Nonwoven market & technologies

AThere is a very huge potential in India to become not only a large market but also a manufacturing hub for manufacturing nonwovens provided there are efforts on part of Government, industry, academic and research organisations to ensure that the future of the Indian nonwoven industry is smooth and fruitful. Nonwovens are unique, high-tech, engineered fabrics made from fibres and which are used across a wide range of applications and products. Nonwovens are innovative, versatile and indispensable. Modern life would be quite literally impossible without them. There are numerous applications of nonwovens like hygiene, wipes, medical and surgical, protective clothing, filtration (gas and liquids), interlinings and garment, shoes, leather- goods and coating substrates, upholstery, furniture and bedding, floor-coverings, building and roofing and civil engineering and geosynthetics. The raw materials used for production of nonwovens chiefly involve synthetic fibres, polypropylene being the major fibre consumed. The global market for nonwovens was around US$ 18.2 billion and is growing at a CAGR of 7% whereas Indian market of nonwovens was around US$ 214 million. Globally, spunbond is the fastest growing and technology with maximum share whereas in India, needlepunch has the maximum share and spunbond is the fastest growing technology. Production process of nonwovens involves web formation and web consolidation stages. Web formation includes spunbond, meltblown, spunbond-meltblown-spunbond, carded, wet-laid, drylaid technologies whereas web consolidation includes spunlace, needlepunch, stitchbond, thermobond, and chemical bonding technology. Overview of nonwovens Nonwoven fabrics are broadly defined as sheet or web structures bonded together by entangling fibre or filaments (and by perforating films) mechanically, thermally or chemically. They are flat, porous sheets that are made directly from separate fibres or from molten plastic or plastic film. They are not made by weaving or knitting and do not require converting the fibres to yarn. 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 repellency, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame retardancy, washability, cushioning, filtering, bacterial barrier and sterility. These properties are combined to create the required functionality, while achieving a profitable balance between the expected product 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. Official ISO and CEN definition of nonwovens (Source: EDANA)

Nonwovens are defined by ISO standard 9092 and CEN EN 29092. The following text has recently been proposed to the International Standardization Organization by EDANA and INDA. "A nonwoven is a sheet of fibres, continuous filaments, or chopped yarns of any nature or origin, that have been formed into a web by any means, and bonded together by any means, with the exception of weaving or knitting. Felts obtained by wet milling are not nonwovens. Wet-laid webs are nonwovens provided they contain a minimum of 50% of man-made fibres or other fibres of non vegetable origin with a length to diameter ratio equals or superior to 300, or a minimum of 30% of man-made fibres with a length to diameter ratio equals or superior to 600, and a maximum apparent density of 0.40 g/cm. Composite structures are considered nonwovens provided their mass is constituted of at least 50% of nonwoven as per to the above definitions, or if the nonwoven component plays a prevalent role." Nonwoven product applications

Hygiene

Baby diapers and training pants, adult incontinence pads, sanitary napkins, tampons, cosmetic removal pads, nasal strips, disposable underwear Disposable wipes (dry and pre- moistened), dusters, Dishcloths, Mops Surgical swabs, wound dressings, surgical gowns, masks and caps, orthopaedic casts, surgical drapes, wraps and packs, transdermal drug delivery, heat and procedure packs

Wipes Medical and surgical

Protective clothing Disposable clean-room garment, laboratory overalls, fire protective linings, thermal insulation fillings, high visibility clothing, chemical defence suits Filtration (gas and liquids) Interlinings and garment Shoes, leathergoods and coating substrates Upholstery, furniture and bedding Floor-coverings Teabags, drinks filtration, oil sorption, industrial gas filtration, respiratory filters, vacuum filter bags, odour control Fusible interlinings linings, shoulder pads, glove linings Boot and shoe lining, synthetic leather shoe uppers, shoe construction components, luggage and bags Ticking, mattress pads, waddings & fillings, sheets and blankets, window blinds, quilt backings, dust covers Contract carpets and carpet tiles, underlays and carpet

backing fabrics, automotive carpets and trims Building and roofing Civil engineering and geosynthetics House wrap, thermal and sound insulation, roof linings, under-slating, plaster board facings, pipe wraps, fabric tiles (shingles) Landfill membrane protectors, drainage systems, lining systems for reservoirs and ponds, erosion control and ground stabilisation, soil separation

Raw materials Man-made fibres completely dominate nonwovens production, accounting for over 90% of total output. Man-made fibres fall into three classes, those made from natural polymers, those made from synthetic polymers and those made from inorganic materials. According to a study by Tecnon Ltd, the world usage of fibres in nonwovens production is:

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Polypropylene 63% Polyester 23% Viscose rayon 8% Acrylic 2% Polyamide 1.5% Other fibres 3%

Over the years, the share of viscose rayon has increased due to its increased importance in the spunlace wipes market. However, recently, due to tremendous increase in price of viscose of fibre and its inability to be easily spun-laid or thermally bonded, there is a decrease in the consumption of viscose fibres. The solvent spun cellulosic fibre, Lyocell is becoming increasingly important in the nonwovens industry partly as a result of its absorbency and high wet strength. Polypropylene fibres are predominant in the nonwovens industry. Some of the reasons for this include:

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Low density and specific gravity enabling lightweight fabrics to be produced. Low glass transition and melting temperature, which is attractive for thermal bonding. Inherent hydrophobicity that can be modified using fibre finishes and other treatments. Provides fabrics with good bulk and cover. Chemical stability. Biological degradation resistance (mildew, perspiration). Stain and soil release. Good mechanical strength and abrasion resistance.

Polypropylene is available in a variety of grades and its surface chemistry, absorbency, mechanical properties, degradation, softness, flame retardancy and colouration are modified by auxiliary chemicals and other treatments by the fibre suppliers. Fibres having different cross-sectional configurations are also available, which affect the physical properties of resulting fabrics. The unique combination of properties offers the manufacturers of nonwovens a valuable highperformance nonwoven fibre for a competitive price.

Nonwovens Global Market for Nonwovens

market

The global market for nonwovens is around USD 18.2 billion and is growing at a CAGR of 7%. Nonwovens are generally measured in terms of tonnage, where the market is around 5.1 million tons per annum. Market Share of Nonwoven Technologies Spunbond, ie, spun-laid/ meltblown technology has maximum share followed by needlepunch. But it is also important to see how these technologies have fared over the years and are expected to do in future. Technology-wise Market Share The technology showing the highest growth is spunbond followed by needlepunch and spunlace. Nonwoven Technology Lifecycle In the figure (follow the print version), the present lifecycle of nonwoven technology is demonstrated. Spunbond, spunlace and meltblown technologies are in their growth stage as against carding. Today, this is potentially true of lightweight, disposable products where spunmelt products can compete favourably with carded products. Recent and continuing advances in high-speed carding technology, however, will allow this technology to continue to compete in certain markets such as hygiene and other lightweight products; and the advances in crosslapping technology and higherweight nonwovens through chute feed systems will encourage the use of such technologies for heavier-weight products. It is believed high-speed carding technology and its associated processes are not maturing technologies that are holding their own. However, the composite, pulp-based, air-laid products are finding applications in "co-form" process technologies as opposed to stand-alone systems utilising pulp and latex binders. Thus, the life cycle idea depends both on the innovation possibilities within a technology, as well as the economic environment in which a technology is used. Indian Market for Nonwovens Indian consumption of nonwovens in 2007 was around US$ 214 million (47,000 tons) as compared to the world-wide consumption of around US$ 19 billion. It is estimated that the consumption will increase at a CAGR of approximately 13% to US$ 390 million. Market Share of Nonwoven Technologies In the Indian market, needlepunch has the maximum share followed by spunbond technology due to the high demand for nonwovens in automobile, hygiene and geotextile sectors. However spunlace technology has the highest growth rate for future with a CAGR of 27%. Organised Retail is expected to grow at 50% for the next five years, which will be a big boost for products like wipes that make up for more than 60% of spunlace consumption in the world.

Indian Healthcare Industry is growing at 15%. Privatisation and increasing medical tourism has resulted in growing demand of disposable nonwoven products like gowns, caps, masks etc. Spunlace based products provide high barrier against harmful microbes as well as provide comfortable wear. Technologies for nonwovens Generally, nonwovens are divided into three major areas - dry-laid, wet-laid and spun-laid. Classification for "technologies for nonwovens" (ref the print version) Nonwoven production involves two steps: ? Web Formation, ie, laying of fibres/filaments ? Web Consolidation, ie, bonding of the laid fibres/filaments Formation of web can be done in various ways like card, water, air or melt spinning. Web consolidation can be done by using needles, water, chemicals, heat or air. Depending on the technology of their production, nonwovens are named accordingly. Web formation technologies include spunbond (melt spinning), melt-blown (melt spinning), SMS (melt spinning -- a combination of above two), carded (using card), wet-laid (using water) and airlaid (using air). Web consolidation technologies include spunlace (using water), stitchbond, thermobond (using heat), needlepunch (using needles), and chemical bond (using chemicals like binders/resins). Web Formation Technologies Spunbond Technology A primary factor in the production of spunbonded fabrics is the control of four simultaneous, integrated operations: filament extrusion, drawing, lay down, and bonding. The first three operations are directly adapted from conventional man-made filament extrusion and constitute the spun or web formation phase of the process, while the last operation is the web consolidation or bond phase of the process, hence the generic term spunbond. Some of the main characteristics and properties of a spunbonded web are:

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Near random fibrous structure. Generally, the web is white with high opacity per unit area. Most spunbond webs are layered or have a shingled structure, the number of layers increases with increasing basis weight. High strength-to-weight ratios compared to other nonwoven, woven, and knitted structures. High tear strength (for area-bonded webs only). Planar isotropic properties due to random lay down of the fibres. Good fray and crease resistance. High liquid retention capacity due to high void content. High in-plane shear resistance. Low drape.

The main markets for spunbonds are automotive, civil engineering, hygiene & medical and packaging.

Melt-blown Technology Melt-blowing is a process in which, usually, a thermoplastic fibre forming polymer is extruded through a linear die containing several hundred small orifices. Convergent streams of hot air (exiting from the top and bottom sides of the die nosepiece) rapidly attenuate the extruded polymer streams to form extremely fine diameter fibres (1 - 5 mm). The attenuated fibres are subsequently blown by high-velocity air onto a collector conveyor, thus forming a fine fibred selfbonded nonwoven melt-blown web. The fibres in the melt-blown web are held together by a combination of entanglement and cohesive sticking. Because the fibres are drawn to their final diameters while still in the semimolten state, there is no downstream method of drawing the fibres before they are deposited onto the collector, and hence the webs exhibit low to moderate strength. Examples of melt-blown products are oil spill sorbents, wipes, surgical gowns, surgical face masks, liquid and air filtration fabrics, lithium battery separators, clothing insulation, and feminine hygiene products. Some of the main characteristics and properties of melt-blown webs are:

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Random fibre orientation. Low to moderate web strength. Generally, the web is highly opaque (high cover factor). Melt-blown webs derive their strength from mechanical entanglement and frictional forces. Most melt-blown webs are layered or shingled structure, the number of layers increases with increasing basis weight. Microfibres provide high surface areas for good insulator and filter characteristics. The fibres have a smooth surface texture and appear to be circular in cross-section. The fibres vary in diameter along a single fibre.

Spunbond-Meltblown-Spunbond (SMS) Technology Spunbond and meltblown webs are often combined at the production stage to achieve a variety of composite structures for protective applications particularly in the hygiene and medical sectors. The benefits of combining spunbond and meltblown webs are:

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Barrier to liquid permeation especially of bodily fluids in medical gowns. Increase in the cover of the base spunbond web. Barrier to penetration of particulate matter in filter applications.

In the SMS composite structure, the spunbond fabric provides the strength and the abrasion resistance and the meltblown component provides the liquid and particulates barrier. The spunbond-meltblown-spunbond (SMS) concept was first introduced and patented by the KimberlyClark Corporation. Combining these two media has become a common practice in spunbond manufacturing and is finding rapid acceptance and integration in a variety of products. Carded Technology Parallel-laid webs in which the fibres are preferentially orientated in the machine direction are produced directly from carding and related processes. Normally, one or two webs (depending on machine design) are produced by the card and transported to the next process in line. This may be a bonding process in the case of 'straight-through' systems or a lapping process (eg, crosslapping), which produces cross-laid webs. Alternatively, multiple webs from more than one card

arranged in sequence may be continuously deposited onto a common conveyor to produce a multilayer, parallel-laid web ready for the next process. Cross-lapping A cross-lapper (or cross-folder) is a continuous web transfer machine that normally follows a card or Garnett machine as part of an integrated web formation system. The web is layered from side to side onto a lower conveyor or bottom lattice, which runs perpendicular to the in-feed web to form a diagonally stratified batt, wadding or fleece, which typically consists of 4->15 layers depending on requirements. Vertically lapped (perpendicular-laid) web formation Vertically lapped (perpendicular-laid) nonwovens are gaining acceptance in an increasing number of applications. Such fabrics are used as foam replacement materials in the automotive industry, depth filtration media and thermal insulation. A carded web, which normally contains a proportion of thermoplastic fibre, typically a bicomponent, is formed into a series of vertical folds that are stabilised by through-air thermal bonding. Wet-laid Technology Wet-laid nonwovens are nonwovens made by a modified papermaking process. That is, the fibres to be used are suspended in water. A major objective of wet-laid nonwoven manufacturing is to produce structures with textile-fabric characteristics, primarily flexibility and strength, at speeds approaching those associate with papermaking. Specialised paper machines are used to separate the water from the fibres to form a uniform sheet of material, which is then bonded and dried. In the roll good industry 5-10% of nonwovens are made by using the wet-laid technology. Compared to the dry web-making processes (carding, aerodynamic and spun web methods) the distinctive features of the wet method are its high productivity and wide range of application. It is used for special papers, conventional wet-laid fabrics and wet-laid made from inorganic fibres. The advantages of wet-laid technology that make products like teabag papers, bed linen, surgical clothing, table linen, glass fibre roofing substrate, glass fibre mat for flooring, wall coverings etc, possible include:

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The capability to process fibres that are too brittle for textile-based web forming processes. Isotropic fibre arrangement in the web. Chemical binders can be selected to suit end use. Particulate components may be included in the web. Small quantities of fibre may be processed into a web.

Air-laid Technology Air-laying (aerodynamic or air-laid web formation) refers to a family of dry-laid web formation processes used in the manufacture of disposable, single use products containing short, pulp fibres (including wipes, absorbent layers for incontinence products and food packaging pads) and durable products (including high-loft waddings, filtration media, interlinings, automotive components and mattress fillings) produced from longer fibres.

Airlaying involves uniformly dispersing individualised fibres in an airstream and leading this airfibre mixture towards a permeable screen or conveyor where the air is separated and the fibres are randomly deposited in the form of a web. Air-laying, like other technologies, has certain benefits and limitations. Among the benefits are:

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Isotropic web properties. Three-dimensional structure if the basis weight is above about 50 g/m2 producing voluminous, high-loft structures with a very low density. Compatibility with a wide variety of generic fibre types including natural and synthetic polymer fibres, ceramics, metals including steel, carbon, melamine, aramids and other high-performance fibres.

The main limitations are:

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Fabric uniformity is highly dependent on fibre opening and individualisation prior to web forming. Air flow irregularity adjacent to the walls of the conduit leads to variability across the web structure. Fibre entanglement in the airstream can lead to web faults.

Depending on fibre type and fineness, airlaying is claimed to be more efficient than carding in the production of webs greater than 150 - 200 g/m2, where production rates of 250 kg/h/m can be achieved. Web Consolidation Technologies Spunlace Technology Hydro-entangling, 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 threedimensional effects are produced if required by the selection of appropriate support surfaces. Hydro-entanglement also provides a convenient method of mechanically combining two or more webs to produce multilayer fabrics. While hydro-entangled fabrics have become heavily associated with wipes due to the growth and diversification of this sector, their use spans a much greater variety of applications, both in singleuse and durable articles. Diverse products include protective clothing particularly medical gowns as well as high-temperature protective clothing, washable domestic fabrics, synthetic leather, filtration media, automotive, wound dressings, composites and garment linings. Needlepunch Technology The process of needlepunching, also known as needle felting was originally developed to produce mechanically bonded nonwoven fabrics from fibres that could not be felted like wool. The fibres are mechanically entangled to produce a fabric by reciprocating barbed needles (felting needles) through a moving batt of fibres in a needleloom.

Typical applications for this type of technology are geosynthetics, filtration media, synthetic leather, waddings and paddings, floor coverings, automotive fabrics, insulation fabrics, blankets, wipes, roofing etc. The applications of needlepunched fabrics are extensive and extend into many niche product areas including, for example, medical wound dressings composite breather felts, capillary mattings for horticulture, fire barriers and ballistic-impact-resistant fabrics. Stitchbond Technology 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 inter-looped stitches running along the fabric length. The other components may be a fibre web, yarns, or preformed fabric. Maliwatt stitch bonding systems The Maliwatt system consists of the following components: stitch bonding unit with drive system for the working elements, web feed system, yarn feeding and monitoring systems, take-up of stitch bonded fabric and fabric storage or plaiting, cutting and tearing unit, and a machine control and drive system. 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. Polyester filament is mainly used as the stitching yarn, but other polymers are also utilised depending on the end-product. The main applications of Maliwatt fabrics are soft furnishings, upholstery fabrics for mattresses and camping chairs, blankets, transportation cloth, cleaning cloths, secondary carpet backing, lining fabrics, interlining for shoes and apparel, adhesive tapes; (eg, those used for harnessing electric cables in automobiles), velcro-type fasteners, fabrics for hygiene and sanitary purposes, laminating and sub-upholstery fabrics, insulating materials, coating substrate, geotextiles, filter fabrics, composites and flame-retardant fabrics. Malivlies stitch bonding systems The technical specifications of Malivlies machines are identical to those of the Maliwatt. Malivlies fabrics composed entirely of fibres and no filaments are mechanically recyclable. The main fibre types used are polyester, polypropylene, viscose and reclaimed fibres and the fabrics range from 120 gm-2 to 1200 gm-2. The main applications are internal lining of cars (head liners, rear and side linings), textile wall coverings and furnishing felts, packaging, insulating, absorbing and polishing cloths, filter fabrics and geotextiles, coating substrates, laminating and bonding, medical, hygiene and sanitary products and secondary carpet backing. Kunit stitch bonding systems

In the Kunit process, fibres are fed to the stitch bonding head in the form of either a thin web or a batt. Voluminous, three-dimensional pile fabrics can be produced that have a distinctive folded pile; the pile can have a variable thickness and density if required. A compound needle having a round head is used. It uses a brushing bar in conjunction with the stitch-forming elements, whose oscillating path may be varied between 6 and 51 mm by exchanging the cams. The setting governs the height of the pile fold. Kunit fabrics have been used in linings, soft-toy fabrics, filtration media (particularly depth filters), covering materials for polishing discs, coating substrates and as upholstery materials for car interiors. Multiknit stitch bonding systems In the most basic form of Multiknit, both sides of the fabric are formed into a dense knitted construction by intermeshing pile fibres on the surface of the incoming Kunit fabric. The fibres in the pile folds are stitch bonded to produce a double-sided, three-dimensional, nonwoven fabric with an inner pile structure connecting the two faces. The pile surfaces in two separate Kunit fabrics can be joined in this way to make one integrated multi-layer structure. Other structures, such as fabrics, webs or even fibres and powders, can be incorporated within the base web and covered by stitch bonding the multilayer material to produce a composite material. Multiknit fabrics have excellent compressibility, low area density and low bulk density, excellent heat, noise and vibration insulation, excellent mouldability with a smooth and uniform surface on both sides and are weldable if the composition is predominantly thermoplastic. Multiknit fabrics have been used in upholstered furniture parts, seating for automobiles and other furniture as a PU foam replacement material. Other applications include filter fabrics, insulation materials, garment interlinings and non-delaminating mouldable composite materials. Thermobond Technology Thermal bonding requires a thermoplastic component to be present in the form of a homofil fibre, powder, film, web, hot melt or as a sheath as part of a bi-component fibre. In practice, heat is applied until the thermoplastic component becomes viscous or melts. The polymer flows by surface tension and capillary action to fibre-to-fibre crossover points where bonding regions are formed. These bonding regions are fixed by subsequent cooling. In this case, no chemical reaction takes place between the binder and the base fibre at the bonding sites. When binders melt and flow into and around fibre crossover points, and into the surface crevices of fibres in the vicinity, an adhesive or mechanical bond is formed by subsequent cooling. Such an adhesive bond is a physio-chemical bond at the interface of two dissimilar materials. In the thermal bonding context, a mechanical bond is formed as a result of thermal shrinkage of the bonding material, which while in the liquid state encapsulates the fibre crossover points. Some of the main advantages of thermal bonding are as follows:

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Products can be relatively soft and textile-like depending on blend composition and bond area. Good economic efficiency compared to chemical bonding involving lower thermal energy requirements and less expensive machinery. High bulk products can be bonded uniformly throughout the web cross section.

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100% recycling of fibre components can be achieved. Environmentally friendly since no latex binders are required.

Dry-laid, thermally bonded reinforcement fabrics and substrates for electrical insulating materials, pressure sensitive tapes and filtration membranes are made from PET. Other applications include furniture and bedding components, horticultural and agricultural fabrics including crop cover, high loft waddings and paddings for thermal insulation and automotive fabrics. Spun-laid filtration fabrics stabilised by thermal bonding find applications as cabin filters in the automotive industry and are can be pleated to increase the surface area available for filtration. Chemical bond Technology Binder is an adhesive material used to hold together the fibres in a nonwoven structure. A binder not only 'holds fibres together' but also affects the final properties of the nonwoven fabric including its strength (both tensile and compressive), stiffness, softness, water-proofness, breathability and flammability. The choice of binder also influences the capability of the fabric to be recycled or biochemically degraded at the end of its useful life. Chemical bonding remains popular because of the large range of adhesive binders available, the durability of the products and the broad variety of final properties that can be engineered in the fabrics. Binders are also applied to nonwoven fabrics that are already bonded to provide additional functionality, since the binder can be mixed with active components or solids such as flameretardants and functional finishes, ceramics and metals. Commercially, binder systems are applied at levels between about 5% and 150% on the dry weight of fabric. A 5% binder addition is often sufficient to bond fibres at the surface. Addition levels as high as 150% are sometimes used to make stiff reinforcement components such as those found in shoes. Various binder polymers are used including vinyl polymers and copolymers, acrylic ester polymers and copolymers, polyurethane and copolymers, elastomers including silicone, thermosetting resins like epoxy, polyester, urea formaldehyde, melamine, alkyd and natural binders like starches, natural rubber, regenerated proteins. These are usually applied as aqueous dispersions but can be supplied as polymer solutions providing they have sufficiently low viscosity to allow penetration into the web. Some of the applications of chemically bonded nonwoven fabric are wipes, garment interlinings, hygiene and medical products, footwear, automotive, upholstery and bedding, insulation, etc. Growth drivers The growth drivers for the nonwovens industry are listed below: Growing middle class population; Changing lifestyles; Rise in income levels; Growing infrastructure; Various incentives by Government of India; Centres of excellence set up by Government of India; Increased awareness about use of nonwovens.