Mechanical Bonding

Kavitha rajan
 Formation of web bonding
techniques
• As has been noted, nonwoven bonding processes can be
mechanical, chemical (including latent bonding using
solvents) or thermal.
• Hydrogen bonding is also important in bonding
cellulosic webs. The degree of bonding is a primary
factor in determining fabric mechanical properties
including strength, porosity, flexibility,softness and
density.
• Bonding may be carried out as a separate operation but is
generally carried out in line with web formation.
• More than one bonding process can be used for some
fabric constructions.
Bonding Technology in the Nonwoven
process:
• Thermal bonding uses heat often combined with pressure to soften
and then fuse or weld fibres together without inducing melting.
• Chemical bonding methods involve applying adhesive binders to
webs by saturating, spraying, printing or foaming techniques. In
solvent bonding fibre surfaces are softened or partially solvated with
chemicals to provide self- or autogeneously-bonded fibres at the
crossover points.
• Latex emulsions can also be used to bond wetlaid webs in
particular. The water-based latex emulsion is added to the dilute
fibre suspension prior to feeding into the forming wire.
• When the web is subsequently dried, the latex binder particles
form cross-links and stable bonds between the fibres.
• Hydrogen bonding uses the properties of cellulose fibre to produce
hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl groups on the molecular
surface of the fibres to bind the fibres together.
Needle Punching – Definition:

• A physical method of mechanically interlocking fibres

webs by using barbed needles to reposition some of the
fibres from a horizontal to a vertical orientation.
Thousands of needles interlock fibers in a web
• Principle of Needle Punching Process
• A needlepunched 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 binding point is a set of fibers with
various orientation, which are bonded by friction forces.
Principle of Needle Punching Process
• The needle board is the base unit into which the needles are
inserted and held. The needle board then fits into the needle
beam that holds the needle board into place.
• The feed roll and exit roll are typically driven rolls and they
facilitate the web motion as it passes through the needle loom.
The web passes through two plates, a bed plate on the bottom
and a stripper plate on the top.
• Corresponding holes are located in each plate and it is
through these holes the needles pass in and out. The bed plate
is the surface the fabric passes over which the web passes
through the loom.
• The needles carry bundles of fiber through the bed plate holes.
The stripper plate does what the name implies; it strips the
fibers from the needle so the material can advance through
the needle loom.
Appearance and degree of compression of a needle felt are mainly
influenced by:
• needle arrangement in the needle board
• needle parameters (gauge, form of barb, number of barbs)
• needling parameters (penetration depth and density, draft)
• direction of needling (from top, from bottom or from both sides)

• The number of needles in the needle board varies from 1500 to

5000 needles per meter and per board of 200 mm width.
• The needle selection should be depends upon the fineness of the
fibre.
• The proper selection of gauge, barb, point type and blade shape
(pinch blade, star blade, conical) can often give the needle punch the
added edge needed in this competitive industry.
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
Working principle of Needle punching
technology
• 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.
• Fiber length is very important. Longer the fibre lengths result in
higher strength, higher felt density and less air permeability.
• The optimum fibre length for needle felts is in the range of 50–80
mm. Very coarse fibers produce poorly consolidated structure.
• No of fibers picked up by the needle will be less; strength will be
less .With finer fibers the strength increase, more no of fibers re-
oriented into vertical structure.
• Parameters of web:
• The thickness, basis weight, bulking density and air permeability -
which provide information about compactness of fabric are
influenced by a number of factors.
• Fiber orientation: Change of dimension depends on web
anisotropy
Parameters affecting needle punching
process
• The aim of needle punching is to compress and
bind the fibers together. Needle punching
process and properties of the needled fabrics
have collected and listed as follows:
• INFLUNCING FACTORS
• Fiber Properties related to individual substances
( flexural strength, maximum tensile load and
maximum extensibility)
• Geometric properties of fibers (fineness, length,
crimp %, cross sectional shape)
• Fiber surface and friction (surface structure, finish
and dilustering)
• Fiber web Gsm, thickness, closeness, orientation of fibers,
opening of fibers.
• Needling machine Construction(needling technique, stitch angle,
material feed, arrangement of needles in needle board
• Variable machine settings (needle punch depth , numbers of barbs
going into the fleece, puncture density for double lift, length of the
material feed, effective depth in the needle fabric, punch frequency,
dia. of holes in needle plate, distance between two hole plates,
position of needle in the board position of three sided shank in
relation to length of material)
• Binding needle Type of needle ,shape arrangement and number
of barbs, thickness of needle, depth of stamp or depth of neck plus
“kick-up” of barb, needle wear
• Environment Condition in working and storage area
Technical parameters Needle machine

• 1. Penetration depth
• It changes number of working barbes
• It increases textile strenght (until some value) and decreases textile
thickness.
• When the penetration depth is too high fibers are pulled through the
textile – non uniform textile
• 2. Parameters of needles:
• 1. Proportions (length, diameter, density of barbs, size of barbs...)
• 2. Shape of needle parts (shape of working blade, shape of barbs....)
• 3. Type of needle (felting, structuring)
• 4. Location on the needle board
• 3. Position of needle boards:
• Single board system
• Tandem board system Double board system
• Twin and quadro punch system
• Special shape of needle board angled needle
penetration:
• Penetration is achieved by means of an
asymetrically curved needling zone and straight
needle movement. As advantage is possibility of
more random orientation of punched fibers and
longer needle path through the web, which
creates better fiber reorientation. Thus textile
strenght is better.
Application of needle punched
material
• Geotextiles: Road and railway construction, dams, roofing
felts, drain felts, shore protection, reinforcing felts..
• Automotive fabrics: Head liners, carpets, door trim, parcel
shelves, moulded components, insulation felts
• Hometex: Carpets, wall coverings, decor felts, wipes,
blankets...
• Synthetic leather: Shoe, automotive and upholstery industry,
luggage, bags, sport goods
• Clothing and furniture: Shoulder pads, waddings, mattresses
• Filters for gases and liquids,
• Other technical felts: polishing felts
Stitch Bonding
Definition
• Stitch bonded fabric has been defined as a fabric in which
fibres, yarns,fibres and yarns, or fibres and a ground fabric are
held together by subsequent stitching or knitting-in additional
yarns.
• The Textile Institute defines stitch bonded or ‘sew-knit’ fabric
as a multi-component fabric, one component of which is a
series of interlooped stitches running along the fabric length.
• Currently, the full range of stitch bonding equipment is produced by only
one manufacturer, with another well-known company offering a multiaxial
stitch bonding system for which they are universally recognised.
• Historically,a Russian company, which ceased trading in the 1970s,
produced a limited number of VP machines that saw operation mainly
within Eastern Europe.
• In 1964, the production of Arachne machines started in Czechoslovakia
and during the 1970s Arachne offered a full range of stitch bonding
machinery including the Arabeva, Arachne, Aranit, Arutex, Araloop and
Bicolor Araloop systems.
• This type of machine was extensively operated throughout Europe.
• According to the maliwatt technique in the German Democratic Republic [GDR] and the Arachne
technique in Czechoslovakia, stitched nonwoven materials are made by joining fibres into the
fabric, which is moving through a knitting-stitching machine, stitching with threads placed and
joined like foundation stitches on a knitting machine. Such nonwoven materials are used as thermal
insulation or packing material or as the foundation in the manufacture of quilts, blankets and
jackets.
•
• Thread-stitched nonwoven materials (Malimo materials; GDR) are made by stitching with one or
more thread systems. They are used for decoration, for beach wear or for towels. Especially useful
are thread-stitched materials with pile loops (half-loops), which can compete successfully with
woven shag fabrics. Sheet-stitched nonwoven materials are made by stitching a pile-woven textile
sheet with napped yarn which facilitates improved structure and properties of the sheet. Foundations
for tufted carpets (550 cm wide) are stitched with carpet yarn, using needles to pull it through the
fabric.
• On the return motion of the needle, the worsted is caught on a hook, and a loop is made. To secure
the loops, an adhesive is applied to the reverse of the carpet. Threadless nonwoven materials are
made on knitting-stitching machines (Voltex material in the GDR and Arabeva in Czechoslovakia).
Such materials may consist of fabric and cloth made of staple fibres. After the cloth fibres are pulled
through the scrim, sturdy loops are formed on the reverse of the material, and a deep, fluffy pile is
formed on the front. Such materials are used as thermal stuffing or linings for rugs and carpets and
blankets.
The Maliwatt and Malivlies stitch
bonding systems
• The Maliwatt system consists of the following
components:
• 1. stitch bonding unit with drive system for the
working elements
• 2. web feed system
• 3. yarn feeding and monitoring systems
• 4. take-up of stitch bonded fabric and fabric
storage or plaiting
• 5. cutting and tearing unit, and a machine
control and drive system.
• The main elements of a Maliwatt stitching head and a close-
up view of the stitching action is given . The horizontal
compound needle and closing wire system, which operates in
conjunction with the knock-over sinker and the supporting
rail, penetrates through the substrate which is normally a
cross-laid web.
• The sheet of stitching yarn,which is inserted via the guides
into the open hooks of the compound needles,forms stitches
that penetrate the web. Pillar stitch and tricot stitch are
possible on the basic version with one guide bar (cam
shogging).
• On two-guide-bar machines, by shogging the first or second
guide bar via pattern discs, all the basic two-guide-bar
structures can be produced up to a repeat length of sixteen
courses. By adjusting the compound needle and closing wire
system,it is possible to incorporate fibres from the web into
the stitches at the same time, thereby preventing the stitches
from running from the end knitted last.With tricot lapping, a
parallel warp yarn system can be placed into the web and
subsequently incorporated into the stitch bonded fabric.
• Retaining pins, together with the supporting rail,
prevent the web from moving duringpenetration by the
needles. The knock-over sinkers, which are arranged on
the opposite side, allow the stitches to be knocked over
whilst the web is being held back.
• The distance between the retaining pins and the knock-
over sinker can be adapted to suit the thickness of the
web, depending on the lift of the compound needles. A
web can be fed either discontinuously in roll form or
continuously to the stitching head.
• In the latter case, the web-forming system consisting of a
card and cross-lapper is linked directly to the stitching
head. It is also possible to reinforce the fabric using a
spunlaid or other types of nonwoven fabric.
The Malimo stitch bonding system
• Malimo stitch bonding machines comprise the following
components:
1.stitch bonding head with gearboxes to drive the working elements
(stitch
• bonding elements):
• weft-yarn layer formation and feeding device
• warp-yarn let-off motion
• stitching-yarn let-off motion (both with yarn monitoring devices)
• fabric take-down motion
• machine control and drive system
2. warp-beam(s) let-off frame/package creel for stitching and warp
threads
3. package creel for weft threads
4. fabric storage/winding or cutting mechanism
5. foot pedals at the front and back of the stitch bonding head.
Voltex
• Voltex fabrics are high pile or high plush fabrics based on two principal
preformed elements, a ground fabric and a web, which are continuously
introduced. No stitching yarn or yarn preparation, such as winding or
warping are required.
• A cross-section through the main stitching parts of a Voltex system. A
continuous Voltex system consists of a webforming line coupled to the
stitch bonding unit.
• Typical working widths are 1700 and 2500 mm and machine gauge ranges
from 7, 10, 12, 14 (needles per 25 mm). Pile sinker heights vary from 1 to
23 mm (depending upon the lift of the compound needles) and stitch
lengths from 0.55 to 5.0 mm.
• Machine speed depends on the stitch length, pile sinker height and the line
speed of the web formation unit and is adjustable from 500 to 1500 r.p.m.
• Voltex fabrics have found applications in lining fabrics, imitation furs, soft-
toy plush, shoe uppers and shoe lining, floor coverings and upholstery
fabrics.
Recent developments in stitch
bonding
Maliwatt and Malivlies machines and products
• Since 1993, Maliwatt and Malivlies stitch bonding machines have been
redesigned and upgraded to set new standards in quality and performance.
The latest systems are up to 6150 mm working width, which can be decreased
as required.
• The yarn let-off motion for the two guide bars is via an electronically
• controlled let-off system EBA, which is standard in many types of highspeed
• warp knitting machines.
• Both guide bars can also be controlled by pattern discs and can have stitch
set-up or structure for stitching repeating up to 16 courses. The speed of
Maliwatt and Malivlies machines can be varied between 1500 and 2200
r.p.m. depending upon a number of factors associated with product design
and specifications. The machine gauge can vary from 3.5 to 22 needles per
25 mm. The increased performance and higher fabric quality are achieved
by:
• a low vibration machine frame
• precise gauge accuracy of the stitch bonding elements by automatic
bar heating facility, which features narrow temperature tolerances
for heating all the bars with additional monitoring function
• electronic beam control EBA for yarn let-off mechanism
• pattern disc control of stitching yarn guide bars up to 16 courses
repeat
• slider crank mechanism for compound needle and closing wire bars
(running in oil bath)
• reduced weight, high-strength components for all the moving
elements
• up to 40% increase in productivity with up to 520 linear m hour–1
for Maliwatt and 590 linear m hour–1 for Malivlies extra wide 6150
mm machines.
• Maliwatt G and Maliwatt C are used for specific technical textile products.
• Maliwatt G is a special machine for processing chopped glass mats.
Randomly laid glass fibres either 50 or 100 mm long in a mat form are
stitched with polyester filaments or glass yarns for textile reinforced
composite materials.
• Maliwatt C is suitable for applications where several substrates or materials
such as webs, yarns, fabrics, films, textile waste materials, powdered or
granular materials arranged in layers one on top of the other need to be
bonded mechanically.
• Ten years ago, the majority of Maliwatt and Malivlies fabrics were
marketed for household goods, such as bed ticking, curtains and curtain
lining, bedspreads, wall coverings, garden furniture, transportation
and packing blankets, etc.
• Currently, they are finding applications in technical textiles, such as
adhesive tapes, roof lining, rear and side linings in cars,coating substrates,
filter fabrics, geotextiles and healthcare and hygiene products.
Hydroentanglement: introduction
• Hydroentangling, spunlacing, hydraulic entanglement and
water jet needling are synonymous terms describing the
process of bonding fibres (or filaments) in a web by means of
high-velocity water jets. The interaction of the energised water
with fibres in the web and the support surface increases the
fibre entanglement and induces displacement and
rearrangement of fibre segments in the web.
• In addition to mechanical bonding, structural patterns,
apertures and complex three-dimensional effects are produced
if required by the selection of appropriate support surfaces.
• Hydroentanglement also provides a convenient method of
mechanically combining two or more webs to produce
multilayer fabrics.
INTRODUCTION
• The oldest technique for consolidating fibers in a web is
mechanicalbonding, which entangles the fibers to give strength to the web.
• Under mechanical bonding, the two most widely used methods are needle
punching and spun lacing (hydroentanglement). Spunlacing uses high-
speed jets of water to strike a web so that thefibers knot about one another.
• The spunlace process can be defined as a nonwovens manufacturingsystem
that employs jets of water to entangle fibers and thereby providefabric
integrity.
• Softness, drape, conformability, and relatively high strength are themajor
characteristics that make spunlace nonwoven unique among nonwovens.
• There are many different specific terms for spunlaced nonwoven likejet
entangled, water entangled, and hydroentangled or hydraulically needled
but the term, spunlace, is used more popularly in the nonwoven industry.
 Principle
• This type of bonding employs high speed waterjets to
bind the fibers or filaments in a web.
• The interaction of the high energy water jets with the
fibers in the web increases the interlacing of the
fibers (the interlacement is due to the combined effect
of the impacting water jets & the water turbulence
created in the web) & produces the displacement &
the new orientation of parts of the fibers in the web.
Advantages of spunlacing
• Spunlacing technique has some advantages over other
techniques, such as: High strength level. High
softness, absorbency, permeability(no reinforced
points or zones). No use of binders. Ecological
harmlessness. High operation speed for web
formation & web bonding(500m/min). -Lower
production cost. -Higher production output.
MATERIALS USED IN SPUNLACED
TECHNOLOGY
• Most commonly, precursors are mixtures of cellulose and man-made fibers
(PET, nylon, acrylics, Kevlar (P84, (imide) etc).
• In general, cellulosic fibers are preferred for their high strength, pliability,
plastic deformation resistance and water insolubility.
• Cellulosic fibers are hydrophilic, chemically stable and relatively
colorless.
• Another advantage is that cellulose has an inherent bonding ability caused
by a high content of hydroxyl groups, which attract water molecules.
• As the water evaporates from the fabric, the hydroxyl groups on fiber
surface link together by hydrogen bonds.
• Generally, high micronaire cotton is not recommended for hydro entangled
nonwovens because of higher number of neps and small bundles of
entangled fibers, resulting in unsightly appearing fabric.
• In spite of this, fabrics made with lower micronaire fiber show higher
strength, probably caused by a higher number of fine fibers and greater
surface area.
 Operation
• Spunlacing is a process of entangling a web of loose
fibers on a porous belt or moving perforated or patterned
screen to form a sheet structure by subjecting the fibers to
multiple rows of fine high-pressure jets of water .
• Various steps are of importance in the hydroentangling
process. The steps characteristic for producing
hydroentangled nonwoven fabric include:
• Precursor web formation
• Web entanglement
• Water circulation
• Web drying
• The formed web (usually air-laid or wet-laid, but
sometimes spun bond or melt-blown, etc.) is first
compacted and prewetted to eliminate air pockets
and then water-needled.
• The water pressure generally increases from the
first to the last injectors. Pressures as high as 2200
psi are used to direct the water jets onto the web. It
has been argued that 10 rows of injectors (five from
each side of the fabric) should achieve complete
fabric bonding. Injector hole diameters range from
100-120μm.
• The holes are arranged in rows with 3-5 mm spacing, one row containing
30-80 holes per 25 mm .
• The jets exhaust most of the kinetic energy primarily in rearranging fibers
within the web and, secondly, in rebounding against the substrates,
dissipating energy to the fibers.
• A vacuum within the roll removes used water from the product, preventing
flooding of the product and reduction in the effectiveness of the jets to
move the fibers and cause entanglement.
• Usually, hydroentanglement is applied on both sides in a step-wise
manner. The first entanglement roll acts on the first side a number of times
in order to impart to the web the desired amount of bonding and strength.
• The web then passes over a second entanglement roll in a reverse direction
in order to treat and, thereby, consolidate the other side of the fabric. The
hydroentangled product is then passed through a dewatering device where
excess water is removed and the fabric is dried.
Hydro entanglement carried out at standard
conditions ( 1500 psi, web weighing 68 g/m2)
requires 800 pounds of water per pound of product.
For that reason it is necessary to develop a new
filtration system able to effectively supply clean water
with this high throughput; otherwise, water jet holes
become clogged. This system consists of three stages:
• Chemical mixing and flocculation,
• Dissolved air flotation and
• Sand filtration.
• PRECURSOR WEB FORMATION The general properties of web forming
from other process are listed as following:Isotropic precursor webs can be
produced by air laying system. Carding webs can result in final products,
which have higher MD strength than CD strength.Melt blown webs can be
produced with good ‘squareness’ of the web.
• Wet formed webs can especially be produced with good machine direction /
cross direction characteristics.
• The combinations of various types of precursor webs provide numerous
options for using in the spunlace process to create various different
composites.
• WEB SUPPORT SYSTEM (CONVEYOR WIRE) The web support system
plays an important part in most nonwoven processes. Especially for the
spunlace process, it has a critical role in this process because the pattern of
the final fabric is a direct function of the conveyor wire. By special design
for the wire, we can have following varied products: Ribbed and terry cloth-
like products Aperture products Lace patterns or company logo can be
entangled into fabrics Production of composites,3-D fabric formation.
• THE ENTANGLEMENT UNIT Hydro entanglement is an energy transfer
process where the system provides high energy to water jets and then
transfers the energy to the precursor. In other words, the energy is delivered
to the web by the water needles produced by the injector. Therefore, we
can calculate the energy from the combination of the water velocity, and
the water flow rate. Flow rate = P½ x D2 x N x 2572 x 10-8
m3/hour/injector/meter
• Energy = P3/2 x D2 x N x 7 x 10-10 KWH/injector/meter
• P= water pressure (bar)
• D=hole diameter (μm )
• N= number of holes (per injector per meter)
• In general, the diameter of water needle ranges from 100 to 170 μm. The
highest number of needles is 1666 needles per meter of injector,
corresponding to the smaller diameter.
• The water pressure ranges from 30 bars to 250 bars and it is increased
stepwise from injector to injector.
WATER SYSTEM
• As we know, water is most critical part in spunlace process.
Therefore, there are some requirements for the water as follows:
• Large amount of water- about 606 m3/hr/m/injector for 40 bar and
120 m
• Nearly neutral pH
• Low in metallic ions such as Ca
• No bacteria or other organic materials FILTERATION SYSTEM
• Due to the large amount of water consumed, the spunlace process
requires that it be recycled.
• Therefore, a high quality filtration system is necessary for the
spunlace process.
• Some of special filters are listed as following: Bag filter,Cartridge
filter,Sand filter.
WEB DRYING
• When the fabric leaves the entanglement zone
the web, it is completely saturated with water.
There are a few steps to remove water from the
fabric. The include: Vacuum dewatering
system Drying system
PROPERTIES OF SPUNLACED FABRICS
• Spunlaced fabrics show high drape, softness and comfortable
handle( because more fiber entanglement leads to increased
strength without an increase in shear modulus.
• Shear modulus remains low and is virtually independent of the
degree of entanglement .
• The softness of the fabric is explained by the fact that the entangled
structures are more compressible than bonded ones, as well as
having mobility and partial alignment of fibers in the thickness
direction.
• Good dimensional stability, which is also accountable for drape,
softness, and good strength/weight properties of the fabric, pilling
and abrasion behavior.
• The strength of hydroentangled fabrics is lower than that of woven
and higher than that of knitted fabrics, whereas the wash durability
is considerably lower than that of woven or knitted fabrics.
 APPLICATIONS
• Spunlace fabrics can be further finished, usually dyed and/or printed,
treated with binders to allow for wash durability, or fire retardants can be
applied to resist burning.
• The fabric can be treated by antimicrobial agents to enhance resistance
against microorganisms.
• Surgical packs and gowns.
• Protective clothing as chemical barriers to wipes.
• Towels and Sponges for industrial, Medical, Food service and consumer
applications.
• The main reason for wide use of these fabrics in medical applications is
based on relatively high absorption abilities. Another important criterion is
absence of a binder in the fabric allowing sterilization of the fabric at high
temperatures.
• Bacteria-proof Cloth.
• Cleaning Cloth .
• Wet tissues Make up cotton
• Bacteria proof cloth Cleaning cloth Magic Towel