Yarns experiment new applications which until yesterday were unthinkable. Thanks to the integration of new materials and with the support of 3D and multilayers knitting techniques, yarns become protagonist of the development of medical knits.
The trend clearly emerged also during the latest edition of Techtextil in Frankfurt. It enhanced the increased interest of the consumers for products with functional features linked to wellbeing, health and care of the person.
The demand of protection and safety in the working world is raising, but also in the leisure time and in the sport activities. Far beyond the simple pullover, the avant-garde technology of flat knitting machines allows to produce retentive and protective shapes, but also healthy and comfortable, using “function specific” materials and techniques: beyond the sneaker up to orthopedic aids and sports supports, knee pads, bandages and similar. The use of intarsia selected areas allows to integrate special yarns in polyamide and polyurethane, soluble to the heat, to harden and to make more compact and solid the body parts to protect.
Also, the carbon helps to give solidity, resistance, thermoregulation and is used as hygienizer and antibacterial agent for thermoformable knits with high performance (at 110°C the knit becomes slippery to the touch, at 140°C it starts to crystallize and becomes semi rigid, at 170°C it becomes gummy and at 250°C it becomes rigid) and with the possibility in the future to expand into applications in the automotive and aerospace sectors.
A material, that is particularly considered from the market, is today the Graphene. Based on the physical transformation of the natural graphite, Graphene consists of a monoatomic layer of carbon atoms, arranged in a hexagonal structure.
It is the thinnest material in nature with the thickness of a single atom. It can be incorporated into yarns and fabrics, at the same time as dyeing, to obtain a product that is fully antibacterial, anti-odor, antistatic, resistant to wear and washing, but above all a thermal conductor that allows extremely comfortable advanced thermoregulation with wide-ranging improvements from outdoor clothing, to the underwear.
Elastic polyamide yarns become stretch knits, slightly compressive, with a particularly soft touch and pleasant warmth in contact with the skin.
Known for its use in padding Primaloft is a well-known American brand in the sportswear. Primaloft fiber is a modified polyester, originally created for clothing in the military sector. It is characterized by high performances such as thermal regulation, quick drying, breathability, resistance to pilling and abrasion.
Moreover, Primaloft has a much greater softness and fluidity to the touch than other polyesters. The range of Primaloft yarns has recently been enriched with Primaloft BIO, a 100% post-consumer recycled polyester yarn and BIO DEGRADABLE, maintaining all the technical properties listed above and the softness of the original version. This yarn degrades in much shorter times than conventional polyester, helping to reduce the pollution from microplastics of the land and oceans, attributable to waste from the textile supply chain and wear during washing and therefore perfectly in tune with the values of circular economy.
Concept and photo by Elementi Moda
