According to the definition of the ISO standard, “a nonwoven is a sheet of fibres, continuous filaments, or chopped yarns of any nature or origin, that have been formed into a web by any means, and bonded together by any means, with the exception of weaving or knitting.”
What are Nonwovens
Nonwovens originate from the textile, paper and plastic industry. Over the years the production of nonwovens has developed into an important and leading industry, with important developments with regards to raw materials, production technology, treatment technology and converting.
In general the production of nonwovens is done in 3 stages:
Web formation
- Drylaid
- Spunmelt
- Spunlaid or spunbonded
- Meltblown
- Wetlaid
- Others
- Electrostatic spinning
- Flashspun
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Web bonding
- Chemical
- Thermal
- Mechanical
- Needlepunching
- Hydro-entanglement
- Stitchbonding
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Finishing treatments
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Nonwovens can have many different properties and may be used in numerous applications.
Its properties may include:
- Abrasion resistant
- Absorbent
- Antistatic
- Biodegradable
- Breathable
- Colour fast
- Conductive
- Crease resistant
- Dense
- Drapable
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- Dry cleaning
- Durable
- Dust free
- Dyeable
- Elastic
- Filtration
- Flame resistant
- Foldable
- Glueable
- Heat sealable
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- Impermeable
- Ironable
- Kind to skin
- Light – Lint free
- Liquid repellent
- Long-lasting
- Mouldable
- Non-conductive
- Non-fading
- Permeable
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- Porous
- Printable
- Protective
- Resilient
- Rot and mildrew resistant
- Sewable
- Smooth
- Soft
- Stable
- Sterilisable
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- Stiff
- Stretchable
- Strong
- Tear resistant
- UV-resistant
- Washable
- Weatherproof
- Weldable
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Its applications may include:
- Absorbent hygiene products
- Diapers
- Feminine hygiene
- TamponsIncontinence
- products
- Agriculture and horticulture
- Crop cover products
- Plant protection
- Seed blankets
- Weedcontrol fabrics
- Greenhouse shading
- Rootcontrol fabrics
- Biodegradable plant pots
- Capillary mats
- Landscape fabrics
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- Clothing, footwear, baggage
- Interlining
- Disposable underwear
- Shoe components
- Bag components
- Bonding agent
- Composition and care labels
- Household
- Abrasives
- Bed linen
- Blinds/curtains
- Carpets/carpet backing
- Detergent pouches
- Flooring
- Furniture
- Table linen
- Tea and coffee bags
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- Industrial
- Abrasives
- Automotive
- Building
- Cable wrapping
- Carpets/carpet backing
- Civil engineering
- Cleaning
- Coating
- Composites
- Conveyor belts
- Electronics
- Filtration
- Graphic arts
- Packaging
- Protective clothing
- Wipes
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- Medical and healthcare
- Surgical
- Drapes, wraps and packs
- Sponges
- Bed linen
- Contamination control gowns
- Lab coats
- Underpads
- Heat packs
- Fixation tapes
- Incubator mattress
- Wound care
- Drug delivery
- Personal care
- Absorbent hygiene products
- Wipes, skin care
- Depilatory strips
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