Nonwoven Machinery - History, Evolution & 2025 Industry Briefing
Purpose. This white paper summarizes the authentic, citable history of nonwoven machinery, how major processes evolved, who the key machine builders are, and where the market sits today. It uses only published, searchable sources and includes figures and tables with clear attributions.
Executive summary
Origins. Mechanical felting and early needle looms laid the groundwork; by the late 1800s a first practical needle loom is credited to William Bywater (Leeds, UK), with the first U.S. needle loom (1948) by James Hunter.
Pivotal inventions.
Stitch-bonding (Malimo) developed by Heinrich Mauersberger in 1949, with a U.S. patent granted in 1959. 针织产业textileworld.com
Melt blowing described by V. A. Wente at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in 1954/1956, with improvements documented in NRL Report 5265 (1959). 专利图像
Hydroentanglement (spunlace) patented by J. F. Evans in 1969 (US 3,485,706). dupont.com
Flash-spun HDPE (Tyvek®) commercialized by DuPont in the 1960s, establishing a distinct nonwoven class. andritz.com
Spunmelt era. Reifenhäuser Reicofil launched its first spunbond line in 1985; today's RF5 generation focuses on lighter grammages and finer filaments. reifenhauser.com+1
Standards & testing. Global test methods are harmonized in the EDANA/INDA Nonwovens Standard Procedures (NWSP); the 2021 edition lists 100+ methods. INDA+1
Market snapshot (recent, published data). Europe produced 3,017,085 t (2022), 2,864,840 t (2023), and 2,976,400 t (2024) of nonwovens (all processes). North American capacity reached 5.713 million t in 2023 (vs. 5.565 million t in 2022).
Figures (created from the cited sources above)
Figure 1. Europe nonwovens production (tonnes), 2022–2024 (EDANA).
Data source: EDANA press releases for 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Figure 2. North America nonwovens capacity (tonnes), 2022 vs 2023 (INDA).
Data source: INDA press items summarizing 2022 and 2023 capacity.
(Charts and the underlying data tables are shown above in this conversation.)
1) Timeline - authentic milestones in nonwoven machinery
| Year | Milestone (process) | Who/Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late 1800s | First practical needle loom used for felt-making | William Bywater (Leeds, UK) | |
| 1948 | First needle loom in the U.S. | James Hunter | |
| 1949 → 1959 | Malimo stitch-bonding invented; U.S. patent issued in 1959 | H. Mauersberger (GDR) | 针织产业textileworld.com |
| 1954/1956 → 1959 | Melt blowing first described (Wente, NRL) → improved NRL device reported (5265) | U.S. Naval Research Laboratory | 专利图像 |
| 1960s | Tyvek® (flash-spun HDPE) commercialized | DuPont | andritz.com |
| 1969 | Hydroentanglement patented (US 3,485,706) | J. F. Evans | dupont.com |
| 1985 | First Reicofil spunbond line installed | Reifenhäuser Reicofil | reifenhauser.com |
| 2013→ | Voith + Trützschler launch WLS wet-laid/spunlaced lines; later formalize safety standard; ISO work follows | Voith/Trützschler | Trützschler Group纺织复合材料实验室 |
Notes: The NWI historical briefing compiles early needle-loom developments; specific patent/NRL report citations for spunlace/melt-blown are listed above.
2) How the machinery evolved - by process
2.1 Needlepunch (mechanical bonding)
Key modules: bale opening & blending → card(s) → crosslapper → drafter → needleloom(s) → finishing/winder.
Representative machine builders & innovations:
Dilo: Hyperpunch needlelooms (elliptical needle beam) and HyperLayer high-speed crosslapper. DiloGroup+1
ANDRITZ Asselin-Thibeau: complete lines (neXline eXcelle), closed-loop web profiling (ProDyn, ProWin). andritz.com+2andritz.com+2
| Element | Typical function | Example(s) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening/Carding | Fiber orientation | ANDRITZ TT cards | andritz.com |
| Crosslapper | Isotropic layering | Dilo HyperLayer | DiloGroup |
| Profiling | MD/CD basis-weight control | ProDyn / ProWin | andritz.com+1 |
| Needlelooms | Web consolidation | Dilo Hyperpunch | DiloGroup |
2.2 Hydroentanglement / Spunlace (water-jet bonding)
Principle & IP: multiple rows of high-pressure waterjets entangle fibers; classic patent US 3,485,706 (1969). dupont.com
Builders:
Trützschler Nonwovens AquaJet hydroentanglement units, including WLS integration. Trützschler Groupvoith.com
ANDRITZ (Jetlace®) plus hybrid Wetlace™/Wetlace CP for pulp/viscose/cellulose-rich wipes. textileworld.com
2.3 Spunmelt (spunbond, meltblown, SMS)
Spunbond: continuous filaments drawn & laid; commercialized in the 1960s (e.g., Reemay/DuPont; Freudenberg), widely deployed from the 1980s onward.
Meltblown: microfibers formed by hot air attenuation; foundational NRL work by Wente (1954/56/59). 专利图像
Builders:
Reifenhäuser Reicofil (RF) spunbond/SMS platforms; RF5 improves filament fineness and enables downgauging. reifenhauser.com+1
Oerlikon Nonwoven/Neumag meltblown (stand-alone and SMS), with ecuTEC+ electro-charging for filtration/media. oerlikon.com+2oerlikon.com+2
2.4 Airlaid (short-fiber air-forming)
History: Early work by Karl Krøyer (1960s) → Dan-Web introduces drum former (1986); M&J expands the platform; today ANDRITZ Dan-Web supplies complete lines. cotton.orgtextileworld.comandritz.com
2.5 Wet-laid & WLS (wet-laid + spunlace)
System concept: Voith HydroFormer (wet-laid web) directly to Trützschler AquaJet (spunlace), enabling 100% cellulosic flushable or biodegradable wipes; lines operating since mid-2010s. voith.com+1
Safety standardization: Voith/Trützschler developed a WLS machine safety standard later reflected in broader standards work. 纺织复合材料实验室
3) Controls, quality, and digitalization
| Capability | What it does for producers | Example supplier/feature | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inline basis-weight & profile control | Stabilizes MD/CD weight, reduces fiber variation | ANDRITZ ProDyn / ProWin | andritz.com+1 |
| Cross-web profile at lappers | Active lap profiling | ANDRITZ ProWid | andritz.com |
| Web/film measurement | Grammage, thickness, moisture | Mahlo Qualiscan QMS (widely used in nonwovens) | cslihong.com |
| Higher-speed web transfer | Preserves web at high infeed | Dilo HyperLayer design | DiloGroup |
| Spunmelt process optimization | Lighter fabrics at same performance | Reicofil RF5 downgauging approach | reifenhauser.com |
4) Standards & testing (authentic frameworks)
NWSP (EDANA/INDA). Harmonized, industry-backed test methods covering absorption, abrasion, tensile, basis weight, strike-through, etc.; 2021 edition lists 107 procedures and guidance docs. INDA+1
EDANA NWSP portal and update notes for ongoing method revisions. edana.org+1
ISO 9073 (Nonwovens-Test methods). Widely referenced series for properties such as rewet, air permeability, tensile, etc. 国际标准化组织
5) Market context (recent published numbers)
| Region | Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | Production (tonnes) | 3,017,085 | 2,864,840 | 2,976,400 | |
| North America | Capacity (tonnes) | 5,565,000 | 5,713,000 | - |
EDANA also reports surface area (e.g., Europe 81.7–85.8 billion m², 2022–2024), highlighting product mix shifts; INDA's figures are capacity, not output.
6) Representative machinery builders (non-exhaustive, alphabetic)
| Company | Core nonwoven machinery | Notes / recent items | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANDRITZ (Asselin-Thibeau, Perfojet, Dan-Web) | Needlepunch lines; Spunlace (Jetlace, Wetlace/Wetlace CP); Airlaid | ProDyn/ProWin profiling; complete lines incl. trials centers | andritz.com+2andritz.com+2textileworld.com |
| DiloGroup | Cards, HyperLayer crosslappers, Hyperpunch needlelooms, complete needlepunch lines | Founded 1902; multiple speed/quality innovations | DiloGroup+2DiloGroup+2 |
| Oerlikon Nonwoven (Neumag) | Meltblown, Spunbond, SMS; filtration features (ecuTEC+ charging) | Stand-alone MB and SMS upgrades | oerlikon.com+2oerlikon.com+2 |
| Reifenhäuser Reicofil | Spunbond, Meltblown, SMS turn-key lines | First spunbond line 1985; current RF5 | reifenhauser.com+1 |
| Trützschler Nonwovens (+ Voith) | AquaJet hydroentanglement; WLS wet-laid/spunlaced with HydroFormer | Cellulosic/flushable & biodegradable wipes | Trützschler Group+1voith.com |
7) Where things are headed (grounded signals)
Cellulosic & biodegradable wipes: Wet-laid/spunlaced (WLS) lines from Voith + Trützschler enable 100% cellulose and flushable constructions already in commercial use (e.g., Albaad). voith.com
Downgauging and energy focus in spunmelt: Reicofil RF5 emphasizes finer filaments/grammage reduction for performance at lower basis weights. reifenhauser.com
Filtration growth driver: Equipment builders (e.g., Oerlikon) continue to publish application notes linking meltblown/spunbond upgrades to demand in air/liquid filtration. oerlikon.com
References
Nonwovens Institute (NWI) historical briefing on needlepunch (needle loom) origins and early U.S. adoption.
Malimo / stitch-bonding history and patents. textileworld.com
Wente NRL meltblown references and later patents citing NRL Reports 1954/1959.
Hydroentanglement patent (Evans, 1969). dupont.com
DuPont Tyvek historical overview. andritz.com
EDANA European production statistics (2022, 2023, 2024).
INDA North American capacity update (2023).
NWSP standards from EDANA/INDA (2021 edition & overview). INDA+1edana.org
Reicofil (history and RF5), Oerlikon Nonwoven (MB/SMS), ANDRITZ (needlepunch, Wetlace), Dilo (HyperLayer/Hyperpunch), Trützschler/Voith (AquaJet/HydroFormer, WLS). reifenhauser.com+1oerlikon.com+2oerlikon.com+2andritz.comtextileworld.comDiloGroup+1Trützschler Groupvoith.com
