Are you confused by the many non-woven fabric options available? Which one is suitable based on the properties of your products? Let us know the primary differences between these to select the appropriate fabric.
Spunbond and meltblown are two simple and common processes that the textile industry uses to manufacture non-woven fabrics. The processes form fabrics with special properties and applications. The companies in such industries as healthcare, hygiene, agriculture, and manufacturing also seek the most efficient materials. This is why it is significant to calculate which fabric technique is the most effective for particular requirements.
How Non-Woven Fabrics Are Made
First, to know the spunbond and meltblown fabrics, one has to know how the non-woven fabrics are produced. Those fabrics that are not woven need not be woven or knitted as traditional fabrics. Rather, they are bonded by mechanical, thermal, or chemical methods by the manufacturers. This process results in materials with special features like being breathable, resistant to liquids, strong, and affordable.
The non-woven fabric industry has grown a lot in the last few decades. The demand for disposable hygiene products, medical uses, and filtration systems has fueled this growth. Companies such as PAN Tex, a top non-woven fabric manufacturer and supplier in India, play a big role in this. They produce quality materials that are manufactured keeping international quality standards and are fit for different industries.
What Is Spunbond Nonwoven Fabric?
Spunbond nonwoven fabric is manufactured by melting granules of polymer; later, they pass through spinnerets and are then converted into long strands or filaments. Now filaments are stretched and spread on a conveyor belt like a web structure in a crisscross manner. These fibers are bonded throughout the Web structures using heat and pressure. With its structure and strong bonding, the fabric is lightweight and strong.
The spunbond process brings some clear benefits. It has better tensile strength than others because of its continuous filament structure. Its uniformity and consistency make it stand out from others and are perfect for products that require accurate performance. Manufacturers can manipulate their thickness and weights to get optimum fabrics usable in different industries.
There are a lot of ways to use spunbond fabrics. The medical field uses them to make things like surgical gowns, drapes, and sterilization wraps. In hygiene products, they form the outer layers of diapers and are found in items for feminine care. Farmers use them to cover crops or keep weeds from growing. These fabrics are also common in furniture and car-making for back upholstery or in interior parts.
Grasping Meltblown Technology
Meltblown fabric takes a unique route to make non-woven materials. The process pushes melted polymer through a die full of tiny nozzles. A strong stream of hot air stretches the polymer into super-thin microfibers, which then gather on a conveyor belt to create a web that sticks together on its own. This type of fabric has very tiny fiber sizes, about 1 to 5 microns wide.
These fabrics contain a perfect pore size for filtration, as fibers are very fine and form a tight network of small pores. It works best to capture tiny particles, aerosols, and even bacteria. This property makes them one of the most demanding non-woven fabrics in filtration and other industries.
Spunbond and meltblown fabrics differ in more ways than their fiber thickness. Meltblown fabrics are less strong than spunbond materials because of their arranged fibers and thinner diameter. They are also softer and absorb more. These features make them useful in things like wipes or wound dressings.
Spunbond vs Meltblown: Major Contrasts
When looking at spunbond and meltblown technologies, some key differences stand out:
Fiber Size and Structure: Spunbond fibers are much thicker, measuring 15-35 microns. On the other hand, meltblown fibers are much finer and fall within the 1-5 micron range. This key variation explains how the two types of fabric perform.
Durability and Strength: Spunbond fabrics are known for being strong and resistant to tearing. This makes them a great choice when strength and toughness are needed. Meltblown fabrics are softer and more flexible, but trade these qualities for better filtration capabilities.
Filtration Efficiency: Meltblown fabrics perform much better at filtering and catching particles as small as 0.3 microns with impressive results. People often choose this material for things like respiratory masks, HEPA filters, and medical-grade filtration because of how effective it is.
Air Permeability: One of the best qualities of spunbond fabric is its porous structure. It makes the fabric breathable and optimal for medical usage. While meltblown is better for filters, as they have small pores.
Production Speed and Cost: Spunbond fabric is much more affordable than meltblown because of its lower production cost per square meter. This means it is a better choice for mass production or low-budget products.
Surface Traits: Fiber patterns of spunbond make its surface a little rough. Meltblown, on the other hand, is smoother and has a soft texture, making it a perfect choice for personal care products.
The SMS Edge: Merging Two Methods
Both spunbond and meltblown fabrics have advantages, which the manufacturer notices. But what if both of these get combined? An idea that changed things and developed SMS. Spunbond-meltblown-spunbond sandwich that comes up as a game changer in the market.
Better strength, better filtration, and a durable fabric that handles extreme conditions became popular. But you need to be careful while choosing SMS because its quality should be the best for its results. PAN Tex is one of the trusted and top providers. They use high-class fiber and the best technical process to design SMS fabrics.
The best quality SMS fabrics are well structured for the medical and hygiene industry, as they provide strong protection and quality that ensures reliable protection during use.
How to Pick the Best Fabric for Your Needs
Choosing between spunbond and meltblown is tough, but if you know what you want, it will help you decide better.
Pick spunbond if you want a tough material that lasts long. You can use it to manufacture suits and attire. Gowns and kits that require good airflow, and you need large-scale production on a budget. Spunbond is a textured surface fabric that is best suited for such products.
Pick Meltblown If: You need top-notch filtration. It works best to trap tiny particles or aerosols. Choose it when softness or absorbency matters, or for single-use disposable products. It also offers excellent barriers against liquids and bacteria.
Think about SMS if: your project needs both strength and the ability to filter. Use SMS for balanced performance in various areas, making it ideal for manufacturing medical or safety gear. It’s perfect when you need durability along with protection
Things to Consider When You Choose Non-Woven Fabrics
The main difference between spunbond and meltblown is clear, but many other quality aspects should guide your choice. Steady fabric weight and thickness provide reliable performance in different production runs. Even fiber spread helps avoid weak areas that might harm the product’s durability. The material should withstand the environmental conditions or chemicals and high heat for better implementation and use.
For high-class fiber, you can choose a trusted supplier like PAN Tex, which gives you access to high-grade materials. As one of India’s leading non-woven fabric producers and suppliers, PAN Tex applies strict quality checks at every stage, starting with raw materials and continuing through to the testing of the finished product.
What Lies Ahead in Non-Woven Technology
Researchers are trying to advance both spin bonding and melt blowing processes to alter the non-woven industry. As polymer science is getting better with technology. It has opened new doors for improvement in the fiber industry. New development towards a better biodegradable, non-infectious, and sustainable fiber development that withstands extreme conditions is the goal.
For non-woven fabric manufacturers, the current major concern is how to make sustainable fabric. They are taking constant efforts in a direction where they can use more bio-based material, improve production methods to reduce waste, and recycle the material to control overproduction and waste. A step towards better fiber quality and less damage to the planet.
Choosing What’s Right
It is the initial step in the selection of the appropriate non-woven material to know the distinction between spunbond and meltblown fabrics. Test materials in real-life settings to determine their performance. Collaborate with expert suppliers that provide recommendations that are specific to your needs.
PAN Tex provides assistance when you are choosing your material by providing their vast experience and extremely diverse products, such as spunbond nonwoven fabric, meltblown materials, and composites. Their quality and customer care orientation have seen them become a trustworthy partner to companies within India and other regions.
Conclusion
The decision between meltblown and spunbond fabrics does not concern which would be the best on the whole. Both materials are perfect in places; for example, if you are looking for products that withstand extreme conditions and last for Long During Use, spunbond is your friend. But on the other hand, your need is better filtration or something breathable for products such as protection suits or shielding suits, and meltblown is better. More complicated products require both for better strength, then use SMS.
To make wise decisions and achieve the greatest outcomes without spending much money, you must consider the fundamental attributes, advantages, and disadvantages of every kind of cloth. As long as you are dealing with medical instruments, cleaning supplies, filters, or any other industrial product, a joint venture with an experienced manufacturer such as PAN Tex will provide you with materials of the highest quality, accompanied by professional support and constant availability.
The nonwoven fabric industry is experimenting with and developing new techniques to handle tricky materials more easily. What will you choose? Spunbond or meltblown depends completely on your requirements, such as the quality, budget, and sustainability of the product.
