Woven filter cloth and non woven filter cloth (also known as nonwoven filter cloth) are two core materials in the filtration field. Their fundamental differences in manufacturing process, structural form, and performance characteristics determine their application in different filtration scenarios. The following comparison covers six core dimensions, supplemented by applicable scenarios and selection recommendations, to help you fully understand the differences between the two:
Ⅰ .Core Differences: Comparison in 6 Major Dimensions
| Comparison Dimension | Woven Filter Cloth | Non-woven Filter Cloth |
| Manufacturing Process | Based on "warp and weft interweaving," warp (longitudinal) and weft (horizontal) yarns are interwoven using a loom (such as an air-jet loom or rapier loom) in a specific pattern (plain, twill, satin, etc.). This is considered "woven manufacturing." | No spinning or weaving is required: fibers (staple or filament) are directly formed in a two-step process: web formation and web consolidation. Web consolidation methods include thermal bonding, chemical bonding, needle punching, and hydroentanglement, making this a "nonwoven" product. |
| Structural morphology | 1. Regular Structure: Warp and weft yarns are interwoven to form a clear grid-like structure with uniform pore size and distribution.
2. Clear strength direction: Warp (longitudinal) strength is generally higher than weft (transverse) strength; 3. The surface is relatively smooth, with no noticeable fiber bulk. |
11. Random Structure: Fibers are arranged in a disordered or semi-random pattern, forming a three-dimensional, fluffy, porous structure with a wide pore size distribution.
2. Isotropic Strength: No significant differences in warp and weft directions. Strength is determined by the bonding method (e.g., needle-punched fabric is stronger than thermally bonded fabric). 3. The surface is primarily a fluffy fiber layer, and the filter layer thickness can be flexibly adjusted. |
| Filtration performance | 1.High precision and controllability: The mesh aperture is fixed, suitable for filtering solid particles of a specific size (e.g., 5-100μm);
2.Low primary filtration efficiency: The mesh gaps easily allow tiny particles to penetrate, requiring a "filter cake" to form before efficiency can be improved; 3.Good filter cake removability: The surface is smooth and the filter cake (solid residue) after filtration is easy to fall off, making it easy to clean and regenerate. |
1.High primary filtration efficiency: The three-dimensional porous structure directly intercepts tiny particles (e.g., 0.1-10μm) without relying on filter cakes;
2.Poor precision stability: Wide pore size distribution, weaker than woven fabric in screening specific particle sizes; 3.High dust holding capacity: The fluffy structure can hold more impurities, but the filter cake is easily embedded in the fiber gap, making cleaning and regeneration difficult. |
| Physical and mechanical properties | 1.High Strength and Good Abrasion Resistance: The warp and weft interwoven structure is stable, resistant to stretching and abrasion, and has a long service life (typically months to years);
2.Good Dimensional Stability: It resists deformation under high temperature and high pressure, making it suitable for continuous operation; 3.Low Air Permeability: The dense interwoven structure results in relatively low gas/liquid permeability (air volume). |
1.Low strength and poor abrasion resistance: Fibers rely on bonding or entanglement to secure them, making them susceptible to breakage over time and resulting in a short lifespan (typically days to months).
2.Poor dimensional stability: Thermally bonded fabrics tend to shrink when exposed to high temperatures, while chemically bonded fabrics tend to degrade when exposed to solvents. 3.High air permeability: The fluffy, porous structure minimizes fluid resistance and increases fluid flow. |
| Cost and Maintenance | 1.High initial cost: The weaving process is complex, especially for high-precision filter fabrics (such as satin weave).
2.Low maintenance cost: Washable and reusable (e.g., water washing and backwashing), requiring infrequent replacement. |
1.Low initial cost: Nonwovens are simple to manufacture and offer high production efficiency.
2.High maintenance cost: They are prone to clogging, difficult to regenerate, and are often disposable or replaced infrequently, resulting in high long-term consumable costs. |
| Customization Flexibility | 1.Low flexibility: Pore diameter and thickness are primarily determined by yarn thickness and weaving density. Adjustments require redesigning the weaving pattern, which is time-consuming.
2.Special weaves (such as double-layer weave and jacquard weave) can be customized to enhance specific properties (such as stretch resistance). |
1.High Flexibility: Products with varying filtration accuracy and air permeability can be quickly customized by adjusting fiber type (e.g., polyester, polypropylene, glass fiber), web attachment method, and thickness.
2.Can be combined with other materials (e.g., coating) to enhance waterproofing and anti-sticking properties. |
II. Differences in Application Scenarios
Based on the aforementioned performance differences, the two applications are highly differentiated, primarily following the principle of "preferring precision to woven fabrics, prioritizing efficiency to nonwoven fabrics":
1. Woven filter cloth: Suitable for "long-term, stable, high-precision filtration" scenarios
● Industrial solid-liquid separation: such as plate and frame filter presses and belt filters (filtering ores and chemical sludge, requiring repeated cleaning and regeneration);
● High-temperature flue gas filtration: such as bag filters in the power and steel industries (requires heat resistance and wear resistance, with a service life of at least one year);
● Food and pharmaceutical filtration: such as beer filtration and traditional Chinese medicine extract filtration (requires a fixed pore size to avoid impurity residue);
2. Nonwoven filter cloth: Suitable for "short-term, high-efficiency, low-precision filtration" scenarios
● Air purification: such as household air purifier filters and HVAC system primary filter media (requires high dust holding capacity and low resistance);
● Disposable filtration: such as pre-filtration of drinking water and coarse filtration of chemical liquids (no need for reuse, reducing maintenance costs);
● Special applications: such as medical protection (filter cloth for the inner layer of masks) and automotive air conditioning filters (requires rapid production and low cost).
III. Selection Recommendations
First,Prioritize "Duration of Operation":
● Continuous operation, high-load conditions (e.g., 24-hour dust removal in a factory) → Choose woven filter cloth (long lifespan, no frequent replacement);
● Intermittent operation, low-load conditions (e.g., small-batch filtration in a laboratory) → Choose non-woven filter cloth (low cost, easy replacement).
Secondly, consider "Filtration Requirements":
● Requires precise control of particle size (e.g., filtering particles below 5μm) → Choose woven filter cloth;
● Requires only "rapid impurity retention and turbidity reduction" (e.g., coarse sewage filtration) → Choose non-woven filter cloth.
Finally, consider "Cost Budget":
● Long-term use (over 1 year) → Choose woven filter cloth (high initial cost but low total cost of ownership);
● Short-term projects (under 3 months) → Choose non-woven filter cloth (low initial cost, avoids resource waste).
In summary, woven filter cloth is a long-term solution with “high investment and high durability”, while non-woven filter cloth is a short-term solution with “low cost and high flexibility”. There is no absolute superiority or inferiority between the two, and the choice should be made based on the filtration accuracy, operating cycle, and cost budget of the specific working conditions.
Post time: Oct-11-2025