Balkan Society of Textile Engineers

In the summer of 2018, the Balkan Society of Textile Engineers (known as BASTE) has been established. It reflects the will of the communities of the textile engineers in the Balkan countries to strengthen and enhance their cooperation

Balkan Society of Textile Engineers

In the summer of 2018, the Balkan Society of Textile Engineers (known as BASTE) has been established. It reflects the will of the communities of the textile engineers in the Balkan countries to strengthen and enhance their cooperation

Study of screen-printed electroconductive textile materials

During the last decade, a lot of research is done in screen printing with conductive silver-based inks on different woven and nonwoven textile fabrics. This method offers flexible and lightweight conductive textiles with excellent electroconductive properties to be used in smart textiles. Furthermore, those printed textiles can be used in different applications such as textile antennas, feed lines, simple one-layer routing structures, electrodes and circuits. Maintenance of the printed textiles in daily life is one of the main problems that this method was facing. In this dissertation, screen printing technology was applied on different woven, nonwoven and foam substrates with four silver-based inks. Besides this, a solution was found to make printed textiles washable/dry-cleanable up to 60 cycles. Therefore, a thermoplastic polyurethane layer was put on top of the printed area to protect it during the frequent washing/dry-cleaning cycles. During the measurements of the square resistance, it was found that the electroconductive screen-printed woven textiles are anisotropic. The anisotropy was not detected with a previously used measurement method: the four-point probe method did not reveal anisotropy, but the Van Der Pauw method did. In order to be able to interpret the measurements correctly, a mathematical analysis of the measuring method has been established

Leather and footwear industry in Albania – history, tradition and its challenges

This paper aims to give an overview of the history of the development of Albanian leather and footwear manufacturing sector covering the whole production chain from leather processing to footwear production as well as the perspective of this sector in the country and its challenges

Electrical Resistivity of Conductive Leather and Influence of Air Temperature and Humidity

Leather is a material that has been used in different applications for centuries. Today, living in the era of high-tech­nology, we are surrounded by smart products. For this reason, traditional products must be changed or im­proved in order to support and make us more comfortable while using them. For instance, the touch screen display in electronics products is a smart phone’s or a tablet computer’s primary input device. Still, traditional leather will not function properly in a cold climate or other specific conditions. To make it conductive in such conditions, the double in-situ polymerization of the pyrrole coating method was used. The aim of this study was to observe the electrical properties of conductive leather. At the same time, it stands up to a wide range of different air temperatures, and relative and absolute humidity. These properties are essential because de­signers and textile engineers should be familiar with them when they decide to use materials in different smart products. Electricity conductivity tests were carried out in year-round temperatures from 7.5 °C to 28.1 °C, with a relative humidity from 18% to 77% and a vapor air concentration from 2.77 g/kg to 12.46 g/kg. The so-called “multiple-step method” was used to test leather’s electrical resistivity for the first time. The method considers a material’s compressional properties and provides an indicator inherent for a material’s electrical properties, regardless of the mass and shape of samples. The results showed a strong dependence between water vapor air concentration and electrical resistivity, described using the formula ρ = 1.3103 H−1.04 Ωm, with a correlation coefficient of 0.87. There was no relation between relative humidity and electrical resistivity, and resistivity and air temperature. Also, the results confirmed again that changes in the shape of the sample used during tests did not influence the measurement’s results, but supported the appropriateness of the measuring method

Investigating Properties of Electrically Conductive Textiles: A Review

Electro-conductive textiles are mostly fabrics that have conductive elements or electronics integrated into them to achieve electrical characteristics. They have acquired considerable attention in applications involving sensors, communications, heating textiles, entertainment, health care, safety etc. To produce electro-conductive textiles, several techniques, e.g. chemical treating with conductive polymers on various textile materials, or using different technologies, e.g. knitting, weaving, embroidery techniques to include conductive threads into fabric interconnections etc., are being used. Electro-conductive fabrics are flexible enough to be adapted to quick changes in any particular application, beginning with wearable purposes and sensing needs as specified by many different groups. The ability of electro-conductive textiles to conduct electricity is the most essential property they must possess. In addition, the applications that may be worn should have stable electrical, thermal and mechanical qualities. The most recent developments in the field of electro-conductive textiles represent the aim of this review, which analyses these properties, including the investigation of methods that are used to obtain conductive textiles, their electrical properties, thermal properties, and beyond that, the scientific methods that are used to measure and investigate electro-conductive textiles. We also focused on the textile materials used in studies, as well as the technologies used to make them conductive, which may be a guide for different interested groups for use in a variety of smart applications

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Albanian apparel manufacturing industry

The apparel and leather manufacturing industry remains one of the main sectors of the Albanian economy. The last three decades, this industry is known as the "Façon" industry. Now this sector is trying to be oriented towards FPP (Full Production Package). The worldwide situation created by the COVID-19 crisis, as in every sector, has had a substantial impact on the progress of the apparel sector in Albania. As a result of this situation, during 2020, exports in Albania, the apparel and leather industry, have declined, as in other sectors of the economy. Despite this, regarding the INSTAT, the apparel and leather manufacturing industry remains the first for exports to Albania. This study aims to address the important issues on how this global pandemic situation has directly influenced the Albanian apparel manufacturing industry, where companies were interviewed. The companies in Albania, as over the world, were faced with an unexpected situation of the apparel manufacturing industry in international markets, followed by new and alternative solutions they had to figure out and/or adapt, by changing dynamics and expectations for the future

Attitudes towards Wearing Facemasks as a Fashion Accessor

The global Covid 19 pandemic introduced a new item in everyday dress – the facemask. During 2020, fashion elements crept in the design of this primarily functional item. This research aims to understand the importance of fashion and aesthetical appearance in the choice of facemasks. An online questionnaire was distributed via different social media in France examining types of masks worn and the understanding of masks as a fashion accessory. The research indicates that surgical masks are worn most often, with price being the prevalent criterion for their choice. Masks are primarily seen as a personal protection equipment. However, in a small fashion-conscious subgroup of the population the appearance of face masks chosen primarily for their aesthetic appeal can be noticed. This is particularly applicable to textile masks, weather certified or homemade which are seen as part of sustainable fashion