Short for through-air bonded, it appears on spec sheets and in conversation as a product type, as in a TAB topsheet or a TAB ADL. TAB fabrics are lofty and soft, and in hygiene they are usually carded webs of bicomponent fiber. Buyers use TAB and air-through interchangeably, and many Asian suppliers say hot-air nonwoven.
Customer wants the 25 gsm TAB topsheet, not the calendered one, they're after the cushion.
Also heard as
- air-through
- hot-air nonwoven
- through-air bonded
Related terms
Through-air bonding
Thermal bonding that pulls hot air through the web so binder fibers fuse without the web being crushed.
Topsheet
Soft, liquid-permeable nonwoven layer of a diaper or pad that touches the skin.
ADL
Acquisition distribution layer: the lofty layer under a diaper topsheet that takes in liquid and spreads it to the core.
Bico
Shop clip for bicomponent fiber, usually meaning sheath-core binder fiber bought for thermal bonding.