Cotton and natural fibers account for 5 to 10% of the annual production of nonwovens. They are mainly used in premium wipes, baby and feminine hygiene products, and medical wound care. Cotton is expensive but has a very strong image. End products with the typical “cotton touch” are especially in demand in Asia.
Cards and carding machines from market leader Trützschler process bleached and unbleached raw cotton as well as comber noils. Even very short cotton linters can be used in multilayer cotton pads.
Different fiber lengths: Machine geometries must be selected so that long fibers are not pinched and short fibers are precisely carded.
Short fibers: Risk of fiber fly, which can lead to fiber accumulations and thus to non-uniform webs and increased cleaning effort.
Neps: These fiber knots are signs of aggressive or insufficient opening, unsuitable carding settings, or excessive speeds. Process parameters must be precisely matched to the fiber material.
Absorbent with excellent dirt pickup; skin-friendly; strong in both dry and wet conditions
Natural feel that users associate with purity, comfort, and naturalness
Plastic-free, 100% biodegradable, made from renewable raw materials or waste fibers (comber noils)
Bulky webs/nonwovens with excellent machine direction (MD) and cross direction (CD) strength
Isotropic nonwovens made from short and long fibers; ideal as filler material for cotton pads
Special cotton cards for the production of cotton pads or multi-layer wipes
The NCR card enables highly efficient processing of raw materials with varying fiber lengths and gentle carding, even with a high proportion of short fibers.
The NCA card processes short and long fibers up to 60 mm into webs for nearly isotropic nonwovens. Even waste fibers from opening, combing, or flat top cards can be turned into high-quality end products:
Plant fibers such as hemp, linen (flax), jute, and even pineapple and banana fibers are becoming increasingly important, particularly in the context of sustainable materials. Their environmental compatibility makes them attractive alternatives, especially for technical applications. Today, nonwovens made from or with plant fibers are used, for example, as