AIRLAID PULP NONWOVEN PRIMER

Capabilities and End-uses Market Outlook Manufacturing Process

Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDA wishes to thank the following persons who edited this primer. These editors have extensive experience with this technology and we appreciate their time and efforts in preparing this primer. Fraser Evans President of F. Evans Associates Inc., a Senior Associate of AMEC Forest Industry Consulting, spent more than 30 years at Canfor in pulp and paper marketing. Jeffrey Hurley Manager, Nonwovens Division of Buckeye Technologies responsible for the production and sales of airlaid pulp materials. Formerly Mr. Hurley was with Hoechst Celanese (Kosa). Rob Johnson Principal of Smith, Johnson & Associates, a consulting firm that focuses on the nonwoven industry. Earlier in his career, Mr. Johnson was with the airlaid pulp division of Scott Paper. Ivan Pivko President, Notabene Associates Inc., a consulting firm that focuses on the airlaid pulp and related industries. Mr. Pivko was formerly the President and CEO of Merfin Hygienic Products Ltd., now part of Buckeye Technologies. Ed Vaughn, Ph. D., Clemson University As a professor with the School of Textiles at Clemson, Mr. Vaughn has many years of experience teaching about the nonwoven industry. Inda would also like to thank the following companies for contributing materials for this primer. Dan-Web M&J

AIRLAID PULP NONWOVEN PRIMER

Capabilities and End-uses Market Outlook Manufacturing Process
Prepared by:
Ian Butler, INDA

Edited by:
Fraser Evans Jeff Hurley Rob Johnson Ivan Pivko Ed Vaughn

P.O. Box 1288, Cary, North Carolina 27512 (919) 233-1210, Fax (919) 233-1282, www.inda.org

Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

Graphic design and printing by Margaret M. Park PRINTING by DESIGN Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Copyright 2003 INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any medium whatsoever, without express written permission of INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: ......................................................................................................... Overview .................................................................................................... 1 History of Technology ................................................................................. 2 Markets: Worldwide Volume ..................................................................................... Industry by Region ...................................................................................... Share of World Nonwoven Production ....................................................... Major End-Markets .................................................................................... 4 4 8 9

Performance Characteristics of Airlaid Nonwovens....................................... 11 Types of Fabrics Available .............................................................................. 13 Fibers and Materials Used in Airlaid Pulp Nonwovens .................................. 16 Success Stories: Absorbent Hygiene Cores .......................................................................... 20 Wipes ......................................................................................................... 21 Surgical Products ....................................................................................... 23 Airlaid Process: .................................................................................................... Process Sequence ............................................................................................ 24 Web Formation ................................................................................................ 24 Bonding Methods ............................................................................................. 25 Future Directions ............................................................................................. 28 Glossary ........................................................................................................... 29

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INTRODUCTION TO AIRLAID NONWOVEN TECHNOLOGY

The head forming section of Dan Web Air Laid Line

OVERVIEW
The term airlaid pulp nonwoven in this primer refers to a technology that produces a web from short fibers, most often from some form of softwood pulp. The process is also referred to as short fiber airlaid technology to distinguish it from the Rando Weber airlaid process that handles longer fiber lengths in the 3.8-4.5 cm length range and are generally synthetic fibers, such as rayon or polyester. While the principal fibers used to produce airlaid nonwovens are fluff pulp made from softwood trees, other natural and short length synthetic fibers can be used. The process was originally conceived as a method of making paper without the

use of water. In paper making, wood pulp is bonded principally by a chemical reaction between the pulps natural cellulose and water. To enhance the papers strength, small amounts of agents, such as rosin, are added to improve strength. In contrast, the airlaid pulp nonwoven technology uses latex resins, thermoplastic fibers or some combination of both to bond the webs fibers into a fabric. The process yields a paper-like fabric that is thicker or loftier, softer and generally more absorbent with higher absorbent than paper. The addition of latex resins or thermoplastic bonding fibers yields a material that is more tear-resistant, with increased tensile strength and higher abrasion resistance than the paper alternative even when wet. These attractive physical characteristics, plus a lower cost relative to alternative fabrics and nonwovens, make airlaid pulp nonwovens a very suitable fabric for many disposable products in the consumer and industrial/institutional markets. The main product categories where airlaid pulps are currently used are baby wipes and other consumer and institutional/industrial wipes, absorbent cores in feminine napkins, table-top items and napkins. Airlaid pulp is one of the fastest growing nonwoven technologies worldwide with double-digit volume increases during the 1990s. Continued high growth of this technology is forecast for many years onto the future.

HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY
It is controversial as to where the airlaid technology really was originally developed.1 The earliest traces of the technology date back to the 1940s when some missionary companies experimented with various fibers and wood pulp on web forming machinery made at Curalator Co., now the Rando Machine Corporation. Commencing in the early 1950s or so, various individuals and organizations located in such diverse countries as Russia, USA, Canada, UK, Japan, Finland, Denmark and Sweden, had a hand in developing the airlaid pulp technology. Many companies were intrigued by the possibility of making a dry laid web from inexpensive wood pulp or wood pulp/fiber blends, which led to airlaid development projects generally moving parallel one to another. In the mid 1960s, Honshu of Japan designed a nonwoven technology to make a
FOOTNOTE:
1

In his book, The Technology in Search of Markets, Ivan Pivko of Notabene Associates Inc. details the full history of the airlaid technology from its inception through to current times. The book, written in a light-hearted manner, is packed with facts and information and is a recommended read for students of the airlaid industry.

pulp-based cigarette filter material. The technology was successful and further airlaid developments led to making production lines to produce materials for the disposable Oshibori wipes industry. And now, 40 years later, the original two production lines are still in production. About the same time, Johnson & Johnsons Chicopee division (the fabric production division of Johnson & Johnson) was interested in the technology and commissioned their Montreal, Canada plant to pioneer the development of absorbent core materials. Chicopee further developed the technology in their Chicago, IL plant and by the late 1960s had several lines producing airlaid pulp core material for Johnson & Johnsons baby diapers bypassing the need for top sheet. These early lines were scrapped when Johnson & Johnson exited the baby diaper industry in North America. Simultaneously and independently to Johnson & Johnsons efforts, the Scott Paper Companys R&D was developing an airlaid technology and ultimately installed a modified Rando system at their Dover, DE site. Starting with various textile fibers, the company moved towards the use of wood pulp and was important in commercializing airlaid wipes made from a mix of pulp and synthetic fibers. The plant, now owned by Procter & Gamble, is still in operation. Perhaps the key individual that led to the development and ultimate commercial success of the airlaid technology was the prolific Danish inventor Karl Kroyer. Using an earlier patented invention by a Finnish inventor named Hjelt and possibly some ideas from the Honshu technology in Japan, Kroyer made significant improvements to the technology to better the look and feel of the product. With further development, Kroyers first sale was an R&D line shipped to Kimberly-Clarks research center in Neenah, WI. In 1970, Kroyer built a second line, a 1.6 meter wide semi-commercial line for United Paper Mills of Denmark. This line was shown to many companies that were evaluating the purchase of technology and entering the airlaid pulp business. While growth was not smooth during the next several years, a production line was ultimately sold to American Can in Green Bay, WI. The commercial success of American Cans Bolt consumer wipe product led the companies chief competitor across town, Fort Howard Paper, to also install a similar production line. About the same time, Scott Paper was developing their proprietary airlaid pulp technology using modified Rando equipment, as previously mentioned. The industry was well launched in North America and the success of the three companies developing consumer wipes is an important milestone marking the growth of the airlaid technology. Fort Howard and American Can operations were merged in the mid 1990s and are now owned by Buckeye Technologies.

It would be remiss to not mention the work of John Mosgaard, a principal of Dan-Web, which is an important supplier of the airlaid pulp technology. Mosgaard was an engineer and worked for Kroyer at one time, but decided to go on his own. One of his legacies to the industry was the development of the rotary drum former a technology employed on many airlaid lines worldwide.

MARKETS
WORLDWIDE VOLUME
Airlaid pulp nonwovens have shown strong growth during the 1990s with the production of these materials almost tripling from 116,000 tonnes in 1992 to almost 354,000 tonnes by the end of 2002. Considerable production capacity has been added in several world regions and our expectations are that the technology annual output of airlaid pulp materials will rise to about 720,000 tonnes by 2007.

Worldwide Airlaid Pulp Production

(thousands of tonnes)

Source: INDA estimates

INDUSTRY BY REGION
The major producing regions of airlaid pulp nonwoven materials are North America, Europe and Japan. These three regions together produce and consume about 90% of the worlds airlaid pulp materials. North America has been the leading producer of airlaid pulp nonwoven in part due to the close proximity of southern pine, a wood pulp with many desirable properties, made from the fast growing Loblolly and Slash Pine located in the southeastern United States. The trees are grown on vast plantations to produce wood pulp and lumber. Growth continues in these three markets, but considerable airlaid pulp capacity is being added into other world regions, particularly South America, Middle East and China.

Airlaid Pulp Production by Region

(thousands of tonnes)

Source: INDA estimates

North America
The North American industry, which includes the U.S. and Canada, is the largest market for airlaid pulp nonwoven worldwide. This is due in part to the proximity to a vast wood pulp supply and in part to the early entry of several major airlaid pulp producers. These new airlaid pulp operations were owned by parent companies that produced paper and paper wipes, which had considerable knowledge and marketing savvy that helped to successfully develop and grow the market for the new air laid ventures. In North America, there are nine airlaid pulp producers making products on an estimated 20 production lines. The combined production output in 2001 was approximately 126,000 tonnes. Airlaid pulp imports were considerable as demand was higher than the industrys ability to supply. The tight supply situation was caused by the growing use of airlaid pulp as an absorbent medium in feminine sanitary napkin products and training pants. Also, at the same time demand from the wipes industry for airlaid pulp materials rose swiftly with the many new product introductions. However, during 2001and 2002 the North American industry added capacity totaling about 100,000 tonnes per year. This was an enormous volume addition considering that the total North American airlaid pulp production in 1990, just a decade earlier, was just slightly in excess of 50,000 tonnes as shown in the previous figure. At time of writing this primer, the North American industry was in an oversupply situation. We expect the demand for airlaid pulp will continue to expand. Driving this growth will be the further adoption of airlaid pulp as an absorbent core and the expanding use as a wipe material. A large market potential is absorbent core material for baby diapers and further use in adult incontinent diapers.

Europe
Europe was the birthplace of this technology. Western Europe has six significant producers and several smaller companies making product on 16 production lines. Airlaid pulp production from these companies during 2001 was about 120,000 tonnes. Several countries have the technology, but the larger production installations are in Germany, Sweden, France, Italy and Ireland. Similar to the North American situation, airlaid demand has risen rapidly matched by a subsequent rise in production capacity. The major end-markets for airlaid pulp are fairly similar, except that the volume share sold to the European wipes industry is less than that sold into the North American wipes market. Disposable wipes made of airlaid pulp compete directly with

hydroentangled nonwoven materials and European consumers have shown a preference for hydroentangled wipes in some applications.

Asia-Pacific
The airlaid industry is most developed in Japan. There are four airlaid producers in Japan making product on at least eight production lines. Total annual airlaid capacity in Japan is estimated at 30-35,000 tonnes, and the nations actual output runs about two-thirds that figure. Airlaid pulp is sold to a variety of markets similar to those discussed for North America and Europe. A large market is cigarette filter media and another unique and significant market is the volume consumed by oshibori wipes. Considerable airlaid capacity was added to China in 2002 with the start-up of a single production line that will be devoted mainly to producing absorbent core, but also capable of producing material for the wipes industry. Another line of similar capacity is scheduled to come on-stream in 2003 and (at time of writing, there were at least domestically built lines installed based upon the Dan-Web rotary former technology. These large capacity expansions are expected to drive the countrys annual capacity to above 60,000 tonnes by the middle of the decade. China is the worlds third largest producer of newsprint and wood pulp availability is not an issue for producers in the region.

Other World Markets

Outside the previously mentioned regions, there are a few production lines scattered around the world in South America, Taiwan and Middle East. The reason for the slow development in these other regions is because wipes, airlaid pulps largest end-use, are a luxury item and as discretionary income is low, demand for these types of wipes is low. Furthermore, while airlaid pulp is used as an absorbent core in feminine products, absorbent cores can also be made from a formed fluff during feminine napkin production.

SHARE OF WORLD NONWOVEN PRODUCTION

In the early 1990s, worldwide production of airlaid pulp totaled close to 100,000 tonnes, representing between 5.5-6% of total nonwovens production. By 2001, airlaid pulps production had tripled to about 300,000 tonnes, equivalent to 8% of total world nonwoven production. For the future, airlaid pulp demand by its two major markets, absorbent cores and wipes, are expected to drive this technologys share to 13% of world nonwoven output by 2007 with output exceeding 700,000 tonnes. Considerable expansion has already occurred in North America and China, but several high capacity projects are in the late planning stages in Europe and other world regions.

Airlaid Pulp Share of World Nonwoven Production

(thousands of tonnes)

Source: INDA estimates

MAJOR END-MARKETS
The major end markets for airlaid pulp materials include wipes (baby, personal, household and industrial), absorbent core materials, tabletop items (napkins, table cloths), medical dressings and oshibori wipes. Emerging product applications include wet toilet paper, protective-cushioning materials for packaging, filtration media, new composite wiping materials and food soaker pads (used under retail chicken packaging, for example). Absorbent core materials and wipes account for almost 80% of airlaid pulp volume in the North American market. Absorbent cores in adult incontinence, training pants and feminine care products account for 44% of all airlaid pulp consumption. Airlaid pulp cores that contain super absorbents are thinner, more absorbent and depending upon how measured, are more cost effective than conventional fluff pulp cores. While there are some baby diaper and training pant products on the market with airlaid cores, the technology still has not penetrated these two markets to a significant degree. A major issue in switching to an airlaid core is the immediate higher cost faced by the diaper producer. Airlaid pulp material is more expensive on a per kilogram basis compared to conventional fluff pulp cores, but these higher costs are offset to some extent by lower costs due to the thinner products requiring less packaging, lower transportation and warehousing. Some research indicates improved baby diaper performance and a product that is more comfortable. It is our opinion airlaid will extend into the baby diaper industry as more airlaid production capacity comes on stream. A portion of the growth forecast to 2007 includes this expected shift to airlaid pulp cores. The wipes industry is the second largest market for airlaid pulp in North America. Growth of airlaid pulp in this market has been exceptionally strong for several years as the industry expanded and new categories of wiping products were introduced to the consumer, industrial and institutional markets. Baby wipes are the largest wipes segment and consume 26% of airlaid pulp produced. Other consumer product introductions now account for a significant share of the business and have driven increases in airlaid volume. Pre-moistened toilet tissue has been launched by several major consumer products companies and could become a significant new product category. Another high growth wipes category is floor-cleaning products. There are a number of disposable mops that use airlaid cores

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World Airlaid Pulp Applications

(2002 based upon tonnes)

Source: Notabene Associates, Inc.

OTHER MARKETS
Table 1

A Selection of Other Airlaid Pulp Markets Disposable Handkerchief Filtration Media Protective Packaging Fabric Stain Remover Pads Meat packaging soaker pads Moist toilet tissue Cosmetic pads Protective layer in liquid packaging

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PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF AIRLAID NONWOVENS

The following provides some of the key attributes of airlaid technology using wood pulp. Of course, the airlaid producer can modify the pulps characteristics to meet the users specific needs.

Bulk and Absorbency

One of the most attractive features of airlaid pulp is its bulky or lofty nature. The airlaid process yields a web structure with a myriad of microscopic voids in which water or other liquids can be trapped and retained. Wood pulp is an inexpensive fiber relative to most alternate fibers, thus the producer can afford to make an airlaid product thicker for a given weight than most competitive materials. The convenience, cost and hygienic benefits of a disposable wipe made from airlaid pulp are important reason why airlaid pulp replaces traditional cloth wipes and other materials. The same absorbency property makes this material a leading absorbent core for disposable hygiene products as well as core materials for medical dressings and sponges. The absorbency properties of fluff can be increased dramatically by adding superabsorbent materials to the fluff pulp.

Softness
Airlaid pulp nonwoven is inherently soft due to the wood pulp fibers used and the various emulsions used to bind them. The softness of the material is an important reason for its use as an absorbent core in products such as feminine napkins, incontinent pads and medical materials. In some absorbent products, there is actually direct skin contact. Most core material is soft, but the material can be engineered with stiffness that can improve the fluid acquisition performance. Airlaid producers can produce material that is strong when wet and yet still soft. Because of these properties and its reasonable cost, airlaid pulp is a leading wipes material used by baby wipes, household, industrial and institutional cleaning.

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Wet Strength
Premoistened wipes are impregnated with various solutions used to clean babies, kitchen, bathroom and windows. All these end uses require a material that will retain its strength when wet. Wood pulp fibers are short and naturally bulky. Short fibers generally yield a low strength fabric. Airlaid pulp nonwovens strength is improved by using resin binders and adding crimped synthetic fibers to the pulp blend. The binder and fibers result in an airlaid pulp material that is stronger than paper while retaining its softness. For example, typically an airlaid web will retain about 50% of its strength when wet, while papers strength retention is much lower. The synthetic fibers also aid the airlaid web to retain its bulk when wet.

Value
The fluff pulp used by the airlaid process is made from a variety of trees. In a price per kilogram basis, fluff pulp is one of the least expensive fibers in comparison to most other forms of natural and synthetic fibers.

Natural, Sustainable and Biodegradable

Fluff pulp is a natural fiber made from trees grown on massive tree plantations, which have been cultivated specifically for the making of construction lumber and fluff pulp. Many products, such as premoistened baby wipes and premoistened toilet wipes, are flushable and biodegradable under the right conditions.

Abrasion Resistance
One of airlaid pulps significant competitors in wiping products is paper toweling. The use of resin binders improves the abrasion resistance as well as the strength. Airlaid producers can use soft latex binders for products where softness is desired, such as cosmetic remover pads, alcohol prep pads, and fine polishing cloths.

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TYPES OF FABRICS AVAILABLE

There are several methods used to bond airlaid pulp webs. The first and earliest form of bonding used latex resin to bind the fibers. Until the past few years, this method was the principal form of binding fibers and accounted for most of the worlds production. During the 1990s, the use of thermal fusible synthetic fibers to bind the webs fibers became the dominant system. It is fair to say that now most airlaid pulp production is multi-bonded, which combines latex bonding and thermal bonding to increase the end products strength and reduce dust from loose fluff pulp. A new bonding system gaining is commercial importance over the past few years marries an airlaid pulp web with a carded web usually made from synthetic fibers. In this system, the hydroentangling process bonds the two webs of fibers into a single homogeneous material. A newly termed word for this composite process is air lacing. In fact, this process is similar to spunlaced material made from a pulp tissue hydroentangled (bonded) to a web of synthetic fibers. The difference between the two processes is that air lacing uses loose fluff pulp while spunlacing uses a preformed pulp tissue.

LATEX BONDING
In latex bonding, the web of pulp fibers is bonded together by a latex resin that is applied by a spray system. The sprayed web is then transported to a drying system that drives off the moisture and the binder reacts with the cellulose to form a bonded network of fibers This process is most suitable for webs with a low basis weight, say up to 50 gsm, as the spray is unable to penetrate deeply into the fibrous web to bond it. Attempting to bond a web that is overly thick can lead to web delamination, a situation where the web splits down the middle into two pieces. End-products that use this form of bonding include premoistened and dry wipes, table top items, some medical products, a large portion of cores used by feminine hygiene products and meat packaging soak pads.

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THERMAL BONDED
Thermal bonded airlaid materials are bonded by means of thermoplastic fibers that are intimately blended with the fluff pulp. Generally bicomponent fibers are used. The fibers are either a polyester or polypropylene core fiber with a polyethylene sheath containing an additive to improve the adhesion to the cellulose fibers. Crimped bicomponent fibers of 4 mm or 6 mm in length are blended homogeneously into the wood pulp forming a three dimensional web. The amount of bicomponent fiber added to the web can range from 5-35% of the total pulp/fiber blend, depending upon the end application. Generally the web of loose fibers is lightly calendered to a specified thickness. The web is transported to a heated oven that melts the fibers polyethylene sheath, which forms bonding points between the bicomponent fibers and the pulp. The bonding will help hold in place any other materials in the pulp/fiber blend, such as superabsorbent powders Thermal bonded materials are suitable for any weight of material above 50 grams, but are definitely necessary for fabric weights above 120 gsm. Thermal bonded materials are typically used as absorbent cores in absorbent hygiene, floor cleaning wipes or medical dressing products. Airlaid materials that are bonded exclusively by thermal bonding are not suitable for some end applications due to surface dust and loose pulp fibers.

MULTI BONDED
Many webs today are multi bonded, which is a combination of latex bonded and thermal bonded. The webs exterior layer receives a light application of latex binder and the center of the web is bonded by use of thermoplastic fibers that fuse to the wood pulp and each other during drying/curing of the web. The purpose of latex spray is primarily dust control to reduce the amount of loose fiber or lint generated in subsequent converting processes.

POINT BONDED
A recent development is the point bonded method of bonding the airlaid pulp web, which is bonding the web by means of high-pressure calenders. This technology is also referred to by various names, the most common being Xbonded, hydrogen bonded and pressure point bonded. In the point bonded method the web is put through an engraved calendar bonding system. The heat and pressure of the calenders rolling together essentially fuses the pulp fibers

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together at the calenders engraved points. There can be some additional fusing from bicomponent fibers and superabsorbent materials, if present in the web. An airlaid pulp web can be also calendar bonded by using smooth, unengraved calenders. The resulting material is stiff, boardy and will resemble paper.

AIR LACING
Air lacing is a relatively new technology that is expected to increase in importance. The term air lacing really refers to more than just the bonding method as it also describes the type of nonwoven materials derived from the process. Air lacing has its roots in the hydroentangling (or spunlacing) technology. In the hydroentangling process, a lightweight, tissue paper is married to a web of carded synthetic fibers by high velocity jets of water that entangle the two materials into a composite. Air lacing is essentially the same, except that the process joins an airlaid web of pulp fibers (unbonded) to a carded web of synthetic fibers. There are several advantages to the air lacing technology: The air laced nonwoven is an inexpensive composite material with good absorbency and higher tensile strength than an airlaid web. Substitution of a portion of the synthetic fibers with lower cost fluff pulp fibers yield as material that is very competitive in cost and performance to a hydroentangled fabric that is made exclusively from synthetic fibers. The blending of wood pulp into the air laced material improves the webs uniformity.

Air laced materials have the look and feel of traditional textiles and major endapplications include wipes, surgical apparel and drapes, industrial disposable apparel and table top items.

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FIBERS AND MATERIALS USED IN AIRLAID PULP NONWOVENS

PULP FIBERS
The prime fiber used in the airlaid technology is fluff pulp. Fluff pulp is a generic name referring to pulp that is obtained from several renewable plant sources including eucalyptus, flax, hemlock, spruce and pine. Fluff pulp is a natural cellulosic fiber that has the advantages of low cost, excellent absorbency, opacity, softness and is readily dyeable. The pulps physical and chemical characteristics will vary depending upon the species of the tree used, geographic growing area, pulping and bleaching process used and whether or not chemical additives have been added to the pulp to affect processing. Large quantities of fluff pulp are also used to make the absorbent cores in absorbent products, such as baby diapers, feminine napkins and other related products. Most fluff pulp used in the airlaid process is obtained from pine trees, which are available in many regions globally. In North America, fluff pulp is obtained from southern varieties of pine trees. The morphology of southern pine is quite different from northern pine species due to the longer growing season and softer climate in the south. Southern pines produce thicker fibers and their pulp is preferred in applications where good absorbency properties are required. The trees most commonly harvested to make fluff pulp are the Slash and Loblolly pines. Slash pine, which accounts for higher volume, is grown on millions of acres in tree plantations throughout Florida, southern Georgia and to a lesser extent in neighboring southern states. Trees on these plantations reach maturity in a relatively few years due to the favorable climate and fertile conditions. Indeed, a tree reaching 30 years can be harvested for construction lumber, while younger trees are used for pulping purposes. To give some measure of growth of these southern pine tree varieties, a fertile plantation acre of land will grow about two cords of wood per year, almost 50% more than a northern pine species. The harder growing season in northern climates yields a wood with much thinner fibers and cell walls compared to their southern counterparts. The northern

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pines are more ideally suited for lumber production and for certain printing and writing papers, especially those requiring a strong web that will be subjected to the stresses of high speed printing. Moreover, due to the thinner pulp fibers, northern pine pulp is much less absorbent than southern species of pine. In Europe, some quantities of pulp are produced in the Scandinavian regions where forests are also cultivated specifically for lumber and pulp for paper production. The worldwide demand for fluff pulp by absorbent cores and airlaid pulp production was about 3.5 million tonnes in 2002. This figure has been relatively static for several years, despite of the increased use of absorbent fluff by emerging world markets. The reason for no increase is because the use of superabsorbent polymers within the absorbent core has lowered fluff pulp demand. As well, the switch to lower weights of airlaid nonwoven cores has lowered pulp demand. However, total pulp demand is expected to rise, driven by the growth of adult diapers in mature markets and development of absorbent hygiene industries in emerging markets. While there are a variety of pulp sources, southern pine from U.S. producers meets about 2.6-2.8 million tonnes of the 3.5 million tonnes of demand or roughly three/quarters of the total. It should be mentioned here that although our forecast is for a doubling of airlaid pulp production over the five-year period between 2002 and 2007, this does not mean a doubling of fluff pulp volume. The reason is that airlaid pulp used as a core material is replacing fluff pulp in the core area, so there is no net gain.

SYNTHETIC FIBERS
Synthetic fibers are used as bonding fibers in airlaid pulp nonwovens and are an important component of the air laced nonwoven process. As indicated previously in the Thermal Bonded section, bicomponent synthetic fibers are the main fibers used to bind the pulp fiber web. The bicomponent fibers commonly used to bond these webs are a low melting temperature sheath, generally polyethylene (PE), surrounding a higher melting temperature core such as polypropylene (PP) or polyester (PET). These sheath/core combinations are usually written as PE/PP and PE/PET. Generally an additive, such as maleic anhydride, is compounded into the PE prior to spinning the bicomponent fiber to improve the covalent bonding with the cellulose fibers. Fiber length can vary but most is in the 4-8 mm range. The longer lengths generally yield a higher strength airlaid fabric than one made with shorter length. Bicomponent fibers are opened by a separate opening devise and are fed to the web formation system where they are intimately blended with the wood pulp fibers.

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Air Laced Webs

As covered previously, the air laced nonwovens technology blends a carded web, generally of polyester or rayon fibers, with fluff pulp and then bonds the webs together by hydroentanglement. The carding technology generally uses fibers in the 3.8-4.2 cm range.

SUPERABSORBENTS
Super absorbents are sorbent materials that can absorb many times the amount of liquid ordinarily absorbed by cellulosic material, such as wood pulp or cotton. The materials can absorb liquids anywhere between 10 and 100 times their own weight, depending upon the liquid being absorbed and time. These materials are used extensively in airlaid pulp materials that will be used as absorbent cores in feminine napkin, training pants, baby and adult diapers. The use of superabsorbents reduces the amount of fluff pulp required and the resulting products are slimmer, lighter weight and easier fitting.2 Further, the slimmer size allows for smaller packaging sizes thereby reducing transportation and warehousing costs. Superabsorbent materials are available in a powder or granular form that are added to the fluff pulp in the forming process prior to the pulp being bonded. These are generally referred to as superabsorbent powders (SAP). The use of superabsorbent fibers (SAF) is increasing. As with SAP, these fibrous polymers that can absorb liquids 10-100 times their weight and are mixed into the fluff pulp at webs forming heads.

LATEX
Latex is a resinous bonding agent used by several nonwoven technologies. Relevant to airlaid materials, the latex resin is dissolved or is in a colloidal dispersion within water, which is then sprayed or foamed onto the web. Latex acts as the glue that holds the loose web of fibers together. The range of binder materials is wide and the more important are butadiene polymers, acrylic polymers and vinyl polymers.

FOOTNOTE: The amount of pulp used within the average baby diaper in the 1970s and 1980s was about 45-50 grams, whereas today the amount used is 15-20 grams per unit.
2

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The latex binder has a major influence on the physical properties of the final airlaid fabric. Thus, the requirements of the finished product or end-use determine the selection of the type of bonding agent. Below are some of the fabrics characteristic that are influenced by the latex binder: Draping qualities Fabric strength/resilience, especially when wet Elasticity Absorbency, hydrophilic or hydrophobic properties Aesthetic properties such as softness or hand Anti bacterial or anti fungal properties Chemical resistance, particularly with moist cleaning wipes Color

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Success Stories

ABSORBENT HYGIENE CORES

A key component of an absorbent hygiene product is the absorbent core. The function of the absorbent core in baby diapers, training pants, feminine sanitary products and similar products is to acquire the urine or other bodily fluids and act as a reservoir to hold it. Fluff pulp has always been the key component of the core, but increasingly superabsorbent polymers are being added to the core to reduce the amount of fluff pulp required and be a more effective means of holding larger quantities of bodily fluids. Absorbent cores have until the past few years been formed on the production line making the product (diapers, feminine napkins, etc.). However, the development of airlaid nonwoven cores has led to a new generation of thinner feminine hygiene products that have ultra thin cores. By 2002, almost all feminine hygiene products were using airlaid cores exclusively or the plants were being converted over to use airlaid material. These thinner cores are now finding their way into adult incontinence and training pants products. Adults appreciate airlaid cores, as the hygiene products are thinner, more discrete and capable of handling a larger volume of urine. The product is more acceptable to children at the potty training stage as the thinner training pants have an appearance similar to regular underwear. Absorbent product manufacturers are also reviewing the replacement of machine-formed absorbent cores with the airlaid pulp nonwoven in baby diapers.

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Success Stories

WIPES
While several types of nonwoven technologies are used in making disposable wipes, airlaid nonwoven have captured a significant share of the total business because of its low cost relative to the competing materials plus the physical attributes of softness, bulk, absorbency and strength. Consumer wipe products have proliferated during recent years and are generally classified into three categories of product: baby wipes, personal wipes (such as, cosmetic, incontinence and general purpose) and household cleaning wipes. The household segment has grown rapidly over the past several years and includes anti-bacterial wipes used in the kitchen and bathroom areas, furniture polish wipes, automotive cleaners, mop heads, general cleanup and dish cloths. In industrial wiping applications, airlaid nonwovens offer the advantages of lower cost, cleanliness compared to conventional reusable textile wipes and higher strength and absorbency than paper wipes.

CONSUMER WIPES
The airlaid pulp technology is a major part of the premoistened disposable wipes business. This consumer wipes business is large and growing in North America and valued at more than a billion dollars at the retail level and consuming more than 1.5 billion square meters of nonwoven wipes materials. Consumer wipes have had significant growth that spanned the 1990s. Baby wipes, used at diaper change time, are the leading consumer wipes segment accounting for almost 60% of all consumer wipes volume in terms of nonwoven fabric consumed. In the developed markets of North America, Europe and Japan, the baby wipes market growth has slowed in recent years as the market reached maturity. However, the declining growth of the baby wipe segment has been offset by the growth performance of the personal wipes segment, which includes body wipes, incontinence wipes, cosmetic wipes and moist tissue all products that have shown significant expansion. In part, the decline of baby wipe growth can be attributed to its cannibalization by these non-baby wipe products. Some of these personal wipes segments have displayed explosive growth with numerous product introductions. Several nonwoven technologies are used in making disposable wipes, but airlaid pulp has the advantage of low cost, moderate strength and good absorbency.

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Due to its softness, airlaid pulp is used widely in premoistened baby wipes. Airlaid is versatile and is used in some household wipes, such as the hard surface and anti-bacterial wipes designed to clean and disinfect the kitchen and bathroom areas.

Airlaid nonwovens are used for many household consumer wipes.

INDUSTRIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL WIPES

Nonwovens are replacing disposable rags, shop towels and paper wipes in general manufacturing, such as printing, automotive, aerospace and many other production areas. Airlaid pulp is attractive due to low cost, bulk, absorbency and product consistency. A large market for airlaid nonwoven in Japan is the oshibori towel, which is a warm premoistened hand towel used before eating. The oshibori is a popular custom spreading to other cultures. Occasionally, travelers will find oshibori wipes provided on western culture airlines.

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Success Stories

SURGICAL PRODUCTS

Nonwovens are used widely by the medical systems in North America, Europe and Japan. Many healthcare providers prefer sterilized, single-use surgical apparel, patient drapes and other single-use products. Single-use products are inexpensive and provide good value in protecting medical personnel and patients against the spread of infectious diseases or other pathogens transmitted by bodily fluids or blood. The costs of these single use items are competitive with reusable gowns, which must be laundered and have a limited life to retain their barrier properties. Single-use surgical apparel accounts for approximately three/ quarters of surgical apparel in U.S. hospitals and about 40% in Canada and some northern European countries. The healthcare industry uses a variety of nonwoven materials in their singleuse products. Hydroentangled nonwovens have been a key supplier to this market. The similar air laced technology is expected to be a major source of nonwoven material for the surgical and related markets.

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AIRLAID PROCESS

Full swing line

Latex spray bonding, thermal bonding, hydrogen bonding or any combination of the processes

PROCESS SEQUENCE
The process for making an airlaid nonwoven is similar to that of making a carded web and nonwoven. First, the fiber is opened, then the web is formed and the third and final step is the bonding. Post treatment to the airlaid nonwoven is a possible fourth step prior to converting the nonwoven into a finished product. The page opposite illustrates the technologies of the two principal machinery producers: Dan-Web and M & J, both located in Denmark.

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FLUFF PULP DEFIBRATION

The first step in the process is fluff pulp defibration. To save space and shipping costs, fluff pulp is purchased in a highly compressed roll form. The bleached white pulp is quite thick a millimeter or two and has a cardboard-like feel. This material is fed into a hammermill, a device that has a series of hammers rotating at high speed to separate the compressed pulp into loose individual fibers. The loose pulp is then transported pneumatically to the web forming system.

WEB FORMATION
The loose pulp delivered from the hammermills is fed into the web formation device. There are two web formation technologies. In one system, the web former is a coarse screen into which the fluff pulp is fed. An agitator forces the pulp through the screen and the pulp falls like snow to the collecting screen below. M&J Fibretech of Denmark builds this technology. A second web formation system uses a drum former. The Danish producer, Dan-Web, builds this technology. In drum forming, the pulp passes through a series of holes or slots that are in a cylinder that spans the width of the collection screen. There are two cylinders in each forming head that are counter-rotating at high speed and each has an agitator inside to randomize the fiber distribution. Drum formers do not always have a nit return, relying on high defibration at the hammermills to eliminate the nits or fibers that have bundled together in the process. In either system, the fibrous pulp is kept in place by a vacuum below the collection screen. Generally a production line will have multiple web former systems. After passing one former, the web moves onto subsequent formers for additional layers of pulp. Other additives, such as bicomponent fibers or superabsorbents are also fed into the web formers for blending with the fluff pulp. Airlaid production lines usually have provisions to vary the additives for each former, thus giving them an ability to have a layered material where the function of some layers can perform different tasks. For example a bottom layer of an absorbent core web could contain more superabsorbent and so become a larger reservoir.

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Three-head forming system from M&J

WEB CONSOLIDATION
Prior to bonding, the web goes through a small step, which includes compaction and embossing. Compaction is a light calendering to provide some integrity or cohesiveness to the web. At this stage, embossing of the web is usually done, particularly if the web is to be latex bonded only. Embossing patterns could be a company logo or teddy bears and such for baby wipes.3

FOOTNOTE: Embossing can also be done after the oven bonding procedure if the web is a thermally bonded structure, especially a web with a high level of bicomponent fiber.
3

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BONDING METHODS
As covered in a previous section, there are five principal bonding methods: latex bonding, thermal bonding, multi bonding, point bonding and air lacing.

Latex Bonding
There are two methods of applying the latex binder to the web. In one system, the compacted web is carried on the forming screen and first sprayed with a latex resin on one side. The web is dried in an oven and then flipped to its reverse side to receive a second a binder spray. The web goes through a second drying operation, which cures the binder and is then sent to the slitting/wind up system. The second method of binder application does not flip the web but applies the binder spray from the bottom side of the web prior to the second drying oven. In this system, the second drying oven which has an up air flow holding the dry, already sprayed and cured side of the web in place against the top of the drying wire. A second spray of binder is applied to the bottom side. A relatively recent development is the use of foam bonding. Rather than spraying the latex, the web is led into a bath of latex resin that is in a foamy state. There are several advantages using a foam application system, but the main reason is cleanliness as in a spray system there is always some over spray, which can contaminate nearby equipment and requires diligent maintenance. At time of writing, only a few firms were using this technology and it is limited to heavier materials generally exceeding 100 gsm. Most airlaid webs are dried using a through-air drying method. In this type of system, heated air is passed through the moist web evaporating the binders water content. Through-air drying produces a bulky and soft fabric. Drum drying is used on a small percentage of airlaid materials. The web is fed through a series of heated drum rollers that drive off the water content. Drum drying results in a stiffer product resembling paper. Fabrics containing a higher percentage of fluff pulp in the mix require more residence time in the dryer.

Thermal Bonding
The web of wood pulp and synthetic fibers is transported to a through-air oven, which softens and melts the sheaths of the bicomponent fibers to the point where they bind or fuse together the various web components. The web is calendered to correct the webs thickness, cooled and led to the wind up system.

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Multi Bonding
Multi Bonding is a combination of both systems. The webs center portion is thermal bonded and a light latex bonding is sprayed on both sides of the web and dried. As explained earlier, the purpose of multi bonding is to reduce the lint and dust generated during conversion to a finished product.

Air Lacing
In the air lacing process, an airlaid web of wood pulp is married to a web formed by another nonwoven web formation technology, such as carding or spunlaid. (See the following drawing.) The combined webs are bonded together by the hydroentangling bonding process. Hydroentangling is a bonding method where streams of high-pressure water emitted from closely spaced nozzles are directed at the fibrous web. The intensity of the water streams on the supported web entangles and interlocks the fibers to yield a cohesive nonwoven material. The material is subsequently dried and the finished nonwoven material has good aesthetic and physical properties of softness, drapability, absorbency and tensile strength. The blending of wood pulp with synthetic fibers generally ranges from a 60/40% blend to a 40/60% blend, depending upon the final application. The applications include premoistened and dry wipes, medical and other protective apparel.

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FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Airlaid pulp technology has a bright future. The products physical aesthetics of softness, bulk and absorbency at an economical price makes this an ideal material for many product applications. Worldwide, this technology has exhibited rapid growth over the past decade and the growth rate is anticipated to continue. Leading the growth has been the increasing use of airlaid pulp cores by the absorbent products industry. Airlaid pulp cores caught on quickly after introduction and now dominate the feminine napkin market in many world regions. Several producers of training pants and adult incontinent products around the world are now using airlaid pulp cores. Absorbent cores made from airlaid pulp are more expensive on a per kilogram bases than the traditional production line formed absorbent core. But there are many advantages associated with switching to airlaid cores, such as less packaging, lower shipping cost, less warehouse space, improved product performance, possible superior performance, less raw materials and the elimination of hammermills and superabsorbent feeders in the production plant. More importantly, is the superior thinness of diapers made with airlaid cores. We expect baby diaper producers will shift a portion of their diaper production to airlaid pulp cores, replacing the traditional production line formed core. In the short term, it is most probable that only a portion of baby diapers will be converted to airlaid cores in those product segments where the purchaser is performance and style and less influenced by cost, say as with premium products or new born products. Wipes will remain an important end-market for airlaid pulp. Until the development of the airlaid core business, wipes were, by far, the most important market for airlaid pulp material. Over recent years, the expanding use of various consumer and industrial/institutional wipes has driven the wipes industry with annual growth rates in the 6-7% per year. Airlaid pulp is an important material used by the industry because of its relatively low cost and is expected to benefit from the industrys expansion.

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GLOSSARY
Absorption: A process in which one material (the absorbent) takes in or absorbs another (the absorbate). The liquid or a gas is absorbed into a porous substance and retained. Acquisition and distribution layer: (also referred to as sub-layer) a nonwoven wicking layer under the top sheet (or face fabric) of an absorbent product, which speeds the transport and distribution of fluids throughout the absorbent core. Additives: Chemicals added or incorporated into materials to give them different functional or aesthetic properties, such as flame retardancy and softness. Adhesion: The force that holds different materials together at their interface. Aesthetics: Properties of fabrics perceived by touch, sight, smell and sound. Examples are hand, drape, texture, rustle, color and odor. After treatment (Finishing): Chemical or mechanical processes carried out after a web has been formed and bonded to enhance functional or aesthetic properties. Examples are embossing, crping, softening, printing and dyeing. The term also includes slitting to narrower widths and rewinding to desired roll lengths. Air forming: See Airlaid. Air laying, Airlaid process: A nonwoven web forming process that disperses fibers into a fast moving air stream and condenses them onto a moving screen by means of pressure or vacuum. Airlaid nonwoven: An airlaid web that has been bonded by one or more techniques to provide fabric integrity. Airlaid web: A web of fibers produced by the airlaid process. Airlaid pulp: An airlaid nonwoven that is produced with fluff, wood pulp. The web can be bonded with resin and/or thermoplastic resins dispersed within the pulp. Bacteriostat: Chemical additive that limits or prevents the growth of bacteria.

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Basis weight: The weight of a unit area of fabric. Examples are ounces per square yard and grams per square meter. Bicomponent fibers: Fibers made of two different polymers extruded into one filament (core within a sheath or side by side are examples). One type of bicomponent fiber is produced using two polymers so chosen that one component softens at a lower temperature to act as a binder while the other component maintain the webs structural integrity. A second type of bicomponent fiber is splittable and with some form of mechanical energy applied, such as the hydroentangling technology, will separate into finer denier fibers. Binder: An adhesive substance used to bind a web of fibers together or bond one web to another. The adhesive can be in a solid form (powder, film or fiber), foam, or in liquid form (emulsion, dispersion, solution) to bond the constituent elements or enhance their adhesion.

Binder content: The weight of adhesive used to bond the fibers of a web together usually expressed in dry weight as a percent of the fabric weight. Binder fiber: Fibers with lower melting points than other fibers with a higher softening point or non-melting fibers. Upon the application of heat and pressure, these fibers soften and adhere to other fibers in the web, thereby acting as a binder. Some binder fibers can be bicomponent. A solvent (e.g. water) can activate some binder fibers, which may not be thermoplastic. Biodegradable: The ability of a substance to be broken down by bacteria. Blend: A combination of two or more fiber types in making yarn or fabrics. Boardy: The quality of stiffness in describing the hand of a fabric. Bonding: The process of combining a fibrous web into a nonwoven fabric by means of resins (e.g. adhesives or solvent) or physical (e.g. mechanical entanglement or thermal adherence). The bonding may be all over or restricted to predetermined, discrete sites. Bond strength: Amount of force needed to separate layers in a laminated structure or to break the fiber-to-fiber bonds in a nonwoven.

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Calender: A machine used to bond sheets of fabric or film to each other or to create surface features on these sheets. It consists essentially of two or more heavy cylinders that impart heat and/or pressure to the sheets that are passed between them. The rollers can be mirror-smooth, embossed with a pattern or porous. Calender bonding: Thermally bonding a web of loose fibers by passing them through the nip of a pair of calender rollers, of which one or both are heated. Plain or patterned roller may be used. (see Point Bonding) Calendering: A mechanical finishing process used to laminate and to produce special surface features such as high luster, glazing and embossed patterns. Capacity: It is the maximum production output a nonwovens machine is designed to deliver. Card: A machine designed to separate fibers from impurities, align and deliver them to be laid down as a web or to be further separated and fed to an airlaid process. The fibers in the web are aligned with each other predominantly in the machine direction. The machine consists of a series of rolls and drums that are covered with many projecting wires or metal teeth. Card clothing: The wire teeth or serrated flutes that cover the working surfaces of a card. Carded nonwoven: A nonwoven produced from a carded web that has been bonded by one or more technologies to provide fabric integrity. Carding: A process for making fibrous webs in which the fibers are aligned either parallel or randomly in the direction that the carding machine produces the web (see Machine direction). Cellulosic fibers: Made from plants that produce fibrous products based on polymers of the cellulose molecule. Cotton plants produce separate cellulose fibers. Wood pulp is made by mechanically and chemically separating wood fibers. Rayon is made by dissolving vegetable matter, generally wood pulp, in a solution and extruding the solution through spinnerets into a chemical bath that regenerates the filaments. Some other cellulosic fibers are flax, jute and ramie. Chemical bonding: See Resin Bonding.

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Chemical finishing: Processes that apply additives to change the aesthetic and functional properties of a material. Examples are the application of antioxidants, flame-retardents, wetting agents and stain and water repellents. Chemical properties: The response of a fiber to chemical environments such as acids, bases, or solvents. Clump: A knot of fibers in a web resulting from improper separation of the fibers. Coform: The formation of a nonwoven web through the concurrent use of elements from at least two different web formation technologies. Coating: Application of a liquid material to one or both surfaces of a fabric, which is followed by drying or curing. Cohesion: The resistance of like materials to be separated from one another. Examples are: The tendency of fibers to adhere to each other during processing, the resistance of a web to being pulled apart, and the resistance of a component of a laminate to being torn apart when the adhesive interface in the laminate is being stressed. Composite material: Combination of two or more distinct materials having a recognizable interface between them. Composite nonwoven: Term used when the essential part of the composite can be identified as a nonwoven material. If the essential part can not be identified, the term composite nonwoven is used when the mass of the nonwoven content is greater than the mass of any other component material. Converter: An organization that takes nonwoven fabrics supplied in rolls and provides and an intermediate processing step, such as slitting, dyeing, coating, chemical finishes and printing. The fabric is then shipped to the finished products manufacturer. Curing: A process by which resins, binders or plastics are set into or onto fabrics, usually by heating, to cause them to stay in place. The setting may occur by removing solvent or by cross-linking so as to make them insoluble. Decitex (Dtex): Weight in grams of 10,000 meters of a fiber. It is one-tenth of a tex (see Tex).

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Delamination: Tendency of a fabric to be pulled apart (layer separation) by normal surface forces or shear tensions. Denier: The measure of a weight per unit length of a fiber. Denier is numerically equal to the weight in grams of 9,000 meters of the material. Low numbers indicate a fine fiber sizes and high numbers indicate coarse fibers sizes. The tex system is used in countries outside the United States. A tex is numerically equal to the weight in grams of one kilometer of fiber. It can be calculated by dividing the denier by nine. Disposables: A general classification of end-markets where the product made from the nonwoven has a relatively short life. Examples of some of the major categories are cover stock for baby diapers and sanitary napkins, wipes, fabric softener, medical apparel and associated items and filters. Drape: The ability of a fabric to fold on itself and to conform to the shape of the article it covers. Dry forming or dry laying: A process for forming a web from dry fibers by using carding equipment. Air laying refers to the formation of random webs with a stream of air. Dry laid nonwoven: Dry laid web of fibers that has been bonded by one or more bonding techniques to produce a fabric with integrity. Dry laid web: A web of fibers produced by the dry laying process. Drying cylinders: Drying cylinders are used by the resin bonded process. The wetted, loose web is passed over the heated revolving cylinders to drive off the water leaving the cured resin that bonds the web. Durables: A general classification of end-markets for nonwoven materials. The main characteristic of these markets is that the end products have a long life and are more or less permanent. The larger of these markets include apparel interlining, automotive, home furnishings and bedding construction materials, carpeting, geotextiles and roofing material markets. See also Long-Life products. Embossing: A process whereby a pattern is pressed into a film or fabric, usually by passing the material between rolls with little clearance, and where one or both rolls has a raised design. At least one of the rolls is usually heated. Emulsion: A suspension of finely divided liquid droplets within another liquid.

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Entanglement: A method of forming a fabric by wrapping and knotting fibers in a web about each other, by mechanical means, or by the use of jets of pressurised water, so as to bond the fibers. See Hydroentangling. Fabric: A sheet structure made from fibers, filaments or yarns. Fiber: A unit of matter characterized by a high ratio of length-to-width. Materials that can be spun into yarn or made into fabric by interlacing (weaving), interlooping (knitting), or interlocking (bonding). Discontinuous fibers are referred to as staple fibers with lengths designated in inches or millimetres. Typical textile fibers have length-to-width ratios in the order of 1000 to 1, are longer than one inch, have diameters greater than 10 microns, and mass-per-unitlength (linear density) values in the order of one gram per thousand meters. Fiber distribution: In a web, the orientation (random or parallel) of fibers and the uniformity of their arrangement. Filament fibers: Filaments are extruded fibers produced from a variety of polymers. Filaments are continuous fibers that are produced by forcing a molten polymer through a spinneret. If cut to a shorter length, say 3.8 cm, the term filament fiber changes to staple fiber. Filament yarn: A yarn made of continuous filaments assembled with or without a twist. Finish: Substance added to fibers and textiles, in a post-treatment, to change their properties. Examples are lubricants and flame retardants. Fusing: Melting or bonding together of fibers or fabrics. gsm: Grams per square meter gsy: Grams per square yard Hand: Qualities of a fabric perceived by touch, e.g., softness, firmness, stretch, resilience and drape. Hydroentangling, Hydroentangled: See Spunlace bonding ISO: Acronym for the International Standards Organization based in Switzerland. Latex: Either a naturally occurring milky appearing fluid from which rubber is made or a dispersion of a synthetic polymer in water. Typically used as binders.

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Latex Bonding: See Resin Bonding. Lint: Particles and short fibers that fall off a fabric product during the stresses of use. Loft: The properties of bulk and resilience of a fabric or batt. Long-life nonwoven: Synonymous with Durable nonwoven. Machine direction: The long direction within the plane of the fabric that is in the direction in which the fabric is being produced by the machine. Man-made fibers: Another term for synthetic fibers. Natural fibers: Fibers made directly from animals, vegetables or minerals. Examples are silk, wool, cotton, flax, jute, ramie and asbestos. Neps: Small knots of tangled fibers that were not separated before forming the web. Nip: The line of close contact between two calender rolls between which a fabric or web passes. Nonwoven fabric: A fabric made directly from a web of fiber, without the yarn preparation necessary for weaving and knitting. In a nonwoven, the assembly of textile fibers is held together 1) by mechanical interlocking in a random web or mat; 2) by fusing of the fibers, the case of thermoplastic fibers; 3) or by bonding with a bonding medium, such as starch or synthetic resin. Initially, the fibers may be oriented in one direction or may be deposited in a random manner. This web or sheet is then bonded together by one of the methods described above. Fiber lengths can range from 0.25 inch to 6 inches for crimped fibers up to continuous filament in spunbonded fabrics. :On-stream: See Start-up. Opening: A preliminary operation whereby staple fiber is separated sufficiently from its lap or baled condition so that it can be fed to the web forming part of the process. Physical property: The response of a fiber to physical forces.

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Polyester fiber: A manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming substance is any long chain synthetic polymer composed of at least 85% by weight of an ester of dihydric alcohol and terephthalic acid (FTC definition). The physical properties of polyester fiber are excellent strength, high abrasion and resilience with good chemical resistance to acids, solvents and oxidizing agents. Major end uses for polyester staple fiber are fiberfill, wipes, and durable nonwovens, such as geotextiles, automotive and carpeting. Spunlaid polyester is found in fabric softener substrate, automotive carpeting, modified bitumen roofing and various durable end-markets. Polymer: A liquid or solid substance made by chemically linking macromolecules together in chains. High polymer denotes substances made from very long chains. Crosslinked polymer describes a substance in which there are molecular links between chains. Polymerization is the process for making these polymers. Polyolefin: A fiber made of long-chain polymerized olefin of at least 85% weight, from such monomers as ethylene, propylene or other olefins. Polypropylene fiber: A manufactured, olefin fiber made from polymers or copolymers of polypropylene. One attractive physical characteristic of polypropylene is its specific gravity of less than one, which results in a larger area volume yield per kilogram or pound of resin or staple fiber compared to competitive fibers. Polypropylene has a relatively low melt temperature that restricts its uses in many nonwoven markets, but it has good strength properties, softness, and chemical resistance to strong acid and alkalis. Major nonwoven markets for staple and spunlaid polypropylene include cover stock, medical apparel and related, geotextiles, carpeting, blankets, automotive and various other durable markets. Pulp: Short cellulose fibers made from wood or cotton. Rayon fiber: A manufactured fiber composed of regenerated cellulose, as well as manufactured fibers composed of regenerated cellulose in which the substitutes have replaced not more than 15% of the hydrogen atoms of the hydroxyl group (FTC definition). Rayon is manufactured from the cellulose found in vegetable matter, the major source being wood pulp and cotton linters. The cellulose is dissolved into a viscose solution and then extruded through a wetspinning system to coagulate the filaments. The principal physical properties of rayon are moderate strength, softness, luster, hydrophilic and ease of dyeing. The major nonwoven market is wipes.

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Resin: Any of a group of solid or semi-solid materials made by chemical synthesis. The materials are often used in plastics or production of synthetic fibers (see Polymer). Resin bonding: A common method of web bonding by using chemical agents, which may include adhesive resins and solvents. Most common is resin bonding. Latex resins (adhesive) are applied to the web by a variety of methods: dipping the web into the latex and removing the excess, spraying, foaming or printing bonding. The resin is usually in a water-based solution, so this bonding process requires heat to remove the water to dry and set the binder into the fabric. This is sometimes referred to as latex bonding. Roll goods: Fabric rolled up on a core after it has been produced. It is described in terms of fabric weight and the width and length of the material on the roll. Short-life nonwoven: Synonymous with Disposable nonwoven. Spunbond, Spunbonded: A spunlaid technology in which the filaments have been extruded, drawn and laid on a moving screen to form a web. The term is often interchanged with spunlaid, but the industry had conventionally adopted the spunbond or spunbonded term to denote a specific web forming process. This is to differentiate this web forming process from the other two forms of the spunlaid web forming, which are melt blown and flashspinning. Spunbond nonwoven, Spunbonded nonwoven: A fabric formed from spunbonded process that has been bonded by one or more methods to provide fabric integrity. :Spunbond/Melt blown composite: A multiple layer fabric that is generally made of various alternating layers of spunbond and melt blown webs: SMS, SMMS, SSMMS, etc. Spunlace bonding, Spunlaced bonding: The method of bonding a web by interlocking and entangling the fibers about each other with high velocity streams of water (synonymous with Hydroentangling). The web or fabric may have other bonding methods in addition to spunlacing. Spunlacing, not to be confused with spunlaid, is generally produced from a web made up of staple fibers from a dry formed, carded system, but small quantities of spunlaced bonding are done on production lines that use a wet laid forming process. A recent technical development is the production of a spunlaced nonwoven from a spunlaid, continuous filament web.

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Spunlace nonwoven, Spunlaced nonwoven: A fabric produced by the spunlaced technology. Spunlace is synonymous with hydroentangling. Staple fiber: Refers to natural or synthetic cut fibers. The work staple is used by the textile industry to differentiate cut fibers from continuous filament fibers, such as that used in the spunlaid process. Synthetic staple fibers used in the needlepunched process are generally about 3.8-4.8 cm in length. The fiber lengths of natural fibers, which include wool, cotton, choir, jute and several others, vary considerably. Start-up: The time when a new production line is finally put into commercial production after the production line is commissioned. This term is synonymous with on-stream. Superabsorbent: A sorbent material that can absorb many times the amount of liquid ordinarily absorbed by cellulosic materials, such as wood pulp, cotton and rayon. Synthetic fiber: A man-made fiber, usually from a molten polymer or from a polymer in solution. Tear strength: Resistance of a material to being torn. Tensile strength: The strength of a material when subjected to either pulling or to compressive stress. It measures the stress a material can bear without breaking or tearing. Tex: A metric measure of the weight per unit of a fiber. It is numerically equal to the weight in grams of one kilometer (1000 meters) of the material. It is also equal to the denier divided by 9 (see Denier). Thermal bonded/Thermobonded: A web of fibers bonded by a thermal bonding (thermobonding) process. Thermal bonding/Thermobonding: A technique for bonding a web of fibers in which a heat or ultrasonic treatment, with or without pressure, is used to activate a heat-sensitive material. The material may be in the form of homofil fibres, bicomponent fibers, fusible powders, as part of the web. The bonding may be applied all over (e.g. through or area bonding) or restricted to predetermined, discrete sites (e.g. point bonding). Thermoplastic: A plastic that melts when heated.

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Thickness: The dimension of a sheet or lamina measured perpendicular to the plane of the sheet. Through-air bonding: A bonding system that that uses high temperature air to fuse the webs fibers. There are two basic systems: blowing hot air through the web in a conveyor oven or passing heated air through the web on a rotating drum (illustrated below). Fabrics made from bicomponent fibers or blends of bicomponent and regular fiber are often bonded by through-air bonding systems. This method is sometimes referred to as air-through bonding. Throughput: Amount of output or production per unit time. Weak web: A term generally used in the context of web formation in a carding process. It refers to the low cohesion of the fibers to one another and thus the web does not have the strength to transfer from one working component to another in the carding process. This situation can be caused by a number of factors, such as poor fiber finish or humidity problems. Web: A sheet made by laying down and assembling fibers or by creating holes or cracks in a plastic film. Web consolidation: See Bonding Wood pulp: Cellulosic fibers used to make viscose rayon, paper airlaid pulp nonwovens and the absorbent cores of products, such as diapers, sanitary napkins and adult incontinence pads. Yield: The number of square meters (square yards) produced by a kilogram (pound) of fiber or resin.

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