Breathable medical barrier fabrics

One of the most demanded properties of barrier fabrics for medical applications is the developments of a low cost non-woven material that is breathable, sterilizable, flexible, and resistant to blood and viral penetration. There are many potential techniques which have been considered to produce such a fabric, such as through increased basis weight, the application of barrier coatings or films, using meltblown and bi-component fibers, and others. However, many of these techniques add substantial cost, rigidity, and decrease the feel and comfort of the fabric. A new technique has been developed which leverages the in-line continuous processing advantages of atmospheric plasma technology to improve nonwoven breathability, as well as improved surface modification results for natural fabric properties such as cotton wax content, abrasion resistance and tensile strength. The Atmospheric Plasma Treatment (APT) process allows treatment using a broad range of reactive gases and has been successfully tested on various nonwoven fabrics. Further, depending upon the magnitude of surface effect required and type of nonwoven material, line speeds in excess of 200 fpm are practical and greater than 500 fpm have been achieved. This presentation will review the latest data regarding the key benefits for applying APT for processing medical fabrics.