FLOCK
felted wool as a poly-quality mono-material
Non-wovens are neither woven or knitted fabrics as they are formed through mechanically, thermally or chemically bonded fibres.
history
Felting is the oldest textile manufacturing technique and is deeply rooted in European culture, as felt was historically used by shepherds for weather-resistant coats and felted caps symbolised freedom in various historic contexts. Today, woollen felt production has largely declined due to the rise of synthetic industrial felt production. 99% of the nonwovens are made from synthetic fibres and are mostly used for short-lived hygiene-wipes.
Properties
Advantages of The Felting Process
Woollen felt is highly resistant to tearing and abrasion as well as easily repairable through mechanical re-felting. It does not fray at the cut edges, eliminating additional steps like sewing seams, as the felting process integrates them directly, saving costs, time, and machinery. Unlike other textile manufacturing processes, the felting process is a direct fibre-to-textile process, bypassing spinning and weaving. This simplifies the manufacturing process, making it more cost-effective. The qualities of woollen felt can be adapted through purely mechanical means, without any bonding agents, making it a highly customizable mono-material with various qualities.
Technique
Needle Felting
In this case wool is felted purely mechanically by the needle felting process. The felting needle is equipped with barbs on its shaft, which interlock the individual wool fibres when pushed into the wool and pulled out again. A widely branched and dense network of wool fibres is created – the felt.
Craft
In crafting, a few needles at a time are inserted into the wool by hand, allowing for high flexibility and customization and creating diverse two-dimensional and three-dimensional geometries.
INDUSTRY
On an industrial scale, two-dimensional felting is created by passing wool fleece through a wide, electrically operated comb of felting needles. Generally industrial felt is mainly made with synthetic fibres, which are shaped under heat to create both two-dimensional fabrics and three-dimensional objects. The process presses various synthetic fibres together, creating an inseparable mass that complicates recycling.
new tools - new possibilities
A smaller, more flexible felting machine with the possibility for modifications in combination with a robotic arm offers flexibility and repeatability in the manufacturing process, less physical labour, as well as the creation of three-dimensional structures from wool without other support structures. This includes processing wool homogeneously for consistent properties and creating precisely smooth transitions between qualities, allowing for customizable patterns with contrasting material properties.