Question

In non-woven fabric manufacturing, the surgical face masks are produced by \(\underline{\hspace{2cm}}\)

• A. Spunbond technology
• B. Meltblown technology
• C. Carded web
• D. Wet laid technology

Hint:

For surgical masks, remember the structure SMS: - Spunbond (Outer layers for strength and fluid resistance). - Meltblown (Middle layer for Micro-filtration). - Spunbond (Inner layer for comfort and strength). Meltblown is the key functional component.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understand the key requirement for a surgical face mask. The most critical function is filtration of fine particles (like bacteria and viruses) while maintaining breathability.

Step 2: Evaluate the properties of webs made by each technology.
- Spunbond technology: Produces webs with good strength and integrity, but the fibers are relatively coarse, leading to larger pores and poor filtration of very fine particles. It is used for the outer layers of a mask for strength.
- Meltblown technology: This process uses high-velocity hot air to attenuate molten polymer filaments into extremely fine microfibers. These fibers form a web with very small pore sizes, making it an excellent filtration medium. This is the essential layer for filtration in a surgical mask.
- Carded web: Made from staple fibers. While it can be used for some filtration, it does not typically achieve the fine filtration efficiency of meltblown webs required for medical standards.
- Wet laid technology: Can produce uniform webs but is not the standard technology for the high-efficiency filtration media in masks.

Step 3: Conclude based on the critical function. While a complete mask uses spunbond for outer layers, the meltblown layer provides the essential filtration. Therefore, among the single technologies listed, meltblown is the most defining process for producing surgical masks.