What Are Wetlaid Nonwovens?
Wetlaid nonwovens are engineered fabrics produced by suspending fibers in water and forming them into a web on a moving forming fabric. Unlike textiles or airlaid nonwovens, wetlaid materials rely on hydraulic fiber distribution. According to the EDANA, “The principle of wetlaying is similar to paper manufacturing. The difference lies in the amount of synthetic fibers present in a Wetlaid nonwoven.” Unlike paper, wetlaid nonwovens typically contain longer fibers, synthetic fibers, or blends, giving them higher strength, durability, and performance.
This process allows wetlaid nonwovens manufacturers the option to use short, long, synthetic, natural, or inorganic fibers that would be difficult to process using other nonwoven technologies. The result is a highly uniform web with controlled porosity, low linting, and excellent dimensional stability.
How Are Wetlaid Nonwovens Made?
Wetlaid nonwovens are produced using a water‑based manufacturing process derived from papermaking but adapted to handle technical fibers and engineered performance requirements. Wetlaid nonwovens are manufactured using a process where fibers are suspended in water and deposited onto a forming fabric. For further information on the step by step process take at look at the blog article how are wetlaid nonwovens made (link to blog)
KADANT'S ROLE
Wetlaid nonwovens
form the foundation of many essential products including fiberglass mat or glass veil, tea bags, hygiene and medical components, and filtration media, which are areas Kadant provides substantial value with improved efficiency and product quality through roll cleaner assemblies, wire belt cleaning, filtration, and showering technologies.
Proven Kadant technologies such as the VeriLite™ roll cleaner assembly, the M-clean™ system, and the RotoFlex™ resource recovery strainer help wetlaid operations achieve cleaner processes, reduce energy and water costs, and meet increasingly rigorous performance and sustainability goals.
For a real‑world example, see the case study: Nonwoven Fiberglass Mat Dryer Wire Cleaning with the M-clean PRO.
The Octopus™ stock approach system is designed to deliver highly uniform, stable stock flow to the forming section, an important requirement in wetlaid nonwovens production. The Octopus stock approach system distributes stock evenly across the machine width using multiple balanced flow paths, ensuring consistent fibre concentration before the headbox.
The M-clean™ system is designed to effectively remove contaminants from wires, ensuring top-quality material production. It's tailored for use in the forming, saturating, and drying stages of glass veil and fiberglass mat production. By effectively removing contaminants on wire belts, the M-clean system helps maintain the quality of the glass veil sheets while minimizing production downtime.
In glass veil and fiberglass mat manufacturing, roll and belt cleaning solutions, particularly the VeriLite™ roll cleaner assembly, have the fundamental task of keeping the production rolls clean. This attention to cleanliness is crucial because any contaminants on the rolls can lead to defects in the glass veil sheets. The compact roll cleaner assembly’s efficiency provides continuous roll cleaning, simplifies the process, and directly contributes to the overall quality of glass veil sheets mitigating downtime for the rolls to be cleaned manually.
Why Choose the Wetlaid Method?
Wetlaid nonwovens offer several advantages that make them ideal commodity and high-performance applications.
- Excellent uniformity and formation
- Low lint and controlled porosity
- Ability to use short or specialty fibers
- High opacity and density
- Controlled porosity and permeability
Common Applications of Wetlaid Nonwovens
Wetlaid nonwovens are used across a wide range of everyday and technical applications, where consistency, performance, and reliability are critical.
- Tea bags
- Vacuum cleaner bags
- Filtration media
- Medical tape base
- Roofing shingles
- Saturation base materials and composites
Each application places unique demands on formation, strength, permeability, and cleanliness, making process control and equipment reliability critical.
Fiberglass Mat and Glass Veil: A Subset of Wetlaid Nonwovens
Fiberglass mat also known as glass veil are a specialized subset of wetlaid nonwovens. These materials use fine glass fibers dispersed in water and formed into thin, uniform webs.
Typical applications include:
- Roofing and roofing underlay
- Flooring substrates
- Wall coverings
- Reinforcement layers for composites
- Construction and insulation products
Glass fiber processing places particularly high demands on forming fabrics, cleaning systems, and roll surfaces. Maintaining clean, damage‑free equipment is essential to prevent defects, improve yield, and extend component life.
