Do you know the reasons why non-woven fabrics are used in the medical field?

Nonwovens have been used in the medical industry since World War II, when a huge number of new medical products were needed. Nonwovens were regarded as the most effective bacterial barrier material in multiple published reports. It was also discovered that they reduced airborne contamination better than flax. Nonwovens have undergone tremendous development, and today they outperform their woven counterparts in a number of areas, including cost, effectiveness, and disposability. In hospitals, cross-contamination is consistently one of the main issues. The primary cause of this is the frequent use of knit masks, gowns, and other items of a similar nature, which can get contaminated and spread bacteria. The introduction of nonwovens has aided in the creation of more affordable, disposable substitutes.

Why go for a surgical mask without weaving? In hospitals, non-woven surgical masks are an essential safety precaution for both patients and medical personnel. High-quality masks are essential for facility managers and professional caregivers buying these basic safety supplies. The materials used in these masks must stop bacteria from migrating from the surgeon’s mouth to the patients’ mouths and vice versa due to the minuscule size of the bacteria. Furthermore, the mask needs to shield the user from bigger molecules in a surgical setting, like splattering blood. However, what makes this type of disposable mask preferable to reusable textile masks for healthcare professionals?

Seven characteristics of traditional microporous textiles were compared with nonwoven mask media in a study published in the Journal of Academia and Industrial Research: mechanical resistance, linting, bacterial permeability, liquid permeability, flexibility, drapeability, and comfort. Non-woven fabrics perform significantly better than other fabrics in four of the seven categories, and they are competitive in two of the other three. What additional advantages does creating the non-woven surgical mask have?

1. They are essentials for daily life.

In the United States alone, there are 5,686 accredited hospitals that have close to one million beds. This is a staggering number when you consider disposable nonwovens. A surgical disposable mask is a necessary component of care. For many years, premium masks constructed from materials with superior technical qualities can be sold as commodities.

2. They are far superior to woven fabrics in many ways.

They have more efficient bacterial filtration, increased airflow rates, and reduced manufacturing costs in addition to the previously mentioned characteristics.

3. They are practical for hospital employees.

After use, disposable non-woven surgical masks are packaged, sterilised, and discarded right away. Used textiles don’t need to be stored, nor do hospital employees need to clean, sterilize, and package them for future use. What components go into making a non-woven surgical mask? There are two types of fibers used in non-woven surgical masks: synthetic and natural fibers. The natural fibers that are utilized are rayon, cotton, and wood pulp. The benefits of wood pulp include its low cost, small volume, and strong water absorption. Wounds can be dressed directly with cotton or rayon. They are superior nonwovens with good water absorption.

Excellent breathability, excellent dimensional stability, high operable temperature, excellent drape, conformability, good heat resistance, excellent water retention capacity, and non-allergenic and non-irritating fibers are some of the reasons why natural fibers make excellent disposable masks in the healthcare industry. The most often utilized synthetic fibers in this application are polyester when high strength, ease of sterilization, and mechanical properties are crucial; bicomponent fibers, which are widely used for thermal bonding and enhanced functionality; and polypropylene, which has excellent rheological properties, hydrophobicity, and low cost. Along with many other desirable qualities, synthetic fibers consider product strength, solvent resistance, static dissipation, and more. The non-woven surgical mask necessitates synthetic fibers with the following properties: hydrophobicity, affordability, high strength, low density, and safe disposal. What procedures are involved in manufacturing?

They have stability in dimensions and are soft and porous. Additionally, spunbonding is frequently utilized in items like disposable clothes, headgear, shoe covers, face masks, and sheets. Different web characteristics can be achieved by using different techniques such as dry laying, wet laying, and carding, depending on factors such as the required web thickness and the bonding technology’s speed. Carding can be used to create lightweight webs for sanitary and technical products. Carding generates very fast, high-quality webs. There are numerous ways to accomplish bonding, one of which is thermal bonding of synthetic fibers and their blends. The bonding technology that is expanding the fastest is hydroentangling. In the disposable mask, it has been specifically used. It feels like textile and is perfect for products like gauze, dressings, hospital apparel, and other things.

Compared to synthetic fibers, the final disposable mask is more costly even though it has superior qualities. To improve its purity and, consequently, its acceptability in the medical and health sectors, cotton is typically mercerized and bleached. Cotton’s high dust content makes processing it challenging as well. Additionally, surgical gowns, cotton swabs, curtains, gauze, disposable clothing, bandages, wound dressings, and other non-woven goods are among the best uses for natural fibers. In the processing of cotton, bonding methods like hydroentanglement for highly absorbent products, thermal bonding of blends of polyolefin and cotton, and resin bonding (for substrates) may be used.Technology of synthetic fibers: Synthetic fibers are typically blended with rayon or cotton. Any appropriate bonding technique can be used to spinbond them. Meltblown synthetic fibers are another option. Meltblown fiber webs are preferred for applications like non-woven surgical masks due to their small fiber diameter and high filtration efficiency. Any method can effectively bond synthetic fibers, but it mostly depends on how they will be used in the end.

Post-processing: Medical nonwovens should be given a finish appropriate for the intended use. A non-woven surgical mask can have a variety of finishing agents, such as water repellents, softeners, flame retardants, antibacterial finishes, and soil release agents. In conclusion, non-woven products have completely saturated the medical textile market today. Non-woven fabrics’ exceptional qualities and ease of modification have made them indispensable in this industry. Due to the rapid growth of urbanization and the emergence of young, health-conscious populations, the demand for medical nonwovens has increased significantly in developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. It is anticipated that nonwovens will continue to be in high demand in the medical industry.