Nonwoven fabrics are broadly defined as sheet or web structures bonded together by mechanical entanglement, chemical, thermal, or other means. Unlike traditional fabrics, the fibers are not first converted to yarn and then woven or knitted into a fabric. Instead, a porous sheet or web is made directly from separate fibers. The process of manufacturing nonwovens is made up of two basic steps; 1) web forming, where loose fibers are laid out on a moving porous belt, or drums to create a uniform sheet, and 2) web bonding, where an adhesive or entanglement process is applied to bond the laid out fibers together to create a stable web, or sheet, of material. This course covers some of the different web bonding processes which are used.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- List the three general classifications of web bonding used to manufacture nonwovens
- List the three different techniques for apply binder to a nonwoven web
- Describe solvent bonding
- Describe thermal bonding
- List some of the techniques for heating and bonding a nonwoven web
- List the three general types of mechanical bonding
- Describe the two general types of finishing processes
- List some of the benefits that can come from nonwoven finishing