Industrial Fabrics

Industrial fabrics consist of woven or non-woven cloth made from natural or synthetic materials. They are produced by weaving, knitting, braiding, or extrusion. Industrial fabrics can also be needlepunched, formed from a slurry (wet laid), or produced in other ways. The properties of an industrial fabric depend upon the manufacturing process, fiber material, and fiber size. Basic product types include: nonwoven fabrics, sleeves or wraps, blankets or batts, woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, carded or needlepunched non-wovens, and braided fabrics. Nonwoven fabrics are textile- or fiber-based materials shaped into mats of randomly-oriented fibers, felt, needlepunched cloth, spun bound, or meltblown structures. Sleeves or wraps are flexible, fibrous refractory products for insulating pipes, tubes, ducts and other process components. Blankets or batts (batting) are made of thick layers of woven and/or non-woven fabric sheets. Woven products are used for composite tooling and the formation of structures. Knitted fabrics consist of continuous fibers that are processed into a knitted structure with either two or three dimensions. Carded and needlepunched non-woven fabrics offer very high loft (low density) at a very low cost. Braided fibers are used for tubular composite structures, thermal insulation, and in other applications. Specialized industrial fabrics are also commonly available.

Industrial fabrics are made of many different natural and synthetic materials. Natural fibers are often made from plants such as cotton, hemp, jute, or flax. Linen, leather, silk, and wool textiles are also available. Synthetic fabrics contain petroleum-based polymers and fibers. Mineral wool is a category of industrial fabrics that includes slag wool, rock wool, and glass wool. E-glass is a relatively inexpensive glass fiber that combines strength with high electrical resistivity. S-glass^®, a registered trademark of Owens Corning, is stronger than E-glass and has better properties at elevated temperatures. Ceramic fabrics are made from alumina or zirconia fibers and are designed for high-temperature applications. Boron, quartz, silica, and silicon carbide (SiC) industrial fabrics are also available. Metallic fibers have a shiny surface, high density, high melting point, high hardness, and high thermal and electrical conductivity. Material type choices for industrial fabrics include: acetate and triacetate, acrylic and modacrylic, aramid and polyimide, elastomeric, fluropolymer, nylon and polyamide, olefin and polyolefin, polybenzimidazole (PBI) and poly-p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole (PBO), polypropylene, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), rayon, styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Selecting industrial fabrics requires an analysis of dimensions, properties, structural features, and applications. Overall thickness, overall width, overall weight, and fabric weight are important dimensions to consider. Properties for industrial fabrics include use temperature, breaking strength or maximum load, thermal conductivity, and electrical resistivity. In terms of structural features, some industrial fabrics are chemical or fuel resistant, electrically conductive, electrically insulating, flame retardant, hydrophilic, absorbent, or suitable for sound-proofing. Other products are hydrophobic, waterproof, fireproof, or thermally insulating. Plastic fibers and elastomeric fibers provide resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light or sunlight. Industrial fabrics are used in a variety of industries and applications, including: aerospace, apparel or clothing, architecture and construction, automotive and transportation, chemical processing, electrical, electronic, filtration, marine, and medical. Specialized products can also be used to control electrostatic discharge (ESD) and provide shielding from electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI).

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Part Numbers for Fabrics