Linting is tested by flexing or twisting a sample in a chamber and counting the particles released, or by rubbing and weighing what comes off. Weakly bonded webs, short fibers and surface fuzz all raise it. Lint matters most in cleanroom wipes, surgical drapes and optical or printer wipes, where every shed fiber counts as contamination.
Heard on the job
Cleanroom customer is rejecting the wipes for lint, so move them to the higher-pressure hydroentangled grade.
Also heard as
- linting
- particle shedding
- fiber shedding
Related terms
Fuzz
Loose fiber ends on the surface of a nonwoven that lift into pills or lint when rubbed.
Fly
Loose airborne fibers released by opening, carding and cutting that settle on machines and floors.
Hydroentangling
Bonding a fiber web by blasting it with rows of very fine, high-pressure water jets that tangle the fibers together.