From the Sector

• Swiss weaving machinery manufacturers are in the forefront of novel application development

Shoes and electronic calculators are probably not the first products people would associate with the textile weaving process. But they certainly signpost the future for woven fabrics, as two examples of the ever-wider possibilities of latest technology in the field. Fashion and function already combine in the increasing popularity of woven fabrics for shoes, and this is a present and future trend. Calculators in fabrics? That’s another story of ingenious development, using so-called ‘meander fields’ on the back and keys printed on the front of the material.

These glimpses of the outlook for modern weavers are among the highlights of developments now being pioneered by Swiss textile machinery companies. All weaving markets require innovation, as well as speed, efficiency, quality and sustainability. Member firms of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association respond to these needs at every point in the process – from tightening the first thread in the warp to winding the last inch for fabric delivery. They also share a common advantage, with a leading position in the traditional weaving industry as well as the expertise to foster new and exciting applications.

Technology and research cooperation
The concept of a ‘textile calculator’ was developed by Jakob Müller Group, in cooperation with the textile research institute Thuringen-Vogtland. Müller’s patented MDW® multi-directional weaving technology is able to create the meander fields which allow calculator functions to be accessed at a touch. A novel and useful facility, which suggests limitless expansion.

Today, the latest woven shoes are appreciated for their precise and comfortable fit. They score through their durability, strength and stability, meeting the requirements of individual athletes across many sports, as well as leisurewear. Stäubli is well known as a leading global specialist in weaving preparation, shedding systems and high-speed textile machinery. Its jacquard machines offer great flexibility across a wide range of formats, weaving all types of technical textiles, lightweight reinforcement fabrics – and shoes.

It’s possible to weave new materials such as ceramics, mix fibers such as aramid, carbon and other, and produce innovative multi-layers with variable thicknesses. Such applications put special demands on weaving machines which are fulfilled by Stäubli high-performance TF weaving systems.

Great weaving results are impossible without perfect warp tension, now available thanks to the world-leading electronic warp feeding systems of Crealet. Some market segments in weaving industry today demand warp let-off systems which meet individual customer requirements. For example, the company has recognized expertise to understand that geotextile products often need special treatment, as provided by its intelligent warp tension control system. Individual and connective solutions are designed to allow external support via remote link. Crealet’s warp let-off systems are widely used in both ribbon and broadloom weaving, for technical textiles applied on single or multiple warp beams and creels.

Functional, sustainable, automated
Trends in the field of woven narrow fabrics are clearly focused on functionality and sustainability. The Jakob Müller Group has already embraced these principles – for example using natural fibers for 100% recyclable labels with a soft-feel selvedge. It also focuses as much as possible on the processing of recycled, synthetic materials. Both PET bottles and polyester waste from production are recycled and processed into elastic and rigid tapes for the apparel industry.

For efficient fabric production environments, it is now recognized that automated quality solutions are essential. Quality standards are increasing everywhere and zero-defect levels are mandatory for sensitive applications such as airbags and protective apparel.

Uster’s latest generation of on-loom monitoring and inspection systems offers real operational improvements for weavers. The fabric quality monitoring prevents waste, while the quality assurance system significantly improves first-quality yield for all applications. Protecting fabric makers from costly claims and damaged reputations, automated fabric inspection also removes the need for slow, costly and unreliable manual inspection, freeing operators to focus on higher-skilled jobs.

Smart and collaborative robotics (cobots) offer many automation possibilities in weaving rooms. Stäubli’s future oriented robotics division is a driver in this segment with first effective installations in warp and creel preparation.

Control and productivity
Willy Grob’s specialized solutions for woven fabric winding focus on reliable control of tension, keeping it constant from the start of the process right through to the full cloth roll. Continuous digital control is especially important for sensitive fabrics, while performance and productivity are also critical advantages. In this regard, the company’s large-scale batching units can provide ten times the winding capacity of a regular winder integrated in the weaving machine.

The customized concept by Grob as well as design and implementation result in great flexibility and functionality of the fabric winding equipment – yet another example of Swiss ingenuity in textile machinery.  
There is even more innovation to come in weaving – and in other segments – from members of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association in future! This confident assertion is founded on an impressive statistic: the 4077 years of experience behind the creative power of the association’s member firms. It’s proof positive that their developments grow out of profound knowledge and continuous research.

Kornit Digital announced United Kingdom-based Tayprint has implemented the Kornit Avalanche HD6 system for efficient, versatile direct-to-garment (DTG) apparel production on demand. This technology effectively replaces the use of screen printing within their operation, reducing their cost per print while making short runs profitable, eliminating inventory and resource waste, speeding production, and ensuring nearly unlimited design capabilities, applied to a broad array of materials, using a single eco-friendly ink set.

While Tayprint predominantly serves as a provider of large-format digital printing, delivering approximately 500,000 square metres of imprinted product annually, they had established a screen-printing operation, as well, generating roughly £200,000 in t-shirt sales per year. While this provided a strong profit channel, screens offered limited growth potential, as order volumes were shrinking, customers demanded quick turnaround, graphic capabilities were limited, and setting up was a drain on both labour and materials. Each of these drawbacks are addressed by Kornit’s on-demand digital production technology, which enables suppliers to imprint apparel in any quantity, using a single-step process, completing the process in mere minutes.

• BIONIC-FINISH®ECO Fluorine-Free, Water Repellent Finishes for Ultimate Performance

In recent years, many scientists have shifted from favoring a “primordial soup” in pools of water to hydrothermal vents deep in the ocean as the original source of life on Earth. Regardless what the real beginning really was, water was certainly involved in the process some 3,5bln years ago. And since then, Mother Nature designed many ways to benefit of water and to be sheltered from it. Many engineering challenges humans face can be solved by turning to those 3,5bln years of experience and by using natural design as springboard. That’s biologically inspired engineering or, in short, bionics. BIONIC-FINISH®ECO of RUDOLF GROUP is Mother Nature’s work reproduced on textiles and apparel to protect us from water. To perform.

Back in 2003, RUDOLF GROUP borrowed from Mother Nature the idea of dendrimers (from dendron, Greek word for ‘tree’), molecules made of multi-functional branches that interact among themselves, co-crystallize, and self-organize into highly ordered, multicomponent systems. These hyper-branched polymers attach to the textile and embed fluorine-free, durable water-repellent performance.
In 2021 BIONIC-FINISH®ECO comes as a reviewed and extended family of unique nonhalogenated, APEO-free, fluorine-free formulations suited for different materials and designed for different applications and needs. Still very much based on patented dendrimer technology, the new and strengthened BIONIC-FINISH®ECO’s product portfolio:

• Provides non-fluorinated and highly durable water repellent textile finishes for high-performance, professional applications (e.g. when brushing resistance is required);
• Delivers highly efficient and durable performance with low application amounts thus not affecting fabric feel and appearance (e.g. when remarkable softness is important);
• Fulfills a range of challenging technical requirements (e.g. minimal impact on flame retardant properties of technical fibers);
• Is suitable for both sportswear and outdoor applications, as well as for casual apparel and fashion clothing;
• Is bluesign® approved, ZDHC chemical gateway certified and compliant with most RSLs;

BIONIC-FINISH®ECO new portfolio includes universal and versatile solutions targeting the most standard requirements, as well as customized solutions that meet more demanding and specific expectations such as improved resistance to dry-cleaning. “None of us can entirely predict where our voyage will lead” says Dr. Gunther Duschek, RUDOLF GROUP Managing Director. “However, BIONIC-FINISH®ECO of RUDOLF GROUP will always be the fluorine-free, durable water repellent for ultimate  performance. As it is today”.

Royal DSM announces that its DSM Engineering Materials business will launch mass-balanced bio-based Arnitel®, a thermoplastic elastomer, together with Sympatex Technologies. In this way, DSM Engineering Materials is taking the next step on its sustainability journey and enabling its customers to transition to a more circular and bio-based economy.

To address growing consumer and legislative demand for lower carbon footprint and more sustainable feedstock, the sports and apparel value chain is increasingly integrating bio-based materials into its designs. By offering a new range of mass-balanced bio-based Arnitel®, DSM Engineering Materials is enabling membrane manufacturer, Sympatex Technologies to meet these demands and make more sustainable choices.

DSM’s bio-based Arnitel® is manufactured with bio-based feedstock using a mass-balance approach¹. The end product contains more than 25% bio-based content by weight.

Sympatex uses Arnitel® to manufacture its waterproof, windproof, and breathable membranes for sports applications. The transition to bio-based feedstock will maintain the unique functional properties of Arnitel® and will enable Sympatex to easily shift to a more sustainable solution with a lower carbon footprint without having to requalify materials.

¹ Mass balance accounting is a well-known approach that has been designed to trace the flow of materials through a complex value chain. The mass balance approach provides a set of rules for how to allocate the bio-based and/or recycled content to different products to be able to claim and market the content as ‘bio’-based or ‘recycled’-based. Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation (Mass Balance White Paper).

• Partnership offers customers access to full-scale garment design, manufacturing and packaging

Ascend Performance Materials has announced a commercial agreement with The S Group, a globally recognized provider of apparel design, development and manufacturing. The alliance will focus on commercialization of Acteev Protect™ antimicrobial yarns, fibers and fabrics, offering customers full-scale supply chain service from garment design to delivery.

The agreement pairs Ascend's world-class manufacturing operations with The S Group’s track record of success in the wholesale and direct-to-consumer apparel industry. “Our customers will now benefit from a revolutionary antimicrobial material combined with end-to-end support to guide a product from ideation to actualization,” said Lu Zhang, vice president of Acteev.

The S Group offers complete supply chain management for apparel brands, including product development, manufacturing, logistics, quality assurance, packaging and order fulfillment. The company lists some of the world’s most recognized brands among its partners, including Lululemon, New Balance and Mack Weldon. Athleisure, performance, scrubs, and seamless products such as intimates, leggings, active wear, socks and gaiters will be available.

Gary Peck, CEO of The S Group, says his team is excited about the commercial potential of Acteev, especially given the new reality of global health concerns. “Garment design has primarily focused on functionality, sustainability and comfort,” said Peck. “The past year has made us all aware that safety can be a valuable feature of fabrics as well, and Acteev checks all those boxes.”

Acteev is Ascend’s patent-pending technology that embeds zinc ions in a polymer to create fibers with long-lasting antimicrobial properties. The result is a fabric that destroys odor-causing bacteria and fungi. Acteev technology is available in a wide range of textiles featuring the flexibility, softness and durability of nylon 6,6.

Recent testing on knit fabric completed at the University of Cambridge has demonstrated that Acteev technology deactivates the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, with 99.9% efficacy on contact1. Ascend is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other governmental agencies to obtain the appropriate regulatory clearances to make specific claims regarding the technology’s antiviral properties.

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, today announces that Dyneema® is driving the performance of Team Sunweb’s protective cycling jerseys in the 2020 Tour de France. Together with its partners, Team Sunweb and Craft Sportswear, DSM has helped to deliver a jersey that, when combined with a protective baselayer, offers cyclists effective abrasion protection at speeds up to 60km/h, while also reducing the severity of open wounds at even higher speeds. In this way, DSM underlines its commitment to protect people and the environment they live in.

Professional cycling places its participants in considerable danger; in recent years, the Tour de France has averaged 1.5 crashes per stage, while crashes in one-day classics are even more frequent. Cycling jerseys can support riders by enabling protection for a large portion of the body, while allowing for moisture transport to the surface and offering low thermal resistance. However, cycling jerseys made with conventional materials offer limited protective performance.

To address these needs and enable a safer riding experience, DSM has teamed up with Craft Sportswear and Team Sunweb to develop a cycling jersey that offers much-needed increases in abrasion resistance without compromising the comfort or low weight that cyclists demand. The new jersey is the latest protective cycling apparel solution, following the launch of the protective bib shorts (2015) and the protective baselayer (2019). The jersey will be worn for the first time by Team Sunweb in this year’s Tour de France. When combined with the protective baselayer, the new jersey offers complete protection against abrasions up to 60km/h, a speed below which professional cyclists spend 95% of race time in a typical stage.

Dyneema® has been used to protect workers in high-stake industries for more than 30 years – and the expansion into fabrics means both professional and recreational cyclists can enjoy the intrinsic performance capabilities of Dyneema® in their protective garments without sacrificing wearer comfort.

“Being 15 times stronger than steel on a weight for weight basis, Dyneema® fiber offers an excellent solution to increasing the abrasion resistance of a fabric, reducing the severity of road rash in case of a crash, without compromising the rider weight or comfort,” states Piet Rooijakkers, Head of R&D Team Sunweb “What’s more, the new jersey can form part of a modular protection solution, where riders can easily take off or put on layers according to race and weather conditions. In this way, the new jersey will support our riders significantly in the Tour de France and beyond.”

“The new cycling jersey with Dyneema® will make a real difference to cyclists facing the dangers of professional competition, and help ensure the health of both people and the environment,” states Wilfrid Gambade, President DSM Protective Materials. “The jersey is physical proof of the great achievements collaboration with expert partners can deliver. Moving forward, we will work with Craft and Team Sunweb to integrate bio-based Dyneema® fibers into protective cycling jerseys – contributing even further to a safe and healthy world!”

In line with its commitment to protect people and the environment they live in, DSM introduced the world’s first-ever bio-based HMPE fiber in May 2020. Bio-based Dyneema® fiber offers the same exact performance as conventional Dyneema® with a carbon footprint that is 90% lower than generic HMPE. The continued partnership between DSM, Craft and Team Sunweb will not only provide innovative, lightweight solutions for cyclists, but also environmentally sustainable alternatives that contribute to a circular economy.

Shanghai - Sateri has signed the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, becoming the first viscose producer in China to support this global fashion agenda. An initiative convened by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), this charter calls on the fashion industry to support the goals of the Paris Agreement in limiting global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, by achieving 30 per cent aggregate reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030, including the supply chain.

Niclas Svenningsen, Manager of Global Climate Action, UNFCCC, said, “UNFCCC is excited to have Sateri joining the Fashion Industry Charter on Climate Action and committing towards global climate action as the first Chinese viscose producer to do so. We hope that it will inspire more textile companies from China to join and take action.”

As a signatory of the Charter, Sateri looks forward to participating in relevant Working Groups which bring together stakeholders and experts in the fashion and textile sectors. In recent months, Sateri has joined several other leading industry multi-stakeholder associations. These include the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), China Association of Circular Economy (CACE), and the European Disposables and Nonwovens Association (EDANA).

Allen Zhang, President of Sateri, said, “Sateri is committed to growing our business as sustainably as we can. Our adoption of the Fashion Charter goals is a bold leap but we believe that pushing the boundaries is necessary. We are also stepping up on our engagement with industry partners to be part of the collective action to accelerate efforts against climate change.  As we formulate Sateri Vision 2030 for a sustainable business, carbon reduction will be one of our key focus areas”.

In addition to stepping up greenhouse gas emission reductions in its own operations, the company will continue to support decarbonisation efforts of the downstream textile value chain. Late last year, in collaboration with the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), a Climate Leadership Whitepaper was published. The paper analysed how innovation in Sateri’s EcoCosy® fibre products help reduce carbon emission during yarn and fabric manufacturing stages, and also proposed next steps in achieving industry-wide emission reduction goals.   

Sateri attained an ‘A-‘ score in CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) for Climate Change in 2019;  a score which is higher than the ‘C’ average globally, in Asia, as well as in the Textiles and Fabric Goods sector. 

• Technology for dyeing polyester and its blends

TERASIL® BLUE W high wash fastness dye raises operational excellence of mills, providing right-first-time results leading to savings of water, energy and costs.

Huntsman Textile Effects introduces TERASIL® BLUE W, the latest addition to the TERASIL® W/WW range of wash fast disperse dyes. TERASIL® Blue W is designed to meet all major requirements for high performance sportswear and athleisure wear.

Polyester fiber has become the fiber of choice in the textile industry, the demand for polyester and man-made fibers is expected to rise over the long term, as sports and athleisure apparel markets expand around the world. At the same time, leading brands, retailers and mills are increasingly focused on achieving brilliant and deep shades, consistent shade reproducibility, as well as water, energy and cost savings.

TERASIL® BLUE W is developed by Huntsman Textile Effects to provide the leading solution for meeting industry’s wash fastness requirements. TERASIL® BLUE W offers an attractive shade and high build-up for deep blues which stays vibrant. TERASIL® BLUE W also provides quality assurance as products are bluesign® approved and suitable for STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified textile products.

Leading fashion and textile industry training centre offers UK professionals hands-on experience with 3D digital design tools
 
EFI™ Optitex®, Electronics For Imaging's global provider of integrated end-to-end 2D & 3D CAD/CAM software solutions for the fashion and apparel industry, today announced its partnership with Fashion Enter Ltd. (FEL), a UK training and technical skills development centre for the fashion and textile industry. FEL has implemented EFI Optitex 3D solutions into its course curriculum.
 
Established in 2006, London-based FEL is a veritable "all-in-one" technology hub for the fashion and textile industry, offering multiple training and technical skills development services encompassing the entire design to production cycle. A not for profit, social enterprise, FEL also provides apprenticeships and adult learning through an Educational Skills and Finding Agency- and Social Enterprise London-approved technical centre supported by Haringey Council, Mayor's Good Growth Fund and online fashion retailer ASOS®.
 
To help lay the foundation for the UK's fashion and textile industry on its imminent journey towards digital transformation, FEL was determined to close the mounting skills gap in both industry and academia and offer UK professionals hands-on experience and exposure to 3D digital design tools. With a keen understanding of the market's growing need for speed, flexibility and shifting demands, in September 2019, FEL selected EFI Optitex as its 3D technology partner. FEL sought advanced 3D solutions that would enable innovative digital design courses, apprenticeships and bespoke training, including collaboration with leading fashion retailers such as Marks & Spencer®, ASOS, Next®, and many others.
 
After a short but highly intensive training period FEL implemented EFI Optitex 3D into its design and production processes, including pattern design and 3D tools for design and fitting. Since the recent implementation, FEL has already reaped the benefits of EFI Optitex 3D fully digital design, from sampling and grading, through to production. During a preliminary implementation phase, EFI Optitex 3D will enable FEL to deliver a wide range of accredited 3D design courses and forge collaborations with new customers, a result of EFI Optitex 3D's intuitive design tools, ease of use, and time and resource savings.

Today’s consumers demand versatility in their apparel, whether they’re shopping for work, sports or leisure wear. Work wear is no longer just about style, and sports and leisure wear is no longer just about stretch, while the demands for high-performance textiles in every category continue to increase. More and more consumer brands are looking to Schoeller’s established technologies to deliver not only beautiful fabrics that offer comfort and style but also breathability and the best in water and dirt repellence to their customers.

3XDRY® finishing technology from schoeller® allows the exterior of a textile to be water repellent, while the inside absorbs moisture and quickly distributes it over the surface. As a result, textiles with 3XDRY® dry much faster in comparison to conventional textiles. Since the launch of 3XDRY® in 2001, the technology has proven performance focused mostly on sportswear. Now that demands within the fashion industry are also trending toward performance textiles, more of its apparel brands are also turning to the patented 3XDRY® technology’s reliability and versatility for functional jackets, pants and shirts.