Segment Information - Consolidated Net Sales by Segment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended
		Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		$ 165,487	$ 129,700
Operating Segments | Performance Materials Segment
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		28,751	26,383
Operating Segments | Performance Materials Segment | Filtration
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		18,846	17,159
Operating Segments | Performance Materials Segment | Thermal Insulation
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		7,425	6,275
Operating Segments | Performance Materials Segment | Life Sciences Filtration
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		2,480	2,949
Operating Segments | Technical Nonwovens
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	58,918	31,207
Operating Segments | Technical Nonwovens | Industrial Filtration
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales	[1]	34,214	23,593
Operating Segments | Technical Nonwovens | Advanced Materials
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales	[1],[2]	24,704	7,614
Operating Segments | Thermal/Acoustical Metals
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		44,280	41,997
Operating Segments | Thermal/Acoustical Metals | Metal parts
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		41,694	36,783
Operating Segments | Thermal/Acoustical Metals | Tooling
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		2,586	5,214
Operating Segments | Thermal/Acoustical Fibers
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		41,372	35,861
Operating Segments | Thermal/Acoustical Fibers | Fiber parts
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		40,987	35,677
Operating Segments | Thermal/Acoustical Fibers | Tooling
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales		385	184
Eliminations and Other
Segment Reporting, Revenue Reconciling Item [Line Items]
Net sales	[2]	$ (7,834)	$ (5,748)

[1] The Technical Nonwovens segment reports results of Texel and Gutsche for the period following the dates of acquisition of July 7, 2016 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

[2] Included in the Technical Nonwovens segment and Eliminations and Other is $6.3 million and $4.5 million in intercompany sales to the T/A Fibers segment for the quarters ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.