Nonwovens Gaining More Ground
By Jürg Rupp, Executive Editor
Nonwovens are probably the most
astonishing and remarkable textile product of recent decades. From humble beginnings — and only
developed by accident in Freudenberg Nonwoven’s laboratory in Germany — they started their
triumphal procession, and there is no end in sight.
The grandchildren of company founder Carl Johann Freudenberg ventured out on a new
enterprise strategy. Beginning in 1929, the company started manufacturing leather seals, and in
1936, radial shaft seals with a sealing lip made of Perbunan man-made rubber. Working with Buna S
and Buna N man-made rubber, chemists and engineers at Freudenberg developed man-made leather and
rubber soles and finally floor coverings and nonwovens, which were originally derived as a further
development of the base material for synthetic leather.
Accepted Products
Nonwovens became accepted: Nonwoven interlinings under the name Vlieseline and household
products under the Vileda have been available since 1948; and since 1957, nonwovens have been used
in a constantly expanding and developing range of filters for industry and the consumer market
under the name of Viledon.
Over the past ten years, the development of new products is second to none. From rigid
paper-like products to fabrics in a range of 15 to 400 grams per square meter, nonwovens have
textile characteristics that were never achieved before. Technologies such as spunbond and
spunlaced nonwovens enabled nonwovens to penetrate new application fields. Today, not only are
disposable products made from nonwovens, but also very sophisticated materials used in medical
applications.
Diversification
A lot of traditional companies are investing heavily in nonwovens production lines. Large
Indian spinning groups are adding production capacity for nonwovens. All kinds of fibers are
applied in nonwovens manufacturing, and this is just the start. In June 2007, Techtextil, the
international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens, recorded more than 23,200 visitors
to the event in Frankfurt. Many exhibitors were traditional textile machinery manufacturers with a
strong technical textiles or nonwovens division. At Techtextil, France-based NSC nonwoven sold a
thermobonding nonwovens line to the Indian Welspun group for the production of wadding.
And also the chemical industry is exploring the nonwovens industry. Recently, Huntsman Corp.
announced that its Textiles Effects business has signed an agreement to acquire DuPont’s global
fluorochemical business for the nonwovens industry
(See “Huntsman To Acquire DuPont™ Zonyl® Fluorochemical Product Line,” www.
TextileWorld.com). The DuPont Zonyl fluorochemical product line is used in
nonwoven applications as effective repellents for water-, alcohol- and oil-based fluids. The
nonwoven textiles are primarily used in medical, filtration, automotive and construction
applications.
“Following a brief transition period to ensure smooth handover and uninterrupted supply,
Huntsman will assume full responsibility for all commercial activities related to the business. The
transaction with DuPont includes a long-term supply agreement for finished products and
intermediates,’ Huntsman stated in a press release announcing the acquisition agreement. “The
parties have also entered into a joint development agreement to bring new innovation to the
nonwovens marketplace.”
ITMA 2007 in Munich in September certainly will underline the nonwovens growth trend, and
plenty of new machinery will be shown there for the production of nonwovens.
July 31, 2007
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Huntsman To Acquire DuPont™ Zonyl® Fluorochemical Product Line