Breaking the One Micron Barrier Ultra Fine Meltblown Fiber Production, 1994 Nonwovens Conference Proceedings

Ed McNally

UFF or Ultra fine meltblown fiber generation. The production level formation of meltblown fibers in the range of .25 micron to .95 microns consistently and cost effectively. This has been the target of meltblown fibers research and development teams for a number of years. Consistently and cost effectively, these are the key words to the success of this new technology. In the past, less than one micron fibers have been produced but at processing conditions that made both the equipment expenditures and energy requirements to costly to justify, even with the high value added nature of the converted product. Difficulties and costs encountered were due to both the high power consuming, low production level technologies available as well as inherent ultra fine processing needs such as high air pressure, high air volume, low tolerance air flow distribution, a chosen polymer characteristics, and the resultant inconsistent fiber diameter distribution.

In developing this technology, a number of desirable production/process attributes were examined.