We come across a wide variety of fabrics in our day to day life. From the clothes we wear to the upholstery at our offices to the car leather seats, we use a variety of these fabrics every day. The fabrics are made up of different materials which give them some unique features. These are usually made up of natural and synthetic fibers. Natural fibers are made or extracted from natural sources. These are further classified into two categories. These can be obtained from plants and animals. Plant fibers include fibers made from cotton, wood, coir, jute, bamboo, rubber, soybean and hemp fiber etc. These are mainly used to manufacture paper and cloth. The animal fibers mainly comprise of proteins from animal hair and hides. This contains wool from sheep, goat, horse and natural silk from silkworm etc. The feathers from avians are also used.
The fabrics made from natural plant and animal fibers are commonly used for the manufacture of apparels, home furnishings, pillows, crafts, upholstery, table covers, sacks, sandbags etc. These fibers could be woven or knotted to manufacture cloth. This means that the threads in these fabrics alternate in a one-over, one-under scheme. It creates a criss - cross or checkerboard-like appearance of the fabric.
The other type of fibers is the synthetic fibers. These are man- made materials. Fabrics made from these are nonwoven fabric. Examples include polyester, rayon, acrylic, spandex, nylon, Lycra, Olefin etc. These are the small chains of molecules of chemicals which are joined together with different techniques. Such chains are called polymers. Here, €poly' means many and €mer' means units. These techniques are bonding, fusing, felting etc. These are either stuck together using an adhesive or bonded with each other by applying strong pressure.
Some common characteristics of these synthetic fibers are:
Synthetic fibers are cheaper than natural fiber.
They are more durable.
€ It is much stronger than natural fiber.
€ They are easier to maintain.
€ They are easy to wash.
€ They dry up faster.
€ Synthetic fibers are readily available in the markets
These non woven fabrics are manufactured from some recycled materials and hence, are good for the environment too. Many of these are recyclable themselves. Products made from these have their applications in the fields such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools etc. Depending on their make, these fabrics may offer single- use or multiple uses. They provide some very distinct and specific features which are:
€ Liquid repellant
€ High or low absorbency
€ Ultra stretch
€ Strong and durable
€ Thermal insulation
€ Dlame resistant
€ Anti bacterial
These fabrics are used to make a varied range of products. They are mainly used in the making of products for home d©cor, apparels, industry, engineering, healthcare, consumer goods. Certain examples are tents, boat and yacht covers, mats, shower curtains, table covers, aprons, hammocks, tepees. They are also used in the manufacture of surgical gowns, drapes, covers, masks, caps, medical packaging, vacuum bags, tea & coffee bags, canal construction, drainage systems, tarps and wipes etc.
So, we see that a variety of fabrics offer varied functionality to us. They can be used as per their specific and unique features.