SUPER ABSORBENT FABRICS EXPLAINED

Technical Absorbents has been designing, manufacturing and supplying super absorbent fabrics, fibres and yarns for over 30 years. Our SAF materials can be found in products across the globe, but what exactly are super absorbent fabrics, fibres and yarns? We aim to answer that question in this helpful article. We will also be talking about how to choose the right super-absorbent material for your product range or industry.

At Technical Absorbents we stock a wide range of SAF products on our shelves as well as having a team dedicated to creating bespoke fibres, fabrics and yarns. If we don’t have a super absorbent material for you, our expert team is on hand to discuss your requirements. Get in touch today at +44 (0)1472 245200 or by email at info@exploresaf.com.

What are Super Absorbent Fabrics?

Simply put, super-absorbent fabrics, fibres and yarns are materials that have been specifically designed to absorb large volumes of liquids. They are used across a variety of industries including medical, filtration, food packaging, hygiene and structural waterproofing to name but a few, however, the possibilities for Super Absorbents are almost limitless.

You can find our products in day-to-day items such as sanitary towels, wound care dressings and food pads, as well as in more niche products such as oil/water separators.

If you are developing a product that requires super absorbents then why not reach out to Technical Absorbents today!

Types Of Super Absorbent Fabrics

There are many different varieties of super absorbent fabrics available to choose from at Technical Absorbents, each type has its benefits and can be best suited to a specific task. Let’s discuss some of the main fabric types.

Airlaid Non-Woven Fabrics

Airlaid fabric is a non-woven material created by air-laying fibres onto a web-like structure. This creates an end product that is capable of absorbing many times its weight in liquid and locking it away inside its core.

Benefits:

High Absorbency: Airlaid fabrics are known for their exceptional absorbency, making them ideal for applications such as hygiene products (e.g., feminine care products and sanitary towels).
Softness: They often have a soft and fluffy texture, providing comfort to users.

Customisable: Airlaid fabrics can be engineered to meet specific absorbency requirements by adjusting fibre types and densities. At Technical Absorbents we can achieve airlaid materials with up to 60% SAF™ Fibre content, between 70-1,000gsm.

You can browse our Super Absorbent airlaid non-woven fabrics here.

Needle Punch / Needle Felt Super Absorbent Fabrics

Needle punch nonwoven fabrics are produced by mechanically entangling fibres using barbed needles. These needles punch the fibres repeatedly, interlocking them to form a cohesive fabric structure without the need for adhesives or chemical binders.

Benefits:

High Strength: Needle punch nonwoven fabrics are known for their excellent tensile strength and durability. The mechanical entanglement of fibres creates a strong fabric that can withstand stress and abrasion, making it suitable for various applications requiring robust materials.

Versatility: These fabrics are highly versatile and can be manufactured from a wide range of fibres, including natural (e.g., cotton, wool) and synthetic (e.g., polyester, polypropylene). This versatility allows for the customisation of properties such as absorbency, softness, and thermal insulation, making needle punch nonwovens suitable for a diverse range of applications.

Absorbency: Our needle punch nonwoven fabrics are engineered to have excellent absorbent properties, making them suitable for applications where liquid absorption is essential. By selecting appropriate fibre types and densities, these fabrics can absorb and retain liquids efficiently, making them ideal for industrial products such as filters and structural waterproofing membranes to medical dressings and sanitary products.

You can browse our Super Absorbent needle punch and needle felt fabrics here.

Woven Super Absorbent Fabrics

Our highly Absorbent Woven Fabrics are made using our Super Absorbent SAF™ spun yarns which are woven together to create unique absorbent net structures. They are ideal for use in applications that require a more complex, breathable and flexible absorbent material, e.g. medical dressings.

Benefits:

Flexibility: Our woven super absorbents are flexible and breathable by nature offering a strong and stable structure that still has freedom to move. Woven super absorbents are well suited for use in medical dressing manufacture to create breathable, absorbent end products.

Lightweight: Woven super absorbents offer a lightweight alternative to our other super absorbent fabrics, this adds further to their benefit when used in industries such as medical manufacture.

Absorbent: Our Absorbent Woven Fabrics have been designed and manufactured by our team of experts to produce extremely high levels of absorbency and retention – even under load.

You can browse our Absorbent Woven Fabrics here.

Thermally Bonded Super Absorbent Fabrics

Thermally bonded fabric is a non-woven material manufactured by bonding fibres together using heat and pressure. These products are cost-effective, thin, absorbent nonwoven materials that still provide high levels of absorbency and retention – even under load. This makes them ideal in applications that require a thin, discreet absorbent layer, e.g. ultra-thin hygiene products, and medical dressings.

Benefits:

Customisable: These non-woven fabrics can be bonded by hot air to create loftier fabrics with lower density and greater thickness, or can be passed through hot rollers or ovens to deliver a stronger, thinner fabric structure.

Durable: Thermally bonded fabrics often exhibit excellent tensile strength and tear resistance, making them suitable for applications requiring durability.
Highly Absorbent: Thermally bonded fabrics are a thin and lightweight moisture absorbent solution, capable of absorbing many times their own weight in liquid and locking it away safely.

Browse our Thermal Bonded Super Absorbent Fabrics here or order a sample.

Washable Super Absorbent Fabrics

These super-absorbent materials are engineered to maintain their high absorbency even after repeated washing, ensuring long-lasting performance and sustainability. Their design allows for easy laundering and reuse without compromising their ability to efficiently absorb liquids.

Benefits:

Reusable: The main benefit of washable super absorbent fabrics is their reusability, simply launder the product and re-use. This makes washable super absorbents one of the leading and most cost-effective products.

Soft and Absorbent: Our Washable Superabsorbers are known for being soft and flexible and are capable of absorbing many times their weight in liquid (water, saline and other aqueous fluids) and locking it away inside its core.

You can shop our Washable Super Absorbent Fabrics here.

Choosing The Right Fabric For Your Industry!

As mentioned above, every industry is different and each product has unique requirements. If you need help finding the right Super Absorbent then reach out to the Technical Absorbents team here. The information below is only to be used as a simple guide.

For wound care/medical dressing applications, we suggest starting by looking at fabrics similar to our superabsorbent airlaid fabric type 2091 This is a 180gsm, thermally bonded nonwoven material, highly absorbent and boasting excellent levels of liquid retention.

This product is already popular within the medical industry which makes it an excellent starting point.

If a more slimline airlaid fabric is required, we would recommend SAF type 2351. This airlaid fabric is only 70gsm and yet still provides excellent absorbency and retention. It is currently the thinnest fabric in our high-absorbency airlaid range.

If a bulker airlaid fabric is needed for applications such as filtration (water removal), we would suggest looking at Airlaid Nonwoven 2644 & 2654. These two heavier-weight superabsorbent airlaid fabrics offer higher rates of absorbency than other products within this category.

We can also offer a wide range of needlefelt materials from our needlepunch nonwoven line. We provide bespoke slimline options right the way through to much bulkier fabrics. Technical Absorbents can help you to determine the correct fabric for your desired application.

Technical Absorbents can manufacture needlefelt fabrics from 100gsm up to 1,000gsm if required. The thinnest we currently have available in our sample shop is 190gsm. This is fabric type 7002 and is a blend of our Super Absorbent Fibre and Polyester.

Our heaviest fabric currently is type 7069 which is 800gsm This is an option for applications that require very high levels of absorbency but do not require a fabric with a great deal of strength and integrity.
If you require Super Absorbent Fabrics that fall outside of this gsm range then a bespoke product might be a more suitable option.

For more information on SUPER ABSORBENT FABRICS EXPLAINED talk to Technical Absorbents