The applications of nonwovens in technical textiles by Muhammad Kamran Iqbal.
The textile industry is one of the largest consumer supported industries which has played a vital role in worldwide economy. The use of fibers, yarns and fabrics for applications other than clothing and furnishing (conventional textile) is not a new phenomenon. The technical textile defined by the Textile Institute1 is ‘textile materials and products manufactured primarily for their technical and performance properties rather than their aesthetic or decorative characteristics’. The importance and economic scope of technical textiles stretches far beyond the textile industry and has an impact upon just about every sphere of human economic and social activity. Technical textiles are not a single coherent industry market segment. It is developing in many different directions with varying speeds and levels of success. Technical textiles are becoming one of the most important elements of modern technology and lifestyle. It is present everywhere, their end-uses ranges from simple products such as filters to acoustic and thermal insulation for domestic/industrial appliances. In some of the most developed markets, technical products already account for as much as 50% of all textile manufacturing activity and output. The technical textiles supply chain is a long and complex one, stretching from the manufacturers of polymers for technical fibers, coating and specialty membranes through to the converters and fabricators, who incorporate technical textiles into finished products or use them as an essential part of their industrial operations2. Industrial textiles account for one third of the total textile production in highly industrialized countries such as U.S. and Japan. The global demand and market for technical textiles and products is projected to increase from US$75 billion in 2006 to around US$130 billion in 20103. According to Technical Textile Intelligence report, the fastest growing