South Carolina's Textile and Apparel Industries: An Analysis of Trends in Traditional and Emerging Sectors

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Smart nanotextiles: materials and their application

Textiles are ubiquitous to us, enveloping our skin and surroundings. Not only do they provide a protective shield or act as a comforting cocoon but they also serve esthetic appeal and cultural importance. Recent technologies have allowed the traditional functionality of textiles to be extended. Advances in materials science have added intelligence to textiles and created ‘smart’ clothes. Smart textiles can sense and react to environmental conditions or stimuli, e.g., from mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical, or magnetic sources (Lam Po Tang and Stylios 2006). Such textiles find uses in many applications ranging from military and security to personalized healthcare, hygiene, and entertainment. Smart textiles may be termed ‘‘passive’’ or ‘‘active.’’ A passive smart textile monitors the wearer’s physiology or the environment, e.g., a shirt with in-built thermistors to log body temperature over time. If actuators are integrated, the textile becomes an active, smart textile as it may respond to a particular stimulus, e.g., the temperature-aware shirt may automatically roll up the sleeves when body temperature rises. The fundamental components in any smart textile are sensors and actuators. Interconnections, power supply, and a control unit are also needed to complete the system. All these components must be integrated into textiles while still retaining the usual tactile, flexible, and comfortable properties that we expect from a textile. Adding new functionalities to textiles while still maintaining the look and feel of the fabric is where nanotechnology has a huge impact on the textile industry. This article describes current developments in materials for smart nanotextiles and some of the many applications where these innovative textiles are of great benefit

The Technique of Security Print on Textiles with a Hidden Sign in the Near-Infrared Spectrum

The INFRAREDESIGN® is introduced into the fabric dyeing technology in order to give a new dimension to security cameras in urban areas. The visible pattern of colors also contains a carefully designed hidden image. The hidden image is detected instrumentally in the infrared area. The arrangement of pigments on the fabric is determined using computer graphics by programming dual, "twin" colorants. Recipes for ink components consisting of colorants cyan, magenta, yellow and black are proposed in this article. The inks differ in monochromatic photography in the near-infrared spectrum. The clothes have two images, two independent pieces of information. One is intended for the visible spectrum and can be seen with the naked eye in daylight. The other image is separated (detected) with a camera which "sees" the intended infrared graphics. Cameras in the streets of our cities observe the environment during the day and night. Through the lens of the "night camera", the interested observer discovers messages designed on his or her favorite brand. The clothes are given new value in the eyes of the observer; the brand is elevated to a new level of "dual communication". Security print is a combination of vector and pixel graphics which manifests itself in the visible and near-infrared spectrum

Digital laser-dyeing: coloration and patterning techniques for polyester textiles

This research explored a Digital Laser Dye (DLD) patterning process as an alternative coloration method within a textile design practice context. An interdisciplinary framework employed to carry out the study involved Optical Engineering, Dyeing Chemistry, Textile Design and Industry Interaction through collaboration with the Society of Dyers and Colourists. In doing so, combined creative, scientific and technical methods facilitated design innovation. Standardized polyester (PET) knitted jersey and plain, woven fabrics were modified with CO2 laser technology in order to engineer dye onto the fabric with high-resolution graphics. The work considered the aesthetic possibilities, production opportunities and environmental potential of the process compared to traditional and existing surface design techniques. Laser-dyed patterns were generated by a digital dyeing technique involving CAD, laser technology and dye practices to enable textile coloration and patterning. An understanding of energy density was used to define the tone of a dye in terms of colour depth in relation to the textile. In doing so, a system for calibrating levels of colour against laser energy in order to build a tonal image was found. Central to the investigation was the consideration of the laser beam spot as a dots-per-inch tool, drawing on the principles used in digital printing processes. It was therefore possible to utilise the beam as an image making instrument for modifying textile fibres with controlled laser energy. Qualitative approaches employed enabled data gathering to incorporate verbal and written dialogue based on first-hand interactions. Documented notes encompassed individual thought and expression which facilitated the ability to reflect when engaged in practical activity. As such, tacit knowledge and designerly intuition, which is implicit by nature, informed extended design experiments and the thematic documentation of samples towards a textile design collection. Quantitative measurement and analysis of the outcomes alongside creative exploration aided both a tacit understanding of, and ability to control processing parameters. This enabled repeatability of results parallel to design development and has established the potential to commercially apply the technique. Sportswear and intimate apparel prototypes produced in the study suggest suitable markets for processing polyester garments in this way

Laser textile design: the development of laser dyeing and laser moulding processes to support sustainable design and manufacture

This research developed new creative opportunities for textile design by investigating CO2 laser processing technology to achieve surface design and three-dimensional effects. A practice based and interdisciplinary textile design methodology was employed, integrating scientific and technical approaches with a reflective craft practice. It was found that the synthesis of design and science was imperative to achieving the research goal of evolving techniques that have opened new design opportunities for textile design whilst being viable and communicable for industrial and commercial application. Four distinct Laser Textile Design techniques were developed in this research including: a laser enhanced dyeing technique for wool and wool blends; Peri-Dyeing, a laser dye fixation technique; a laser moulding technique; and a laser fading linen technique. [Continues.

Method for the production of conductive flexible textile arrays

US7531203; US7531203 B2; US7531203B2; US7,531,203; US 7,531,203 B2; 7531203; Application No. 11/029,647Inventor name used in this publication: Marcus Chun-Wah YuenUSVersion of Recor

Estudo do comportamento cinético de sistemas fotocrómicos

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia TêxtilPhotochromic colourants have found some applications, such as spectacle lenses, textile designs, and molecular switches. However, their somewhat high cost, lack of standardized laboratory procedures, and technological limitations are preventing them from entering the mainstream market and industry. To overcome this problem, a prototype (the Photochrom-2), consisting of a modified spectrophotometer, was developed at the Technical University of Liberec (TUL) to accurately perform dynamic measurements on photochromic and thermochromic materials. This device allows the user to control the sample’s temperature, the time of exposure to the exciting light source, and the time of decay. Using the Photochrom-2, textile samples screen-printed with the Matsui Photopia Purple (MPP) pigment were studied. The main goal was to analyse the kinetic behaviour of the compound over five consecutive cycles while varying the pigment concentration, the temperature, and the time of exposure to the exciting light source. Six distinct pigment concentrations, five temperatures, and two exposure times were tested. After defining the maximum absorption wavelength and the appropriate decay time, the five cycle assays began. By direct application of the Kubelka-Munk transform, graphics of / values as a function of time were obtained. From there, it was possible to evaluate the influence of concentration, temperature, and exposure time on the resulting colour strength. Then, the / values were run through the one-phase decay mathematical model with the aid of the GraphPad Prism software to evaluate how the photochromic response is lost throughout consecutive cycles of activation and decay. During the first stage of data analysis, it was concluded that higher concentrations and lower temperatures were able to produce greater colour strength. In the second stage, the kinetic behaviour of the pigment was analysed. It was concluded that the half-life strongly correlates to pigment concentration and temperature. During decay, the pigment increasingly acquired residual colour over consecutive cycles, regardless of the parameters. Overall, it was concluded that the pigment does withstand five consecutive cycles of exposure and decay without a significant loss of photochromic response. Moreover, the parameters selected were suitable for the proposed objective, and, thus, are a valuable contribution to research on photochromic colourants and can be used as a model for further research.Os corantes fotocrómicos têm algumas aplicações, exemplos incluem lentes fotocrómicas, designs têxteis e interruptores moleculares. No entanto, o seu custo elevado, a falta de standards laboratoriais e certas limitações tecnológicas impedem-nos de entrar no mercado e na indústria mainstream. Para superar esse problema, um protótipo (o Photochrom-2) foi desenvolvido na Universidade Técnica de Liberec (TUL) para realizar medições dinâmicas com precisão em materiais fotocrómicos e termocrómicos. Este dispositivo permite que o usuário controle a temperatura da amostra, o tempo de exposição à fonte de luz excitante e o tempo de decaimento. O Photochrom-2 foi usado para estudar amostras têxteis estampadas com o pigmento Matsui Photopia Purple (MPP). O objetivo principal foi analisar o comportamento cinético do composto ao longo de cinco ciclos consecutivos enquanto se variava a concentração do pigmento, a temperatura e o tempo de exposição à fonte de luz excitante. Seis concentrações de pigmento distintas, cinco temperaturas e dois tempos de exposição foram testados. Depois de definir o comprimento de onda de absorção máximo e o tempo de decaimento apropriado, os ensaios de cinco ciclos começaram. Pela aplicação direta da transformada de Kubelka- Munk, gráficos dos valores / em função do tempo foram obtidos. A partir daí, foi possível avaliar a influência da concentração, temperatura e tempo de exposição na intensidade da cor resultante. Em seguida, os valores de / foram tratados com o modelo matemático de decaimento exponencial com o software GraphPad Prism para avaliar como a resposta fotocrómica é perdida ao longo de ciclos consecutivos de ativação e decaimento. Durante a primeira etapa de análise dos dados, concluiu-se que maiores concentrações e menores temperaturas produzem maior intensidade de cor. Na segunda etapa, foi analisado o comportamento cinético do pigmento. Conclui-se que o tempo de meia vida varia com a temperatura e concentração de pigmento. Durante o decaimento, as amostras adquiriram cada vez mais cor residual em ciclos consecutivos, independentemente dos parâmetros. Em geral, concluiuse que o pigmento resiste a cinco ciclos consecutivos de exposição e decaimento sem perda significativa da resposta fotocrómica. Para além disso, os parâmetros seleccionados foram adequados ao objetivo proposto; estes são uma valiosa contribuição para a investigação de corantes fotocrómicos e futuramente podem ser utilizados como modelo para outros trabalhos