Coating and Functional Finishing of Nonwovens
topic
Functional coating of nonwovens applies chemical treatments including hydrophilic wetting agents, hydrophobic repellent finishes, fire retardant coatings, antistatic treatments, and antimicrobial agents through padding, knife-over-roll, slot die, or gravure coating at defined add-on levels followed by drying and curing, with coating penetration depth and distribution uniformity determining whether functional properties are achieved throughout the nonwoven cross-section or limited to the surface.
Role
Adds specific functional surface properties to base nonwovens that enhance their performance in hygiene, medical, protective, and filtration applications beyond the intrinsic properties of the fibre and bonding system, with functional finishing enabling a single nonwoven construction to be differentiated across multiple applications through topical treatment that modifies the surface wetting, barrier, microbial, or flammability behaviour without changing the base nonwoven structure.