How many types of polypropylene nonwoven fabrics are melt blown, spunbond, and hydroentangled? Insiders explain clearly once
After many people understand that PP and polypropylene non-woven fabrics are the same raw material, they get stuck in the second big pit: why are there so many names for spunbond, meltblown, water jet, and needle punched non-woven fabrics when they are both polypropylene non-woven fabrics? What is the difference between them?
When buying non-woven fabric, when the merchant asks about the craftsmanship, beginners are immediately confused. Although they are all plastic "fake fabrics", their prices are twice as high, their uses are completely incompatible, and their thickness and feel are vastly different.
Today, in plain language, I will explain to you all at once: the polypropylene raw material remains unchanged, and what truly widens the gap is the production process! The structure, performance, and purpose of non-woven fabrics made by different processes are completely different. After reading this article, I will never buy or choose the wrong one again, nor be fooled by low-priced goods!
First note the core: Unified raw materials, separate processes
Let me reiterate an unchanging underlying logic: what we often refer to as PP non-woven fabric and polypropylene non woven fabric are all made of 100% polypropylene plastic particles as raw materials.
The so-called spunbond fabric, meltblown fabric, and hydroentangled fabric are not about changing the material, but about changing the "processing method".
Let's take a popular analogy: the same flour can be used to make Mantou, noodles and biscuits. The raw materials are the same, but the taste and use are completely different. The same principle applies to non-woven fabrics. By unifying PP plastic raw materials and using different processes, different product characteristics are created.
The most common and widely used polypropylene nonwoven fabrics on the market are mainly divided into four categories: spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown nonwoven fabric, water jet nonwoven fabric, and needle punched nonwoven fabric. In addition, there are niche crafts such as hot air and wet methods, which are basically not used in civilian scenarios.
02 Most commonly used: spunbond non woven fabric (90% of ordinary non-woven fabrics on the market)
If you have bought dust-proof cloth, storage bags, shoe covers, packaging bags, or geotextiles, the ones you have come into contact with are mostly spunbond non-woven fabrics, which are the basic PP non-woven fabrics with the highest market share.
Production logic: After the PP plastic melts at high temperature, continuous long fibers are sprayed out through a mold, laid into a mesh belt, and then reinforced and formed through hot pressing bonding.
Core features: Smooth hand feel, strong tensile strength, not easy to tear, uniform thickness, excellent waterproof performance, cost-effective ceiling. The only shortcoming is that the fiber pores are too large, the filtration effect is average, and high-precision filtration cannot be achieved.
Daily use: Supermarket eco-friendly bag, home dust cover, disposable bed cover, shoe cover, outer layer of protective clothing, greenhouse insulation cloth, engineering geotextile, product packaging lining cloth.
In summary, it is sturdy, durable, affordable, and easy to use, with a focus on protection, dust prevention, and load-bearing. It is a universal basic product for both civilian and industrial use.
Most Mysterious: Melt blown non-woven fabric (the core heart of masks)
The meltblown fabric that caught fire after the epidemic is actually made of pure polypropylene material, which belongs to the high-end subdivision of PP non-woven fabric. Many people think it is a special material, but in fact, the craftsmanship is more refined.
Production logic: The same PP plastic is melted, but with high-speed hot air flow, the melt is blown into ultra-fine short fibers, which are randomly stacked into a mesh without the need for hot pressing, and self bonded to form.
Core features: ultra-fine fibers, extremely small pores, built-in electrostatic adsorption ability, and top-notch filtration effect. The disadvantages are poor tensile strength, easy to tear, not wear-resistant, and cannot be used alone.
Daily use: medical mask middle filter layer, protective mask filter element, air filtration material, oil-water separation material.
One sentence summary: Not pursuing solidity, only pursuing precision filtration, is the "filtration expert" in non-woven fabrics, and must be used in conjunction with spunbond fabrics.
Softest: Water jet non-woven fabric (for face towels, makeup remover towels)
Many people wonder: why are some non-woven fabrics stiff and rough, while others are soft and skin friendly, like cotton pads? The answer is water jet technology.
Production logic: High pressure micro water flow is sprayed onto the fiber mesh to interweave and reinforce the fibers, without high temperature hot pressing throughout the process, preserving the soft texture of the fibers. Pure PP water jet and blended water jet are the most common on the market.
Core features: Super soft, skin friendly without piercing the face, excellent breathability, no shedding of fibers, washable, moderate toughness. The disadvantage is poor waterproofness and unsuitability for use as dust and waterproof protective equipment.
Daily use: Disposable face towels, makeup remover cotton, medical gauze, facial wipes, baby wipes, medical dressings.
Summary in one sentence: The main product is skin friendly and soft, and it is the only non-woven fabric technology suitable for close fitting use, specifically designed for beauty, maternal and child care, and medical close fitting scenarios.
Thickest: Needle punched non-woven fabric (for engineering and thickening purposes)
The thick felt cloth, geotextile, and soundproofing cotton that we usually see are mostly needle punched non-woven fabrics, which are also a member of PP material, focusing on ultra thick and high-strength.
Production logic: relying on hooked needles to repeatedly puncture the fiber mesh, allowing the fibers to entangle and reinforce each other, without relying on hot pressing bonding, and the thickness can be adjusted freely.
Core features: super thick, abrasion resistant, anti stretching, good permeability, anti-aging. The disadvantages are rough surface, lack of waterproofing, low aesthetic value, and unsuitability for small civilian products.
Daily use: Highway maintenance geotextile, greenhouse insulation felt, sound insulation felt, filter felt, industrial bottom protective cloth.
Summary in one sentence: The main focus is on thickening, wear resistance, and engineering durability, making it the "tough guy style" in non-woven fabrics.
Ultimate Comparison Table, Beginners Directly Copy Homework
For the convenience of quick differentiation, we have compiled the simplest purchasing logic for everyone, so that you will never make a wrong purchase again after reading it:
Want sturdy waterproof, bag making, dust-proof protection → Choose spunbond non-woven fabric
Want to filter and sterilize, make mask filter element → Choose melt blown non-woven fabric
Want soft and skin friendly, close fitting use, make cotton soft wipes → Choose hydroentangled non-woven fabric
Want to thicken wear resistance, engineering maintenance, insulation and sound insulation → Choose needle punched non-woven fabric
The final insider's sincere words
All these various non-woven fabrics are essentially made of polypropylene plastic material, without any so-called natural fabrics or environmentally friendly biodegradable materials.
Price and performance are never judged by name, only by craftsmanship, weight, and parameters. Many businesses take advantage of technological differences to create information gaps, selling ordinary spunbond fabrics as high-end fabrics and hyping up spunbond fabrics as pure cotton materials. Everyone must keep their eyes open!
By understanding the craftsmanship, you will have a thorough understanding of the entire industry logic of non-woven fabrics. Whether it is daily procurement, home selection, or industry entry, you can easily avoid pitfalls!
Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.