Needlemats and Felts

Needlemat, felts and blankets are non-woven materials. They are primarily used for insulation and fire protection across many sectors and industries, serving applications such as thermal insulation jackets, passive fire protection systems (PFP) and protective clothing, like gloves, gauntlets and hoods. They can be made from Glass, Silica, Aramid, Ceramic, Basalt and many more. Stitch bonding of a needlemat can increase dimensional stability and uniformity.

Types of Needlemat and Felts

Glass Needlemat

• Temperate resistance: 550°C
• Made from 100% E-glass fibres
• Available in various densities from 120kg/m3 to 250kg/m3
• Available in thicknesses from 4mm – 25mm

Alumina Needlemat

• Temperature resistance: 1600°C
• Made from 75-97% Al₂0₃ (alumina) fibres
• Shrinkage up to 4% at 1000°C after 1 hour

Silica Needlemat

• Temperature resistance: 1000°C
• Made from entirely silica fibre
• Available in various densities from 120kg/m3 to 250kg/m3.
• Available in thicknesses from 4mm – 25mm
• Shrinkage up to 8% at 1000°C

Aramid Needlemats and Felts

• Temperature up to 300°C

Aramid fibres, known for their strength and heat resistance, are manufactured from materials like Nomex® (meta-aramid) or Kevlar® (para-aramid). They are often used in protective clothing and offer durable, cut resistance products.

Knitted Glass and Silica Blankets

• Glass fibre is generally manufactured from E-glass or S-glass, have great flexibility and elongation for complex structures.
• Silica fibre are made from 96%+ fibres and offer the same flexibility and elongation for complex structures like E-glass, but offer a higher temperature. Though have the draw back of shrinkage.

Laminated Needlemats

Temperature resistance of laminated needlemats are limited by the lowest component of the construction, usually the adhesive, in some cases between 150-250°C. They are made by bonding these needlemats, felts and blankets with other materials like foils or films, or even other fabrics and felts.

• Aluminium foil 12 µm to 100 µm available – these offer excellent vapour barriers and heat reflection properties.
• Stainless foil 50 µm to 100 µm available – these offer excellent fire protection and is used in applications like jet fire protection.

Stitch Bonding Non Woven Process

The process of stitchbonding is done as a secondary process, where the finished needled blanket undergoes the additional process of stitching or quilting. This increases the products dimensional stability and uniformity. 

The standard needlemat has a highly fibrous surface, and adding stitching or quilting helps create a flatter surface. This offers some advantages over a needled-only needlemat. Additionally, if it’s laminated with foil, the bond between the two layers becomes even stronger.

Stitch bonded needlemat is only available on needlemats up to 12mm thicknesses. 

Glass fibre needlemat can be made from a number of different glass fibre grades, including:

• E-Glass
• A-Glass
• S-Glass

For more information on skin irritation and how to manage itching caused by glass fibre, please refer to our FAQs on glass fibre itching.

How is Needlemat Manufactured?

Needlemat is created using 100% fibre, meaning it has no binders or bonding agents. The mat is formed by mechanically needling the fibres together, resulting in a consistent thickness that has impressive mechanical strength and durability. Additionally, these fibres can be knitted into blankets of various thicknesses. 

During the production of needlemat, the density is influenced by the percentage of raw, chopped fibres, which have a diameter ranging from 6 to 13 µm. These fibres are blown in layers onto a continuous production line to achieve the desired weight per m2 or kg/m3.  The bulky, low density layers then pass through rollers and banks of reciprocating needles, which punch the fibres repeatedly until it has met the desired thickness.

The needles catch a proportion of the fibres and orientate them vertically through the mat. It is this process which physically binds the mat together and makes it suitable for cutting, stamping and general fabrication.

THS offer a range of needlemat and felts suitable for various applications.