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, wash-ability, 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. Today, innovations in nonwoven fabrics are growing rapidly as the demand increases, with almost limitless possibilities in a variety of industries.
Without going too in-depth here are some examples of nonwoven uses:
- Hygiene - baby diapers, adult incontinence products, wet wipes, bandages and wound dressings, disposable bath and face towels, laudry aids, disposable slippers and footwear;
- Medical - isolation gowns, surgical gowns, surgical drapes and covers, surgical scrub suits, caps, medical packaging: porosity allows gas sterilization;
- Filters - gasoline, oil and air - including HEPA filtration, water coffee tea bags, pharmaceutical industry filters;
- Geotextiles / Agricultural - soil stabilizers and roadway underlayment, foundation stabilizers, erosion control, pond and canal water barriers, sand infiltration barrier for drainage tile, landfill liners, seed strips, agricultural coverings, civil engineering fabrics;
- Apparel - linings, interfacing, disposable garments, backing/stabilizer for machine embroidery, (see medical)
- Construction - house wraps, roofing, erosion control, barriers, insulation (fiberglass batting), (see geotextiles);
- Automotive - headliners, upholstery, carpeting, insuulation;
- Filters
- Other - composites, marine sail laminates, tablecover laminates, chopped strand mat, pillows, cushions, and upholstery padding, carpeting, envelopes, laundry aids, labels, and wall coverings.