History of the Development of Melt Blowing Technology, 1999 Nonwovens Conference Proceedings

W. John G. McCulloch

Nonwoven/Melt Blowing Industry

Almost a half century ago development efforts were initiated by very different entities, in widely different locations, to demonstrate one step processes to convert polymer to web:

l Major fiber products (DuPont, Freudenberg, Monsanto) began work on converting polymer (PE, PET, Nylon) into continuous “cold drawn” filaments and integrating the conversion of these filaments into a random-laid bonded nonwoven fabric.

. An oil company (Exxon), building on the earlier work (1950’s) of the Naval Research Labs to produce tine fibers, began work on converting their recently commercialized PP polymer into discontinuous, or continuous, “hot drawn” filaments and integrating these filaments into a random-laid self bonded nonwoven web having average fiber sizes 2-5 microns (fine fibered webs) to l00+ fibers (coarse fibered webs).

As a result of these early development efforts, three different, but related melt spinning nonwoven processes have achieved significant commercial importance, with tremendous benefits to consumers worldwide:

l Spunbond process

l Melt blowing process

l Flash spinning process

This presentation will summarize the development of the melt blowing process from conceptualization to current state-of-the-art. Important product, process and equipment developments are detailed in the fifty year growth of the melt blowing process from a laboratory concept to a 125 million pound a year US and Canadian commercial consumption and substantially greater worldwide consumption.