Greiz/Frankfurt, April 23 - 26, 2024 – At Techtextil 2024, the Textile Research Institute Thuringia-Vogtland e. V. (TITV Greiz) presented the strengths, versatility and many integration possibilities of smart textiles using various examples.
Numerous visitors to the trade fair visited the Institute's stand in Hall 11.1 at Stand E46 within the joint Thuringian stand and were impressed by the flashing, reactive, luminous and heating textile-integrated elements.
Optimized conductive thread materials
The new conductive thread materials are suitable for various applications and are durable. The barriers to market entry for previous conductive thread materials, which were due to inadequate or unstable properties such as poor corrosion resistance, sliding properties and resistance to washing and abrasion, have thus been eliminated. Large-scale production can be implemented using a modular system, and even the coating weight and electrical conductivity can be determined directly. TITV Greiz can specifically adjust the electrical resistance of the thread. By coating the thread and applying a carbon-containing polymer coating, electrical resistances of 1-1000 kΩ/m can be achieved. The coated individual threads enable good frictional properties during processing thanks to twist variants and an adapted layer structure.
Integrated lighting and heating application
The integrated threads are used in the vest for textile circuits of the light modules and as an electrical supply line for the power supply for the heating modules. FSD™ technology is used to apply and contact the LEDs. The LEDs are located on sequins, which are freely positioned using an embroidery machine and simultaneously embroidered with the developed conductive thread material and thus connected. The electrical resistance is 15-30 Ohm/m when using metallized materials such as Shieldex®. The high-resistance thread hiTEX for embroidered heating has an electrical resistance of 200-700kOhm/m with constant resistance, even over short sections of thread. This means that textile heaters made from this material can be cut to size, while the heat distribution remains even. This makes it suitable for non-planar textile heaters - for example in steering wheels or molded components. Both threads have a flexible textile character and can be embroidered, contacted and washed. imbut GmbH can transfer these properties to any thread - regardless of whether it is made from chemical or natural fibers.
Flyer of the AdaptStick project, which reflects the optimized conductive thread materials and their use
The functional vest with integrated heating and illuminated surfaces, demonstrator of the AdaptStick project, was exhibited by 5 different partners at the trade fair
Textile-technologically integrated circuit tracks with proximity sensors and performance textiles for use in extreme conditions
The manta ray from the BionicRoboSkin project was on display on a special stage at Techtextil under the motto "Apparels on Stage" and attracted many interested visitors to the stand. There, a single "fin" was used as an example to explain how the sensors and conductive elements are integrated into the flexible textile bionic 3D outer skin using embroidery technology.
The textile was carefully selected specifically for regular use in seawater and for its resistance to UV radiation. The sensors detect the distance to objects, for example, and emit a signal via integrated light modules. The manta ray is used for underwater navigation in the sea, communicates with the diver and detects dangerous objects.
Lead project manager Ms. Heidi Schaarschmidt with the manta ray from the BionicRoboSkin project at the Techtextil special show “Apparels on Stage”
Single “fin” of the manta ray, as an example to illustrate the textile-integrated sensors and conductor paths using embroidery technology
Programmable textile display in XXL format
The display is based on several interconnected LED strips and is flexible as well as individually programmable. Depending on the textile outer fabric and its distance from the light source, the scattering of the light has a different effect. In this case, the white waffle fabric allows the colors of the LEDs to shine evenly, hardly absorbs any light and forms a small halo. Alternatively, textiles can also be made to glow using LED-equipped FSD™ sequins (Functional Sequin Device) as a textile-based solution. Embroidered automatically or simply by hand using a multi-head embroidery machine, they can be placed anywhere on a textile and at the same time electrically connected and interconnected with a conductive thread. As the sequins are already fitted with LEDs, users do not have to solder the LEDs onto the textiles themselves. In addition, the illuminated sequins can be easily connected with a conductive thread so that users do not have to insert an inflexible, hard wire into the textile as a conductor. By embroidering the illuminated sequin, the illuminated textile remains flexible and soft and therefore remains comfortable to wear.
Rotating textile display on the three-part column at the TITV e. V. trade fair stand
