Spunlace Mask Material

Spunlace is a type of nonwoven fabric made by bonding wet or dry fibreous webs made by carding, airlaying or wet-laying with high pressure jets of water. The water (usually at 40-120kg/cm2 or 0.1-0.2mm) penetrates the fibreous web, hits the conveyor belt and bounces back, entangles the fibers, and forms a continuous and homogeneous, bonded textile. Spunlace mask material is often made from natural materials such as viscose, PET, cellulose or chitin. It is soft, skin-friendly, absorbent, low lint and solvent resistant. It is commonly used as wet and dry wipes for face, hair, body, cleaning, personal care or wound application. It is available in plain,mesh and embossed styles.

Traditional cloth fabrics have a woven or knitted structure and are made from flexible strands of yarn. These strands are arranged in parallel or crosswise lines. The random arrangement of the fibres in spunlace allows them to block droplets, but remain breathable. It is also very durable. Spunlace fabric can be shaped and moulded to the face, but needs to be washed with cold water to prevent it from becoming stiff and difficult to fit the head. This type of mask is able to be worn under other protective clothing, such as a helmet or gown.

The middle layer of a face mask is typically made from meltblown nonwovens, another type of fabric with a random fibre arrangement. These nonwovens are produced by spraying hot air into a meltable polymer, and the resulting meltable droplets form a web which can be gathered to form the fabric. Meltblown nonwovens have a higher density than spunbond. The higher the densities of these fabrics, the better their filtration capabilities are, making them ideal for use as face mask filters. They are also highly durable and have good resistance to moisture, making them suitable for medical use.

Plant fibers are also used in fabric masks, particularly tencel fibre and diatomaceous earth fibre. These are usually mixed with other types of fibres to reduce the weight and cost of the fabric. Plant fibers are more expensive than manufactured fibres, and the WHO recommends that they be used for outermost mask layers to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Meltblown and spunbond nonwovens require a relatively low amount of fabric per mask, making them affordable for most people to purchase. These two types of fabric also have very long shelf lives, up to 10 years or more.

While these types of fabric have a wide range of uses, the main benefit of using them for masks is their excellent filtering ability and durability. These characteristics mean that they can be washed repeatedly without deterioration, which is important for the hygienic and protective nature of masks. However, as with all nonwoven fabrics, it is important to ensure that these fabrics are stored in a cool and dry environment. If they are exposed to excessive heat or humidity, the electrostatic electret properties of the fabric will degrade over time. This will affect the fabric’s bacterial filtration efficiency, and will also cause the mask to be less effective at blocking the spread of COVID-19.