Carded Chem-Bond vs Thermal Bond: Exploring Nonwoven Fabric Technologies

 Carded Chem-Bond and Thermal Bond represent two fundamental bonding techniques used in the manufacturing of nonwoven fabrics, playing crucial roles in diverse industries including hygiene, medical, industrial, and automotive sectors. Understanding these methods provides insight into their unique processes, benefits, and applications, making it easier to select the right technology for specific product requirements. This description explores both techniques in detail, outlining their manufacturing principles, performance characteristics, and environmental aspects, culminating with a call to action from Sommers Inc.

Carded Chem-Bond refers to the process involving carding and chemical bonding of fiber webs. Carding is a mechanical process where fibers are opened, aligned, and formed into a continuous web. This web is then bonded using chemical binders which are typically sprayed, padded, or applied as foam onto the fiber web. Once the binder is applied, the web passes through a drying and curing stage where heat activates the binder, causing the fibers to bond together. The chemical binder acts as an adhesive that secures the fibers at their cross-over points, creating a stable and uniform fabric structure.

This method offers considerable versatility because it can bond various fiber types, regardless of their thermal properties. The resultant fabrics usually have good softness and flexibility, making them suitable for applications such as wipes, filters, and insulation materials. However, chemical bonding requires additional steps including water evaporation and curing, which can increase production time, energy consumption, and environmental impact due to potential emissions during curing.​

Thermal Bonding, on the other hand, is a process that uses heat to melt thermoplastic components within the fiber web to achieve bonding. The carded web, which may contain thermoplastic fibers such as bicomponent fibers with a sheath-core structure, is exposed to heat by methods such as through-air bonding or calendar bonding. In through-air bonding, hot air melts the binder fibers within the web, and when cooled, the fibers solidify to form mechanical and adhesive bonds. Calendar bonding passes the web through heated rollers applying heat and pressure simultaneously to weld fibers together.

Thermal Bonding is recognized for producing strong, lightweight, and uniform fabrics, often preferred where durability and dimensional stability are essential. This process is energy-efficient as it eliminates the need for chemical binders and curing steps, leading to a lower environmental footprint. It also supports high production rates and results in fabrics that are typically used in hygiene products, medical disposables, automotive components, and filtration media.​

Comparatively, Chem-Bond offers more fiber choice and softness but can be less environmentally friendly and involves more complex processing versus Thermal Bond's simplicity, eco-friendliness, and energy savings. Thermal bonded fabrics tend to have higher strength and durability but require thermoplastic fibers. The choice between Carded Chem-Bond and Thermal Bond depends on application needs related to fabric properties, production efficiency, and sustainability goals.

Sommers Inc specializes in providing advanced manufacturing solutions utilizing both Carded Chem-Bond and Thermal Bond technologies, ensuring optimized product quality, environmental compliance, and cost efficiency. Their expertise enables industries to select and implement the ideal bonding method for their specific nonwoven fabric requirements, supported by meticulous quality control and innovation.

Discover how Sommers Inc can elevate your nonwoven production with cutting-edge Carded Chem-Bond and Thermal Bond solutions — connect with experts who bring precision, performance, and sustainability to your manufacturing process.

Partner with Sommers Inc today to transform your fabric bonding capabilities.