Breakthrough PP for Production of remarkably soft, cloth-like nonwoven textiles

13-Apr-11

The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) has introduced DOW SOFT TOUCH™ Polypropylene (PP) Resin, a family of breakthrough single-pellet resin solutions for the efficient production of mono-component spunbond nonwoven fabrics that exhibit remarkable softness and drape while retaining the physical properties of polypropylene nonwoven fabrics. Responding to consumer desire for softer fabrics in absorbent hygiene products and medical nonwovens, Dow’s first product in the new DOW SOFT TOUCH PP Resin family, DC 543 Developmental Polypropylene Resin, was unveiled. The health and hygiene industry’s drive to identify softer nonwoven fabrics has triggered the development of a range of raw materials solutions in recent years, from resin additives, mechanical alteration, and blends to bi-component fibers. Each solution offers some degree of softness, but often at only marginal perceptibility, higher cost or increased operational complexity. Nonwoven fabrics made with the new resin overcome these challenges through a single pellet solution that can be used in existing mono-spunbond lines. The new resin solutions offer noticeably improved comfort for end-users of nonwoven products in the form of tactile softness, improved drape (ductile softness) and a reduction in noise intensity. In recent sensory testing, highly trained panelists easily perceived the improved softness attributes of nonwoven fabrics made with DOW SOFT TOUCH PP resin and gave them more favorable ratings than fabrics made with homopolymer polypropylene. Handle-o-Meter testing, an industry accepted method of measuring softness, further confirmed the panel results. These resins also offers key physical properties that until now have been a challenge to achieve in combination with breakthrough softness. The resin has a low bonding temperature and a broad bonding window for processing efficiency and flexibility. It also offers tensile properties comparable to polypropylene and excellent abrasion resistance for low linting and fuzzing in the final nonwoven article.