Abstract
Meltblown nonwovens have been produced as 2D web structures for a variety of end uses. Investigation into the development of 3D structures, has led to the integration of meltblown and robotic technology to form the Robotic Fiber Assembly and Control System. The effect of curvature of the collecting surface on the structural properties of the webs such as the diameter and orientation distributions of the fibers and the pore size distribution on the webs has been investigated. The relative frequency of fibers oriented in the machine direction increased significantly when the curvature of the collecting surface increased, while the average pore size of the web decreases due to the increased orientation of fibers in the direction of collection.