Avantex/Techtextil Offers Extensive View of Future for Workwear
By Tait, Niki
Avantex and Techtextil are the world’s leading trade fairs for intelligent apparel and technical textiles, respectively, and the range of innovations seen this year was more extensive and differentiated than ever before. For those involved in buying or developing any sort of technical workwear these shows had plenty to offerfrom easy care clothing to astronaut’s suits, reports NikiTait. June saw the simultaneous occurrence of the Avantex and Techtextil trade fairs in Frankfurt, Germany, which set a new high in the number of visitors at 23 200 from 80 countries: in particular from Europe, North America and Asia. Techtextil-the International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens hosted 1086 exhibitors while Avantex-the International Forum for Innovative Apparel Textiles, laid claim to 33.
Avantex was full of wearable electronics, most of which are aimed at the users of portable music devices (such as iPods or MP3s), although other innovations, such as built in electric lighting within garments have more serious uses, particularly for the emergency services and military.
ELECTRICALLY HEATED KNITS
Visitors learned, for instance that a new partnership between Naturally Twisted Ltd, a UK-based developer of textile technology, Wera and Beverley Productions, both of New Zealand, has brought about a useful and practical new range of electrically heated and knitted innovations.
For those involved in buying or developing any sort of technical workwear Avantex/Techtextil had plenty to offer-from easy care clothing to astronauts’ suits.
Developed by a white-water kayaking research engineer who wanted to keep warm, the Wera heating system (“wera” comes from the Maori language and means “hot”) is both functional and easy-to-use, hence the company’s slogan-Making Heating Simple. The fabrics are soft and flexible and have been readily integrated into a range of garments including active apparel and outdoor wear; the unique combination of conductive yarns, novel knitted structures and smart electronics results in a market-ready fully integrated textile structure. For people working for long periods outdoors in cold weathers the scope of this new heating system could be invaluable-from gloves to boots to coats.
High-performance yarns, such as the para-aramid Kevlar, are at the core of some other innovative knitted structures and products from Beverley Productions, designed to protect the body literally from top to toe.
These include:
* the comfort of a near seamless knitted anti-flash hood for protection against fire and disfiguring burns; and
* a light-weight boot that stops a chainsaw in less than one second and demonstrates the strength, flexibility and versatility of a naturally twisted textile structure.
CHINESE SUPPLIERS
Techtextil revealed all sorts of fibres, fabrics, laminates, coatings and other finishings useful to the technical workwear field, as well as new supplies of workwear garments, particularly from China. The Wuyi Shunfa Garment factory, for instance, produces 20 000 pieces of traffic safety warning clothes with fluorescent fabric and reflective tapes every day. These include traffic safety vests, hi-visibility T-shirts and waterproof jackets for such as police, railway workers, dustmen and highway workers.
Shanghai Tan Ion Fiber Co Ltd has developed polysulphonamide (PSA), a fire protective aromatic polyamide fibre that can withstand long-term temperatures of 250[degrees]C and short term exposure of 300[degrees]C. Touted as a direct competitor to the meta-aramid Nomex, potential applications include space suits, special military uniforms, protective clothing for firefighters, electric welders’ suits, furnace workers’ suits, oil field and refinery and chemical protective clothing. PSA has high chemical resistance, is easily dyed with certain colours and has good electrical insulation. Shanghai Tanlon Fiber also claims it has a cashmere-like hand and so is comfortable to wear.
The company has now built a plant with a capacity of 1 kt a year.
The Wuyi Shunfa Garment factory in China says that it produces 20 000 pieces of traffic safety warning clothes with fluorescent fabric and reflective tapes every day.
BROAD RANGE FROM ITALY
The Italian company Haute Technologie claimed to be able to produce woven and knitted fabric to cater for almost every industrial need. In terms of personal protection this includes weather and waterproof clothing, clothing offering protection to firefighters and welders, high visibility phosphorescent clothing, and protection against melted metal sprays, chemical products (including acids), electric arcs and the build up of electrostatic charges.
NO-COMPROMISE FIRE RESISTANCE
Successful products inevitably attract cheaper imitations. However, in the field of fire resistant personal protective clothing, compromises are out of the question and saving lives is paramount, according to Austria’s Lenzing. Consequently, the company has decided to work with selected quality partners worldwide. Each of these partners can be counted on to provide 100% quality tested products and will have to meet strict quality standards through Lenzing’s Quality Partner Program (QPP), ensuring the quality of fire resistant products made from its inherently flame resistant fibre.
With Lenzing FR a flame resistant agent is incorporated directly into the fibre matrix before spinning and as a result the effect is permanent – totally unaffected by washing or physical abrasion, Lenzing claims – and offers the wearer optimum comfort, increased protection against heat as well as the highest levels of flame resistance and thermal protection.
EXPLOITING SILVER
Silver is recognized in the medical community as the most effective antimicrobial agent available and there were many products at the shows exploiting the metal. One of the leading commercial fibres is X-Static, which uses pure silver to inhibit the growth of odour-causing bacteria and fungi (see also, this issue, pages 43- 46). X-Static is also claimed to be the only product that binds with and neutralizes odourcausing ammonia and denatured proteins. Additionally, XStatic has excellent thermodynamic properties, helping to keep the wearer warmer in Winter and cooler in Summer.
Silver is also the most electrically conductive of the elements. Electrical charges, which can be generated by two non-conductive materials rubbing together, are instantly dissipated in the presence of X-Static. Products incorporating the fibre stay static-free and people wearing them stay comfortable. It also eliminates electromagnetic interference, provides protection against infra-red and ultraviolet and enhances moisture management as liquid evaporates rapidly off silver.
X-Static is made with pure silver and contains no chemicals. It is perfectly safe for people and for the environment. The silver is irreversibly bonded to the fibres making its effects permanent and preventing it from washing or wearing off.
With more than forty years’ experience, Canadian CompanyTIK Security Knits claims that garments and blankets made from its new Silver Security Knit double velour fleece fabrics with DuPont’s Nomex IIIA fibre can save lives. The Nomex NIA fibre provides outstanding heat and flame resistance, and superior thermal protection against the threat of flash fire and electric arc, together with comfort and durability. This fleece has been certified by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Inc and also contains XStatic fibres, and as such all the benefits of including silver, as well Invista’s elastane fibre (Lycra).
Gentex produces Dual Mirror(R) aluminized fabrics that are heat reflective barriers and insulators used in extreme environments.
TIK security Knits also produces a DuPont Nomex INA Flame Resistant Single Sided Fleece which it says incorporates extraordinary stretch and antistatic properties. Built in, the stretch is 150% in the width, and 80% in the length. It has antistatic dissipation of less than 0.02 s after charging at 5 kV
Along with these special developments comes an innovative engineered three-ply flame-resistant stretch fleece laminate. Called FlameResistor.this is made from modified acrylic, cotton, polyester and X-Static. It is permanently flame resistant and will not melt nor drip. Moreover, the fabric can be dyed. The blending in of X- Static fibre automatically makes the fabric permanently anti-static with a rich and warm appearance, it is soft and comfortable, durable and longwearing, containing all the other benefits of X-Static.
KNITTING, LAMINATING AND SEWING
Offering a one-stop solution,Taiwanese company Tiong Liong Corp Textile Division offers knitting, laminating and sewing. It has grown from a small laminating plant to a large organization which includes textile manufacturing, dyeing, special foaming and lamination. As well as partnering with X-static, it teams up with many other specialist companies including Outlast,Trek-Dry, Primaloft,Aegis, Parmair. Tuff Skin, KK-Tech, Sofilmtex, Event, SympaTex, Porelle, Hytrel, Colvera,Air-tech and Waltex and so can offer a wide range of protective solutions.
ALUMINIZED FABRICS FROM GENTEX
Global leader in aluminized fabrics, USA’s Gentex produces Dual Mirror(R) aluminized fabrics that are used in firefighting apparel to combat radiant heat from high-intensity fires, and industrial workers’ apparel to protect from molten metal splashes, radiant heat and high-temperature steam. As impermeable, heat reflective barriers and insulators, they are used in extreme work environments faced by civilians, emergency services,and military personnel. The unique five-layer textile structure reflects 95% of infrared radiation and offers an efficient high-temperature barrier material with superior durability. The five layers consist of an outer aluminium skin, a protective film, a second layer of aluminium, heat-stable adhesive and a base fabric. Currently, more than forty styles of aluminized fabrics are available in widths ranging from 1-1.5 m (40 to 60 inches). Gentex’s Flexir fabrics are designed to enhance Dual Mirror’s flexibility, often at weights lower than conventional woven textile substrates.
SCHOELLER MIMICS NATURE
SchoellerTextil from Switzerland won first prize in the Avantex innovation awards with a new membrane technology called c_change. This is a water and windproof so-called “Bionic Climate Membrane”, which is capable of independent adaptation of its permeability to moisture vapour. It copies the effect of a fir cone, which naturally opens and closes in response to different weather conditions. To ensure an optimum body climate, the new membrane technology reacts to changing temperatures and activities; it offers high level moisture vapour permeability and is wind and waterproof.
At high temperatures, or during periods of strenuous activity, the structure of the c_change membrane opens as body moisture levels rise. Excess heat can escape to the outside air. Alternatively, due to the lower level of body moisture in cold weather or during periods of inactivity, the structure of the membrane closes, retaining the heat directly near the wearer’s body.
Avantex was full of wearable electronics, most of which are aimed at the users of portable music devices (such as iPods or MP3s), although other innovations, such as built in electric lighting within garments have more serious uses, particularly for the emergency services and military.
The NanoSphere self-cleaning technology from Schoeller also mimics nature. This time the company has adapted the natural self- cleaning effect of certain plants to whose leaves dirt cannot adhere due to their finely structured surfaces. As a result, dirt is easily washed off when it rains. With the NanoSphere finishing technology, dirt, splashes and stains (such as ketchup, honey, coffee, red wine, oil,grease and water) simply run off the surface of the textile making it an ideal finish, for instance, for catering wear.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
Minimizing damage to the environment was a key theme throughout the shows, with prominence given to fibres and fabrics made from recycled materials,as well as from renewable sustainable sources such as bamboo and maize.
Cocona fabrics and yarns fromTrapTek, USA, are made from coconut shells. They can provide evaporative cooling, protection from ultraviolet (UV) radiation and odour management. Indeed, the company claims the evaporative cooling effect is claimed superior to that from any other product available.
Cocona rapidly pulls moisture away from the skin and spreads it across the fabric’s surface to increase the evaporation rate and speed up drying times. It also adsorbs a wide range of odour molecules. Odours coming from the wearer or the surrounding environment are attracted to, and trapped within, the pores of the activated coconut carbon. These molecules are then released and the carbon refreshed with the heat from washing and drying.
Activated carbon embedded within yarns and fibres absorbs the harmful rays and provides a shield between the skin and damaging UV radiation. Depending upon fabric construction and Cocona content, an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of up to 30 can be provided. Because this is not a chemical treatment, there are no negative effects on the body, the company says.
The technology is contained within the yarn fibre and is therefore permanent and, rather than being washed out, the product’s efficacy is refreshed with the heat from washing and drying. Cocona yarns may be blended with cotton and wool as well as man-made fibres.
Coconut activated carbon is a recycled, sustainable material. Coconut shells are a waste product from the food industry. Activated carbon made from coconut shells has been used for decades to purify water in municipal water systems and in the air filtration industry. Cocona uses activated carbon particles too small for these industries, preventing them from going to landfills.
PROTECTION FROM PATHOGENS
Waterproof, windproof and breathable Skyair membranes from the UK company Skymark,are based on the latest resin and manufacturing technologies, designed specifically for the technical textile markets, and offer excellent film characteristics when used in the adhesive lamination process, the developer claims.
In today’s modern hospital environments, particularly in and operating rooms, the risk of transmitting infectious disease is a vital concern. Scares over the spread of diseases such as hepatitis B, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) mean that doctors and nurses need better protection from bacteria, viruses, blood and other fluids, while their garments still remain functional and comfortable to wear. Fabrics must be resistant to solvents and chemicals, such as antiseptics, and maintain good drape even after numerous washing and sterilizing cycles.
Skyair is a monolithic membrane free from any pores, which means that it is an excellent bacterial barrier while offering a breathable function. So, apart from use in outdoor fabrics, these membranes have all sorts of other specialist applications, particularly within the health care field where the primary function of Skyair is to offer naturally performing materials that protect the body against pathogenic microorganisms, bacteria and viruses, allowing the garment to have a high level of waterproofness while remaining highly breathable.
ANTIMICROBIAL TREATMENTS
Aegis Enhanced is a comprehensive brand of antimicrobial chemical treatments, developed by the Belgian Devan Group, which provide additional functionalities to enhance comfort and well being. These include a host of different chemical finishes, all antimicrobial, such as:
* Passerelle moisture management;
* liquid Stretch stretch recovery;
* eSCENTial sensory management;
* Dylan shrink resist;
* Ecoflam flame retardant; and
* Exionic anti static technology.
The overriding conclusion from the shows was that, apart from providing increased personal protection in all sorts of work environments, technical textiles are developing to ensure this type of clothing is becoming more comfortable, easier to wear, and easier to care for.
Further information
Niki Tait is the head of Apparel Solutions which provides independent assistance and training to the Apparel Industry in such areas as manufacturing methods, industrial engineering, information technology and quick response.
Susan Dennis, Naturally Twisted Ltd, Terry’s Mill, Cutler Heights Lane, BCM 9PD Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
Tel: +44-1943-604284. Mobile/cell: +44-7961 -898738.
E-mail: susan@naturallytwisted.co.uk; http:// www.naturallytwisted.co.uk
Susan Dennis, Sales and Marketing, Wera, 32 Valley Drive, Ikley, West Yorkshire, LS29 8NN, UK. Tel:+44-7961-898738.
E-mail: susie@weratech.com; http://www.weratech.com
Robert Ward, Director, Beverley Productions Ltd, 13 St John Street, Tauranga 3001, New Zealand.
Tel:+64-7-578-9176. Fax:+64-7-578-1215.
E-mail: rob@beverley.co.nz
Wuyi Shunfa Garment Factory, No. 99, East Dongsheng Road, 321200 Jinhua, China.
Tel: +86-579-763-0020. Fax: +86-579-763-0435.
E-mail: shunfagarment@yahoo.com.cn; http:// www.wyshunfa.en.alibaba.com
Shanghai Tanlon Fiber Co Ltd, No. 1488, Hongqiao Road, 200336 Shanghai, China.
Tel: +86-21 -6295-0974. Fax: +86-21 -6295-7435.
E-mail: sales@tanlon.com.cn; http://www.tanlon.com.cn
Haute Technologie SpA,Via Monte Bianco 43,1-13882 Cerrione (BI), Italy.Tel: +39-015-671342. Fax: +39-015-671941.
E-mail: info@hautechnologie.com; http://www.hautechnologie.com
Lenzing Fibers,Werkstrasse 2.A-4860 Lenzing, Austria.
Tel: +43-7672-701-0. Fax: +43-7672-701-3880.
Email: marketing@lenzing.com; http://www.lenzing.com
Noble Biomaterials Europe Sri/Life Srl.Viale E. Andreis, 74, Centro Direzionale Europa, 1-25015 Desenzano (Brescia), Italy.
Tel: +39-030-991 -2112. Fax: +39-030-991 -2374.
E-mail: lifesrl@tin.it; http://www.x-staticfiber.com
Tik Security Knits, 8531 Delmeade, H4T IMI Mont Royal,
Canada.Tel: +1-514-343-5511. Fax: +1 -514-343-5532.
E-mail: zeev@interlockknit.com; http://www.interlockknit.com
Tiong Liong Industrial Co Ltd, No. 8, Lane 128, sec. I, Chung-
Ching Road, Taya Hsiang, 428 Taichung Hsien, Taiwan.
Tel: +886-4-2566-6126. Fax: +886-4-2569-2706.
E-mail: jwu@tioliong.com.tw; http://www.tioliong.com.tw
Gentex Corp, Headquarters, 324 N. Main Street, Simpson, PA 18407, USA.Tel: +1 -570-282-3550. Fax: +1 -570-282-8555.
E-mail: lott@gentexcorp.com; http://www.gentexcorp.com
Schoeller Textil AG, Bahnhofstrasse 17. CH-9475 Sevelen, Switzerland. Tel: +41-81 -786-0800. Fax: +41-81 -786-0810.
E-mail: info@schoeller-textiles.com; http://www.schoeller- textiles.com
TrapTek LLC/Cocona Fabrics, 1831 Lefthand Circle, Suite G, Longmont, C080501, USA.
Tel: +1 -720-652-9726. Fax: +1 -303-532-2147.
E-mail: info@coconafabrics.com; http://www.coconafabrics.com
Skymark Performance Films Ltd, Mannaberg Way, Scunthorpe, DNIS 8XF, UK.Tel: +44-1724-270777. Fax: +44-1724-272364. E-mail: admin@skymark.co.uk; http://www.skvmark.co.uk
Devan Chemicals NV, Klein Frankrijk 18, B-9600 Ronse-Renaix, Belgium.Tel: +32-55-230110. Fax: +32-55-230119.
E-mail: rudy.dekeyser@skynet.be; http://www.devan.net
Copyright International Newsletters Sep 2007
(c) 2007 Technical Textiles International : TTI. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.