Avgol, a global leader in the manufacture of lightweight nonwoven fabric solutions, is launching a new range of breathable fabrics which exceed the performance of current commercially available spunmelt SMS materials.
The development is in line with Avgol’s Forward Innovative Thinking (FIT) strategy for new product innovation.
Nick Carter, Director, Market Business Intelligence and Intellectual Property, at Avgol, said: “The enhanceFIT family is being developed to meet evolving product designer needs for lighter weight fabrics, having improved elasticity, barrier and breathable performance properties. This family is based on multiple technology platforms that allows Avgol to tailor fabric performance for the needs of specific markets, including hygiene, medical and industrial applications.
enhanceFIT Breathe is the first in a line of new fabric solutions resulting from Avgol’s recent developments in new assets and technology. The fabrics demonstrate enhanced uniformity with corresponding improvements in barrier, appearance and coverage in materials less than 25 gsm, without relying on cumbersome submicron filament fabrication methods. In practical applications, downgauged fabrics are now available that have previously required higher basis weights to achieve air permeability specifications.
Avgol brings new soft dimension to nonwovens with launch of comfortFIT Feel
Avgol is to launch a new technology to deliver enhanced softness and user-comfort in hygiene applications to meet ever-evolving consumer and global producer needs.
comfortFIT Feel has been developed as part of Avgol’s Forward Innovative Thinking (FIT ) strategy which represents the company’s commitment to harnessing expertise to anticipate the needs of consumers and create high-performance technologies. The FIT strategy is also part of an aim to create an alternative to carded fiber performance.
Part of the comfortFIT range of technologies, comfortFIT Feel creates a new level of softness for applications; including diapers, through combinations of chemistry and pattern design. Designed to be modular in nature, the technology can be used alone or alongside other FIT technologies; to enhance functionality further and provide a palette of softness solutions for product designers.
Nick Carter said; “Caregivers are increasingly looking to ensure only the most comfortable fabrics come into contact with a child’s delicate skin. The technology employed by comfortFIT Feel has been adapted from the cosmetic marketfor use in nonwovens.”
“comfortFIT Feel features cotton-like spunmelt material offering further compressibility and contributing; to an improved consumer experience by reducing the sense of ‘plastic-feel’. With this technology, we are delivering softness through additives that do not contain co-polymers; creating a cottony, rather than slippery, feel. This, in turn, does not compromise product functionality.”
comfortFIT Feel offers improved conversion performance for hygiene products, thus decreasing process changes and increasing speed to market.
Mr Carter added; “Softness can be difficult to define and achieve; however Avgol understands that it is about the synergy of touch, feel, flexibility, stretch and surface aesthetics; delivered in combination to achieve the desired effect.”