Spinning for nonwovens

Ei-ichi Kubo
Unitika Ltd, Uji, Japan

Masaharu Watanabe
Unitika Lid. Okazaki. Japan

4.1 introduction
The production of nonwovens has increased remarkably in recent years.
The annual worldwide production is now over 1.2 million tons and the
annual Japanese nonwovens production' reached about 0.16 million tons
in 1989. There is a wide range of uses of nonwovens, ranging from
agriculture, civil engineering, construction, automotive and industrial
materials to medical/surgical, sanitary and household products. There are
also many processes for making them. These include dry-laid, wet-laid,
spunbonded, meltblown, flashspun and spunlaced nonwoven processes.
Each manufacturing process causes the nonwovens to have certain
specific characteristics, and each product is used in many applications,
particularly suited to these characteristics. The spunbonded process in the
narrow meaning of the term (which is the meaning used here) is a
manufacturing method comprising three stages in an integrated
operation: melt-spinning thermoplastic high polymer, collecting contin-
uous filaments on a moving collection belt to form webs, and binding the
filaments in the webs to produce nonwovens. As this process has a high
productivity and provides the nonwovens with excellent mechanical
properties, plans for expansion of production facilities for this process are
announced every year in the nonwovens industry. Meltblown and
flashspun processes could also be called spunbonded processes in the
wider meaning of that term because these processes consist of a one-step
process from spinning to consolidation as in the spunbonded process
described above. However, meltblown and flashspun processes differ
from the spunbonded process in the nature of the spinning stage in which
the polymers are attenuated to form filaments. This means that the
properties and form of the filaments made by each process differ and
consequently that the nonwoven fabrics from each process differ greatly
from each other in their properties.
The flashspun process is characteristically different in the spinning
 106 Advanced fiber spinning technology

stage from the other two processes. In spunbonded and meltblown

processes, molten polymer from an extruder is spun into continuous
filaments or fibers, and so the spinning stage is a melt-spinning. The
spinning stage of the flashspun process, on the other hand, is not melt-
spinning. In the flashspun process, the filaments are obtained from a
polymer solution of an organic solvent which has a low boiling point, is
inactive to the polymer, and does not dissolve the polymer at room
temperature but does dissolve it at a high temperature and pressure. A
mixture of polymer and solvent is brought up to a high temperature and
pressure by heating to obtain a solution. The solution obtained is flashed
through a small orifice into the atmosphere at room temperature to form
filaments, and is therefore a type of dry-spinning. In the spunbonded and
meltblown processes and in normal dry-spinning, only one filament issues
from each orifice. However, flash-spinning is distinctive. It enables the
polymer solution to form many filaments from one orifice. These
filaments are termed plexifilaments and form a three-dimensional
structure. This chapter concentrates on the melt-spinning methods,
particularly on the spunbonded and meltblown processes.

4.2 Spunbonded process

The spunbonded process was first commercialized by Du Pont in 1959

when the company started selling PET spunbonded nonwovens under the
trade name 'Reemay'. Figure 4.1, a schematic representation of a
spunbonded process commonly used by many manufacturers, shows the
filaments being withdrawn by air-jets, but the filaments can alternatively
be withdrawn by rolls instead of air-jets. There are two types of spinneret
m commercial use; one is circular and the other rectangular. There are
also two types of air-jet, circular and rectangular. Figure 4.2 presents
some examples of spinning systems disclosed in the patents. The most
important point in producing nonwovens is opening and arranging the
filaments into uniform webs. There is no definite combination of the
spmneret and the withdrawal device to achieve a uniform web. The
producers have developed many technologies to improve filament
openmg suitable for making webs with good uniformity of appearance:
air diffusers fitted at the outlets of air-jets, static electricity generated by
rubbing the filaments on metal plates, corona charging by passing the
filaments through a corona discharge device, and traverse devices, for
example. Any filament-forming polymer can be used in the spunbonded
process and for making spunbonded fabrics. Among these polymers are
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyolefines, polyphenylene sulphide
(PPS), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and polyamides. The spinning
speeds are generally between 3000 and 6000 m/min. The selection of
polymers depends on the end-uses. Combinations of polymers are also
adopted to meet the needs of varied applications and nonwovens with
 spinning for nonwovens 107

Hopper

Spinpump

r Extruder
Spinneret

Cooling air

Air-jet

Suction Winding

4.1 Spunbonded process.

4.2 Spinning systems for spunbonded nonwovens. (a) Reference 2, (b) Reference 3,
(c) Reference 4, (d) Reference 5.

high performance. For example, there is Unitika's spunbonded fabric

under the trade name *ELEVES®' which has excellent strength and
softness. This spunbonded fabric is made of PET and polyethylene (PE)
and makes use of the characteristics of the two components: the high
strength of PET and the softness of PE. 'ELEVES®' consists of
108 Advanced fiber spinning technoiogy

continuous bicomponent filaments having a core component made of

PET and a sheath component made of PE. Some producers are making
new laminates of spunbonded fabrics consisting of different polymers.
One of these products is Unitika's 'ELFIT, which was first publicised in
April 1991, which is a laminate of two kinds of spunbonded fabric. One
side of the laminate is PET spunbonded fabric and the other side is
'ELEVES®' consisting of bicomponent filaments with PET core and PE
sheath. The polymers on each side have different melting temperatures.
Thus 'ELFIT' improves the processability in combination with other
materials, making it easier to produce composites and to meet the
versatile needs of nonwovens.
There are nonwovens made of ultra-fine filaments with a fineness of
0.5 denier or less. These nonwovens are produced from webs consisting of
multicomponent filaments such as the sea-island type or the dividable
type which are composed of two kinds of polymers immiscible with each
other. Nonwovens made of ultra-fine filaments are created either by
dividing multicomponent filaments in raw nonwoven form after
consolidating the webs or by dividing the filaments and consolidating
the webs at the same time. The division technique used with the sea-
island type is the removal of the sea section polymer in a solvent. After
this dissolution, the island portion is left behind to create ultra-fine
filaments. This method is a complicated process because of the necessity
to remove the sea portion, but this technique now provides the finest
filaments. The technique was first developed by Toray. Researchers at the
Okamoto laboratory have already developed the finest PET fiber with a
fineness of 0.00009 denier and a diameter of 0.1 ^m. They claim to
produce the finest in the world. Figure 4.3^ shows muiticomponent
filaments of the sea-island type. The division technique for the dividable

4,3 Multi-component filaments of islands-in-a-sea-type, (a) Filament section, (b) The

island portions are left to create ttie ultra-fme filaments after \he dissolution of the
sea polymer.
 spinning for nonwovens 109

type is separation of the two polymers forming the filament by use of

mechanical force, thermal action or impact generated by highly
pressurized water. The division method with highly pressurised water
causes separation and entanglement of the filaments at the same time to
consolidate the web into an end-product consisting of ultra-fine
filaments; this method is well worth noting. Figure 4.4^ shows
multicomponent filaments of the dividable type.
Among polyolefine spunbonded fabrics, polypropylene (PP) is the
most widely used. PE spunbonded fabric is also produced but the output
is now very small. Among the PE resins, linear low density polyethylene
(LLDPE) has good spinnability. LLDPE can be easily melt-spun into
filaments at a high speed, over 3500 m/min, in conventional equipment
by conventional techniques. It provides a spunbonded fabric consisting of
filaments having a fineness of 2-3 denier. The tensile strength of LLDPE
spunbonded fabric is inferior to that of PP spunbonded fabric but it
exhibits an exceptional softness unattainable by PP. A higher spinning
speed can be obtained by using a blend of low density polyethylene
(LDPE) and PP.^ In the patent examples, a series of blends were formed
from LDPE having a density of 0.9096 g/cm^ a melting temperature of
103.4°C, and a melt index of 70 and PP having a density of 0.9022 g/cm^
a melting temperature of 164.0°C, a meh flow rate of 8.7 and a Q value of
8.8 (ratio of weight-to-number average molecular weight). Figure 4.5,
which presents results obtained using conventional spinning equipment,
depicts the maximum melt-spinning speed at 260°C of various blends of
LDPE and PP. The filaments were melt-spun using a spinneret plate
having 70 holes of circular cross-section at a polymer fiow rate per hole of
0.90 g/min, and were withdrawn by a roll. LDPE blended with a small

(a) (b)
4.4 Multi-component filaments of dividable type, (a) The filament with triangular
section is PET and the ottier filament is polyamide. (b) The filament with a
rectangular seclion is PET and the other is polyamide.
 110 Advanced fiber spinning technology

5000

o
flOOO

J
3000 / \
\

2000

1000

20 40 60 80 100
Weighl % Polypropylene in Blend

4.5 Speed of filament breakage when spinning LDPE blended with PP.

amount of PP increases the spinning speed. Analysis of the filaments

melt-spun from blends at higher speeds showed that PP dispersed in
LDPE takes the form of droplets in the filaments, mostly about 5^m in
diameter by about 7)im in length. It is believed that PP droplets in LDPE
enhance the crystallization rate of LDPE and consequently the blend
polymers can be melt-spun at much higher speeds than unblended LDPE.
On the other hand, blending PP with a small amount of LDPE reduces
the spinning speed relative to unblended PP. It is also believed that LDPE
in PP hinders the crystallization of PP and so the blend detrimentally
affects the spinning speed. This patent is an interesting example of melt-
spinning of polymer blends.

4.3 Meltblown process

The meltblown process was initiated in 1951 by the US Naval Research
Laboratories in an effort to develop organic microfibers of less than l|im
in diameter. The researchers aimed to produce fibers which were to be
used for microdenier filters to collect radioactive particles in the upper
atmosphere. This initial research and development work on meltblown
processes was continued by an Exxon affiliate in the mid 1960s, and
Exxon successfully demonstrated the first meltblowing unit for producing
microdenier webs in the early 1970s. Figure 4.6 is a schematic
 Spinning for nonwovens 111

Hopper

Spinpump

Extruder

Suction Winding

4.6 Meltblown process.

4.7 Meitblowing die {Exxon type).

representation of a meltblown process. The structure of the die used in

meltblown processes differs greatly from that commonly used in
spunbonded processes. In meltblown processes the distance from die to
conveyor is very short, i.e. 20-50 cm, compared to 100-200 cm in
spunbonded processes. This is a process in which high velocity gas blows
molten polymer to form fine fibers. The die has a row of small holes of a
diameter of less than 1 mm, which are 0.5 mm apart, center to center.
Along the row of small holes, the die also has slits through which gas,
heated to a temperature above 300°C, blows on to molten thermoplastic
polymer coming out of each hole. Generally the heated gas is air. Figure
4.7 shows the meitblowing die designed by Exxon. Many different
polymers have been used in the meltblown process, most commonly PP,
112 Advanced fiber spinning technology

but also LDPE, high density polyethylene (HDPE), PET, polyamides,

polystyrene, polyurethanes, PBT and PPS.
The meltblown process consumes a large amount of heated gas to
obtain microdenier fibers. The consumption of gas depends on the
polymer, the molecular weight of the polymer and the polymer flow rate
per hole. This process normally consumes forty to fifty times as much air
by weight as the polymer fiow rate and sometimes consumes a hundred
times. Meltblown processes therefore require a large amount of energy.
The force of gas attenuates the fiber at a very high speed. For example,
when fine fiber with a diameter of 3jim is being produced at a polymer
flow rate of 0.2 g/min per hole by using PP with a density of 0.900 g/cm^
the spinning speed is calculated to reach around 31000 m/min, about
Mach 1.5. It is necessary to decrease the temperature and consumption of
gas to produce fine fibers at a lower energy. This means that it is
advantageous in terms of energy consumption to use a polymer with a
lower melting temperature, or with a higher flow index, or with both a
lower melting temperature and a higher flow index. However, the fiber
must also have the properties required for its practical use and this sets a
limit to the choice. Shambaugh'" has reported a study of energy
consumption in PP meltblowing, which can be summarized as follows:

1 The attenuation of fiber is mainly dependent on the gas kinetic energy.

2 Most of the gas kinetic energy is wasted without being effectively
utilized when coarse denier fibers are obtained even though a sufficient
amount of gas is supplied.
3 The actual fibers have a wide diameter distribution, but the diameter
distribution should ideally be controlled to be monodisperse.
When a polymer is being attenuated into a fiber, the fiber kinetic
energy E (erg) can be expressed as:
^ d^) [4.1]
where M is polymer fiow rate (g/sec), V is fiber velocity (cm/sec), p is
polymer density (g/cm^) and d is fiber diameter (cm). Shambaugh
calculated the fiber kinetic energy for different fiber distributions with the
same average fiber diameter (lO^im) using the above equation (4.1).
The comparisons are as follows:
£, : £2 : ^3 = 1 : 3.8 : 27.7 [4.2]
where E] is the energy for a monodisperse distribution with a fiber
diameter of \O\xm, Ej is the energy for a bimodal distribution of a 50:50
mixture (by number of fibers) of 3|am and 17^m and £3 is the energy for a
bimodal distribution of a 50:50 mixture (by number of fibers) of Ijim and
19)im. As the actual fiber distributions are not so simple as these
examples, the above comparison data are only approximate. However,
the data indicate that a monodisperse fiber distribution requires much
 Spinning for nonwovens 113

less energy than a polydisperse distribution with the same average fiber
diameter. It is a great disadvantage to energy conservation to produce
finer fibers than are necessary for the practical use. It can easily be
understood without calculating a more complicated equation, that from
the equation
p^n^d*) [4.3]
the energy E increases when d decreases at a constant value of M. It is
necessary to equalize the polymer and the gas flow rates at each hole to
get a monodisperse distribution. A re-design of the meitblowing die has
been carried out by Nippon Kodoshi to improve the uniformity in the
polymer and the gas delivery. This die is designed for the heated gas to
blow through a labyrinth. Figure 4.8 is the revised meitblowing die and
the numeral 26 in the illustration is the labyrinth.
As in the case described in the section on spunbonded processes, the
lamination of meltblown fabrics with other materials is employed to
improve the nonwoven properties. An example is the lamination of
meltblown fabrics with spunbonded fabrics. Figure 4.9 shows the S-M-S
process'^ producing a three-ply system from a meltblown fabric
sandwiched between two spunbonded fabrics. Other meltblown dies
disclosed in the patents include a die capable of spunbonded spinning and
meltblown spinning at the same time'-* and a die capable of spinning
sheath-core or side-by-side bicomponent fiber.

4.8 Meitblowing die for improved uniformity.

114 Advanced fiber spinning technology

S: spun bonded fabric

M: melt blown fabric

4.9 S-M-S process.

4.4 Conclusions
The main melt-spinning methods for nonwovens have been described. It
can be said that Japan leads the world in the melt-spinning technology.
The researchers and the producers will continue to create products with
higher performance by developing new technologies in combination with
polymers and processes.

References
1 Japan Nonwoven Report, Jan 1991.
2 Du Pont, US Pat. 3,338,992.
3 Asahi Chemical Ind., Jap. Pat. (Examined), 1989-15,615.
4 Asahi Chemical Ind., Jap. Pat. (Laid open), 1988-282,350.
5 Asahi Chemical Ind., Jap. Pat. (Laid open), 1988-282,350.
6 Nikkei New Materials, No. 46, No. 50, 1988.
7 Toray, Jap. Pat. (Examined), 1989-47,585.
8 Nikkei New Materials. No. 52, 1988.
9 Du Pont, US Pat. 4,632,861.
10 Shambaugh RL, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 27, 2363, 1988.
11 Nonwovens World, 4 (5), 30, 1989.
12 Kimberley-Clark Corp., US Pat. 4,810,571.
13 Jap. Pat. (Laid open), 1973-99,411.
14 Minnesota Mining and Mfg Co., Jap. Pat. (Laid open), 1985-99,057; US Pat.
4,729,371.