Non Woven Fabric: Definition, Benefits and Types

What is non woven material? The term may be unfamiliar to some people, or you may be hearing it for the first time. So what is non woven fabric like, what is it used for and how does it differ from other fabrics? Let’s discuss it together.

What Is Non Woven Fabric?

In the textile industry and manufacturing, the name non woven is used for fabric that is not woven or knitted, but technically made from short and long fibers bonded together through various mechanical and chemical processes.

The material is called nonwoven because it is not made by sewing and not woven like conventional fabric.

Non woven is made using a thermal method, followed by stages such as applying solvents, applying chemicals and mechanical treatment.

Non woven is a fiber material whose main raw materials are polyester (PET) or polypropylene (PP) polymers, which are very commonly used.

Read Also: What Are the Differences Between Non Woven and Woven?

Looking at the manufacturing process in detail, non woven usually starts with arranging the fibers into a sheet or web. The fibers are either staple fibers packed into bales or filament fibers extruded from molten polymer pellets.

Benefits of Non Woven Fabric

Non Woven fabric can be used in everyday life and, in principle, for many purposes. Here are some of them:

• Household products such as bath mats, blankets, kitchen towels, mops, wet wipes and tablecloths.
• As a wrapping material, for example on PVC pipe, book covers, HDPE pipe and Corrugated Pipe.
• In industry or factories, it is found in shoe cleaning cloths, tissues, wipes, PPE and industrial rags.
• It can also be used for personal care, such as tampons, baby diapers and sanitary pads.
• In the food and pharmaceutical industries, it is used for pharmaceutical filters, tea bags and coffee bags.

Types of Non Woven Fabric

Spunbond

Spunbond fabric, or spunbond lining, is a type of non woven fabric widely used to make simple bags. It is chosen because it is thick, strong and fairly cheap. Why choose this material? Because it has many advantages over other types.

Read Also: Woven Geotextile: Functions and Applications

Interfacing Fabric

Non woven Interfacing is a lining or additional fabric usually used to stiffen the clothes we wear every day. Interfacing comes in two types: with adhesive and without adhesive. Which one you use depends on your needs.

Non Woven Felt

Felt (flannel) fabric is not woven, but goes through heating and steaming processes that produce fabric in a variety of textures and types. Non Woven felt comes in different types: plain and patterned.

Non Woven and Its Characteristics

Somewhat different from common woven textiles, non woven material generally has a number of special, more detailed characteristics that  other materials may not have.

• Non woven has fairly high stability, high absorbency, flexibility, durability, water resistance, fire resistance, washability, filtration capability and even anti-bacterial properties.
• Some of these characteristics can be combined to create the most suitable fabric for a particular type of work.

Nonwoven fabrics have different service lives, which can be matched to each need, from single-use to very long-lasting. Although it is not woven or knitted, this material can still resemble woven fabric in texture and toughness.