 5 and 800 g/m2, typically 10-100 g/ m2 Web thickness range between 0. 1 and 4.0 mm, typically 0.2-1.5mm Fiber diameters range between 1 and 50 um, but the preferred range is between 15 and 30 um High strength-to-weight ratios compared to other nonwoven, woven, and knitted structures High tear strength

Spunbonding Process Variables

Spinning
Melt Temperature Throughput Quench Air Temp Draw Down Speed

Bonding
Type Bond Area Temperature Time (Speed) Pressure

Laydown
Spinning Speed/Belt Speed

Melt Blowing Process

Is similar to spunbonding, but fabric has much better barrier and lower strength Uses a high-velocity stream of air to force the filaments away from the spinneret face Fibers are attenuated by air-stream to a degree of fineness much smaller than typical extruded textile fibers Fibers (typically 1-5 microns) are deposited onto a condenser/conveyer belt and bonded before takeup Makes a web with very fine pore-structure and large surface area Suitable for absorption and filtration applications

Melt Blowing Process

Wet-laid Process
Water is used to deposit a fibrous web onto a condenser screen Similar concept of papermaking process

by suspending fibers in water, and then draining the suspension through a condensing screen

Wet -lay Process

Fiber Length for Wet-lay Process

Need less than 1/4 inch (normal textile process > 1inch) Long fibers (1/2 to 1 inch) need very high dilution ratio Longer than 1 inch is impractical on ordinary paper machines

Wet-laid Fabrics
Are made of a variety of saturation substrates Glass fiber or mixtures of wood pulp and other fibers Absorbent wiping materials Glass fiber mats for roofing products

Fiber Bonding
Fibers in a batt without interlacing - the batt has little strength Fiber bonding is necessary to develop strength in a batt: Needle punching Hydroentanglement Adhesive application The fiber may be its own adhesive

Needlepunching Process
Barbs on needles catch fibers on the surface of the batt, push them into the center, densify structure and produce strength through entanglement a bed plate supports the web and a stripper plate strips the fabric off the needles as they are withdrawn

needling can be done from both sides of the fabric penetration of needles does not have to be perpendicular to the sheet structure

Needlepunching

Needles

Hydroentanglement Process
Employs fine jets of water to push fibers from the surface toward the interior of the fabric An apertured fabric is produced by more powerful jet and an appropriate backing screen Less forceful jets produce entanglement without completely penetrating the fabric Batt must be supported when struck by water stream Water stream does not exert as great a force on fibers as that of needlepunching

Hydroentanglement
The size, spacing, and height of the knuckles on the conveyor or plate surface have a major influence on ability of the fibers to entangle, and the appearance of the fabric Less dense and more flexible than those produced by needlepunching Referred to as spunlaced fabric Can be used to bond relatively thin fabrics

Hydroentanglement

Hydroentanglement Jets

Hydroetanglement wire

Hydroentanglement wire

Hydroentanglement wire

Adhesives
Provide structural integrity to nonwovens Bind the fiber together Are included as either a secondary treatment, or in the form of adhesive-containing fibers Solid form (powders or fibers): in the finished fabric Liquid form: in the batt (melts, solution emulsions, suspensions, pastes and foams) The form determines the process used for application

Application of Liquid Adhesives

Spraying Dipping and squeezing Printing (kiss-rolls, screen, gravure) Foam application

Spray bonding

Thermal Bonding
Thermoplastic materials are activated by either convective, conductive, or radiant heating An engraved roll provides point bonding, while a smooth roll tends to bond the entire area Hot air forced through the fabric (convection) to melt adhesive without producing excessive compression Infra-red heating (radiant) minimizes compression. Works best on relatively thin or low-density materials Ultrasonic energy can also be used to fuse materials, usually in a point bonded pattern

Through-air Thermal Bonding

Through air bonding

Calendar Bonding

Engraved rolls

Nonwoven Fabrics

Nonwoven Fabric Manufacturing Options

Fiber Selection
Abaca Acetate Acrylic Aramid Coir Elastomer Flax Glass Hemp Jute Lyocell Melamine Metallic Modacrylic Nylon Cotton PBI PBT PE PEN PET PLA PP PTT pulp rayon sulfar triacetate urethane vinyon wool

Web Formation
Carding parallel scrambled random Crosslap Airlay Wetlay Spunbond Meltblown Film Net

Bonding
Needlepunch Hydroentangle Stitchbond Spray Saturate Print Foam Calender Thruair Ultrasonic

Finishing
Hydrophilic Hydrophobic Repellent Flame Retard Coating Antimicrobial Dye Print Corrugate Emboss Compact Crepe Flock Plasma Encapsulate

At What Speeds?

SpunMelt > 300-1000 metres per minute 5 to 6 metres wide High Speed Cards > 300-400 metres per minute 5 to 6 metres wide Other processes have to become compatible for these to work. These include winding, bonding, etc

Auto Air Filteration micronAir particle filters,

with their higharrestance 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.

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.

Air filters for intake, exhaust and recirculated air filtration in indoor climate control systems:

Indoor Climate Control and Air Filtration

filter mats pocket filters activated-carbon combination filters cassette filters HEPA/ULPA filters depth-loading filter cartridges high-temperature filters

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.

Special Filtration
Respirators Vacuum cleaners Kitchen hood filters

Hygiene

Baby diapers Incontinence products Feminine hygiene items

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.

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.

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.

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 thermotapes, and in an electrically conductive versions for Heat-barrier protection.

Acoustic Nonwovens
o Optimized noise damping ranks among the most important requirements for the architects and engineers designing modern-day offices, administration buildings, airports and communication centers. o The structure and low weight of acoustic nonwovens offer a significant advantage in perforated ceiling systems compared to conventional soundproofing materials.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Functionalizing Surfaces
Topical Finishes staple fibers ( typically done by fiber producer) SpunMelt fabrics - require an added step in the process Surface Modifications Atmospheric Plasma Cold Plasma Electron Beam Increased Surface Area Smaller Fibres Micro and Nano fibres Melt Additives Staple fibers SpunMelt fabrics

Enabling Technologies
The 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

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

Classification

Side-by-side Sheath-core Segmented-pie Islands-in-the-sea Tipped Segmented-ribbon

Segment-Pie: Splitting by Carding

Card-splittable fiber before splitting

Card-splittable fiber after carding

Increased Surface Area

Evolon The Next Generation

Evolon is a newly patented, award winning method for manufacturing

Evolon The Technology

16 Sector PIE ~ 0.1 dtex

2 Sector S/S ~ 1 dtex

Increased Surface Area: How About Nano Fibers?

Electrospinning 10 to 200 nm Meltblowing 500 nm to 10 m Bicomponent Fibres 200 nm to 1000 nm Bicomponent Fibres in Spunbonding Bicomponent Fibres in Meltblowing

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

2000 Islands-in-the-sea As-spun Fiber

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

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

Composite Nonwovens Made From Fibers & Filaments: Examples

Thinsulate from 3M composed of large fibers + sub-denier fibers Synthetic leather composed of Spunlaced splittable fibers

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

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)

Spunbond + Spunlace Hydroknit ( KC)

Coform A Great Example

Layered Composites: Examples

Spunlaced fabrics made of wood pulp and Synthetic Fibres 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

Composite Nonwovens 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)

mposite omposite Nonwovens With Particulate

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.

Thank You