Polypropylene PP

Polypropylene can be used in a wide range of application:

• automotive
  (e.g. trim pieces or battery cases)
   
• carpeting, packaging
  (also hinged packaging for commodity products like soap holder)
   
• fiber, filament, film, pipe
   
• upholstery fabrics and bed covers
   
• toy, bottle caps, disposables
  (as well as general commodity items)
   
• hygiene
  PP is the preferred fiber for disposable hygienge products such as diapers, feminine care product and such because of PP's ability to offer luxurious softness, dry surface, liquid transportation, strength and elongation properties. Furthermore, PP is considered the most environmentally friendly fiber in the market
   
• apparel
  active wear, sports wear, socks, thermal underwear and such because of excellent isolation and water / vapor transport properties.
   
• non woven fabrics

The melting point of polypropylene (160-170 °C) is an advantage in many nonwovens. PP fiber can be softened sufficiently to bond to one another without destroying fiber properties. Nonwoven fibers made from polypropylene can therefore be fusion-bonded, eliminating the need for chemical binders. The benefits of this technique are from both energy saving and environmentally friendliness. Uses of thermally bonded cover stock in baby diapers and similar products will result in markedly increased use of polypropylene. The fusion characteristics of polypropylene are used not only to bond carded webs but also to improve the dimensional stability of needle bonded fabrics. A large amount of engineered fabrics for road stabilization, dam and lake reinforcement, soil stabilization and roofing are made from polypropylene fibers. Melt-blown fabrics are widely used in filtration media, battery separators, etc.

The relatively high melting point allows PP nonwovens to be used up to the temperature of 120°C before softening occurring. The soft hand and hydrophobic properties make PP nonwovens particularly suitable for hygiene products, baby diapers and adult incontinence. Spunbond and melt blown are two main processes for polypropylene nonwoven fabrication. Both techniques require PP resins with high melting flow rate and relatively very narrow molecular weight distribution. The fibers produced in spun bonded nonwovens are spun filaments, whose diameters are in the range of 10-35 microns, whereas the fibers of melt blown nonwovens are usually discontinuous and much finer, typically less than 10 microns. It might be suggested an important reason to explain why melt blown webs are usually weaker than spun bonded webs.