Industry Background

Outdoor products have evolved from extreme scenarios to daily use, and consumers are more concerned about "waterproof and non-stuffy, lightweight, soft, quiet, and sustainable". Traditional ePTFE has high thresholds in process and laminating performance, while the PU/TPU system is accelerating its penetration with its softness and composite friendliness. Electrospun nanofibers have achieved excellent performance in "controllable micropores, lightweight, and moisture permeability" among peers, becoming a practical solution for the next generation of waterproof and breathable garment membranes.

Key indicators overview | PU nanofiber clothing film

Note: The actual values will vary with grammage, thickness, and composite processes, and the selection should be based on the target requirements.

 A Quick Look at Existing Technical Routes

One - page Comparison of Four Types of Waterproof and Moisture - Permeable Membranes: PU Electrospun Membranes Excel in Lightweight and Comfort

Notes: 1. △ represents "conditional/restricted/subject to parameters"; specific values shall be subject to actual measurements from standard tests (GB/T 4744, GB/T 12704.1, GB/T 5453, GB/T 1040 (tensile), GB/T 3917 (tear), etc.); values from different test methods cannot be directly compared horizontally. 2. The above comparison is based on: the bulk properties of the membrane layer under the same grammage or thickness.

Overall, comfortable waterproof and breathable membranes are mainly represented by ePTFE and electrospun PU nanofiber membranes:

• ePTFE still has advantages in extreme outdoor (mountaineering, expedition) and protective applications due to its high porosity and stable protective performance;

• Under the same thickness or grammage, electrospun PU membranes exhibit softer handfeel, more natural fit, quieter wearing experience, and greater potential for lightweight design, with more prominent performance in moisture vapor transmission rate and wearing comfort.

Particularly importantly, as the consumer market's demand for "lightweight + comfortable experience" continues to grow, electrospun PU membranes are gradually becoming the most competitive solution in the field of comfortable waterproof and breathable membranes. It can not only balance waterproofness and breathability but also provide softness and low-noise characteristics required for lightweight comfort and fashionable applications, making it an ideal choice for urban commuting, casual sports, and high-end daily protective clothing.

 Practical Conclusion on Route Selection: PU Nanofibers vs. ePTFE

3.1 Current Reality

In garment applications, electrospun PU nanofiber membranes usually combine appropriate surface treatment or solution formulation design to enhance wash resistance and protective performance. In scenarios of high-frequency washing or long-term use, their performance retention still faces certain challenges, but they have shown good adaptability in lightweight, protective, and urban commuting applications. With the continuous advancement of surface finishing technology and cross-linking processes, the wash resistance and stain resistance of electrospun PU membranes are constantly improving, creating conditions for wider application in garment scenarios.

3.2 Core Differences from ePTFE

• Fluorine Content: The main body of electrospun PU nanofiber membranes is entirely composed of polyurethane, which can be hydrolyzed/thermo-oxidatively degraded and contains no fluorine itself; if it is necessary to improve wash resistance and stain resistance, a small amount of fluorine-containing hydrophobic finishing can be applied on the surface, resulting in extremely low overall fluorine content. With the advancement of fluorine-free finishing agents and cross-linking processes, electrospun PU membranes have been able to achieve low-fluorine or even "undetectable" levels, providing a more friendly compliance path for entering the European and American markets. In contrast, ePTFE is mainly composed of fluoropolymers with extremely stable chemical bonds, which are difficult to degrade naturally and often remain in soil and landfill environments for a long time after garments are discarded, making them difficult to recycle. Such materials are regarded as non-degradable "permanent chemicals" that accumulate gradually in the ecosystem, thus facing stricter environmental supervision and compliance restrictions in Europe, America, and other regions.

• Softness and Elastic Recovery: Due to the fine fiber diameter and flexible network structure, electrospun PU nanofiber membranes exhibit low bending stiffness and excellent elastic recovery. When compounded with fabrics, they can well maintain the original natural drape and integrity of the fabric. Under long-term wearing, bending, or compression conditions, the elasticity of the fiber network helps release interface stress, thereby reducing the risk of interlayer peeling and composite failure. In contrast, ePTFE membranes have poor elastic recovery after stretching and are prone to creases or interlayer peeling during compounding and wearing.

• Handfeel and Quiet Experience: Electrospun PU nanofiber membranes are soft and smooth, and wearers hardly feel the additional "membrane layer" when wearing them. They also do not easily produce noise during movement or friction, bringing a quiet and comfortable experience. This "quiet" feature is particularly important for high-end clothing and daily wearing scenarios (such as urban commuting, sports and leisure, medical protection). In contrast, ePTFE fabrics are often accompanied by obvious "rustling sound" when rubbed, which easily causes discomfort and affects the wearing experience.

Therefore, the advantages of electrospun PU membranes are not only reflected in waterproof and breathable indicators but also in the real wearing experience: softness, quietness, and firm fit. This "closer to the original fabric" experience is often the key to whether consumers are willing to wear them for a long time and whether waterproof and breathable clothing can enter daily applications.

 Market Trends and Industrial Gaps

The global waterproof and breathable membrane market is in a critical transition period: the annual demand for medium and high moisture vapor transmission rate membranes is nearly 400 million m². Consumers are no longer satisfied with "just waterproof" but are turning to a comprehensive experience of "waterproof + moisture vapor transmission + comfort", with particular emphasis on lightweight, softness, quietness, and environmental protection attributes—urban commuting and sports leisure tend to have comfortable wearing with medium moisture vapor transmission rate, while high-end and professional outdoor products require balancing waterproofness, moisture vapor transmission rate, and breathability in extreme environments. Corresponding to the material pattern, the medium moisture vapor transmission rate market has long been occupied by PU/TPU and TPE, while the high moisture vapor transmission rate market has been monopolized by ePTFE for a long time, becoming a synonym for professional outdoor products. However, the pain points of traditional processes are becoming increasingly obvious: traditional PU/TPU are limited in long-term wearing comfort and moisture vapor transmission rate; ePTFE has a strong brand premium in the professional market, with relatively high compounding thresholds and increasing environmental pressure. Although foreign brands such as Polartec NeoShell, Pertex Shield Air, The North Face FUTURELIGHT, and eVent have tried electrospun/nanofiber membranes in some series, they are still generally limited to small-scale and specific product lines, lacking the support of a "high-capacity, sustainable, and stable mass production" platform, making it difficult to fully expand. The domestic market has also begun to explore; for example, sports brands such as Anta and Li-Ning have tried the application of nanofiber membranes in some functional series, but they are still in the initial introduction and verification stage overall.

The domestic market is in the starting stage of industrialization: the needle-free route (i.e., not relying on needles, such as electrode wires, where a high-voltage electrostatic field acts directly on a large area of solution to form thousands of fiber jets) simplifies equipment but is affected by uneven electric fields and fiber fluctuations, making it difficult to ensure batch consistency; the needle-based route (polymer solution is drawn and ejected point by point through metal needles, stretched into ultra-fine fibers in a high-voltage electrostatic field and deposited into membranes) produces more uniform fibers and is easier to obtain high-quality waterproof and breathable membranes. The current industry reality is that the effective domestic electrospinning capacity is less than 2 million m²/year. Facing the demand for medium and high moisture vapor transmission rate membranes of 400 million m²/year, the capacity gap is becoming increasingly obvious. Whoever can take the lead in establishing more stable and replicable nanofiber waterproof and breathable membrane production lines will seize the next growth opportunity.

At the intersection of such market supply and demand and experience demands, electrospun PU nanofiber membranes have become the most potential solution: under comparable waterproof indicators, they offer significantly higher moisture vapor transmission/breathability, lower fabric noise, soft fit, wide composite windows, and reserve process interfaces for low-fluorine/fluorine-free routes, conforming to the global trend of environmental compliance and sustainability. It is particularly worth emphasizing that the process and production lines of electrospun PU nanofiber membranes have achieved large-scale economy, greatly reducing the threshold for enterprises to introduce them. This is not only the direction of material upgrading but also a key window for market layout. Whoever can take the lead in establishing a stable electrospinning production line system will be able to form a dominant advantage in the medium moisture vapor transmission rate comfort market in the next 3–5 years, drive the large-scale application of high moisture vapor transmission rate products, and further expand into the high-performance market.

PU Electrospun Membranes are suitable for lightweight sports - such as running and cycling - as well 

                                                                                                    as daily commuting, fishing, camping, and other activities.

Industrialization Implementation Solution for Electrospun Garment Membranes

5.1 Why Choose the Nanofiberlabs Team

Over the past 10 years, the Nanofiberlabs team has been focusing on the industrialization and large-scale application of electrospinning equipment. Nanofiberlabs not only provides equipment but also serves as a "process + equipment + materials + engineering" partner for customers. Nanofiberlabs's advantages lie in:

(1) Full-Process Experience: From process verification to plant planning, Nanofiberlabs has implemented hundreds of production lines and clearly understands the potential problems in the production line implementation process, such as process stability, material adaptability, energy consumption matching, equipment maintenance, and other full-process issues.

(2) Interdisciplinary Team: Nanofiberlabs has established a multi-disciplinary R&D team led by doctors and masters, covering machinery, electrical engineering, automation, and materials. It has successfully connected the entire chain of "formulation—process—equipment—quality", realizing in-depth integration of technology and industry.

(3) Stable Mass Production Capacity: Nanofiberlabs's electrospinning production line has completed long-term continuous production verification and can operate stably 24 hours a day. During months of large-scale production, process parameters and product quality remain consistent, and operation data are fully recorded and traceable. This capability ensures a smooth transition from laboratory to industrialization and provides customers with reliable long-term mass production guarantees.

5.1 Service Content Provided by Nanofiberlabs

5.1.1 Plant and Production Environment Design

Nanofiberlabs not only provides equipment to customers but also assists them in plant planning:

• Rational layout of cleaning rooms, solution preparation rooms, storage rooms, changing rooms, air showers, clean rooms, etc.;

• Providing planning support in terms of environmental temperature and humidity control, fire safety, waste liquid recovery systems, etc.;

• Clear logistics: personnel entry and exit, raw material storage, and finished product delivery, ensuring compliance, safety, and efficiency.

Relying on rich project experience, Nanofiberlabs has verified and applied relevant solutions in actual production for many times.

5.1.2 Standardized Process Flow

Nanofiberlabs turns complex operations into "foolproof" processes:

• Environmental control: Temperature, humidity, and cleanliness meet standards to ensure 24-hour process stability;

• Solution supply and spinning: From solution preparation, parameter setting to machine operation, ensuring stable production batches and output;

• Composite and winding: Ensuring firm bonding, no wrinkles, and no delamination;

• Shutdown and maintenance: Clear procedures for shutdown, cleaning, and maintenance, enabling quick maintenance within 10 minutes to avoid small problems developing into major failures.

These processes have been repeatedly verified in long-term production practice and formed into standardized operations, ensuring stable reproduction after personnel training.

5.1.3 Experience in Solution and Process Formulations

The prerequisite for stable spinning is a suitable solution. The Nanofiberlabs team has invested a lot of R&D efforts and conducted hundreds of experiments to explore the corresponding relationship between different formulations and solution properties. For example:

• At what concentration/viscosity the fibers are more uniform, without thread hanging, needle clogging, or liquid dripping;

• How to adjust to balance moisture vapor transmission rate and hydrostatic pressure resistance;

• Nanofiberlabs is also equipped with a laboratory small-scale test equipment MN60 with more than 170 needles and a small-scale test equipment MN80 with more than 600 needles, which are used for preliminary verification and debugging of formulations and processes before scaling up to the large-scale electrospinning production line MN160.

This process experience cannot be mastered merely through literature learning but is accumulated based on long-term experiments and production data, allowing customers to directly benefit from mature solutions.

MN80 Electrospinning Production Line for Laboratory Scale Phase

5.1.4 Equipment Long-Term Maintenance and Problem-Solving Capabilities

Nanofiberlabs is well aware that scaling from laboratory to mass production is not only an expansion of scale but also a test of stability. Nanofiberlabs has established a mature control system in both process scaling and production operation. Nanofiberlabs has established a systematic guarantee mechanism:

• Standardized maintenance procedures: Fixed frequencies and SOPs for needle cleaning, maintenance, winding tension calibration, and temperature and humidity monitoring;

• Risk-countermeasure table: A comprehensive risk-countermeasure table has been formulated for common problems (such as needle clogging, tension fluctuation, film thickness deviation, etc.) to ensure quick positioning and efficient resolution;

• Long-term stable operation verification: The equipment has completed months of uninterrupted continuous production verification, and operation data is fully traceable to ensure the stability and consistency of large-scale production.

What Nanofiberlabs provides to customers is a complete set of verified and stably implementable solutions, not just a piece of equipment.

Common Surface Defects of Waterproof and Breathable Membranes on the Market

Table of Possible Problems Encountered in Production and Corresponding Countermeasures

MN160: The Key to Unlocking the Industrialization of Waterproof and Breathable Membranes

Based on the above market trends and solutions, Nanofiberlabs has gradually formed a "stable production formula + mature process flow + equipment continuity capability" trinity system through hundreds of formula tests, thousands of process iterations, and verification of stability and consistency under continuous production conditions. Thus, the MN160 10,000-needle level electrospinning production line is launched, providing a stable and replicable engineering platform for the large-scale production and industrialization of waterproof and breathable membranes.

(1) Ultra-High Productivity: Modular 10,000-needle array (expandable from 10,000 to 100,000 needles), with a daily output of up to 10,000 m².

(2) Continuous Stability: Needle-based downward spinning + full closed-loop process control, realizing long-term stable operation and ensuring batch consistency.

(3) Focus on Waterproof and Breathable Membranes: The prepared PU nanofiber membranes have higher moisture vapor transmission/breathability, lower fabric noise, and softer fit under comparable waterproof indicators, especially suitable for urban commuting, sports and leisure, and high-end protective clothing.

(4) Turnkey Service: Integrated solution of equipment + process + plant, helping customers achieve from sample to mass production within 90 days.

(5) Environmental Protection and Safety: Nanofiberlabs's industrial production solution complies with environmental protection standards throughout the process. Waste gas generated during electrospinning can be recycled to achieve zero emissions; from material solution preparation (ensuring stable solution properties), rapid feeding (<10min), 6×24h stable production, to simple maintenance (<10min), there is no peculiar smell in the workshop, and safe operation can be carried out under low protection requirements, ensuring workers' safety and comfort.

(6) Full-Chain After-Sales Support: It is not just equipment delivery but a long-term cooperative partnership. Nanofiberlabs will:

• Assist customers in establishing/training industrial technology teams to enable independent mastery of processes;

• Provide continuous guidance and joint R&D during formula and process upgrading;

• Support equipment upgrading and transformation (such as adding post-finishing, expanding modules);

• Build a platform for downstream customer connection and industry-university-research cooperation to facilitate the rapid implementation of applications.

This is not just a piece of equipment but a complete set of replicable and implementable industrialization platforms, helping you quickly enter and expand the market.