Nonwovens for automotive interiors and acoustic parts

Where nonwovens go in a vehicle

Most interior parts are built in layers: a visible surface, a body that gives shape or absorbs sound, and backings that hold the part together. Nonwovens do several of these jobs.

• Trunk liners, headliners and trim backings: PET spunbond, which can be thermoformed to shape.
• Carpets and floor liners: needle-punched felts, with PET spunbond as the primary backing for tufted carpets.
• Thermal and acoustic insulation behind panels and under carpets: needle-punched felts.
• Hot zones such as the engine bay: high-temperature insulation felts.
• Parts that rub, flex or come into contact with oil and grease: nylon 6 spunbond.

PET or nylon 6 spunbond?

PET spunbond is stiffer and more dimensionally stable, and keeps its strength and its size when heated, so it suits moulded liners and trim. Nylon 6 spunbond is the tougher of the two: it resists abrasion and tearing, stays strong at low weights, bonds well to adhesives and coatings, and is stable in contact with oils, fuels, greases and many organic solvents.

Both are made point bonded or flat bonded, from 15 to 150 gsm, in any colour, and both can be ultrasonically welded with clean, non-fraying edges. Nylon absorbs a little moisture from the air, so condition samples before you test them; strong acids weaken nylon, so check chemical contact in your part.

Felts for sound and heat

Needle-punched felts are made by entangling carded fibres with barbed needles into a strong three-dimensional structure, without chemical binders. Weight, thickness, density and finish are made to order. We run PET, PP, viscose, nylon, PAN, PPS, aramid and PTFE fibres, from 60 to 2,000 gsm, and supply rolls, sheets and die-cut parts.

Where temperatures are higher, such as near the engine, our insulation felts use fibres chosen for the heat and chemistry of the job:

• PPS felt: high temperature (190–230°C), flame and chemical resistant.
• PTFE felt: inert and hydrophobic, stable up to 260°C.
• Aramid felt: heat and chemical resistant, flame resistant, lightweight and strong.
• PAN felt: strong and stable, chemical and oxidation resistant, low density.
• Finishes: singeing, glazing, calendering and heat setting; water, oil and acid-resistant and PTFE treatments; scrim support for extra strength.

Specifying a part

Interior parts usually have to meet the vehicle maker's own material requirements. Send us the part description or drawing, the requirements the material must meet, and the data sheet or a sample of the material you use now, if you have one. Tell us how the part is made: thermoformed, moulded, laminated or welded. We will suggest a starting point and send samples for your own testing.

Because spunbond, needle-punched and insulation felts all come from our own lines, the layers of a part can be specified together and shipped together, with different products combined in one container.