Dear readers,
welcome to the latest edition of the STFI Newsletter.
"Shifting the limits" will be the motto of this years Techtextil taking place from from 23 to 26 April 2024 in Frankfurt am Main. As a research service provider to the textile industry, we explore and shift the limits of materials and processes for our customers every day. In Frankfurt am Main, we will be presenting fascinating high-tech textile products and solutions of tomorrow. Our highlights from current research results and innovations provide insights into the digitalisation of textile production, show applications for 3D printing and smart technical textiles and provide examples of particularly sustainably designed products as well as innovative approaches for protective and medical textiles. Join us and get excited for the textile industry's showcase. You can find us in hall 11.1, stand E40.
We hope you enjoy reading our newsletter!
Your STFI
Textile circular economy
– Interview with Johannes Leis from STFI –
Today, textiles are omnipresent and an integral part of our everyday lives. Circular economy and sustainability are becoming increasingly important for the entire textile industry. Not least, the EU strategy for sustainable and recyclable textiles published in 2022 makes clear that these topics are now also the focus of politics and society and should be increasingly promoted in the future. STFI can look back on many years of expertise in textile recycling. STFI recycling expert Johannes Leis answers six questions about where the circular economy and textile sustainability are heading.
What are the biggest challenges for the textile circular economy?
We are still at the beginning of the journey towards a circular textile economy, so the challenges are manifold. This concerns research into materials and treatment and processing technologies, product design, product use and care, business models and also the policies that should incentivise a circular economy. It will take all of us to make decisive progress here. We currently have a circularity rate of one to two per cent in the textile consumer goods sector, so there is still a long way to go. At the same time, many stakeholders have already set out and started to move in the right direction. This is demonstrated by a variety of developments in the areas of collecting, sorting and processing textile waste. The ideas of a circular economy are becoming more and more popular with companies and politicians also currently pushing ahead to create the right conditions.
What are the current research and development trends in the textile circular economy?
A circular economy is often associated primarily with the recycling of products. In this area, many developments are actually on the way or have already reached the market in the first plants in recent years. These include the sorting of textile waste according to material, the chemical recycling of polyester, cotton or polyamide, the mechanical recycling of spinnable fibres and ultimately also the processing of recycled fibres, whose properties often differ from primary fibres.
However, a circular economy is much more than "just" recycling. The long-term use, repair or reuse of products are also extremely important factors in keeping materials in the cycle. Accordingly, many developments are of course also underway in these areas. This concerns, for example, avoiding waste and saving resources, designing products that can be repaired and recycled, whose components are separably connected and have a modular structure. And last but not least, business models that must also make this transformation towards a circular economy economically attractive.
What achievements can the STFI look back on so far?
The aforementioned focal points of a textile circular economy have been part of the work at STFI since the institute has been founded. By this, I also mean, but explicitly not exclusively, the recycling of textile products. As an industry-oriented research institute, we have dealt with a wide range of topics and problems over the past 30 years in order to support companies on their way.
We believe in collaboration and that many challenges can be overcome by working together. Accordingly, we have built up a large network of national and international partners, including companies, research institutes, associations, organisations and many more. We participate in standardisation, offer workshops and are part of many national and international networks and committees. I think one of our greatest successes is the close cooperation with all these bodies in the textile industry.
Which textile recycling measures have the greatest impact?
A circular economy is much more than just recycling, and I firmly believe that the solutions for a textile circular economy will ultimately have to be as diverse as the textile products they create. In many cases, we will have to weigh up which measure is best in a specific case. For example, mixing materials is often a barrier from a recycling point of view, but at the same time there may be good reasons for mixing in terms of product longevity and functionality. It is difficult to give a general answer here.
When asked about specific measures for good recyclability, mono-materiality, detachable joining technologies, as few non-textile components as possible and the use of high-quality materials are certainly worth mentioning. Not all materials are equally suitable for recycling.
Where does the industry need to take urgent action?
As I said, many of the challenges have been identified and solutions are at least in the pipeline or already underway. I think we need to talk about resource use, which is of course closely linked to business models. Currently, three out of four textiles from the consumer goods sector end up in landfill or are incinerated. This makes it difficult to make the system sustainable. As researchers, we need to offer solutions in different areas of materials or technologies so that functionality and recyclability can be combined even better. The price pressure on many companies is enormous. It is up to politicians to reward good approaches so that these solutions find their way to the market. Last but not least, it is up to us as consumers to act accordingly: Use products consciously and for a long time, maintain them properly and dispose of them properly at the end of their life cycle. The circular economy must become a culture – it affects us all!
How can a company become more sustainable in terms of the circular economy?
One should not be overwhelmed by the many challenges and some uncertainties about future developments. If you would like to do something in these areas, please get in touch with us. At any time via our contact details or at Techtextil 2024. The STFI stand will be in hall 11.1, stand E40.
Mouldable wooden surfaces with integrated, non-contact sensors for furniture and interior fittings
Height-adjustable desks for individual working positions or for changing users in shared workstations are all the rage. The integration of functions in furniture and interior design is becoming increasingly important as working conditions change. This goes hand in hand with a greater need for surface hygiene. Three medium-sized industrial companies and two research institutes from Saxony are currently developing high-quality mouldable real wood surfaces with integrated non-contact control elements.
Initially, smart technical textiles (STT) are produced as semi-finished products from natural fibre-based nonwovens by applying capacitive proximity sensors made from electrically conductive yarns and LEDs as actuators to the carrier material by embroidering. In the next step, they are joined to form a textile-wood composite component. The STTs are pressed together with a wood veneer as surface and a plywood, chipboard or MDF board as the substrate to form a composite component. By varying the joining process, it is possible to determine whether the composite component is moulded as a flat panel material or a 3D-formed (curved) element. The new FOHOS composite components are suitable for the production of attractive pieces of furniture, panelling elements for interior fittings or for use in vehicle interiors.
At Techtextil, we are showing a demonstrator of a height-adjustable table. This has attractive lighting, an inductive charging surface for charging a smartphone and its height and lighting can be controlled via the contactless sensors integrated into the surface. The research project is being implemented as part of the "Renewable raw materials" funding programme.
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Molotov cocktail protection for special forces
Special forces are dependent on protective clothing that protects against a wide range of hazards. In most cases, a higher level of protection limits wearing comfort. Researchers at STFI and ITA Aachen have therefore jointly developed a heat-resistant fabric that protects against attacks with Molotov cocktails which is also very comfortable to wear.
As a result, the protective clothing developed is characterised by an optimised fibre composition and a special yarn and fabric construction. In addition, the functionalisation of the fabric has been adapted. It has been possible to limit the heat shrinkage in the yarns themselves and in the fabric even more. As the development also focused on a yarn construction suitable for mass production, the innovative approaches of the development lie in particular in the material composition of the fibre mixture used. At the same time, wearing comfort was increased with sufficient protection by means of an innovative fabric weave. One of the criteria for wearing comfort is breathability, measured by the air permeability of the suit. A durable finishing formula was developed in order to optimise the run-off behaviour of fire accelerants from the clothing.
In the course of the project, a test methodology based on the “TNO - W 9999 - Molotov cocktail test” was also successfully developed for small test specimens. The developed test methodology is used to test the burning behaviour of the protective textiles, including adhering substances and heat-intensifying fire accelerants. In addition, the performance of the developed fabrics can be evaluated. The protective clothing will be exhibited at the STFI at Techtextil 2024.
Printed heating system for e-mobility increases vehicle range
How can the range of electric vehicles be increased? Saving weight and energy as well as increasing efficiency are possible starting points. A new concept for seat and interior heating for electromobility looks at direct heating of the interior using printed heating elements.
Direct heating of the vehicle interior increases the heating output and offers a decisive advantage over conventional heating systems thanks to energy savings and increased efficiency. The new system consists of printed surface and spot heating conductors that can be individually controlled and selectively regulated. These heating conductor structures are applied to textile substrates and lightweight components using inkjet and laser technologies. In addition to digital inkjet printing on suitable textile substrates, the research work also includes the development of selective control of the heating conductor systems. In addition, the processes are to be scaled up for industrial production. Finally, the integration and validation of the heatsealing band systems in selected test vehicles is planned. At Techtextil 2024, the STFI will be presenting first samples of various nonwovens that have been equipped with heat conductor structures using inkjet printing.
The project is being carried out as part of the BMWK's “Lightweight Construction Technology Transfer Programme” funding programme. For this research project, STFI has joined forces with the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS, the Chair of Sports Equipment Technology at Chemnitz University of Technology, C-marx GmbH and ARI Motors GmbH. The companies Hamamatsu Photonics Deutschland GmbH and Zschimmer & Schwarz Mohsdorf GmbH & Co. KG are involved in the development as associated partners.
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Fairs
23 - 26 April 2024
Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main
3 June 2024
Innovation Day of the BMWK in Berlin
Training
24 - 25 September 2024
Seminar Personal Protective Equipment
22 - 23 October 2024
Seminar Nonwovens
Conferences
14 May 2024
STFI Akademie Breakfast
11 - 13 September 2024
63rd Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress
Research
Smart glove for intelligent production assistance
Our working world is currently undergoing enormous change. Assistance systems are increasingly supporting workers in complex processes. STFI experts for intelligent production systems have developed a data glove that assists production workers when attaching bobbins to a creel at a weaving machine, for example. Errors in the set-up process can thus be minimised.
How exactly does this smart glove work? The overall system includes a scanning glove with a display and a tablet with a special application that was developed by using a highly flexible low-code programming system. Both graphical and textual programming elements were used to communicate with the scanning glove's control app, design display elements and implement the functional logic. Both slots on the coil creel and the coils themselves are labelled with QR markers containing the position information that is then displayed on the tablet and on the glove's eInk display. When the user confirms that a bobbin has been fitted to a slot, the system provides feedback as to whether everything fits or whether a correction is necessary. The immediate control of the set-up process results in fewer rejects and therefore less production waste.
The assistance system can be easily adapted to other applications, as the model-based structure of the programme means that changes can be incorporated very quickly. The STFI research and test centre "Textile Factory of the Future" provides an insight into other possible applications, such as process assistance, order control, system networking or retrofitting. The smart glove will be on display both at Techtextil at the stand of the Textile Research Board and at the stand of the SME Digital Centre "Smart Circuits" (stand: H12.1 E37).
More information
Intelligent Production Systems:
Services and transfer
Plant technology
UV LED curing: an environmentally friendly and energy-saving technology for the textile industry
In times of rising energy prices and growing environmental awareness, the textile industry is increasingly focussing on modern, ecological, energy- and cost-efficient application and drying systems. UV curing is a drying technology that is already widely used in the coatings, printing and paper industries. At STFI, technological solutions for the use of UV curing in the fields of textile coating, 3D printing on textiles and fibre-reinforced composites have been developed over several years of research.
UV-curable formulations consist of the active basic components binder and photoinitiator. The photoinitiator breaks down into radicals when exposed to UV light, which then react with binder units and lead to radical crosslinking. UV LED lamps with emission wavelengths of 395 nm 8 W/cm2) and 365 nm (12 W/cm2) were integrated into the Mathis laboratory coating system as the radiation source for the test realisation.
Special additives were successfully incorporated into the UV-curable formulations for the full-surface coating of technical textiles, so that functions such as light fastness, flame retardancy, abrasion resistance, thermal insulation, antimicrobial effect and colour/optical effects were achieved. In addition, the process was adapted for additive manufacturing using dispenser printing. This means that textiles can now be partially functionalised. The third application focused on fibre composites, as curing the resins is the most time-consuming work step. A 30 cm x 30 cm GF/CF composite panel (60/40), for example, was fully cured in less than 3 minutes.
Interested in trying UV LED curing for your products? Contact us to learn more at Techtextil!
Research
Closing the carbon fibre loop for aircraft construction
Until now, high-performance applications such as aircraft construction have not used components based on recycled carbon fibres. Due to the reduction in length compared to the continuous carbon fibres of the primarily used rovings, the component performance has so far not been sufficient. How can the price-performance ratio of recycled semi-finished carbon fibre products be increased and but be reproducible?
Therefore, two basic approaches were pursued in the project: Within the investigations, in addition to pyrolysed CFRP, alternatively processed recovered carbon fibres were to be examined for their suitability or their price-performance ratio. The main focus laid on improving the mechanical properties of the semi-finished products through a high degree of alignment of the recycled carbon fibres in the textile semi-finished product. Finally, the material development had to be validated in an aeronautical environment for the production of load-bearing parts of the secondary fuselage structure.
As a result of the international BMBF project “HiPeR – Oriented Carbon Fiber Structures from Aerospace Production Waste for Reuse in Aircraft”, a structural component for aviation made from recycled carbon fibres was developed for the first time. For this purpose, rCF tapes were developed at STFI from both recovered, mechanically processed waste as well as pyrolyzed fibers. At the Techtextil 2024 trade fair stand, STFI is showing a load-bearing rib of a vertical stabiliser of the Airbus A320.
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Commitment
Blood donation on 16 May 2024
On 16 May 2024, the ninth DRK blood donation campaign will take place at the STFI in cooperation with the Technologie Centrum Chemnitz (TCC). STFI is once again making its conference rooms available for the afternoon. At the same time, typing for the bone marrow and blood stem cell donor file will be possible.
By giving blood, donors can help sick and injured people. Many vital operations and treatments are only possible through blood transfusions. Blood cannot be produced artificially, so we rely on blood donors to maintain the supply. By giving blood, donors can help up to three patients. Once donated, blood is separated into three components: The platelets (thrombocytes), the erythrocytes (red blood cells) and the plasma. These components can be used to treat various diseases. The majority of blood donations are needed to treat cancer patients. However, patients with heart, stomach and intestinal diseases also need blood transfusions. Blood is also needed to treat complications during childbirth and for the treatment of sports and road accident victims.
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Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI)
Affiliated institute of the University of Technology Chemnitz
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Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI)
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Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. (STFI)
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