Nobuhiro Matsunaga

Bicomponent Polyester Fibers for Nonwovens

Bicomponent fibers can be defined as “extruding two polymers from the same spinneret with both polymers contained within the same filament.” The main objective of producing bicomponent fibers is to exploit capabilities not existing in either polymer alone. This technique is essential for manufacturing many highly functional nonwovens. Unitika, a pioneer in bicomponent polyester fibers for nonwoven fabrics, is the world’s first commercial producer of bicomponent polyester fibers including both side-by-side type and sheath-core type. In this article, we focused on the Unitika’s novel technologies and innovative products of polyester bicomponent fibers covering from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to polylactic acid (PLA) in the history of nonwovens.