Spunlace

Spunlace nonwoven fabric is a kind of unknitted fabric made by short fibers(around 1.38detx and 35mm length) under hydroentanglement technics. This technic was firstly developped by DuPont company in 1960's. The fibers can be natural fibers, such as wool, silk, linen, cotton; they can also be conventional fibers, such as viscose fibers, lyocell fibers, bamboo fibers, polyester fibers, polypropylene fibers, acetate fibers, polyamide fibers, etc.; differentiated fibers, special-shaped fibers, ultra-fine fibers, high-curl fibers, low-melting-point fibers, etc.; and high-functional fibers such as carbon fibers even metal fibers.

Research by Memis Acar of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University in the UK has proven that the spunlace process can process glass fibers to produce industrial fabrics. Because glass fibers have no curl, the traditional concept is that dry nonwoven processes are difficult to process. Most glass fiber nonwovens are generally processed by needle punching or wet processes, but North Carolina State University (NCSU) in the United States has successfully developed spunlace nonwovens blended with glass fibers and polyester. Coarse denier glass fibers with a diameter of 16um are difficult to process by spunlace. If they are mixed with fine denier glass fibers with a diameter of 6.5um, it is beneficial to improve the strength of spunlace nonwovens. Therefore, glass fibers of different deniers are mixed. Fine denier fibers are beneficial to spunlace, and coarse denier fibers are beneficial to improving the strength of spunlace nonwovens. If glass fibers are mixed with textile staple fibers such as polyester, the entanglement ability of spunlace can be enhanced. Mixing glass fibers with low-melting point polyester can produce glass fiber reinforced polyester composites.

Researchers at Auburm University in the United States used NGSN equipment to find that hydroentanglement can be used to produce geotextiles, which are produced by needle punching and hot rolling processes. The researchers found that changing the hydroentanglement pressure and the time the fiber mesh is exposed to the water needle can change the pore size of the geotextile. The pore size is a key indicator of geotextiles, especially when it is used as a sand filter layer to allow water to flow through and prevent soil movement. Prolonging the time the fiber mesh is exposed to the water needle or increasing the hydroentanglement pressure can enhance the hydroentanglement effect of the fiber mesh and reduce the pore size of the fabric. The pore size can be adjusted online without stopping, thereby increasing the production speed, which is more flexible and simple than other processing technologies for geotextiles.

New technology for functional finishing of fabrics: In 1995, BBA in the United States developed the Interspun process and applied for a patent. Using this process, the surface of the fabric is treated by hydroentanglement, which can have a positive effect on the structure and performance of the fabric. In 1998, BBA signed a cooperation agreement with Fleissner, and Fleissner was the exclusive machine supplier for this technology. Fleissner's Aquatex is a system that uses water jets to treat woven fabrics. It is called a revolutionary measure for the finishing process of woven fabrics. After the woven fabrics are treated with water jets, the yarns in the fabrics are loosened and the fabrics are effectively cleaned. Depending on the arrangement of the water jets, the two sides or one side of the fabric can obtain a peach skin effect. It can also eliminate the stress generated by the fabric during the process, make the warp yarns more uniform, thereby improving the feel and appearance of the fabric, increasing the thickness of the fabric, and making the fabric gloss soft. The wear resistance is more than 300% of that before treatment, and the slippage phenomenon at the sewing place is reduced by more than half. The anti-pilling performance is improved, the wrinkle resistance is improved, the fabric surface is more uniform, the gaps in the fabric surface are reduced, and the distribution is more uniform. It is used for dyeing cotton fabrics as if they have been treated with mercerization. Therefore, after the water jet treatment, the desizing, scouring, mercerization, sanding and other processes can be eliminated, and the bleaching process can also be simplified, which has obvious comprehensive economic benefits. The products are widely used in decorative fabrics, filter fabrics, household textiles, clothing, and automotive airbag fabrics.