NIRI has comprehensively equipped laboratories. Facilities include:

Fibre blending

Fibre extraction & pulling plant

Carding (parallel-laid)

Carding (cross-laid)

Air-laid (short fibre & long fibre systems)

Meltblown

Electrospinning (fibrous webs)

Hydroentanglement (7 injectors up to 180 bar)

Needlepunching (flat & structured)

Thermal bonding: calender

Thermal bonding: through-air

Chemical bonding (various impregnation methods including foam)

Drying & curing

Hot melt

Laminating

Coating

Vacuum bagging (composite prototyping)

Nano-particle deposition

Porometry

Image analysis (pore structure, fibre orientation, structural characterisation)

Liquid transport, wicking & absorbency