Finding the right material for your pouch application is something you'll want to think about. Not only do you want a material that works with your fill but your machine and sealing process as well. As mentioned before weight and width are some specifications that you can go off of but there are other properties you should look into before choosing your material.

Today we can create pouch fabric with many properties that can benefit your pouch application. Learning about these can allow you to choose which fabric is right for your manufacturing process.

Fabric Performance

When choosing a fabric you will want it to perform well during your manufacturing process. This means it should run through your machines, allow proper contact with your filling and work with your chosen seal and cut method.

There are many properties that can effect a pouch fabrics performance. Some of these may be the construction of the fabric, what its made of, thickness, weight, flexibility and how it interacts with fluids.

You will want a material that has these properties to create a pouch that fits your needs.

Construction

There are many ways that you can construct a nonwoven material. Different construction and methods can produce fabrics that have softer hand feel, higher strength, more flexibility or better fluid properties.

When choosing your nonwoven pouch material you will want a fabric that will have good properties for your pouch.

How a fabric is constructed can effect how it runs through rollers and forms as well as seals and cuts. You should consider this when looking for the right material.

Weight & Thickness

Weight and thickness are two of the main properties that manufacturers look at when finding a material that will fit their needs.

A thinner fabric can have different properties than a thicker material. Your filling, seal method and cutting may react differently to your fabric if it's light versus heavy.

It's best to experiment with different weights and thickness's to see what works best for your pouch.

Interacting With Fluids

Your pouch material will need to allow your fill to interact with it in some manner. Depending on what fill you're using you'll want your fabric to either let more fluid pass through it or keep it within the pouch.

Fabrics can have varying levels of fluid penetration. From the way they are constructed, made of and other inner properties. You'll want to make sure that you can put your fill into your pouch material and get the desired result.

Wettability

Another property to keep in mind is how water or fluids react to a certain material. There are hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials you can choose from.

Both can be used in your pouch application it just depends on what you're trying to achieve. Some properties that you should look into when deciding is your fill, moisture levels, how much you want liquid to penetrate and others.

Depending on what type of surface a material has can also give it more properties. A smooth or softer hand feel can be achieved with certain fabrics.

Seals

As you know you will need to find a seal method that will work with your fabric. There are many types of sealing methods you can use. You'll want to find a material that can be sealed correctly with whatever method you choose.

Like other properties that you should look at a material's construction and what its made of will play a factor when sealing. Test your material out with your sealing process to make sure you get the best results.

Make sure you test your material at the same speeds that you will be running your machines. There could be different results if you seal your fabric on a slower machine than your production line.

Cutting

You'll also want your material to run through your machines easily when producing your pouches. As your material is traveling through rollers and being fed into different parts of the machine you'll want it to be smooth. If your fabric has certain properties that could change how your machine feeds the material.

When cutting your pouch you'll want to make sure that it can be cut clean and easy on your production line. Make sure you test your fabric at high speeds to ensure it can cut properly.

Material Strength

Another thing you'll want to know about your material is how strong it is. When producing pouches your fabric will be stretched and bent on many occasions. You'll want your fabric to be flexible enough to move through your machines.

If your material is to stiff it may not run as smooth through your machines as other materials. Or if it's not strong enough it could tear.

You will want to look at your thickness, bond and construction when finding a fabric that will perform well for your application.

Finding the right balance for your application is what you're looking for.

Having a Consistent Material

If you're going to be using a material for your pouch application you will want it to be consistent. You don't want to be running into issues with your material while you're on a large roll.

Always ask your supplier what measures they take to make sure there materials are up to standard. Having a consistent material can help with your production.

Material Customization

Some applications may call for a special width or property in your material. That's where customizing your material comes in.

At NoWoMesh we can customize our material to fit your needs. We can work with weight, width, color, construction and properties of your material. There are more that can be added as well.

You can learn more by visiting our pouch page.

Test Your Material

Once you've found a material that fits your needs it's best to test it out. You can test your material for many properties that were mentioned above. Some properties you can test for are:

• Fill properties

• Penetration/Retain fluid

• Wettability

• Hand Feel

• Seal Method (heat/ultrasonic)

• Cut

• Run on machine

• Speed

By testing multiple samples of fabric you can learn more about the materials that you're using. This can help you understand what properties will be best for your pouch production.

Material Properties That Fit Your Application

You'll want to find a material that fits your application. What you want your pouch to look like and what fill you'll be using will play a big role. Find out what machine you will be using and what type of cutting you'll be doing.

After you learn more about your application you can begin to search for a fabric that will fit all these needs. There are many different properties you can find in a fabric today.

Final Thought

When finding the right material for your pouch application you want to consider many factors. There are multiple things that go into making a successful pouch. Learning more about what properties can benefit your application will help you choose the right material.

Properties to look at are weight, thickness, construction, wettability, fluid penetration, strength and others. Once you learn what kind of material properties you need you can begin searching for a material.

FAQs

What makes pouch fabric suitable for production?

Suitable pouch fabric should be compatible with the filling material, production equipment, sealing method, and cutting process. Weight, thickness, strength, flexibility, and fluid interaction can also influence suitability.

Why is nonwoven material used for nicotine pouches?

Nonwoven materials can offer characteristics such as flexibility, consistent structure, suitable surface properties, and options for customization depending on the intended application.

Does fabric thickness affect pouch production?

Yes. Fabric thickness can influence filling, forming, sealing, cutting, machine handling, and the feel of the finished pouch.

Why should pouch fabric be tested before production?

Testing allows manufacturers to see how the material behaves with their actual filling, equipment, sealing process, and production speed. This can reveal differences that may not be visible from specifications alone.

Can pouch fabric be customized?

Depending on the supplier, materials can be customized in areas such as weight, width, color, structure, and functionality to better suit a particular application.