|
|
| Issue date:12/04/2010 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Apr 2010 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
| by S.Sakthivel, S. Prakash and L. Karthikeyan |
|
| The nonwoven industry has grown exponentially in recent years, offering a wide variety of products to a diverse market, from medical applications to acoustic ceilings |
 |
| Honeycomb design absorbs both high and low frequencies |
|
|
|
When we think of textile fabrics, most of us associate them with the traditional classifications - woven, knit, braided and tufted structures. Unlike the traditional fabric forming process, in which fibers are first made into yarns, a nonwoven material is formed directly from fibers. Nonwoven materials offer a number of advantages over traditional fabrics, cost saving being the most obvious.
Nonwovens for medical applications stand out for numerous advantages it offers, both with regard to user requirements and material properties. Apart from the characteristics of comfort and kindness to the skin, the range of other special properties includes non-adherent compress surfaces and high absorbency. This helps make compresses ideal for the care of both dry and secretary wounds, since blood and secretions are passed on to the absorbent pad, thanks to the special fiber structure.
Additionally, there are nonwoven abrasives that serve a specialized and highly necessary function of preparing and applying the final surface finish, which can be critical to the performance and appearance of the work piece. These products are manufactured using a web of nylon fibers that are bonded together with synthetic resins. The fibers are impregnated with abrasive grain, producing a durable, cushioned, three-dimensional material that is pliable and conformable to the work piece. Nonwoven abrasives can be ideal for deburring, cleaning and imparting the desired finish to a variety of materials.
Medical applications
For fast care of wounds
The features of nonwovens for backings and wound pads in wound dressings, for instance, are the particular advantages offered by the material: these are easy to process, permeable to air, non-adherent to wounds and highly absorbent – properties. Medical products for care of wounds that are based on nonwovens are put into use both in post-operative wound care and in treatment of minor injuries.
Backings
Nonwovens used as backings for medical uses such as wound dressings and plaster strips can be coated with adhesive and have a high tensile strength. This means further processing is simple and effective. In practice soft and flexible nonwovens conform perfectly to the contours of the body. Nonwoven backings have excellent abrasion properties and a water repellent finish. Nonwovens can sterilize and are available in both white and beige.
Cover stock
Where manufacture of absorbent compresses with particularly high absorbency of secretions is concerned, the outstanding feature is the open-pore nonwoven structure, which ensures optimum flow of secretions to the absorbent layer in clinical applications. This helps the cover stock make debridement even faster. Debridement is the process of removing non-living tissue from pressure ulcers, burns, and other wounds. At the same time, the non-adherent properties of the soft and gentle nonwovens are invaluable in the wound healing process.
Nonwovens for compresses and cover stock:
• without bonding agents
• soft and kind to the skin
• non-adherent to the wound
• absorbent facilitating a fast flow of secretions
• sterilisable
• various surface structures
Adhesive tape substrates
The adhesive tape substrates offer outstanding features such as comfort for the patient and kindness to the skin. Easy to use and to tear off, nonwoven adhesive tape substrates made from wet-laid nonwovens have been used for years in the medical dressings industry and in clinical applications every day, for example, to secure dressings or tubes.
A soft nonwoven substrate is produced from carefully selected raw materials. Breathable substrate provides the basis for the final product. An adhesive tape is kind to the skin since it is breathable, and this helps prevent skin irritations such as macerations, which can happen when air is not allowed to circulate. Another advantage in everyday use is the water repellent property of the nonwovens used: even when damp, adhesive tapes made from nonwovens do not need to be changed immediately.
Nonwovens used as substrates to produce functional end products offer multiple advantages, for example, they are easy to use, can be coated with adhesive and/or water-repellent finish if desired. These products are also breathable and kind to the skin.
The different mixes of raw materials used for producing nonwovens make welding with the pouch uncomplicated regardless manufacturing technique is used. Nonwovens are easy to process and do not fray. Outstanding qualities in use are comfort and good functionality. Among the prime features are their water repellent surface and good abrasion properties. The softness of nonwoven cover gives them a pleasant feel on the skin. Nonwovens for pouch covers are generally available in either white or beige. They can be printed so that individual requirements for customizing can be satisfied.
Active charcoal filters
Active charcoal filters ensure that the gases are adsorbed, and unpleasant odors are thus prevented. This gives the patient a high degree of confidence and comfort.
Innovative nonwovens for apparel and industrial uses
Nonwoven apparel
Nonwovens are used extensively in the apparel industry for interlinings, clothing and glove insulation, bra and shoulder padding and more. Nonwoven fabrics have been generally confined to a supportive role. However, recent researches have resulted in these fabrics with better drape, hand, durability, and stretch and recovery. The enhanced characteristics allow designers to seek new unexpected venues with this unconventional fabric. The drape of the nonwoven fabric was reported to be fairly good and further improved after finishing. Unlike woven and knit fabrics, nonwovens do not ravel and thus needs no seams, making it easy to incorporate shaped hemlines into the garment design.
Additionally, nonwoven wool fabrics are found to have market potential. The nonwoven process is about five times faster and up to 30% cheaper than conventional wool fabric production. Researchers have recently designed a special collection of 100% wool and wool rich nonwoven fabrics. Fabrics with special finishes in classic colorations were used to produce a collection of chic and elegant garments. Some fabrics undergo additional processes to create a three-dimensional patterning effect.
Acoustic ceilings
Nonwoven acoustic ceilings bring unprecedented acoustic performance, aesthetic and design community. Bridging the gap between form and function, this ceiling panel represents a new way of looking at ceilings. The circular, honeycomb construction provides exceptional acoustic performance absorbing both high and low frequencies. The panels can be available in a variety of sizes.
These acoustic mats with a surface finish of polyester nonwovens, often in white color, can resist to 95% humidity and withstand a temperature of 40°C. Moreover, it is resistant to fungal and reflects light.
They are durable and can contain recycled content. Being lightweight and recyclable, these materials add less pressure on landfills. Moreover, they contain no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and help preserve indoor air quality, bringing multiple environmental benefits to users as well as the society.
Nonwoven abrasives
Abrasive products used for finishing metal and non-metallic work pieces are generally categorized into two main groups: bonded abrasives and coated abrasives. They are often used to remove stock during the production process. Nonwoven abrasives can be considered as the third group of abrasives.
The job of nonwoven abrasives begins where other grinding products leave off. The relatively non-aggressive nature of nylon and the abrasive grit used in nonwovens make them good finishing tools. With their open mesh construction, nonwovens are waterproof, washable and resilient. They resist loading and rusting and are non-conductive.
In a standard nonwoven design, abrasive grain is uniformly dispersed throughout the nylon web, providing a continuous supply of new grain as the old grain and fibers wear away during use While 60-80 grit abrasives are considered intermediate sizes in other products, they are considered coarse for nonwoven products. Flap wheels are highly conformable to the work piece and can be used on a broad range of materials.
Nonwoven discs come in a variety of designs for many cleaning and finishing applications. Arbor hole discs are used on high-speed grinders. Extra coarse grit products may be used for removing surface rust and residue, corrosion, light weld splatter and other surface contaminants. These discs can also be ganged with spacers to form a wide wheel used to attain a blunt edge or a decorative finish. They can be used on a range of metals, including aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, chrome plate, stainless steel and titanium, as well as other hard-to-grind materials such as ceramic, glass and plastic. Used wet or dry, nonwovens enable the user to achieve a consistent, uniform finish and conformability to irregular surfaces with minimal smearing and discoloration of the work piece.
|
| We are collecting readers' comment for improving our website. If you are willing to help, please CLICK HERE to complete a survey. Your comments matter. |
|
|
|
|
| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
|
| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
|
|
|
Close
|
|
|
Write a mail to the editor : 
