Fabric manufacturing techniques nonwoven fabrics

Filter fabrics, especially nonwoven fabrics, which are produced from short staple fibres, invariably possess surfaces with protruding fibre ends. Since such protrusions may inhibit the cake release by clinging to the dust, it is a common practice to remove them. This is achieved by singeing, a process in which the fabric is passed, at relatively high speed, over a naked gas flame, or, in another technique, over a heated copper plate. The heat of the flame causes the fibres to contract to the surface of the fabric where, in the case of thermoplastic fibres, they form small hard polymer beads (Fig. 3.8). Singeing conditions (i.e. speed and gas pressure) will normally be adjusted according to polymer type and the intensity required by either the end-use application or the individual manufacturer s preference. 

Nonwoven Manufacturing. Cotton staple is readily processed to form carded, air laid, or carded/crossed-lapped webs that can be bonded by various techniques to form useful nonwoven materials, eg, needlepunched, spimlaced (hydroentangled), and stitch-bonded nonwovens, and resin-bonded and thermal-bonded carded fabrics (68). Many times a combination of these processes is used to produce hybrid structures and other products. Cotton s share of the nonwovens market in 2002 is 7.8% globally and 2.8% in North America (69). In 2000-2001, 32-36 million kg (70-80 million lb) of cotton was used in North America to... 

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