PRESENTATION ON

MANUFACTURING

PROCESS OF NONWOVEN FABRIC

SUBMITTED BY:
NAME MD. Shariful Islam MD. Ariful Islam K.M. Javed Hossain Mafizul Islam Arif Tanvirul Islam Sujan Candra Paul

ID 2009200400097 2009200400111 2009200400084 2009200400062 2009200400088 2009200400089

INTRODUCTION
Nonwoven fabrics are broadly defined as sheet or web structures bonded together by entangling fibre or filaments mechanically, thermally or chemically. They are flat, porous sheets that are made directly from separate fibres or from molten plastic or plastic film. Conversely, some nonwoven fabrics can be recycled after use, given the proper treatment and facilities.. There are several technologies, such as meltblowing and spunbonding available for the production of long-life nonwovens with micro-sized fibers.Micro-fiber cleaning products have already made a huge impact in both the industrial and household cleaning markets.

WHAT IS A NONWOVEN?

A number of definitions have been drafted to help in distinguishing nonwovens from The Textile Institute defines nonwovens, in general, as ...textile structures made directly from fibre rather than yarn. Fabrics are normally made from continuous filaments or from fibre webs or batts strengthened by bonding using various techniques: these include adhesive bonding, mechanical interlocking by needling or fluid jet entanglement, thermal bonding and stitch bonding. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM D 1117-80) defines a nonwoven fabric as: A textile structure produced by bonding or interlocking of fibers, or both, accomplished by mechanical, chemical, or solvent means and combinations there of.

CLASSIFICATION OF NON WOVEN

PROPERTIES OF NONWOVEN FABRICS PRODUCED USING DIFFERENT FIBROUS MATTER:

MANUFACTURING PROCCES OF NON WOVEN FABRIC

Nonwovens are typically manufactured by putting small fibers together in the form of a sheet or web (similar to paper on a paper machine), and then binding them either mechanically (as in the case of felt, by interlocking them with serrated needles such that the inter-fiber friction results in a stronger fabric), with an adhesive, or thermally (by applying binder (in the form of powder, paste, or polymer melt) and melting the binder onto the web by increasing temperature).

STAPLE NONWOVEN
Staple nonwovens are made in 2 steps. Fibers are first spun, cut to a few centimeters length, and put into bales. These bales are then dispersed on a conveyor belt, and the fibers are spread in a uniform web by a wetlaid process or by carding. Wetlaid operations typically use 1/4" to 3/4" long fibers, but sometimes longer if the fiber is stiff or thick. Carding operations typically use ~1.5" long fibers. Rayon used to be a common fiber in nonwovens, now greatly replaced by PET and PP. Fiberglass is wetlaid into mats for use in roofing and shingles. Synthetic fiber blends are wetlaid along with cellulose for single-use fabrics. Staple nonwovens are bonded by using either resin or thermally. Bonding can be throughout the web by resin saturation or overall thermal bonding or in a distinct pattern via resin printing or thermal spot bonding. Conforming with staple fibers usually refers to a combination with meltblown, often used in high-end textile insulations. Melt Blown non wovens are produced by extruding melted polymer fibers through a spin net or die consisting of up to 40 holes per inch to form long thin fibers which are stretched and cooled by passing hot air over the fibers as they fall from the die. Often melt blown is added to spun bond to form SM or SMS webs, which are strong and offer the intrinsic benefits of fine fibers such as fine filtration, low pressure drop as used in face masks or filters and physical benefits such as acoustic insulation as used in dishwashers.

SPUNLAID NONWOVEN
Spunlaid nonwovens are made in one continuous process. Fibers are spun and then directly dispersed into a web by deflectors or can be directed with air streams. This technique leads to faster belt speeds, and cheaper costs. Several variants of this concept are available, but the leading technology is the REICOFIL machinery[2]. PP spun bonds run faster and at lower temperatures than PET spun bonds, mostly due to the difference in melting points. Spunbond has been combined with melt blown nonwovens, conforming them into a layered product called SMS (spun-melt-spun). Melt blown nonwovens have extremely fine fiber diameters but are not strong fabrics. SMS fabrics, made completely from PP are water-repellent and fine enough to serve as disposable fabrics. Meltblown is often used as filter media, being able to capture very fine particles. Spunlaid is bonded by either resin or thermally. Regarding the bonding of Spunlaid, Rieter [3] has launched a new generation of nonwovens called Spunjet. In fact, Spun jet is the bonding of the Spunlaid filaments thanks to the hydro entanglement

BONDING
Both staple and spunlaid nonwovens would have no mechanical resistance, per se, without the bonding step. Several methods can be used:

thermal bonding

using a large oven for curing calendaring through heated rollers (called spun bond when combined with spun laid), calendars can be smooth faced for an overall bond or patterned for a softer, more tear resistant bond

hydro-entanglement: mechanical intertwining of fibers by water jets (called spunlace) ultrasonic pattern bonding, often used in high-loft or fabric insulation/quilts/bedding

needle felt: mechanical intertwining of fibers by needles chemical bonding (wetland process): use of binders to chemically join the fibers. A more expensive route uses binder fibers or powders that soften and melt to hold other non-melting fibers together one type of cotton staple nonwoven is treated with sodium hydroxide to shrink bond the mat, the caustic causes the cellulose-based fibers to curl and shrink around one another as the bonding technique melt blown is very weakly bonded from the air attenuated fibers interchanging with themselves during web formation as well as the temporary tackiness when they are forming

WET LAID
In the wet lay or wet forming process, fibers are suspended in water, brought to a forming unit where the water is drained off through a screen and the fibers deposited on the wire, and then picked off the wire to be dried. Processing synthetic or inorganic fibers in slurry form creates interesting challenges. As a general rule, these fibers do not wet out readily, are difficult to disperse, and tend to tangle with one another. Consequently, very high water dilutions are necessary to keep the fibers apart in the water suspension. If not handled properly, the fibers will tangle and poor sheet formation will result.

DRY LAID
Web drying and binder activation is usually accomplished with steam heated cans. High synthetic content webs frequently bag or stretch during drying on multiple steam cans. Ovens or other air drying devices, including the use of infrared, are employed for specialty nonwoven production. At the end of the processing line, calendar or creeping rolls are often placed to density, smooth, and soften the fabric. Air laid systems designed to handle pulplength fibers employ mechanical defribrators such as pin mills, disc refiners, and hammer mills housed in close proximity to a perforated screen to disperse the fibers. When the fibers have been sufficiently dispersed, they pass through the screen into a controlled air steam and onto a forming wire. For these systems, fiber rigidity is required to avoid fiber tangling by air currents.

SPINNING AND WEB FORMATION

Spunbonding combines fiber spinning with web formation by placing the bonding device in line with spinning. In some arrangements the web is bonded in a separate step which, at first glance, appears to be less efficient. However, this arrangement is more flexible if more than one type of bonding is applied to the same web. The spinning process is similar to the production of continuous filament yarns and utilizes similar extruder conditions for a given polymer. Fibers are formed as the molten polymer exits the spinnerets and is quenched by cool air. The objective of the process is to produce a wide web and, therefore, many spinnerets are placed side by side to generate sufficient fibers across the total width. The grouping of spinnerets is often called a block or bank. In commercial production two or more blocks are used in tandem in order to increase the coverage of fibers.Before deposition on a moving belt or screen, the output of a spinneret usually consists of a hundred or more individual filaments which must be attenuated to orient molecular chains within the fibers to increase fiber strength and decrease

This is accomplished by rapidly stretching the plastic fibers immediately after exiting the spinneret. In practice the fibers are accelerated either mechanically or pneumatically. In most processes the fibers are pneumatically accelerated in multiple filament bundles; however, other arrangements have been described where a linearly aligned row or rows of individual filaments is pneumatically accelerated.In traditional textile spinning some orientation of fibers is achieved by winding the filaments at a rate of approximately 3,200 m/min to produce partially oriented yarns (POY). The POYs can be mechanically drawn in a separate step for enhancing strength. In spunbond production filament bundles are partially oriented by pneumatic acceleration speeds of 6,000 m/min or higher. Such high speeds result in partial orientation and high rates of web formation, particularly for lightweight structures (17 g/m2). The formation of wide webs at high speeds is a highly productive operation.

THERMAL BONDED NONWOVEN FABRICS

The thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics are used extensively in manufacturing disposable hygienic products. ONW's thermal bonded nonwoven fabric is made of polypropylene fibre, rayon and bi-component PE / PP fibres. Our thermal bonding process involves the application of heat and pressure on the fibre web to produce nonwoven fabric using calendar rollers consisting of a heated male embossed metal roll and a smooth surface metal roll.We supply thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics with weights from 12g/m to 60g/m, and with lengths of between 1,000m and 6,000m per roll. Our thermal bonded nonwovens have a maximum diameter range of 800mm and can be slit into different width as per customers' requirements. We offer thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics of 80mm to 1,800mm width.Our thermal bonded nonwovens are used for manufacturing baby and adult diapers and surgical apparel that include caps, gowns and masks, sanitary napkins and wet wipes.

HOT AIR BONDED NONWOVEN FABRICS

Our hot air bonded nonwoven fabrics are made of bi-component PE / PP fibres and bi-component PP / CO-PP fibres. The hot air bonding process involves the application of hot air, which flows through the fibre web to produced nonwoven fibre by using hot air oven.Hot air bonded nonwoven fabrics, properties include absorbency, liquid repellence, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame retardance, cushioning, filtering, bacterial barrier and sterility.We supply hot air bonded nonwoven fabrics having weight range between 18g/m to 50g/m and length range between 1,000m to 4,000m per roll. The hot air bonded nonwoven fabrics have a maximum diameter range of 800mm and can be slit into different widths as per customers' requirements. We offer hot air bonded nonwoven fabrics having width range between 30mm to 1,800mm.

BASIC PRINCIPLE:
A needle punched nonwoven is a fabric made from webs or batts of fibers in which some of the fibers have been driven upward or downward by barbed needles. This needling action interlocks fibers and holds the structure together by friction forces.

FIGURE 1 PRINCIPLE OF NEEDLE PUNCHING

Binding point is a set of fibers with various orientation, which are bonded by friction forces.

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF NEEDLE PUNCHING

TECHNOLOGY

In needle punching the bonding of the fiber web is the result of intertwining of the fibers and of the inter fiber friction caused by the compression of the web. The phases of needle punching process are shown in figure

FIGURE . PHASES OF NEEDLE PUNCHING MECHANISM

FINISHING
Nonwoven web forming and bonding processes produce fabric in continuous lengths at widths greater than most product applications require. In tandem with these primary processes or off-line as separate finishing treatments, the fabric may be subjected to other operations to bring about or improve inherent properties. For logistics reasons, most nonwoven fabrics are handled in roll form. Roll dimensions are specified to accommodate end-use application or subsequent conversion processes.. Roll width is determined at the slitting operation, and roll length is determined at the winding operation. Slitting and winding are packaging processes common to all nonwoven manufacturing methods. Surface treatments adapted or borrowed directly from traditional textile, paper, or plastic finishing technologies are used to enhance fabric performance or aesthetic properties. Performance properties include functional characteristics such as moisture transport, absorbency, or repellency; flame retardancy; electrical conductivity or static propensity; abrasion resistance; and frictional behavior. Aesthetic properties include coloration, surface texture, and fragrance. Generically, fabric finishing processes can be categorized as being either chemical, mechanical, or thermomechanical. Chemical finishing involves the application of dyestuffs, pigments, or chemical coatings to fibers as well as the impregnation of fabrics with chemical additives or fillers. Mechanical finishing processes alter fabric surface texture by physically repositioning and/or trimming fibers on or near the fabric surface. Thermo-mechanical finishing involves altering fabric dimensions or physical properties through the use of heat and/or pressure.

The web is passed over a feed table, throw the drawing in rollers and via feed rollers the web is fed to needling area. Here, the web is repeatedly punctured or perforated by a battery of needles and reoriented. This operation is carried out several times minute. In modern machines it is carried out around 2000 strokes per minute. When the needling is done from above, as shown, the web is pressed against the lower boss, also known as the needle to throat plate; flat bed. The upper plate is called stripping plate or holding down plate. The needle beam supporting the needle board is situated above the needle plate and is powered by a main drive over a cam shaft. Holes are bored into the needle board to take the needles. The three sided shanks of the needles have barbs which grip the fibers as the web is perforated, and pull them through the web. As the needle return, the fibers remain in their new position virtually unchanged since the barbs only face in one direction. The deliver rollers transport the needle web from the needle zone. The material feed can be either intermittent or continues. To achieve the desired compression and bonding, it is common practice to have several needling zones in a row, one after the other, with different needle settings and direction of stitching.

WEB FORMING
In these and other systems, web consolidation (the interlocking of fibers in adjacent horizontal layers or vertical zones) can be accomplished by mechanical, chemical, or thermal means. Mechanical consolidation methods include stitch bonding, needle felting, and hydro entangling (i.e. spun lace); fiber-to-fiber bonding in this instance is friction dependent and consequently not recoverable upon appreciable deformation. Chemical bonding methods include air or airless spraying, saturation, printing, and stable or semi-stable foam bonding; fiber-to-fiber bonding in this instance is highly dependent on binder surface tension and fiber and surface energy compatibility. Further, binder properties often mask or override fiber properties. Thermal bonding methods employ radiant, convention, conductive, or sonic energy sources; fiber-to-fiber bonding in this instance is achieved through thermal fusion and (as in chemical bonding) is set or stabilized upon cooling.

END USE
Hygiene

Medical

baby diaper or nappies feminine hygiene adult incontinence products wet wipes bandages and wound dressings disposable bath and face towels disposable slippers and footwear

isolation gowns surgical gowns surgical drapes and covers surgical scrub suits caps medical packaging: porosity allows gas sterilization

END USE
Filters

gasoline, oil and air - including HEPA filtration

Other

water, coffee, tea bags pharmaceutical industry mineral processing liquid cartridge and bag filters vacuum bags allergen membranes or laminates with nonwoven layers Geotextiles soil stabilizers and roadway underlayment foundation stabilizers erosion control canals construction drainage systems geomembrane protection agriculture mulch pond and canal water barriers sand infiltration barrier for drainage tile

carpet backing, primary and secondary composites marine sail laminates tablecover laminates chopped strand mat backing/stabilizer for machine embroidery packaging where porosity is needed insulation (fiberglass batting) pillows, cushions, and upholstery padding batting in quilts or comforters consumer and medical face masks mailing envelopes tarps, tenting and transportation (lumber, steel) wrapping disposable clothing (foot coverings, coveralls) weather resistant house wrap

CONCLUSION
Nonwoven fabrics are engineered fabrics that may be a limited life, single-use fabric or a very durable fabric. Nonwoven fabrics provide specific functions such as absorbency, liquid repellence, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame retardancy, washability, cushioning, filtering, use as a bacterial barrier and sterility. These properties are often combined to create fabrics suited for specific jobs, while achieving a good balance between product use-life and cost. They can mimic the appearance, texture and strength of a woven fabric and can be as bulky as the thickest paddings. In combination with other materials they provide a spectrum of products with diverse properties, and are used alone or as components of apparel, home furnishings, health care, engineering, industrial and consumer goods.