Nonwoven—A Environmentally Friendly Material
Nonwoven is a new type environmentally-friendly material, which is characterized by water repellency, breathabiltiy，flexibility，incombustible, rich colors and innocuity, no stimulation.are fabrics that are made up of a fabric-like material made from long fibers, bonded together by chemical, mechanical, heat or solvent treatment. The nonwoven is used withinside in the textile manufacturing enterprise to indicate fabrics, which include felt, that are neither woven nor knitted. Non-woven substances usually lack strength except densified or bolstered through a backing.
This material by natural decomposition, if placed outdoors, the longest life span of only 90 days, placed indoors requires 8 years. It burning non-toxic, tasteless, and without any residues ,therefore it does not pollute the environment.learn more(wikipedia)
Nonwoven is a soft, breathable and planar structure of New Type fiber products. The advantages not only not to produce lint, tough, durable, silky soft, but also is a kind of reinforcement, feeling like cotton, compared with cotton, nonwoven bags easier forming, and cheap cost.
On the environment, most currently used raw materials are polypropylene non-woven fabric, but plastic bags made by polyethylene. Although both names are similar, but in chemical structure is quite different.
Chemical structure of polyethylene has a strong stability, hardly decomposes in the nature. Totally degradable plastic bag must take 300 years. Polypropylene has a weak chemical structure, molecular chains can easily break, so it can effectively degrade and in nontoxic form into the next cycle. A nonwoven shopping bag can decompose completely within 90 days. What’s more, nonwoven shopping bags can be reused more than 10 times, and Contamination Level is 10% of plastic bags.
Nonwoven fabrics have a number of different applications, including medical and hygiene products, geotextiles, and filtration fabrics. Non-woven fabrics have been increasingly used in the garment industry, where they are used as protective clothing in industrial and domestic situations.
Non-woven fabrics provide specific functions such as absorbency, liquid repellency, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame retardancy, washability, cushioning, filtering, bacterial barrier and sterility.
Non-woven fabrics can be produced by a number of different methods. The methods differ depending on the type of fiber that is used.
Types of Non-Woven Fabrics
Non-woven fabrics can be classified under the following types:
- Spunlace
- Spunbond (meltblown)
- Needlepunch
- Compressed Air
- Bonded Fiber
- Needlepunch
Needlepunch non-woven fabrics are produced by mechanically bonding fibers together. The fibers are forced through holes in a perforated metal plate.
Compressed air non-woven fabrics are produced by passing polymer melt through small nozzles. The polymer melt solidifies on contact with the air.
Bonded fiber non-woven fabrics are produced by bonding fibers together by heat, glue, or ultrasonic energy.
- Spunlace
Spunlace non-woven fabrics are produced by hydro-entangling fibers to produce non-woven fabrics. Spunlace non-woven fabrics are generally used for hygiene products.
- Spunbond (Meltblown)
Spunbond non-woven fabrics are produced by extruding polymer melt through small nozzles. The polymer melt solidifies on contact with the air.
Meltblown non-woven fabrics are produced by extruding polymer melt through small nozzles. The polymer melt solidifies on contact with the air.
Non-woven fabrics can also be classified under the following types:
- Monofilament
- Multifilament
Monofilament non-woven fabrics are made by winding continuous filaments into a net.
Multifilament non-woven fabrics are made by spreading continuous filaments onto a screen.
Non-woven fabrics can also be classified under the following types.
- Woven
- Knitted
Woven non-woven fabrics are made by weaving fibers or filaments into a fabric.
Knitted non-woven fabrics are produced by interlocking loops of yarn.
Non-woven Fabrics in the Apparel Industry
Non-woven fabrics have been increasingly used in the apparel industry. They are often combined with other materials, such as cotton, to produce garments.
Non-woven fabrics have a number of advantages over conventional fabrics. Their properties vary according to the type of fabric.
Non-woven fabrics generally possess the following properties:
- Breathability
- Absorbency
- Softness
- Durability
Non-woven fabrics also have the following advantages:
- Low cost
- Low maintenance
Non-woven fabrics have a number of disadvantages:
Not as soft as conventional fabrics
Care must be taken when washing and ironing to avoid damage to the fabric.
Non-woven fabrics were first used in the apparel industry in the manufacture of protective garments. Protective garments have a number of uses in the domestic environment, including protective clothing for painting, domestic cleaning, gardening, and DIY projects.
