Manufacturers who want to use nonwovens in their products have a variety of fiber options. For some applications, natural fibers such as cotton are a good choice, but for other applications, synthetic fibers such as polyester may provide better properties. When selecting fibers, it is important to consider the characteristics of a given fiber, taking into account the characteristics of the final product.
Strength of Nonwovens
When your product needs to be strong and durable, synthetic fiber can provide high tensile strength. High strength synthetic fibers can be mixed with weaker fibers to form strong two-component fiber nonwovens. Due to the high density of polyester nonwovens, polyester filaments or polyester blended fibers have excellent strength.
Temperature resistance of Nonwovens
When your non-woven products need temperature resistance, the optional high-quality fibers include cotton, rayon, polyester and blended fibers. Chemical bonding is also an effective way to develop temperature resistant nonwovens. The chemical bonding process involves the use of chemical adhesives to connect polyester and rayon fibers to create favorable properties of nonwovens, including temperature resistance.
Shrinkage or tensile resistance
Polyester fiber is the best choice for nonwovens that need to maintain shape, not shrink, not stretch or wrinkle. Chemically bonded and two-component fibers can also be used to create properties such as washing or dry cleaning resistance, aging resistance, and excellent flexibility and handling.
Absorption of Nonwovens
Cotton fiber has high comfort and softness, excellent absorption and release performance, and is a good choice. Natural fiber, viscose filament and viscose mixture are derived from wood pulp, with high water absorption, softness and comfortable surface treatment. Non woven cotton and non-woven rayon are ideal choices for sanitary products such as women's products, diapers and personal wipes. When durability is important - for products such as cleaning wipes - other types of fibers can be treated or mixed to form hydrophilic nonwovens.
Sustainability of Nonwovens
If sustainability is your priority as a manufacturer, natural fiber is a responsible choice. Although natural fibers are considered more expensive, their manufacturing methods can make them very competitive with synthetic fiber products in cost. It is very important to choose a supplier with experience in developing environmentally friendly nonwovens. Environmental regulations have led manufacturers in many industries to shift from synthetic fiber nonwovens to compostable or biodegradable fiber environmentally friendly and sustainable nonwovens.