Technical Needle Felts
Technical nonwovens for a wide range of applications from BWF Protec
We have been producing technical needle felts by the yard for a wide variety of applications since 1960.
Technical needle felts - also known as nonwovens - usually consist of synthetic fibres which are processed into a stable flat structure by a mechanical needling process. Our synthetic needle felts feature various advantages and properties depending on the fibre used.
Needle Felt Yard Goods
Technical needlepunched nonwovens from BWF Protec offer:
As a needle felt manufacturer, BWF Protec processes a wide variety of synthetic as well as natural fibres, either pure or as a fibre blend, into needle felt yard goods. The use of reinforcing fabrics, sandwich constructions and a wide range of finishes and surface treatments result in a broad spectrum of different qualities for a wide variety of requirements and industries. The field of application and function determine the design and quality of needle felts.
Our synthetic needle felts, whether as yard goods, ready-made or in endless form as belts or rollers, are available with the following properties, among others:
- temperature-resistant, e.g. meta-aramid and para-aramid felts
- chemical-resistant, e.g. needle felts made of polypropylene or PTFE
- mechanically resistant, e.g. qualities made of Dyneema or also para-aramid
You will always find the right needle felt for your application: Polyester needle felt, for example, is suitable for use in the steel industry due to its cost-effectiveness and properties. Needle felt yard goods made of heat and flame resistant fibres, such as aramid fibres, are used in workwear, protective equipment or for fire protection in train and aircraft seats.
In addition to synthetic fibres, wool or rayon can of course also be processed into needlefelt.
By the way, needle felt material is also referred to as nonwovens.
We feature the following production capabilities
for our technical needle felts:
Following you will find a brief overview of the production range in which you can obtain our needle felts as yard goods:
Technical data:
| Area weight: | 50 - 10,000 g/m² |
| Thickness range: | 0.5 - 30 mm |
| Density range: | 0.08 - 0.40 g/cm³ |
| Width: | up to 320 cm (depending on area weight/thickness) |
| Roll length: | up to 1,000 lm (depending on area weight) |
Our technical needle felts are available in the following variations:
pure-grade blend (e.g. only polyester, only para-aramid, etc.)
made of fibre blends (e.g. polyester and polypropylene)
sandwich construction (layers made of different fibre blends)
without supporting scrim
with supporting scrim
In addition, we can both chemically finish needle felt roll goods and subject them to thermal surface treatments, for example flame retardant finishing (especially for the automotive sector) or thermal stiffening (e.g. for brake felts in the steel industry).
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Fibres for technical needle felts
Depending on their requirements and area of application, at BWF Protec customers can select from technical needle felts made of any common synthetic fibre types, from polyester and aramid fibres to steel fibres. We also work with natural fibres such as wool and rayon.
Nor do we shy away from experimenting with new fibres for our technical nonwovens. In this context, we work closely with our central R&D competence centre. Our specialists accompany you from the initial inquiry through to product development and the finished needle felt yard goods.
A selection of our fibres can be found here:
Needle Felt Yard Goods
Your advantages at BWF Protec:
BWF Protec offers you a wide product range of needlefelt yard goods. The advantages at a glance:
- From a wide variety of fibres, both synthetic and natural in origin, needlefelt is adapted to individual needs.
- You will receive in-depth advice on the selection of the right fibres/needle felt by the metre for your specific area of application.
- In addition to tried and tested fibres, we also regularly test new types of fibres and their processing possibilities. If these suit us and our machinery, they can then be included in the portfolio.
- In the development phase, prototypes of new needle felts can be produced in the form of yard goods in our R&D competence centre, depending on your needs.
Technical Needle Felts
for a wide range of technical and industrial applications
Nonwovens are multi-talented: whether fire, heat or work protection, transport system, insulation or cleaning - needle felt yard goods are available in a wide variety of designs and can be used for the most diverse purposes. The use of a wide variety of fibre qualities and production techniques offers maximum flexibility.
Today, technical needle felts can be found, among other things, in car washes as washing and drying felts, in aircraft and train seats for protection against fire, as inliners in fire brigade jackets, in the production of shoe soles, e.g. for high-quality hiking boots, in seals for tumble dryers or insulation in batteries. There are almost no limits to the imagination here.
What is needle felt?
Needle felt belongs to the group of nonwovens and consists mostly of synthetic fibres that are bonded by a mechanical needling process. This makes needle felt very stable and robust in a variety of ways.
The diverse areas of application for technical needle felts include, for example, fire protection for railway and aircraft seats, heat protection and protection against mechanical stress (e.g. stab protection) in personal protective equipment (including firefighters' clothing), use as car wash felts, brake felts in the steel industry or for insulation or cleaning in a wide range of industries.
Depending on the fibres used, the technical needle felts from BWF Protec, for example, are temperature-resistant, flame-retardant, chemical-resistant and mechanically resistant. The properties are significantly influenced by the fibre blend and can thus be adapted to the respective application.
BWF Protec, for example, offers technical needle felt for a wide range of industries and applications with their respective properties and functions. Either standard qualities are used or customised needle felts are specially produced. Competent specialists are available to assist our customers with product development.
Most important are the standard characteristics such as thickness and basis weight. These data are basically checked for all qualities. Other tests for needle felt yard goods include abrasion resistance, tensile and tear strength, bending stiffness and air permeability. These quality characteristics depend on the intended use and are determined individually. What is tested is what is needed.
In addition to yard goods, needle felts are also available in endless needled form as endless needle felt belts or needle felt rollers. These are used in transport systems in the aluminium and glass industries, among others.
Nonwovens can also be cut and punched into a wide variety of shapes or further processed into composites.