Needlepunch nonwovens are manufactured at both our UK subsidiary, Cosmotec and Asian subsidiary, HTA (Haining Textile Allied Industry Co, Ltd.).
Staple fibers most commonly processed are polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP) although a variety of other fibers can be sourced. The carding process converts the raw fiber into a web, which is built up in layers by a crosslapper. The fabric weight is a function of the number of layers. A low melt binder fiber can also be employed to achieve particular properties.
This layered web moves next through one or more needlelooms (moving boards with hundreds of barbed needles) to entangle the fibers and consolidate the web. The frequency and direction of punching, degree of needle penetration and the architecture of the needles themselves can all be varied to control the physical characteristics of the resultant fabric. Other fabrics, scrims or yarns can also be fed in and combined during this process. The resultant product is a dense, strong fabric with good resilience, suitable for an array of end applications.
Typical characteristics
- Cosmotec (UK)
- Fabric weights from 50 g/m² to 1,500g/m² and widths from 0.35m to 6.5m can be produced.
- HTA (China)
- Fabric weights from 80 g/m² to 600g/m² and widths up to 4m can be produced.
