any desired material that can be treated with water jets 5 and is especially capable of entanglement in the preferred exemplary embodiment shown the material web 2 consist of textile fibers especially natural fibers and or synthetic fibers in the cut short form so called staple fibers or in the long form so called tow it is preferably configured as a fibrous nonwoven web such a fibrous nonwoven is sometimes designated as a fibrous web as well the compacting effect of the material web 2 occurring due to the hydroentanglement is schematically shown in fig2 as an alternative other textile e g woven material webs 2 are also possible a relative motion in a conveying direction 28 by means of a conveying device 27 takes place between the material web 2 and the hydroentanglement device 1 in the embodiment shown the material web 2 is moved in relation to a preferably stationary hydroentanglement device 1 the conveying device 27 has e g rollers for guiding and possibly for driving the material web 2 such rollers are shown schematically and only partially in fig1 a carrier 3 is provided for supporting the material web 2 during the hydroentanglement and during the conveying this carrier may have a planar or curved shape the carrier 3 may in addition have a plurality of passage openings it may.