A hydrophilic topsheet or wipe base should wet out instantly, and a hydrophobic barrier layer should not wet out at all. Wet-out depends on the surfactant finish, the fiber and any contamination, and poor wet-out shows as beading, slow strike-through or patchy absorbency. Crews check it on the line with a quick drop test before lab results come back.
Topsheet won't wet out on the drive side, the finish applicator must be starving that edge.
A pipette drop test tells you in seconds what a full strike-through test confirms an hour later.
Also heard as
- wetting
- wettability
- wet out
Related terms
Spin finish
Thin coating applied to fibers during manufacture to control friction, static and wettability in processing.
Strike-through
Hygiene test time for a set dose of liquid to pass through a topsheet into the absorbent pad underneath.
Topsheet
Soft, liquid-permeable nonwoven layer of a diaper or pad that touches the skin.
Rewet
Amount of liquid that comes back up through a topsheet under pressure after the pad has absorbed it.