Fabric Prototyping

Drylaid

• Fibre blending
• Fibre extraction and pulling plant
• Carding (parallel-laid)
• Carding (cross-laid)
• Vertical-lapping
• Airlaid (short fibre and long fibre systems)

Wetlaid

• Wetlaid (oriented hand sheets) and fibre preparation

Spunlaid

• Spunblown (BIAX Melblowing)

Nanofibre

• Electrospinning (Elmarco Nanospider)
• Forcespinning (Fiberio Centrifugal)

Bonding

• Hydroentanglement (7 injectors up to 180 bar)
• Needlepunching (flat and structured)
• Thermal bonding: calendar
• Thermal bonding: through-air
• Chemical bonding (various impregnation methods including foam)
• Ultrasonic

Other

• Drying and curing
• Hot melt
• Foulard applicator
• Coating
• Vacuum Bagging (composites)
• Filament melt extrusion
• Wet spinning (fibrous webs)
• Plasma treatment

Testing and Analysis

Fabric structure, fibre and surface analysis

• Image analysis (fibre orientation, structural characterisation)
• Capillary flow porometry
• Optical Microscopy
• Electron Microscopy (SEM, ESEM, FEGSEM, TEM)
• X-ray Microtomography (XMT)
• Liquid transport, wicking and absorbency analysis
• Wetting - Goniometry and tensiometry
• X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)
• Interferometry

Chemical, thermal & electrical properties

• UV/Visible/NIR spectrophotometer
• NMR and Raman Spectroscopy
• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
• Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)
• Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA)
• Electrostatic properties
• HPLC, UHPLC

Physical testing facilities for fibres, yarns and fabrics

• Yarn and fabric dimensions
• Tensile testing (inc. tear, compression, burst, thickness, delamination, friction)
• Burst testing (diaphragm)
• Tear testing
• Air permeability
• Pilling
• Abrasion
• Dimensional stability
• Handle and flexural rigidity (Kawabata, FAST)
• Crease recovery
• Drape Frictional properties
• Areal density
• Flushability
• Menstrual Tampons Absorbency – Syngina Method