In design, sound matters. The function of a space is not determined by its aesthetics only but also by the sounds it makes.
“Sound may be invisible or only unconsciously perceived, but that doesn’t make it any less an architectural material than wood, glass, concrete, stone or light.” – Michael Kimmelman.
Sound inextricably becomes attached to function. But because design begins first on paper, it isn’t until we inhabit a room that we determine how to relegate noise.
The growing popularity of decorative acoustic felt panel installation proves that balancing the acoustics of a space does not have to clash with its original design elements. Although it’s true one size does not fit all when it comes to acoustic treatment, polyester felt is proving to be the choice material for acoustic felt panels by the design industry.
What is PET?
Polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, is a thermoplastic polymer resin comprised of recycled transparent plastics. PET is frequently referred to as polyester in textile applications but retains its acronym PET regarding packaging, bottling, etc.
Polyester was first patented in the 1940s by Dupont chemists in Delaware, U.S.A, as a new textile fiber. It wasn’t until the 1970s that new technology made it possible to mold PET into bottles. Today, it is the number one recycled plastic worldwide.
PET is highly flexible in its natural state and therefore easily moldable for its end use depending upon how it is processed. Its applications as the number one recycled plastic range from food packaging and bottling to fabrics to thermoforming in manufacturing and automotive insulation.
The textile industry is a significant end-user of PET, making up about 60% of overall PET consumption.
What is Polyester Felt?
Polyester felt is made of recycled PET plastics, mostly water bottles or other single-use products. The recycled material is compressed and melted down until left with plastic flakes. The plastic bits are then remelted and extruded as fiber. This fiber is then used to produce rolls or sheets of PET textile material, similar in any felting process. It can contain anywhere from 0% to 100% recycled content. Not only is it sustainable, but it is fast becoming the premium choice for sound dampening performance in lieu of other traditional materials, like fiberglass.
Polyester felt’s lightweight durable nature (combined with an additional lower melting point ) create the ideal properties for acoustic felt panel design. Its capability to be easily cut, variety of color options, and limitless forms are making polyester acoustic panels part of the visual landscape in modern interior design.
Benefits of Using Polyester Felt in Acoustic Insulation
When we design for sound, we are designing for experience. Before, implementing sound insulation into already existing spaces meant the only solution was to hang unattractive hanging baffles and deal with the eyesore.
Now, polyester felt delivers an appealing design in junction with high-functioning performance rates of acoustic insulation.
There is a symphony of reasons the design industry is choosing polyester felt over any other material; acoustically, environmentally, and aesthetically.
Excellent Acoustic Performance
While it is possible, it is challenging to include acoustic design into a space before it has been occupied. In most cases, sound is the last piece an architect will fit into the puzzle. Knowing how a room will be used and where the potential challenges will be for sound issues are essential pieces of the puzzle to negotiate when implementing acoustic solutions. The building layout may not be flexible, but the acoustic solutions can be.
Polyester acoustic felt soaks up ambient noise in a variety of forms. Do you need to mitigate noise in your office conference room? Consider hanging acoustic clouds strategically over spots where noise reflection is at its highest. Are your gym guests experiencing an overload of noise in a large open floor plan? Ceiling baffles would work best here, especially when dealing with higher ceilings.
Using polyester acoustic felt to your best advantage involves finding your key sources of noise and adopting different paneling styles to adapt to the parameters that will help aurally orient your space.
Appealing Function in Design
If, as Kimmerman claims, sound is as vital as wood is for building framing, how far can we take acoustic solutions? Structural possibilities with PET are far-reaching. Its flexible form can be bent, molded, and shaped to any design for an assortment of interior applications, including furniture and lighting fixtures. Designers can exercise creative freedom with a host of different color options and texture choices (dependent on manufacturing methods).
Felt itself is a nuanced fabric that works to your elemental design. You can play it safe and subtle, blending your acoustic felt panels into the background or creating statement pieces that accentuate your already developed design theme. Acoustic insulation can be as simple as under-carpeting or as intricate as 3D ceiling baffles.
Ultimately, polyester felt complements a space without compromising it.
The Sustainable Choice
It is estimated that Americans alone throw away upwards of 35 billion plastic bottles a year. And subsequently, roughly 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans. But a major culprit of waste is the textile industry adding billions of pounds of waste to our landfills and depleting energy and water resources.
Reworking the end-use for so many single-use plastic products (and the proposed 95% of all textiles that do have the potential to be recycled), PET is the friendliest raw material in textile applications (among other industries) as well as the healthiest.
Polyester needle punch felt is manufactured without the demand for any chemical additives like glue or resin to bond the fibers. Furthermore, polyester felt does not give off VOCs or odors. This makes it safe for indoor use (able to meet building standards and certifications) while requiring fewer energy resources in the manufacturing process.
The amount of recycled content in PET material can vary from 0% to 100%, depending on the providing manufacturer’s specs and the customer’s desire for a “greener” source. It is not only recyclable at the end of its life but possibly reusable dependent on its modularity.
Designing for the Ears
The acoustic properties of a space have a significant impact on its residents. Managing unwanted noise by integrating acoustic solutions promotes your community’s overall wellness and health, whether it be at home or in your commercial office building.
In the acoustic design process, custom is the standard. Finding the best product for your project starts with making the quality choice of polyester felt. At BIT, we manufacture 100% polyester acoustic panels under our Poly-Sonic line. Each panel has a recycled content of at least 60% PET plastic and is made entirely in the US in our facilities.
Poly-Sonic acoustic felt provides fantastic sound quality that is available in any weight, thickness, or color necessary to meet your specialized products’ demands. We also provide rolled goods that can be molded into any form of acoustic panel solutions or used as a wrapping fabric for other soft-touch surfaces, so the design process is entirely yours.
Acoustics should be a part of your building design, whether you choose to stay traditional or seek out artful installations. Contact us today to learn more about our Poly-Sonic line and how you can begin designing your space for both eyes and ears.
SAE industrial felt, or technical felt, is nonwoven wool felt used in technical applications. There are two methods of manufacturing industrial felt: wet felting or dry needle punch felting.
Technical felts are produced in a variety of thicknesses, densities, and compositions to meet a wide range of needs. The SAE, formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, mandates the standards of measurements applied to nonwoven wool felts used in:
Gaskets
Dryer seals
Pads
Washers
Vibration Cushioning
Dust Shields
Acoustic Panels
At Bouckaert, we custom manufacture our SAE industrial felt using the needle punch method. Before discussing the differences between manufacturing methods, here are the characteristics of SAE felts and nonwoven wool felts in general.
Characteristics of Industrial Wool Felt
Felt is a versatile fabric explicitly engineered for high-pressure applications in specialized industries. With the natural benefits of using wool fiber (click here for our previous post on wool felt usages), here are some of the advantages to using industrial wool felt:
Maintains its physical properties as it wears
Highly absorbent and moisture-wicking (will seal out lubricants and oil)
Sound and vibration dampening
Does not ravel or fray
Resistant to wear and tear
Acts as a filtration system (gas and oil applications)
Excellent padding for moving parts in machinery
Natural fire-retardant properties
Industrial applications such as these require high levels of aversion to abrasion, oil and grease absorption, and wear and tear. To ensure the best application results, SAE felts are classified by their density, wool content, and durability.
Density: Each grade of SAE felt ranges from hardest to most pliable, the main differing characteristic between felt grades. The thickness of pressed wool felt is controlled by the amount of pressure or needling applied during the manufacturing process. The denser the felt, the better it will retain its shape against the physical environment.
Wool content: Each grade of SAE felt is (usually) a combination of raw wool fibers and polyester fiber but additional materials such as cotton, rayon/viscose, synthetic, or plant fibers can be used instead. These “filler” materials are added to create a particular characteristic to the final product that can not be achieved by wool and/or polyester alone.
Durability: During the manufacturing process, the more pressure/needling applied (we will get into this in the next segment), the denser the felt will be. Durability relies, in part, on the amount of densification.
To note, the color of SAE industrial felts will vary. Since the wool used is natural and undyed, there is no way to control color consistency from lot to lot. There are also strict tolerance requirements based on wool content and density combined. The shape of wool can change naturally (depending on temperature) or manually (from cutting the material); density and wool content need to be adjusted to consider tolerance issues.
The Differences in Manufacturing
Wet Felting VS Dry Needle Punch Felting
All technical felts are produced under the same specs; the difference lies in the manufacturing process. Despite these “technical” differences, both processes in making SAE grade felt start the same way.
The wool fiber is first cleaned and blended with any additional synthetic materials before the carding process. The carding machine disentangles and mixes the fibers together to create a uniform web, aligning the individual fibers into a singular direction. Several of these webs are layered in alternating directions on a machine called a cross-lapper to build-up to the weight of the desired finished felt. This layered material will be much thicker (and less dense) than the finished product as it has not been densified yet. This material is referred to as a batt.
Wet Felting
The wet felting manufacturing process is known as the more “traditional” way of producing nonwoven felts. It uses heat, moisture, and pressure to mat and densify the fiber together.
The batts are wetted with hot water and fed into a plate hardener. The plate hardener applies vibrational pressure to the wetted material using rollers to help the fibers interlock together. The hot water, added acid, and pressure eventually cause the batts to shrink down in size, creating the densely matted fibers of a pressed felt.
The wet felt is left with a sulfuric acid residue that is then neutralized in tanks filled with sodium chloride (soda ash) and warm water solution. Once the felt is neutralized, it goes through a refulling machine to smooth out any irregularities on the surface. The felt must then be dried either in a dryer or oven or hung and stretched in a drying room.
Needle Punch Method (Dry Needle Felting)
Here at BIT, we manufacture our SAE grade felts using the needle punch method. Needle punched SAE felt is marked with an “N” for “needled in the official designation (example F-7N). Here’s the difference in manufacturing:
As the name suggests, dry needle punch felting eliminates the use of moisture. Instead, the batts enter a needle loom; a precise machine that uses thousands of barbed needles mounted on a needle board to pierce the layered webs of fiber. The repeated punching of the needles entangles the fibers together to create the thick, dense felt.
Depending on the desired density, some needle punched SAE felts will then go through a heated press to further densify the material. Read more in-depth on the needle punch method here.
So Why Use Needle Punched Felt Vs A Pressed Felt for your SAE Needs?
The Pros and Cons of Needle Punched SAE Felt Vs Pressed SAE Felt
The use of chemicals in wet pressed felts gives the advantage of creating a smoother finish that allows the material to hold its shape better as it wears. The upside for needle punched felt is its economical and eco-friendly benefits; eliminating the use of harsh elements makes a cleaner production line that is more cost and time effective.
For exceptional sound insulation, needle punched felt is the go-to choice for acoustic paneling needs. But if there is one thing to remember when choosing between a wet felt or a needle punch felt, it is that both are produced under the same specs mandated by the SAE. The performance of needle punch felt is not compromised because of its manufacturing process.
Want to know how BIT can add value to your business by providing custom manufactured SAE grade industrial felts? Get in touch today!
Wool is a unique all-natural fiber with qualities that outshine many of its synthetic alternatives. 60% of all wool is used in the apparel industry, but wool felt is widely used in industrial applications. It is especially used in thermal insulation, acoustical insulation, gasket materials, and even saddle pads.
A Brief History of Wool
Humans first began domesticating sheep in Mesopotamia between 11000 and 8000 BC. Sheep were first bred for their meat, skin, and milk to solve the basic human needs of shelter and food. It was not until around 4000 BC that sheep began being bred for their wool.
As the wool trade became profitable, the migration of sheep trickled from Asia to North Africa and Europe. Sheep arrived in America with Christopher Columbus and then by the British Colonies to Virginia in early 1600.
Today, wool is used in a variety of ways from clothing to carpets to industrial applications.
BIT is the largest manufacturer of industrial felt products in North America. We use the technical felting process of needling to produce our wool felt.
Needle-punching takes loose fibers and joins them together using a needle loom full of barbed needles. The needles move up and down through the fibers to mechanically entangle them.
Wool’s durability and long-lasting properties surpass those of its synthetic alternatives. Here is why:
Flame and melt resistant. Wool requires more oxygen than is present in the air to ignite.
Retains its shape due to its natural “crimp” texture that allows for elasticity, durability, and shape memory.
Water repellent: wool can absorb large quantities of water without feeling wet.
Excellent insulator against cold, heat, sound, and vibration.
Resistant to wear and tear.
Anti-Microbial; wool will not support mold growth.
Indoor environment regulation: Wool will almost act like a natural HVAC filter, purifying indoor air by absorbing noxious gases and regulating free moisture in the air.
100% natural, renewable and sustainable. It naturally decomposes in soil releasing nutrients back into the air.
Wool felt is manufactured in a variety of thicknesses, densities, and compositions. The most common wool felts are defined by SAE specifications. The SAE, which began as the Society of Automotive Engineers, sets a standard of requirements applied to felts that require higher durability and resistance to abrasion and wear.
Here are 7 markets where nonwoven wool felt is used.
Wool Felt and Its Industrial Uses
Green Roof and Agricultural Felt
Wool’s water-resistant properties (wool can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water) allow for permittivity and free water flow. This makes industrial nonwoven wool felts a perfect match for the green roof industry.
A green roof is any roof or wall that is partially or wholly covered with vegetation and a growing medium (a soil replacement such as nonwoven wool felt), planted over a waterproof membrane. In certain environments, using soil as the main growing medium is difficult. In this scenario, needle-punch felts act as drainage panels and facilitate the distribution and storage of water within the root zone as a “soilless” growing media.
Felt Gaskets
A gasket is a mechanical seal that prevents leakage from or into joined objects while under compression. Able to perform in all kinds of environments and found in virtually every industry from manufacturing to mining, oil and gas, to automotive, and others, gaskets help industry function.
Its fire-retardant properties help insulate against heat in these high-pressure situations. Simultaneously, wool can stand up against consistent oil exposure all while still maintaining its shape.
Boot liners and Accessories
Boot liners, whether it be for hiking shoes, rain boots, or anything in between, provide an extra layer of protection against a variety of weather conditions.
Nonwoven wool felt for boot liners will keep you warm without overheating in cold environments and keep out moisture in wet environments, making them a comfortable option for any situation. Unlike fleece or synthetic fiber-based liners, wool is antimicrobial making it odor-resistant even with long wears. It will naturally conform to the shape of the foot over time.
The same principles apply to fashion bags and totes. Using a nonwoven felt benefits the design of the piece while keeping it safe against the elements.
Equestrian Textiles
Used as a buffer between the saddle and the horse, a saddle pad, or blanket, is a must-have for any horse and rider. It offers an extra layer of shock absorption, increases the horse’s comfort, and improves saddle balance for the rider.
Nonwoven wool felt’s natural wicking properties keep the saddle pad cleaner and the horse cooler. Its multifunctional purpose of creating comfort for the horse and cleanliness of the saddle makes it essential for the rider.
Carpeting and Interior Needs
While a pricier option for under carpet padding, wool felt has many advantages over traditional foam or even synthetic needle punch felt pad.
The thermal insulation properties of wool make them a great energy-saving option for any building while also creating comfort for the buildings’ occupants. Also and perhaps the primary advantage is in wool’s ability to help maintain a healthier indoor environment by absorbing odors and other noxious gasses (VOCs). Even in unventilated circumstance, it helps aid in indoor humidity control and temperature regulation.
To sum it up, nonwoven wool felt is key to the comfort, design, and overall safety of indoor environments.
Felt Dryer Seals
Dryer seals are vital to the proper functioning of a clothes dryer by preventing clothing from falling between the drum and the dryer cabinet. It maintains a certain level of heat inside the drum which reduces friction between the metal parts that come in direct contact with each other.
Wool is resilient, durable, and holds higher natural fire-retardant properties than those of synthetic fibers. As a result, it takes higher temperatures for wool to ignite making it an obvious choice for dryer seals.
Interior Design: Decorative Design Felt and Acoustic Paneling
The best option for improving sound quality within a space is acoustic treatments. Acoustic treatment mitigate sound within a space by reducing reverb and echo as opposed to soundproofing which keeps unwanted noise from going in or out. Acoustic panels range from wall and floor coverings, hanging panels, baffles, desk dividers, and tiling while other acoustic treatments include soft surfaces and wraps.
Ten years ago, materials used to absorb sound were limited to foams, fiberglass, and other soft fabrics. Now with the use of nonwoven wool felt, you can achieve a balance of design and acoustic value from texture, saturated color (due to its ability to dye well), and take advantage of its natural acoustical dampening properties when used in acoustic paneling. They are also more cost-effective and lighter weight (making for easier do it yourself installation).
From virgin wool straight from the sheep to recycled fibers, we utilize the advantages of wool by custom manufacturing wool felt and wool blend felts of various grades, densities, and blend contents to match your specific needs. As the leader in the manufacturing of nonwoven technical felts in North America, we know there is not a one size fits all answer. We work with you from conception to completion.
Have questions or want to learn more about us? Contact us today.
