ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Spunlacing

Okay kiddo, do you know what fabric is? It's the stuff that clothes and blankets are made of, right? Now, imagine if we could make fabric using water, instead of machines with needles and threads. That's what spunlacing is!

Spunlacing is a special way of making fabric by using a bunch of high-pressure water jets to tangle and bind fibers together. It's kinda like making a big, wet jigsaw puzzle out of tiny little pieces of fabric. This process makes the fabric super soft and fluffy, just like a cozy blanket.

First, the fibers (which are like little pieces of string) are chosen depending on what kind of fabric needs to be made. They can be made from all sorts of materials, like cotton, polyester, or even wood pulp! Then, the fibers are lightly mixed together so they become a loose and airy mat.

Next, the mat of fibers is sprayed with high-pressure water jets that are super fast and powerful. The water makes the fibers tangle and connect with each other, just like a spiderweb. This process is called "hydroentangling" or "hydrospinning," but we'll just call it "spunlacing" for short.

Finally, the fabric is dried and smoothed out, and can be dyed or printed with all sorts of pretty designs. And that's it! Now we have a soft and durable fabric that can be used for all sorts of things, like making clothes, towels, or even medical supplies.

So, spunlacing is just a fancy way of using water to make soft and fluffy fabric. Pretty cool, huh?