Conference Speakers

Matthew Tipper, Ph.D.

Operations Director, Nonwovens Innovation & Research Institute (NIRI)

Matthew is a PhD-level textile engineer who has worked in the nonwovens industry for over 25 years. He has direct experience of the design, development and manufacture of both single-use and durable nonwoven materials for many applications including filtration, hygiene, military, automotive and wipes.

As CEO of NIRI, Matthew is strategically responsible for growing one of the world’s most innovative material research consultancies delivering high impact commercially-viable research and commercialisation of intellectual property.

NIRI is an industrial research consultancy focused on helping its clients improve their profitability through product development and problem solving, new application identification and market intelligence.

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Thursday 9:00 am - 10:30 am
Substrate Innovation: Revolutionary Fibers & Fabric Performance I

Approaches for Improving the Wet Strength and Dispersibility of Wetlaid Spunlace Wipes

Flushable wipes require opposing characteristics: high wet strength during packing and use, but low strength upon disposal, allowing the wipe to break down and disperse in the sewer system. Current solutions focus on wetlaid-spunlaced fabrics with regenerated cellulose content resulting in relatively high production costs.

Through a focus on spunlace process parameters and the fibre composition of wetlaid fabrics composed of wood pulp and regenerated cellulose, wipe fabrics with high wet strength and dispersibility have been achieved beyond current commercial performance. This paper investigates the influence of fibre dimension, blend composition, spunlace pressure profile, jet diameter and spacing on the wet strength of wetlaid spunlace fabrics.

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