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Nonwovens for protective apparel


Spunbond
Spunbond: enlarged view of the fibers and the thermobonding.
SMS nonwoven
SMS: enlarged view of the 2 external layers of spunbond and the central layer of meltblown (very fine fibers).
Spunlace
Spunlace nonwoven
Microporous film
Microperforated PE Film: enlarged view.

Nonwovens are used in various fields. Because of their low price they are often used in disposable products, but they are resistant enough to be reused. They are for example used instead of cotton for shopping bags or for shoe packing.

There are many different kinds of nonwovens. We mainly use spunbond, spunlace and SMS nonwovens.

SPUNBOND NONWOVEN
The spunbond is the most widely used nonwoven for disposable garments.
It is the cheapest kind of nonwoven.
The spunbond we use is always made of 100% polypropylene (PP).
The available weights are ranging from 10 g/m2 to over 250 g/m2. A wide palette of colors is available: white, gray, black, light blue, dark blue, red, pink, light green, dark green, yellow, orange...

Spunbond
Spunbond: enlarged view of the fibers and the thermobonding.
Zoom x 40 for a screen at 72 dpi.


The spunbond can receive additional treatments, for example flame retardancy or anti-staticity.


SMS NONWOVEN
The SMS is a trilaminate nonwoven: 1 layer of meltblown nonwoven is in sandwich between 2 layers of spunbond.
The meltblown has a very high density web of fine fibers and is suitable for applications requiring filtration (of particulates, bacteria, fluids).
The 2 layers of spunbond are added to provide the necessary strength resistance.
The SMS is widely used for surgical gowns and all clothing requiring a high isolation.

SMS nonwoven
SMS: enlarged view of the 2 external layers of spunbond and the central layer of meltblown (very fine fibers).
Zoom x 75 for a screen at 72 dpi.


The SMS can receive additional treatments, for example flame retardancy, anti-staticity, water repellency, alcohol repellency.


SPUNLACED NONWOVEN
Spunlace nonwovens can be made of various materials (viscose, PET, PA, PVA, PP, cotton)...
Their characteristic is a high softness (like cotton).
Spunlace nonwoven are used for surgical gowns for the surgeons requiring a high comfort.

spunlace
Spunlace: Zoom x 150 for a screen at 72 dpi.


The spunlace can receive additional treatments, for example anti-staticity, water repellency.


MICROPERFORATED PE FILM
This polyethylene film has very small perforations (about 1 micron in diameter) allowing gases to pass through but retaining liquids.
Microperforated PE film is usually laminated with a spunbond layer to enhace its strength.
It can also receive an anti-static treatment. In this configuration (anti-static treated and laminated with a layer of spunbond) it can be used in industries requiring lint free clothings such as electronic or painting.
In some environments, there is a need for an extra protection of the microperforated film: the SFS laminate is answering this need by protecting the film layer by 2 layers of spunbond and offers economical solutions for the most demanding applications.

Microperforated Film
Microperforated Film: Zoom x 300 for a screen at 72 dpi.

For information on making nonwovens you can visit this page (click here) at edana web site.
For other information on nonwovens you can visit the web sites of these 2 associations below: