An average person is unlikely to be
familiar with the term Nonwovens and a few decades back there were no
experts in this field. When the consumer hears the term Nonwovens it makes him
think of something, which is not like traditional woven fabrics, something
modern, advanced, hygienic, but he is not aware of any specific types of
materials among those which carry the same name. But now the precise meaning of
the term is somewhat clearer to the experts. According to the experts,
Nonwovens is a class of textiles/sheet products, unique in industry, which is
defined in the negative; that is, they are defined in what they are not.
Nonwovens fabrics are different than the conventional textile fabrics and
paper. Nonwovens are not based on yarns and (with frequent exceptions) do not
contain yarns. They are based on webs of individual fibers. Nonwovens are
different than paper in that nonwovens usually consist entirely or at least
contain a sizeable proportion of long fibers and/or they are bonded
intermittently along the length of the fibers. Although paper consists of fiber
webs, the fibers are bonded to each other so completely that the entire sheet
comprises one unit. In nonwovens we have webs of fibers where fibers are not as
rigidly bonded and to a large degree act as individuals.
The definitions of the nonwovens most
commonly used nowadays are those by the Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics
Industry (INDA) and the European Disposables and Nonwovens Association (EDANA).
INDA definition:
Nonwovens are a sheet, web, or bat of
natural and/or man-made fibers or filaments, excluding paper, that have not
been converted into yarns, and that are bonded to each other by any of several
means.
The various methods for bonding are:
a) Adding an adhesive
b) Thermally fusing the fibers or
filaments to each other or to the other meltable fibers or powders.
c) Fusing fibers by first dissolving, and
then resolidifying their surfaces.
d) Creating physical tangles or tuft among
the fibers.
e) Stitching the fibers or filaments in
place.
EDANA definition:
Nonwovens are a manufactured sheet, web or bat of directionally or
randomly oriented fibers, bonded by friction, and/or cohesion and/or adhesion,
excluding paper or products which are woven, knitted, tufted stitch bonded
incorporating binding yarns or filaments, or felted by wet milling, whether or not
additionally needled. The fibers may be of natural or man-made origin. They may
be staple or continuous or be formed in situ.