Nonwoven fabric is a fabric-like material made from lengthy fibers, bonded
together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. In simple terms,
they are textiles made from fibers or threads joined together without weaving.
Nonwoven materials classically lack strength unless densified or toughened by a
backing. In recent years, nonwovens have become an alternative to polyurethane
foam.
Nowadays nonwoven fabrics are mostly used as home furnishing fabrics.
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are described as sheet or web structures bonded together by entangling fiber or
filaments (and by perforating films) mechanically, thermally or chemically.
They are flat, porous sheets that are made directly from separate fibers or
from molten plastic or plastic film. They are not made by weaving or knitting
and do not require converting the fibers to yarn. Typically, a certain
percentage of recycled fabrics and oil-based materials are used in nonwoven
fabrics. The percentage of recycled fabrics varies based upon the strength of
material needed for the specific use. Conversely, some nonwoven fabrics can be
recycled after use, given the proper treatment and facilities. For this reason,
some consider nonwovens a more ecological fabric for certain applications,
especially in fields and industries where disposable or single use products are
important, such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes and luxury accommodations.
Nonwoven fabrics are engineered fabrics that may be a limited life, single-use
fabric or a very durable fabric. Nonwoven fabrics provide specific functions
such as absorbency, liquid repellence, resilience, stretch, softness, strength,
flame retardancy, washability, cushioning, filtering, use as a bacterial
barrier and sterility. These properties are often combined to create fabrics
suited for specific jobs, while achieving a good balance between product life
and cost. They can mimic the appearance, texture and strength of a woven fabric
and can be as bulky as the thickest paddings. In combination with other
materials they provide a spectrum of products with diverse properties and are
used alone or as components of apparel, home furnishings, health care,
engineering, industrial and consumer goods.
Types of nonwoven fabrics: Nonwovens, depending on the production process can
be divided into:
? Materials produced by physicochemical methods; and
? Mechanically produced materials.
Materials produced by physicochemical methods
Most nonwoven materials, are made by binding fibers with adhesives. The most
common glued materials are those based on fibrous cloth (a layer of textile
fibers whose weight is 10–1000 gsm and more). The cloth is most often formed
mechanically from several layers of combed fibers passing through the dotting
drum of a combing machine. Fibrous cloth may be produced by the aerodynamic
method in which the fibers are removed from the drum of the combing machine by
a stream of air and transferred to a mesh drum (condenser) or a horizontal mesh
with a maximum speed of up to 100 m/min, or by water dispersion of the fibers
on the mesh of a paper machine.