TEXTILES T


he promise of smart textiles - those that incorporate electronics or other actuation mechanisms into traditional fiber technology - has been widely promoted for nearly two decades,


but barriers are still preventing products from reaching commercialisation phase. Here we review the challenges, provide information on how to meet them, and offer a window into a few promising new applications under development.


SMART TEXTILES BASICS In recent years, the demand for smart textiles has grown exponentially. One key market is wearables, where the fabrics are used in the fashion industry and for medical and first responder applications that track and monitor health and performance. Smart textiles are also being promoted for safety applications, including seat belts, parachutes, and military equipment. Another area of interest is applications for the industrial internet of things (IIoT), where they can be used for measuring product lifecycle or improving process optimisation. Smart textiles are made of conductive fibres


woven throughout a base material. They may also include digital components, such as batteries and small computer systems that create electric currents and track feedback from the textile. Examples may include changes in a flexibility property in response to blunt force; expansion in bulk after wetting; or a colour change in response to a specific external trigger, like light or chemical exposure. Smart textiles can be woven, knitted, non-woven (bonded fibres), or braided fabrics that capture and


SMART TEXTILES


ADDRESSING COMMERCIALISATION CHALLENGES By Ted Fetterman, Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM)


transmit data, sense and/or react to stimuli, and/or store power. Passive smart textiles are those that transmit only, like fibre optics. Active smart textiles transform or activate by emitting light, noise, heat or other reaction. Smart textiles also have a phase-change


capability, which means they can modify physical properties (shape, dimensions, and viscosity) in a specific manner in response to stimuli in the environment - like electricity, heat, magnetic fields, stress, pressure, wind, or temperature. The birth of smart textiles can be traced to


the groundbreaking work done in the late 1960s, with the advent of the astronaut’s spacesuit, which could inflate and deflate, light up, and heat and cool itself. In the mid-1990s the concept of wearable technology was introduced, ushering in an era of fabrics that capture data regarding physical performance. Typically, smart textiles feature tape that is


configured with a certain combination of external input/output device; webbing conductive element; sensor type connection/termination; and internal output device that makes a tape a smart tape.


CHALLENGES TO THE COMMERCIALISATION PROCESS With all the interest in smart textiles, many question why they have not already become part of daily life everywhere. The answer lies in several barriers and challenges that have prevented products from reaching commercialisation. Key among these challenges are fibre development and selection; lack of commercial off the shelf (COTS) solutions; lack of industry standards; and high development costs.


Fibre development/selection Bringing smart technology to textiles requires following the complete fibre supply change development cycle, which is a long process. Smart technologies cannot be introduced to a textile if the technology limits the textile’s basic functionality. The technology readiness level (TRL) of new fibres and the technology solutions must be high enough to offer a solution that can be commercialised at a reasonable cost.


BRM has been overcoming this challenge using a two-pronged approach. First, it used the most well-established technologies, like embedding conductive wires into textiles for conducting electricity, creating antennas, and providing induction


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heating elements. This is critical, because using established electrical components in the textile shortens the R&D cycle. For example, insulated copper wire is readily


available with insulative polymer coatings that protect the copper conductor from the mechanical stresses to which the wire is subjected by the weaving process. BRM has been embedding insulated copper wires into woven narrow fabrics since the 1980s. Other well-established technologies, like nickel coated wire and resistive heating wires, have been successfully integrated into textiles for many years. In short, weaving technologists already have many years of experience in combining this type of additional functionality into the textile construct for a variety of applications. In addition, the more recent invention of


reliable connectors, improved computer processing speeds and capability, and access to power improvements are helping to drive demand for new applications for embedded functionality. As these related technologies have advanced, new applications are becoming more viable. The second element of BRM’s approach is


evaluating new fibre technologies by forming informal partnerships with suppliers that often lead to development subcontracts. As experts in textile architectures and weaving, BRM frequently manufactures small product runs, using an iterative development process that helps suppliers bring up the TRL level of the technology they are promoting. BRM’s work typically focuses on ideas being developed for the US Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Department of Health and Human Services.


Need for commercial-off-the-shelf solutions to bring product to market The high development costs required to bring a product to market means standard commercial- off-the-shelf (COTS) are not readily available. The question of who pays for development is a thorny one. There is a significant gap between the developer or fabricator (who puts textile components together to create products for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or third-party companies) and independent companies that work with the OEMs. For example, BRM works with many


developers or fabricators that make products for OEMs producing products for law enforcement, fashion, attaché cases, and fire protection equipment. These developers or fabricators are aware of BRM’s proprietary E-WEBBINGS e- textile product base, which serves as the foundation layer to which electronic intercommunicative technology is integrated directly. When asked by an OEM for additional smart textile technology, they frequently ask


Autumn 2022 UKManufacturing


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