About Nonwovens

Nonwoven textiles are those which are neither woven nor knit, for example felt. General use hyphenates the word, but industrial use spells it as one word. Non-wovens are typically not strong (unless reinforced by a backing or densified). In recent years, non-woven material has become an alternative to polyurethane foam.

Non-woven fabric is typically manufactured by putting small fibers together in the form of a sheet or web, and then binding them either mechanically (as in the case of felt, by interlocking them with serrated needles such that the inter-fiber friction results in a stronger fabric), with an adhesive, or thermally (by applying binder (in the form of powder, paste, or polymer melt) and melting the binder onto the web by increasing temperature).

Raw material

Non-woven materials are nowadays mainly produced from man-made fibers. Two synthetic polymers dominate the market: polypropylene (PP) and polyesters (mainly PET). Nonwovens are often application-designated as either durable or disposable. For example, nonwovens used as housewraps to prevent water infiltration are durable nonwovens. Nonwovens used as facings on baby diapers are disposable or single-use nonwovens.

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