Nonwoven composites:
The
answer really depends on whom you ask. Some describe them as the marriage of
two different technologies in one process line while others rely on a
post-production processing step to develop a substrate with multiple
capabilities. Other composites contain multiple substrates, made on entirely
different lines. These substrates could be different types of nonwovens or
combine a nonwoven with another type of fabric like a film or a woven. Whatever
the means, the combination of multiple technologies is allowing nonwovens to
penetrate areas once unheard of while helping users of nonwovens simplify their
businesses.
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| Non-woven Composite |
One
example of new market area being penetrated through composites is wall
coverings , a market long dominated by paper. Multilayer wetlaid technology has
been used to create wall coverings with ease of pasting and removal, printing
and converting and visual properties. These enable countless design
opportunities. Other areas of success in composite technology have included
hygiene, medical, construction, wipes and filtration--to name a few. In fact,
nearly every market out there has been relying more on higher tech composite
technology as customers are demanding more sophisticated products to
differentiate themselves .In today's world, the requirements of different
industries are too complicated and sophisticated that no one nonwovens
technology alone is capable of meeting them. This has created a need for
composites, or the marriage of different nonwovens technology, which is an
important step.The composite products are mostly value-added products as they
fulfill needs that others can't.
Nonwoven
composite fabric manufacturing is the fastest and the most economical way of
converting fibers to fabrics. To offer more than one function in the same
fabric has always been a dream for nonwovens producers. Since its inception,
the nonwovens market has become increasingly demanding, and only through
composite structures are the producers able to offer the best solution to major
converters.
Nonwoven
composite fabrics, when properly designed and processed, offer both technical
and economic advantages, especially in the area of functional apparel. From an economics standpoint, the production of
nonwoven fabrics and their composites is known to be more efficient than
traditional textile processes, with many fewer steps (less than 5) and faster
production rates with machine speeds over 100 feet per minute. From a technology standpoint, multiple layers
of fibers with varying functionalities, such as water repellent or absorbent
and fire retardant, can be incorporated to provide unique structures that are
not possible to manufacture by traditional yarn spinning and weaving
techniques.
From
filtration and medical end uses to wiping and protective applications,
composite nonwovens have earned a solid reputation among nonwoven consumers for
their versatility, performance and quality. The art of combining various
nonwoven layers with and without support scrim through hydroentangling for
multiple end use application is already established in the literature.
Different nonwoven layers or webs, such as spunlaid or spunbonded, carded,
wet-laid and needle-punched, can be combined with and without reinforcing scrim
or nonwovens to provide unique composite structures for various end use
applications. With composites, you can produce very special fabrics to fulfill different
technical requirements which can’t be possible with standard fabrics.
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