Cary, NC, Jan. 13, 2021 – Professionals in the nonwovens/engineered fabrics industry are invited to advance their technical skills in a new 2-day nonwoven short course in the “Virtual Introduction to Spunbond and Meltblown Technology”. This course was developed by North Carolina State University’s The Nonwovens Institute and launched by INDA, the Association of Nonwoven Fabrics Industry.  The all virtual course is designed to help manufacturers meet the demand for comprehensive training in the spunbond and meltblown web forming processes used to manufacture respirator/medical face masks, wipes, absorbent hygiene, filtration media, sorbents, and insulation among other end uses.

The course will be held on consecutive Wednesdays, March 24 and March 31, 2021, for a total of 11.5 hours of rigorous training, and available for a two-week review after the course concludes.  Production tours of NWI’s spunbond and meltblown lines led by NWI’s renowned team of industry and nonwoven expert instructors are a key component of the virtual agenda. To register or for more information, visit https://www.inda.org/education/advanced-training.php.

“Nonwoven professionals have expressed great interest in expanding their knowledge in spunbond and meltblown technologies. We want to meet that need in spite of COVID-19 restrictions, hence the virtual offering. This new course will ground participants in these growing technologies, so they can continue to expand their product lines and business,” said  Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Nonwovens Institute and Associate Dean of the NC State University College of Textiles.

Expert Instructors for the new course include:

• Pierre D. Grondin, Product Development Director, The Nonwovens Institute NWI
• Bryan Haynes, Ph.D., Director of Research and Engineering in Global Nonwovens, Kimberly-Clark Corporation
• Jeffrey Krueger, Ph.D., Raw Material Technology Leader, Kimberly-Clark Global Nonwovens
• Amy Minton, Physical Testing Lab Manager, The Nonwovens Institute NWI
• David Nelson, Director of Industry Engagement, NWI, 3M, (retired)
• Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Textile Materials and Associate Dean for Industry Research and Extension, North Carolina State University, and Executive Director, NWI