Non woven fabrics continue to make progress in the automotive market as designers of cars, SUVs, trucks, and their components are seeking alternative materials to make cars more sustainable and provide higher comfort. In addition, with the growth of new vehicle markets, including electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous vehicle (AVs) and hydrogen powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), the growth of participants in the nonwoven industry is expected to further expand.
Non woven fabrics continue to be widely used in the automotive industry because they are a cost-effective solution and typically lighter than other materials, “said Jim Porterfield, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at AJ Nonwovens.” For example, in some applications, they can replace compression molding materials, and in substrates, they may replace hard plastics. Non woven fabrics are increasingly being used in various automotive applications due to their advantages in cost, performance, and lightweight.
As one of the world’s largest nonwoven fabric manufacturers, Freudenberg Performance Materials expects the growth of electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to drive the growth of nonwoven fabrics, as the material meets many new requirements for electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Due to its lightweight, high design requirements, and recyclability, non-woven fabrics are the perfect choice for electric vehicles, “said Dr. Frank Heislitz, CEO of the company.” For example, non-woven fabrics provide new high-performance technologies for batteries, such as gas diffusion layers.
Non woven fabrics provide new high-performance technologies for batteries, such as gas diffusion layers. (Image copyright belongs to Kodebao high-performance materials)
In recent years, automobile manufacturers such as General Motors and Ford Motor Company have announced to invest tens of billions of dollars to increase the production of electric vehicles and autonomous vehicle. Meanwhile, in October 2022, Hyundai Motor Group broke ground at its Mega factory in Georgia, USA. The company and its affiliated suppliers have invested $5.54 billion, including plans to produce various Hyundai, Genesis, and Kia electric vehicles, as well as a new battery manufacturing plant. The factory will establish a stable supply chain for electric vehicle batteries and other electric vehicle components in the US market.
The new smart factory is expected to start commercial production in the first half of 2025, with an annual production capacity of 300000 vehicles. However, according to Jose Munoz, Global Chief Operating Officer of Hyundai Motor Company, the factory may start production as early as the third quarter of 2024, and the vehicle output may also be higher, expected to reach an annual output of 500000 vehicles.
For General Motors, the manufacturer of Buick, Cadillac, GMC, and Chevrolet vehicles, non-woven fabrics are commonly used in areas such as carpets, trunk trims, ceilings, and seats. Heather Scalf, Senior Global Design Director for Color and Accessories Development at General Motors, stated that using non-woven materials in certain applications has both advantages and disadvantages.
“One of the main advantages of nonwoven fabrics is that compared with knitted and tufted structures used for the same application, it costs less, but it is more difficult to manufacture, and is often not as durable as woven or tufted structures, which limits the placement and use of parts,” she said. “Due to the nature of the structure and the production method, nonwoven structures themselves are more likely to contain more recyclable ingredients. In addition, nonwoven fabrics do not need polyurethane foam as a substrate in ceiling applications, which helps to achieve sustainable development.”
In the past decade, non-woven fabrics have made improvements in some areas, such as printing and embossing capabilities in ceiling applications, but they still have disadvantages in appearance and durability compared to knitted structures. That’s why we believe non-woven fabrics are more suitable for certain specific applications and the automotive industry.
From a visual perspective, non-woven fabrics are limited in terms of design aesthetics and quality perception. Usually, they are very monotonous. Future advances in improving appearance and durability may make non-woven fabrics more popular and suitable for other car models.
At the same time, one of the reasons why General Motors is considering using non-woven materials for electric vehicles is that the value of non-woven materials can help manufacturers launch more affordable products and use more recyclable materials.
Forward, forward, forward
Non woven fabric manufacturers have also expressed confidence. In March 2022, AstenJohnson, a global textile manufacturer headquartered in South Carolina, announced the construction of a new 220000 square foot factory in Waco, Texas, which is the company’s eighth factory in North America.
The Waco factory will focus on the growth market of non-woven fabrics, including automotive lightweighting and composite materials. In addition to launching two state-of-the-art Dilo needle punched nonwoven production lines, the Waco factory will also focus on sustainable commercial practices. The factory is expected to commence operations in the second quarter of 2023 and is expected to start producing automotive products from the third quarter.
Meanwhile, in June 2022, AstenJohnson announced the establishment of a new department – AJ Nonwovens. It will merge the previously acquired Eagle Nonwovens and Foss Performance Materials companies together. The factories of the latter two will operate together with Waco’s new factory under the new name AJ Nonwovens. These three factories will increase production capacity and accelerate the speed of product launch. Their goal is to become the most modern non-woven fabric supplier in North America, while also investing in additional recycling capabilities.
In the automotive market, materials developed by AJ Nonwovens are used for the rear window sills, trunk, floor, seat backrests, and outer wheel wells of sedans. It also produces flooring, load-bearing flooring, as well as seat back materials for trucks and SUVs, and automotive filter materials. The company also plans to grow and innovate in the field of underbody covers, which is currently an area it has not been involved in.
The accelerated growth of electric vehicles has brought new and different challenges to the market, especially in terms of material selection. AJ Nonwovens recognizes this and is in a favorable technological position to continue innovating in this high growth field where it is already involved. The company has also created several new products in the field of sound-absorbing materials and developed other products for specific applications.
Toray Industries, headquartered in Osaka, Japan, is also expanding. In September 2022, the company announced that its subsidiaries, Toray Textile Central Europe (TTCE) and Toray Advanced Materials Korea (TAK), had completed the construction of a new factory project in Prostkhov, Czech Republic, expanding the group’s Airlite automotive interior sound-absorbing materials business in Europe. Airlite product is a melt blown non-woven sound-absorbing material made of lightweight polypropylene and polyester. This material improves passenger comfort by suppressing noise from driving, vibration, and external vehicles.
The annual production capacity of TTCE’s new factory in the Czech Republic is 1200 tons. The new facility will supplement TTCE’s airbag fabric business and help expand its automotive materials business.
TAK plans to utilize the new facility to support its automotive interior sound-absorbing materials business in Europe, and further serve car manufacturers and major component manufacturers as the European electric vehicle market grows. According to Dongli, Europe has taken the lead in strengthening vehicle noise regulations in developed countries, including for internal combustion engine models. In the coming years, the demand for electric vehicles will surge. The company expects that the application field of lightweight sound-absorbing materials will continue to expand.
In addition to Airlite, Dongli has also been developing its non-woven nanofiber fabric SyntheFiber NT. This is a non-woven sound-absorbing material made of 100% polyester, used for skin and barrier layers. It demonstrates its excellent sound absorption performance in various fields such as roads, railways, and building materials, which helps to solve noise and environmental problems.
Tatsuya Bessho, Corporate Communications Manager at Dongli Industries, stated that the application of non-woven fabrics in the automotive market is expanding, and the company believes that the growth rate of non-woven fabrics will increase. For example, we believe that the popularity of electric vehicles will change the required sound absorption performance, so it is necessary to develop sound insulation materials accordingly. In areas that have not been used before, there is great hope to use non-woven materials to reduce weight, which is crucial for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Fibertex Nonwovens is also optimistic about the growth of nonwoven fabrics in the automotive industry. According to Clive Hitchcock, CCO of the company’s automotive and wet wipes business, the role of non-woven fabrics is expanding. In fact, the non-woven fabric used in a car has an area of over 30 square meters, which indicates that it is an important component of various components of the car.
The company’s products often replace heavier and more environmentally harmful products. This is particularly applicable to the automotive industry, as non-woven products are lighter, help reduce fuel consumption, and provide great comfort. In addition, when cars reach the end of their lifecycle, these products are easier to recycle, which helps to achieve responsible consumption and production.
According to Hitchcock, their non-woven fabrics are used for various purposes in automotive manufacturing, such as reducing car weight, improving comfort and aesthetics, and can be used for general insulation and fire prevention. But most importantly, we have improved the driver and passenger experience and enhanced their comfort through advanced sound-absorbing solutions and efficient filtering media.
In terms of new applications, Fibertex sees new opportunities related to the “front trunk”, where the functionality of the trunk is moved to the front of the vehicle (previously the engine compartment), while also performing well in cable cladding, thermal management, and electrical protection. He added: “In some applications, nonwovens are an effective alternative to polyurethane foam and other traditional solutions.”
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.
Post time: Sep-19-2024