New lab-scale device for nonwoven production: optimization of setting parameters

This paper studies the effectiveness of lab scale ‘air laid machine’ designed in the Laboratory of Textile Engineering in ISET of Ksar Hellal, Tunisia for production of nonwoven. Three different types of fibers were used: cotton, kenaf, and polyester. The uniformity of the nonwovens made in terms of thickness, weight per unit area (g/m²), air permeability, and mechanical properties were determined through their coefficient of variation. The method used to evaluate the effectiveness is the overload contour plot. This study demonstrated that ‘Airlaid machine’ is compatible with different types of fibers especially at high values of frequency and pressure.