An article may be made of multilayer composite material. The multilayer composite material may include central element (I) between first and second reinforcement layers (B) to form structure (B)-(I)-(B). The central element (I) may include: first and second structural layers (A), each of the first and second structural layers (A) including at least one mat of needle punched thermoplastic fibers selected from polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, polypropylene fibers, or mixtures thereof bonded through thermosetting resin; and third reinforcement layer (B) between the first and second structural layers (A). The first, second, and third reinforcement layers (B) each may include fibrous material, including one or more types of fibers selected from glass fibers, natural fibers, carbon fibers, basalt fibers, aramid fibers, or mixtures thereof.

A molded and shaped acoustical insulating vehicle panel having a dry-laid needled fibrous composite composed of a first portion of about 50 to 80 percent meltable binder fibers and about 20 to 50 percent stable fibers and having a second portion of about 20 to 50 percent meltable binder fibers and 50 to 80 percent of staple fibers. The meltable binder fibers are in a molded and resolidified state such that the resolidified binder fibers of the first portion form a substantially continuous, semi-impervious, densified skin integrally associated with and bonded to a surface of the first portion. The molded composite is in such a heat and pressure molded state that the composite has over a predominance of its area a density of from about 12 to 22 lbs./cubic foot (192 to 352 kg/cubic meter) and the panel is sufficiently rigid as to be self-supporting.

Methods and systems are provided for a process to generate a nonwoven textile. In one example, the nonwoven textile may have layered, zonal properties resulting from entangling of two or more types of staple fibers through a merging region between the layers of staple fibers while maintaining distinct zones, each zone comprising a type of staple fiber. Furthermore, the process may include embedding a filament layer into the nonwoven textile via a continuous assembly line.