EDURNE PASABÁN - Aitex · copper (control group, n = 31). Skin conditions of the subjects were...

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EDURNE PASABÁNProfessional climber, test thermal confort in AITEX

AITEX incorporates a horizontal dynamometer to assess security fasteners [p.24]

Tax deductions for R+D+i activities and samples [p.36]

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Aitex ReviewMay 2013 number 44

Diseño y maquetación: eNGLOBA Grupo de ComunicaciónDepósito Legal: V-2170-2001ISSN: 2173-1012

La responsabilidad por las opiniones emitidas en los artículos publicados corresponden exclusivamente a sus autores. Se autoriza la publicación de los artículos de esta Revista indicando su procedencia.

Aitex es una iniciativa de la Generalitat Valenciana, a través del iMPiVA en colaboración con las industrias del Sector textil. Aitex Centro adscrito a ReDit (Red de institutos tecnológicos de la Comunidad Valenciana)

Edita: Aitex, instituto tecnológico textilPlaza emilio Sala, 1 e-03801 Alcoy • tel. 96 554 22 00 • Fax 96 554 34 94 [email protected] • www.observatoriotextil.com • www.textil.org • www.madeingreen.com

Unidades técnicasOntinyent: tel. 962 912 262 • Fax 962 912 081 [email protected]: tel. 961 318 193 • Fax 961 318 183 [email protected]

this issue, among other topics, contains a selection of new research and in-novation, both Aitex own, as developed along with other research centers and companies. We also present new successful stories from companies in our industry, in collaboration with the institute. All this as a sign of effort and commitment of the institute to continue boosting competitiveness, innova-tion and the strength of the sector.

Of note is the article that discusses the application possibilities of sensors in textile articles for the development of Smart products, a field that is poised for extensive tour and, as explained, involves obtaining advanced textiles, able, for example, to locate people with high accuracy or vital signs monitored in real time, among other uses. these textiles can be applied in several areas: elderly and dependent people, road safety, public transport, video games, health, etc.. SiGNAtex Project, on the other hand, represents a breakthrough for the military, since it aims at the development of tissues that prevent sol-diers detectection. For its part, the Project presents ADVANMeDtex hydro-gels containing textile, medical and therapeutic applications.

in this issue we interviewed Pasabán edurne, the first woman in history to climb the 14 eight-thousanders in the world. During our conversation, the athlete speaks of parallels between the sports world and business elite, highlights the great strides that sportswear has experienced in recent years and gives us his opinion about where should be focused the research efforts applied to sportswear.

Our innovation section includes commissioning by a large capacity dyna-mometer to test horizontal stresses in ropes and climbing harnesses and all fittings and accessories such as hooks, anchors, etc..

the successful stories section collects the project was carried out together with inCom, and that has meant the product developed NAtUR-SUN, a solar thermal collector, low temperature obtained from renewable composites re-

inforced with natural fibers. infinitex, meanwhile, is a consortial project led by itURRi, and which involved a total of 15 companies and Aitex as a tech-nology partner. in this initiative we investigate a new generation of technical textiles that seeks to increase the level of protection and security in the areas of defense, health, emergency, security or industry, among others.

tax deductions for R & D and the development of samplers is another theme to highlight this issue because, as you know, can yield big tax advantages if used properly, to substantially reduce the tax payable tax Societies.

this interesting report analyzes which expenses are deductible. Aitex provi-des personalized advice to companies throughout the certification process, both technical and economic or otherwise, to certify that the company suc-cessfully achieved its R + D and innovaction.

Finally, it is to highlight the section dedicated to training, which includes the implementation for the 2013-2014 course "Diploma of Specialization in tex-tile Product Development", title proper of the UPV, which arises result of the recent agreement reached between Aitex and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Campus d'Alcoy, in order to enhance knowledge in materials, pro-ducts, processes and management of the textile industry of college students

Editorial

Index04 technological news08 The application of sensors in the development of intelligent textiles12 Entrevista a Edurne Pasabán, professional climber16 Development of high-performance signature reduction fibres20 Infrastructures for the research and development of new materials designed to protect workers from different levels of burn risk produced by electrical arcs24 Dynamic climbing ropes: safety requirements.28 Textile solutions for sports and physical activity32 Textiles modified with hydrogels for medical and/or therapeutic applications36 Tax deductions for R+D+i activities and samples40 Creativity Laboratory: Towards a new fashion age based on the synergy of technology and creativity42 The Polytechnic University of Valencia and AITEX present a new “Diploma in the Development of Textile Products "44 natur-sun: design, development and manufacture of a low-temperature solar collector with a body made from ecological composites46 Research into New Functionalities and Intelligence Introduced into Textiles50 Mattress covers for cots in three-dimensional material to aleviate the effects of pressure and moisture on the skin of new-born babies.52 The latest technological innovations Workshops starring "FASHION + ART + TECHNOLOGY textile Week" 54 European projects SUDOE, NOISEFREETEX57 AITEX news58 ATEVAL news

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_tecnology news / www.observatoriotextil.com

A selection of recent innovations detected and extracted from the technological textile Observatoryis presented below.Further information at www.observatoriotextil.com

Reduction of facial wrinkles depth by sleeping on copper oxide-containing pillowcases: a do-uble blind, placebo controlled, parallel, randomized clinical studyBackground Copper up-regulates the secretion of extracellular skin proteins and stabilizes the extracellular matrix once formed. As copper can be absorbed through intact skin, we reaso-ned that sleeping on pillowcases containing copper-impregnated fibers would reduce skin wrinkles. Objective Demonstrate that sleeping on pillowcases containing copper-impregnated fibers reduce facial skin wrinkles. Patients/Methods An 8-week, double blind, parallel, randomi-zed study was carried out, in which healthy volunteers, aged 3060, used either copper oxide-containing pillowcases (1% weight/weight) (test group, n = 30) or control pillowcases without copper (control group, n = 31). Skin conditions of the subjects were evaluated by visual grading by two expert graders and by 3D image Analysis GFM PRiMOS (R) at baseline (before treatment)

and following 4 and 8 weeks of sleeping on the pillowcases.. Conclusions Sleeping on copper oxide-containing pillowcases results in re-duction of wrinkles depth and overall improvement of skin appearance.

Autor: Baek, JH; Yoo, MA; Koh, JS; Borkow, GReference: JOURNAL OF COSMetiC DeRMAtOLOGY, 11 (3):193-200; 10.1111/j.1473-2165.2012.00624.x september of 2012

Multi-functional Fabric Development and Study on its PerformanceBased on the theory of sweat transfer principle and knitted fabric structure, two kinds of multi-functional fabrics are developed with chitin fiber, cotton fiber and coolplus fiber in this paper. the wearablity, moisture-absorption and dry-fast property, air permeability and anti-bacterial property etc. are tested. the results show that the fabrics have many excellent properties, such as wearablity, moisture-absorption, dry-fast and anti-bacterial property etc. the fabrics can absorb moisture rapidly from one side of the fabric, then transfer it to the other side of the fabric and gave off, thus the fabrics can dry quickly. So the clothing made of these fabrics will keep our skin dry and comfortable, in summary, the fabrics developed are ideal fabrics for making high quality leisure sportswear.

Autor: Liu, YJ; Feng, LQ; Liu, PReference: Nuevos materiales y procesos, PtS 1-3, 476-478 1403-1407; 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.476-478.1403 2012

Home textiles

Clothing and sport textiles

Structural Health Monitoring by Distributed Fiber Optic Sensors Embedded into Technical Textilestechnical textiles with embedded distributed fiber optic sensors have been developed for the purposes of structural health monitoring in geotechnical and civil engineering. the distributed fiber optic sensors are based on Brillouin scattering in silica optical fibers and OtDR in polymer optical fibers. Such "smart" technical textiles are used for reinforcement of geotechnical and masonry structures. the embedded fiber optic sensors provide online information about the condition of the structure and about the occurrence and location of any damage or degrada-tion.

Autor: Krebber, K; Lenke, P; Liehr, S; Nother, N; Wendt, M; Wosniok, A; Daum, WReferencia: tM-teCHNiSCHeS MeSSeN, 79 (7-8):337-347; 10.1524/teme.2012.0238 2012

Constru-textiles

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Lightweight design of carbon twill weave fabric composite body structure for electric vehicle Design of composite appears more challenging compared with metallic counterparts because of its microstructural heterogeneity and behavioral sophistication. this paper aims to develop a multiscale approach for predicting three-dimensional elastic model of carbon twill weave fabric composite which will be applied to crashworthiness analysis of body structure of elec-tric vehicle. the geometric parameters were obtained by measuring the microstructure of t300 carbon twill weave fabric composite through optical microscopy. the numerical results of pro-perty were compared with those from uniaxial tensile and three point bending tests. Finally, the constitutive model of such composite was employed to crashworthiness analysis for electric vehicle body structure unde! r the roof crash and side pole impact. the study indicates that the deformation behaviors of laminate calculated by using the elastic properties are in good

agreement with tensile and bending experimental results.

Autor: Liu, Q; Lin, YZ; Zong, ZJ; Sun, GY; Li, QReference: eStRUCtURAS COMPUeStAS, 97 231-238; 10.1016/j.compstruct.2012.09.052 MARCH 2013

Automotive and transportation textiles

Non-woven fabric having superior heat stability and flexibilityProvided is a non-woven fabric that has favorable workability, superior flexibility, and high heat stability, and that is suitable as the top sheet, back sheet, or side gathering section of an absor-bent article used in a sanitary item. the present invention pertains to a non-woven fabric that comprises a polyolefin fiber and that is characterized by the crystallite size of the polyolefin fiber being 15-50 nm inclusive, and the bending flexibility of the non-woven fabric being 5-100 mm inclusive.

Patente Número: WO2012137378 (A1) Solicitante: ASAHi KASei FiBeRS CORP [JP]; ZeiSHO KAZUYA [JP]; YAHANASHi MASAHiRO [JP]inventor: ZeiSHO KAZUYA [JP]; YAHANASHi MASAHiRO [JP]; UeNO iKUO [JP]

Medical textiles, hygie-ne and cosmetics

Electrospun drug-eluting sutures for local anesthesiaWe have developed a local anesthetic-eluting suture system which would combine the function and ubiquity of the suture for surgical repair with the controlled release properties of a bio-degradable polymeric matrix. Drug-free and drug-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) sutures were fabricated by electrospinning, with or without the local anesthetic bupivacaine. the tensile strength of the electrospun sutures decreased as drug content increased, but strains remained relatively similar across all groups. Sutures released their entire drug payload over the course of 12 days and maintained approximately 12% of their initial tensile strength after 14 days of incubation in vitro. in a rat skin wound model, local analgesia was achieved 1 day after surgery and lasted approximately 1 week in 90% of treated animals (n = 10, p)

Autor: Weldon, CB; tsui, JH; Shankarappa, SA; Nguyen, Vt; Ma, ML; Anderson, DG; Kohane, DS Referencia: JOURNAL OF CONtROLLeD ReLeASe, 161 (3):903-909; 10.1016/j.jconrel.2012.05.021 10 de agosto de 2012

Yarns and fibers

Natural Fiber Reinforced Compositesin this review, insight into the use of bio-based fibers as composite reinforcement has been addressed. Specifics on the varieties of natural fibers, and the resultant properties from their constituents and hierarchal structures are described. the methods used to enhance the inter-face of these fibers with a variety of polymer matrices are reviewed. in addition, the influence of textile operations on creating various fiber architectures with resulting reinforcing capabi-lities, along with the methods in which natural fiber reinforced composites can be processed, are addressed. Finally, discussion of the correlation between structure, processing, and final composite properties are provided.

Autor: Fuqua, MA; Huo, SS; Ulven, CAReference: POLYMeR ReVieWS, 52 (3-4):259-320; 10.1080/15583724.2012.705409 2012

Geotextiles, agrotexti-les and sports surfaces

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_tecnology news / www.observatoriotextil.com

Development of a Wearable System Integrated with Novel Biomedical Sensors for Ubiquitous Healthcarethe world's ageing population has led to an urgent need for long-term and patient-centered healthcare solutions. Hence, there is a growing need for wearable systems for physiologic mo-nitoring. While various biosignals are monitored with traditional approaches, it is worthwhile to investigate alternative sensing techniques in order to improve accessibility and understanding of patients' conditions. this paper presents our laboratory's development of such a wearable sys-tem, which makes use of unconventional techniques for physiologic monitoring. With its inte-grated textile electrocardiogram (eCG) electrodes, intelligent finger-ring photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor, miniaturized optical fiber-based temperature sensor, eye dynamics monitor, global positioning system (GPS) module, and wireless capability, it demonstrates a feasible solution for

ubiquitous healthcare.

Autor: Hung, K; Lee, CC; Chan, WM; Choy, SO; Kwok, P Referencia: 2012 ANNUAL iNteRNAtiONAL CONFeReNCe OF tHe ieee eNGiNeeRiNG iN MeDiCiNe AND BiOLOGY SOCietY (eMBC), 5802-5805; 2012

Bifunctionalization of cotton textiles by ZnO nanostructures: antimicrobial activity and ultraviolet protectionZinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures were in situ synthesized on the surface of cotton fabric via a simple wet chemical route for providing antimicrobial activity and ultraviolet (UV) protection. Surface morphology and surface chemistry were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SeM) coupled with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Antibacterial activity was evaluated against Gram-negative Klebsiella pneumonia and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. UV-blocking ability was investigated by measuring the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) value inthe range of 280–400 nm according to AAtCC test Method 183-2004. SeM images revealed that significant amounts of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures were homogenously formed on the fibers’ surface; most of them are bundle/flower-like particles having different sizes. Antibacterial tests showed that the ZnO-coated fabric possesses good bacteriostatic activity against two represen-tative bacteria, demonstrated by the zone of inhibition. However, there was no reduction in the

number of bacteria, proving the lack of bactericidal activity.Autor: Mohammad Shateri-Khalilabad, Mohammad e YazdanshenasReferencia: textile Research Journal

Smart and functional textiles

technical finishings

Ballistic impact modeling of woven fabrics considering yarn strength, friction, projectile impact location, and fabric boundary condition effectsthe combined effects of yarn tensile strength, inter-yarn friction, projectile impact location, and fabric clamping conditions on the probabilistic impact response of flexible woven Kevlar KM2 fabrics are studied using a 0.22 caliber spherical projectile. the statistical nature of yarn tensile strength is accounted for by mapping Weibull strength distributions onto the individual yarns of the fabric model. Variability in projectile impact location relative to the yarns at the impact site is accounted for by randomly selecting one of 25 predetermined impact locations around a warp-fill yarn cross-over location at the center of the fabric. Five different inter-yarn friction levels are deterministically implemented, ranging from 0.0 to 0.4. two boundary condi-tions are considered, 4-sided clamped and 2-sided clamped. Forty impact simulations are used

to generate a probabilistic impact response (P! VR) curve for each test case, describing the probability of fabric penetration as a function of projectile impact velocity. the fabric V-50 velocity and impact performance variability were observed to decrease with increasing inter-yarn friction levels for the 4-sided clamped cases, while they increased for the 2-sided clamped cases.

Autor: Nilakantan, G; Gillespie, JWReferencia: estructuras compuestas, 94 (12):3624-3634; 10.1016/j.compstruct.2012.05.030 diciembre 2012

textiles for protection and workwear

8

_research

The application of sensors in the development of intelligent textiles

Javier Grande Gundín (Indra) - Alberto de Santos Sierra (Polytechnic University of Madrid) - Agustín Huerta Arroyo (Luce IT Luce Innovative Technologies) -

Alfonso Bahillo Martínez (University of Valladolid) - Arantxa Azorín Vidal (AITEX - Textile Technology Institute)

The world we live in is moving towards a state in which we need to know as much information from as many sources as possible. A clear example of this is the growing number of social networks, or the han-dling of large amounts of data from credit card transactions.

Leaving the wider world out of things and concentrating on the human element, great strides are also being made in registering physical movements (from eye movements to see where our at-tention focuses during an advert, to hand movements we make when we talk which indicate our emotional state). Added to this, the development and integration of Smartphones makes this monitoring possible, and applications are being developed in a range of fields including publicity and sport, as well as others such as healthcare monitoring during the user’s daily activities.

Stress sensor glove prototype

this monitoring (which can include cardiac monitoring and blood sugar levels) obviously needs sensors which are sufficiently sensi-tive to measure changes happening in the body, and translate the data into information that the device can display, to warn the user of risks, store information and transmit it to a healthcare ex-pert who will be monitoring the evolution of the user’s vital sig-ns.these sensors are the possible weak spot of monitoring, as they are invasive and may not meet with the acceptance or approval of the wearer if they are not sufficiently well incorporated. A fur-ther drawback is that these vital signs often need to be recorded through the skin and at various points of the body, which compli-cates enormously the degree to which a sensor is unobtrusive.there are therefore two important challenges standing in the way of achieving continuous monitoring: (1) the design of very small sensors which are integrated in such a way as to ensure their measuring capacity, at the same time as being unobtrusive to the wearer and (2) performing low computational cost data processing to ensure that data handling does not take up too much of the Smartphone’s resources.this is the sphere within which “iNNPACtO SHeRLOC: Sistema Hí-brido de estrés Remoto y LOCalización personal (Hybrid System for indoor and outdoor Remote Stress and Personal LOCation),” has to operate which aims to monitor the degree of stress of an individual using sensors embedded in textiles.

Areas of application

there is an infinity of scenarios where this stress detection sys-tem using embedded sensors can be of interest, among which is the stress level monitoring of emergency services personnel to ensure their safety. in this respect, the importance stems from the sensor’s ability to detect extremely high stress levels which can obviously represent a danger to an individual in a real-life si-tuation and compromise their safety. the advantage represented by these textiles over other types of sensors is based mainly on comfort and the system’s degree of integration which will increa-se the user’s acceptance.

Stress sensor glove prototype

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Another important scenario is the monitoring or tracking of si-tuations which make a user nervous: in these cases, the system can detect when a person is uncomfortable. Again, the degree to which the sensor-embedded textile can be used alone or wo-ven into conventional textiles (e.g. underwear or wrist and ankle bands) will improve the comfort of the wearer. it is also important to remember that camouflaging the sensory systems is impor-tant.

in cases of dependence, the stress detection system has a direct application in monitoring the elderly and people who require constant care. in fact, this system would be more efficient in the case of a fall than existing systems (many of which rely on pressing a button that is hanging from the neck). this improvement stems from the fact that often these falls result in the patient remaining unconscious and obviously unable to activate the button. in this case the stress detection system would detect that something unusual had occurred, or even that the person is unconscious, as the response to stress is a physiological mechanism controlled by the nervous system.

there is another field where this system would be of great inter-est; road safety. these sensors are extremely useful in monitoring a professional driver’s performance and represent a passive safety system. the textile with the sensors embedded could be incorpo-rated into the steering wheel to monitor the driver’s stress levels.

in the public transport sector or heavy haulage, the sensors would provide an improved level of safety for the driver and other road users by detecting stress levels and avoiding over tiredness, slow reactions or road rage.

A final field of application and one with huge potential is video gaming, where a stress detection system has many applications, including cardiological exercises or games that adapt themselves to the player’s stress levels: the textile could be incorporated into the controller or worn as a glove or wrist band.

Project Sherloc

indra Sistemas S.A. is project leader, and the project is being de-veloped jointly with the University of Valladolid (UVa), the newly-created company (Jei) Luce it Luce innovative technologies, the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and Aitex.

the initiative is working on the development of a high-precision personal location system which monitors a person’s vital signs in real time. the system has been designed to meet the needs of the armed forces and emergency services and can also offer safety in a wide range of other applications from the oil industry to healthcare.

the first prototype has already been successfully tested and indra expects to finalise development this year. this R+D initiative co-mes within the framework of iNNPACtO 2011 by the Ministry for economy and Competitiveness and is co-financed by european ReDeF funds.

the system monitors the position, stress levels and vital signs of emergency services personnel during their work and offers

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_investigación aitex octubre 2009_

improved safety to oil workers, deck hands, airport and hospital workers.

it incorporates a wrist or ankle band, the locator and sensors to analyse the biometric parameters of a person (heart rate and skin conductivity). the wrist band also has a button that the profes-sional wearer can use in case of emergency.

the control centre receives the signal which is presented on a GiS platform and the centre can handle thousands of signals and centralise the management of several buildings and open spaces at once.

the system can be configured to create warnings in the case of a fall or accident or when it detects tiredness which may affect the wearer’s performance.

All the information received helps avoid accidents and speed up response time in an emergency, as the exact location of the sub-ject is known.

Sherloc incorporates the latest advances in Local Positioning Sys-tems (LPS) and Global Positioning Systems (GNSS), guaranteeing an uninterrupted high-precision signal.

Compared to existing systems, which offer limited precision and require expensive equipment and complicated installation, Sher-loc will be sold at a competitive price and does not require the ca-libration of the environment to locate people within a building.

_investigación aitex octubre 2009_

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_interview

Edurne Pasabán Lizarribar

Professional climber

Edurne tested confort in the AITEX wind tunnel comfort for a new concept of clothing made by compa-nies W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. and Advansa. She is the first woman in history to scale all 14 8,000-metre peaks on the planet. On top of her sporting achievements, Edurne is an industrial engineer and holds a Business Master from ESADE (Barcelona Higher College of Business Administration and Management).

She currently combines her sporting career with an ever-closer association with the business world, speaking at national and international sports, cultural and educational conferences whe-re she tries to impart her values and sporting experiences to the business world.

1- Your first contact with the business world was as an engineer in the family business making paper cutters and rollers. Then you founded your own company: Abeletxe, a small rural hotel and restaurant in the Basque Country. What do you remember most about your early business experience?

the first thing i’d like to point out is that it’s more difficult wor-king in a family company than climbing an 8,000-metre peak! And more so when the company was not set up to accept the generation change. the first thing you realise when you start to work is the same as when you reach base camp for the first time: you have no idea what you’re doing, everything’s bigger than you imagined and the challenges are greater. However, the most important thing is the team you have supporting you, the team that wants to teach you everything they already know and your attitude towards learning from them: nobody gets anywhere thinking they know it all. in the family business i didn’t find that supportive person, my father didn’t have time for it at that time and the staff didn’t know how to transmit their know-how. But in

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the restaurant the opposite was true: just like when i climbed my first 8,000-metre peak, i found people who wanted to teach me, and that’s a great help.

How do you bring your values as a professional sportswoman to the world of business?

the truth is, there isn’t really that much difference between the values of an athlete like myself and a businessperson.

One of the keys to athletic prowess is passion and of course that’s just as important in the business world because that’s when you achieve great goals. Determination and tenacity are vital to both as well as the desire to go beyond yourself, want that little bit more, fight to climb that little bit higher and achieve something even bigger. A climber’s rucksack and a businessperson’s briefca-se are packed with the same values.

In your opinion, what are the keys to becoming a good leader

who can lead a team to their goals?

A good leader, in the first place, needs to know what the objec-tives are and how to communicate them to the team clearly and unequivocally. Communication is vital. A leader must be able to recognise talent in his team members and above all the diffe-rent types of talent he has available to him. Of course, leading by example imparts confidence to the team members and self-confidence and confidence in the team is important.

In the current economic climate, characterised by stiff com-petition and constant change, what do you think are the most important factors for facing up to the situation and meeting its demands?

We must be capable of adapting to change more quickly than before. We must be focused on our work and less on what the guy next door’s doing. it’s true that this crisis is making us more competitive and driving us to take ever bigger steps: the key is in taking care of your own business and not wasting time looking at what everyone else is doing, because that’s no help.

each day we have to be better than yesterday, persevere more and hold on tighter because there’s a cold wind howling, but i’m sure that those of us who survive will come out stronger on the other side, although it’s hard to stay motivated.

As a climber, what attributes do you value most highly in clothing and material, climbing gear, foul weather gear, tents and sleeping bags?

Recent years have brought huge advances in all types of sportswear which have helped athletes achieve more and reach greater success. As an athlete, i particularly value comfort, streng-th and breathability in my clothing and it is in these areas that many of the advances have been made.

From the point of view of professional extreme sportswear, whe-re do you think there is room for greater improvements to im-prove risk prevention and protection for athletes; for example in cases of frostbite?

the truth is that in recent years many improvements have been made and i think that in mountain climbing gear, advances in materials technology have been impressive.

One of the main things that is being worked on and where even more advances can be expected is in breathability in garments. Climbers take part in a sport which requires you being outside for long periods and often you do not have the chance to change out of your clothing at the end of a day’s climbing. So a material’s breathability is as vital as its capacity for quick drying.

Los últimos años hemos encontrado grandes avances en toda la ropa deportiva, que nos han ayudado a los deportistas a poder conseguir muchas más cosas y con muchos más éxitos

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_interview

In your opinion, what direction should sportswear R+D be going in?

Well, that’s a subjective question that depends on the athlete but in general, perspiration should be evaporated as quickly as pos-sible, particularly for underwear; there is also still a lot of work to be done on odour control and i think a lot of effort should be aimed at this aspect; more breathable fabrics with better odour control.

The market for sports clothing has grown in recent years and this trend is expected to continue in the future, as more and more people are taking up sport as a hobby and require better-perfor-ming clothing. What’s your view?

i think it’s great that more people are turning to sport because this means that more and more people are concerned for their health. i think sport is good in so many aspects; it improves people’s health, creates business and generates sports tourism among other benefits

Last November you published a coaching book titled “Objetivo: Confianza”: what are the key questions covered and what would you like to draw people’s attention to in the book?

the importance of the team when facing a challenge and above all, confidence in the team and in one another: self-confidence opens up opportunities, and the book contains a true-life story from my trip to everest in 2011.

What new sporting challenges have you set yourself for the fu-ture?

Well, there are no more 8,000-metre peaks in my future! But there’s lots of climbing still to do. i’m particularly interested in un-climbed 6 and 7,000-meter peaks in politically unstable countries with closed borders and i’d love to be explore those.

What did you think of the two days you spent at AITEX?

incredible; a fantastic experience with a truly professional team of experts. i learned an awful lot and saw that everything involves a process and that a group of professionals are looking out for our safety and ensuring the quality of the goods we buy.

As an “amig@ made in Green, what do you think of the project’s values?

i think it’s a wonderful initiative. i think that we should all look out for one another and that we are all responsible for the health of the planet, our own lives and the natural world.

My sporting challenges in the future, for now, there will not be eight thousand meters. But mountain. i'm very interested in six-thousand-feet mountains, and seven-thousand-feet, virgins who still are. there are countries that have had their borders closed by political problems, and i wish i could go to explore these mountains

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“SiGNAtex: the development of high-performance fibres with signa-ture reduction properties for use in military camouflaged clothing” falls within Aitex’s global strategy of identifying new technological developments occurring from scientific research with applications in the field of technical textiles.

these innovative functional fibres are manufactured using the in-corporation of new additives which possess this property, and there are currently many research projects investigating the field given the growing interest in developing textiles which can detect, react to and adapt themselves to external stimuli. However, there are not many which are working on the properties of the fibres themselves and which are specifically looking at NiR cloaking.

SIGNATURE REDUCTIONin a military context, a “signature” is anything which reveals the presence or position of an asset (vehicles, personnel etc), so if the aim is not to be seen, the signature must be managed according to how your enemy is looking for you and any element which would show up must be cloaked. Signature management is typi-cally divided into three categories:

Visible signatureinfrared signatureOthers (Radar, acoustic or olfactory signatures)

ViSiBLe SiGNAtURe

Camouflage must make soldiers and vehicles blend into the bac-kground: conventional camouflage has two basic elements for hiding the asset; colour and pattern. Soldiers are camouflaged in a colour which most closely represents their background, so they can blend in with vegetation and buildings etc., thus the environment determines the camouflage colour. As it is extre-mely difficult to match the colour to the background to make the soldier difficult to see, a combination of colour and patterning is used, but too large or small a pattern will create contrast with the background, revealing his position. in urban environments the pattern needs to be rectangular with vertical and horizontal patterning to blend with buildings and structures.

Nature has developed countless examples of visual camouflage, such as a zebra’s stripes to make it blend into the tall grass, while penguins are camouflaged by colour: a penguin’s white chest will make it difficult to see by a predator below it in the water as it will blend with the sky above, and its dark back will hide it in the water from a predator looking down. the chameleon is the most famous example of colour change to suit the environment.

iNFRAReD SiGNAtURe

every object emits electromagnetic radiation, mainly in the iR wavelength which is invisible to the naked eye. However, iR radia-tion can be detected as heat too: the hotter the object the greater the amount of radiation it gives off. iR is also visible through smoke and fog, allowing objects and people to be detected in adverse conditions.

Modifying a fibre’s properties can alter its iR absorption, making less-visible textiles possible for military or other applications such as hunting. iR detection technology measures the temperature of an object, and the human body’s heat signature is one of the most difficult to cloak.

Night-vision equipment uses the iR spectrum as well as NiR, which is closer to visible light. the main difference is that thermal iR is emitted by an object instead of being reflected like NiR. NiR cloa-king mainly uses the correct choice of colour for the material to imitate the background such as vegetation where the top of the leaf reflects light differently to the bottom.

OtHeR SiGNAtUReS

Radar (Radio Detection and Ranging) is a system which uses electromagnetic waves to measure the distance, altitude, direction and speed of stationary or mobile objects such as aircraft, ships, vehicles, weather patterns and terrain. It is based on the emission of radio waves which are

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Development of high-performance signature reduction fibres

AITEX Nanotechnology and Technical Fibre Research Group

An area of growth, particularly in military applications is the use of the use of textiles and fibres that are invisible to NIR (Near Infrared Radiation), as well as being able to absorb radiation in this frequency. This means that soldiers are invisible to night-vision equipment as the textile blocks the emission of body heat.

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_innovación www.aitex.es aitex diciembre 2012_aitex octubre 2009_aitex may 2013_

bounced off the object back to the transmitter. The echo produced provides a wealth of information and the use of electromagnetic waves allows objects which are out of range of other waves such as visible light or sound to be detected.

It is used in weather forecasting, air-traffic control and a range of military applications. There are four basic techniques for reducing a radar cross-section: configuration, passive cancelling, active cancelling and radar-absorbent material.

Another indicator used to detect presence is an olfactory sensor. This cannot indicate the location of a person but only the proximity. Odour is produced by bacteria living on the skin which produce excretions in the form of gas, so antimicrobial textiles can be used to reduce body odour as well as improve health.

The evolution of electronic systems has led to important advances in imitating human senses and hearing and sight systems are currently the most advanced. The challenge now is to produce reliable replicas of the taste and olfactory senses by developing systems that can help ensure the quality of foodstuffs, and help in drug administration, environmental control and improve military security.

Technology has gone beyond our own natural senses and has developed “ultraperfected senses” which can go where we cannot, capture images and movement at incredible resolutions unimaginable for the human eye and detect stimuli that we cannot perceive such as electromagnetic or ultrasonic waves. The information this technology has provided has become extraordinarily valuable in every walk of life from the food industry and medicine to nuclear safety or the search for life on other planets.

Digital camouflage seamless patterns

Forests

Universal

Urban areas

Desert

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METAMATERIALS

One of the keys to signature reduction technology lies in the de-velopment of metamaterials which are artificial structures with an electromagnetically homogenous structure (one in which the size of the component cell is much smaller than the waveleng-th of electromagnetic radiation it emits), which possess unusual properties non-existent in nature. this technology is not yet avai-lable as it is still in the developmental stage, but it certainly looks promising.

Metamaterials can greatly improve a structure’s ability to avoid detection. By the careful design of its elastic properties, a coa-ting of this type will deflect radio waves around and away from the region which is coated, making the object invisible to radar and maybe in the future to the human eye. it could also break-down vibrations coming from water, reducing the passive sonar signature. the coating masks all disperse and reflected waves, in addition to breaking down hull vibrations resulting from water circulation, which is known as radiated noise suppression.

SiGNAtex is supported by the Council for industry, Commerce and innovation through iMPiVA and is co-financed by eU Regio-nal Development funds. Record iMDeeA/2012/75.

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INFRASTRUCTURES FOR THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MATERIALS DESIGNED TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM DIFFERENT LEVELS OF BURN RISK PRODUCED BY ELECTRICAL ARCS

AITEX PPE Laboratory

An electrical accident is usually associated with the direct effects provoked by an electric shock. Electrocution can cause severe in-juries or even death, but there are other indirect risks which can seriously affect the victim related to the heat, plasma and parti-cles produced by the arc.

The Electric Arc Research Laboratory located in Paterna, Valencia is jointly run by AITEX and ITE and will allow in-depth research to be carried out on the energy that is released and the effect it has on a worker equipped with various types of protective gear, and the effects on the components of the PPE. AITEX and ITE can boast a powerful tool to aid them in their research and one that

will allow them to meet new challenges in materials research, making the laboratory a world leader in the field.

An electrical arc is a discharge composed of intense heat radia-tion, noise, metal fragments and an explosive expansion of air caused by the shock wave produced by the fracturing of the con-ductor as it instantaneously ionizes. Temperatures in an arc can reach 20,000ºC and depending on the intensity and duration, the energy released varies.

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The direct consequences to the operator include:

- Severe burns (2nd or 3rd degree) caused by the extreme heat relea-sed in such a short time.

- Impacts from molten metal fragments resulting from the explosion which may be at 1000ºC, and at high velocity.

- High levels of blinding UV and IR radiation: the heat energy is around 50 cal/cm2, at 1000ºC

- Noise levels in the region of 165 db, travelling at 1200 km/h create high pressure waves.

In order to continue work on innovations in the industrial technolo-gy sector, AITEX has collaborated with ITE to build the new research facility to investigate new thermal-protective materials which can protect against electrical arc, concentrating on heat and flame-resistant fibres with exceptional mechanical performance. Arcs can produce tremendously violent explosions with fatal consequences for the operator who is near the source and is not adequately protec-ted. The facility will allow us to understand the reaction of materials, textiles and garments comprising the PPE by exposing them to con-trolled, high-energy arc explosion.

There is also a challenge to produce lighter, more comfortable PPEs that an operator would be less likely to reject. A greater weight and

number of layers increases protection, but in hot climates an opera-tor may well be uncomfortable in a heavy suit. Good ergonomics, breathability and comfort reduce the level of discomfort and allow the operator to perform his duties in more agreeable conditions, re-ducing the risk of fatal errors and lack of concentration that could lead to accidents.

Outsides of AITEX - ITE arc electric research laboratory

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Given the extreme danger represented by enormous temperature increase in milliseconds, a PPE must be very carefully selected.

MATERIALS

Until now, new materials research and testing and the types of suits designed for operators in these high-risk environments have been controlled using international safety standards such as EN 61482-1-1, ASTM F1959 and ASTM 2126 which have deve-loped test methods to determine the ATPV (Arc Test Performance Value) or EBT50 (breakopen threshold energy) of materials and garments.

Nowadays, requirements go further and other types of PPEs need to be evaluated which are even more necessary than those dis-cussed above, such as gloves, face protectors, harnesses and hel-mets.

The hands are normally the first point of contact for an arc when an operator is manipulating equipment: however, to date there has been no specific standard regarding gloves. There is now pro-posed legislation which will adapt EN 61482-1-1 or ASTM 2126 to the specific requirements of gloves.

Harnesses are tested by ASTM F887, which covers specifications and testing of harnesses, slings, belts and safety hooks etc. which are used to ascend pylons, posts, towers and other structures. The legislation specifies type-specific minimum performance levels.

Face protectors are evaluated by ASTM 2178, which contains test and specification methods for articles designed to protect the eyes or face of an operator exposed to arcs generating heat flux values between 84 and 25 120 kW/m2 [2 to 600 cal/cm2s]. Arti-cles are tested according to how they are sold and the standard covers helmet-mounted face protectors.

The method is used to measure and describe the reaction of pro-ducts or assemblies to the convection of the heat of an arc under laboratory controlled conditions, and does not consider damage caused by flash.

This project, called "Research and development of new materials for the protection of workers from different levels of electrical and thermal risks produced by electric arc (Year 2)", has been suppor-ted by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Innovation through IMPIVA and is co-financed by FEDER funds from the European Union. IMDECA/2012/75.

Figure 2. A photographic sequence captured in the USA of an arc explosion in 2007

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DYNAMIC CLIMBING ROPES: SAFETY REQUIREMENTS.

AITEX Textile Physics Laboratory

The rope is the most important piece of safety equipment, as the climber places all his or her confidence in it. A dynamic rope is one which can act as a brake if a climber has a fall and which exposes the climber to limited maximum deceleration; there are three con-figurations:

Single rope: a dynamic rope which can be used alone, as part of a fall arrest system.

Double rope: two dynamic ropes used as part of a fall arrest sys-tem, and can arrest the fall of the first climber on the rope.

Twin rope: a dynamic rope which when used in parallel, acts as a fall arrest system.

A rope has two components: the outer skin, whose function is to protect the core from mechanical deterioration and external agents, and the core which is the internal element which defines

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the dynamic characteristics of the rope such as its stretch and strength.

Climbing ropes are controlled by UNE EN 892:2005, which esta-blishes minimum safety requirements that these types of articles must meet and states that a rope must be manufactured as a ker-nmantel, (a core and a sheath).

An important aspect is the slippage of the sheath over the core: the two are independent components which may, if the manufacture has been defective, separate and slip against each other. This leads to gradual deformation of the core and a weak spot around the safety mechanism and localised swelling known as the sock effect, which leads to faster wear. The risk of the sheath slipping against the core is greater in humid conditions and slippage must never exceed 20mm, according to safety legislation.

The stretch of a rope must also be considered: this is tested by applying a weight of 80Kg (depending on rope type) and measu-ring the deformation

Dynamic stretch is the stretch in the rope after the first fall and is established by the fall test during which the maximum shock and number of falls to breaking point are also identified. The maximum shock force is that which is felt by the climber when the rope stops a fall. The value, between 0 and 2 under climbing conditions is calculated by dividing the height of the fall between the length of rope used. The force of the fall is not determined by the fall’s height but by this value, as the longer the length of rope, the more it can stretch to break the fall’s force.

The fall factor:

The fall factor determines the severity of the fall itself. It is calculated by dividing the free-fall distance by the amount of rope which has been subjected to stress.Factor 1: 14m/7m1: the severity of the fall is determined by the height of the fall, rubbing that the rope has suffered and the effects of the fixing system: so the same height of fall can result in a range of different conse-quences.Factor2: 6m/3m2: (the maximum factor) when there is an intermediate safety system which arrests the fall, the fall factor reduces.

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A value of 2 is normally achieved using static fixings and the force is measured in decanewtons (daN) which is approximately a kilo of force. The lower the shock force, the less the climber, crampons and pitons suffer.

Summary of UNE -EN 892:2005

Type Single rope Double rope Twin ropes

Sheath slippage <20 mm

Elastic stretch ≤10% ≤12% ≤10%

Dynamic stretch ≤40%

Maximum shock force <12 kN <8 kN <12 kN

Number of falls >5 >12

AITEX has recently installed a high-capacity horizontal dynamo-meter for testing, among other attributes, climbing ropes and har-nesses to European standards under the supervision of the UIAA (International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation),

The equipment can test to breaking strains of up to 600-650kN (approximately 65,000 Kg of force) and a study bench that can reach up to 7 metres in length, which meets nearly all industrial requirements

As well as evaluating ropes and harnesses, it can also test acces-sories such as pitons, belts, rings and blocks: each of these is cove-red by its own safety standard.

The high-capacity horizontal dynamometer at AITEX used for testing safety equipment

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TEXTILE SOLUTIONS FOR SPORTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

End-user and confort AITEX research group

The rhythm of urban life has awakened an interest in open-air activities among the Spanish population. Various studies have identified a growing number of people who want to take part in sports and this is opening up new opportunities for the textile industry.There are many reasons why society is taking to sport; from those who want to tone up their bodies to those who seek an outlet from the suffocating pressures of day-to-day life or are just loo-king to widen their circle of friends.Clothing is vital among the many aspects that increased sporting activity affects, not only for reasons of style but also for comfort and the added value factor that well-designed clothing offers the wearer.Despite the fact that the functionality of sportswear may appear to be the most important aspect, the truth is that at the point-of-sale, the technological aspect plays a vital role in the buyer’s de-cision-making process. Despite the fact that the functionality of the garment would appear to be the most important aspect, the truth is that the technology used plays a vital role when a consu-mer is deciding on which article to purchase. The incorporation of microfibers, ultra-breathable or flexible fabric, intelligent textiles

or functional phase-change material must be carefully studied to ensure that the construction of the garment is both functional and attractive.

In addition to the above, fashion is becoming increasingly im-portant to the sportswear industry, with more demanding con-sumers who not only want something practical but fashionable. That is why manufacturers should be offering high-tech products which not only fulfill their function perfectly, but follow the latest fashion trends.

There is a real need to develop new sports materials research li-nes and perform a testing and analysis process to ensure that the garment meets the consumer’s wants.

AITEX’s User and Comfort Research Group focuses its attention on the well-being and comfort of the wearer, as well as carrying out market studies: the group’s research lines follow two very di-fferent paths.

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Manufacturers must have available to them a range of persona-lization and design services to help them to provide an added-value factor to their products by improving the manufacturing processes.

Another of the stated objectives is to determine the variables related to a wearer’s comfort and well-being. Thermal and phy-siological measurements, as well as the feel of a garment allow the objective evaluation of the degree of comfort offered by the article. It is crucial to be able to quantify the insulation and brea-thability of a garment.

Insulation is vital to comfort, and the modern consumer values this factor very highly; so there is a growing range of tests desig-ned to measure this.

Equipment for the comfort objective quantification

Quantitative comfort measurements are performed using the fo-llowing parameters: (the sensation of hot and cold, breathability, moisture control and insulation). This requires a range of testing equi-pment such as the Skin Model, thermal mannequins for adults and children, the wind tunnel with climate chambers and Thermographic cameras.

The wind tunnel is used to determine the insulation the garment offers by measuring its performance on the thermal mannequins or live subjects in static positions or performing an activity such as cy-cling or running. The equipment tests garments designed for extreme conditions.

A comfort value is calculated through physiological measurements and the feel, or hand, of the garment and using the Kawabata test which includes; stiffness and flexibility, roughness or smoothness and weight.

Another vitally-important role is the measurement of acoustic condi-tions to help eliminate noise pollution and echo using textile substra-tes or composites made from textile waste.

By monitoring posture, using simulations and data interpretation, an ergonomic and functional product can be developed.

Another important aspect in sportswear is the evaluation of the effi-ciency with which a garment controls odour: this is measured by analyzing how an odour evolves over time and the capacity that the garment possesses to absorb and reduce the odour. Real and artificial odours are tested under real conditions and evaluated by a panel.

Textile solutions for sports and physical activity

Finally, the development of articles designed to improve or en-hance the performance of the wearer is achieved by designing sportswear for walking, running, football, swimming, cycling and tennis. The search for materials to prevent injuries in at-risk groups such as diabetics and the obese and the development of neoprene-based sportswear, artificial sports surfaces, sports footwear for running and hiking and textiles designed to pro-tect the wearer’s feet from injuries and evaluate performance.

Improving sporting performance

Another important line of work is the evolution and improvement of sportswear for use in running. Work in this area studies the variables and technical properties that affect comfort and performance, to de-sign clothing and footwear that enhance performance. Running invol-ves the use of many parts of the body, from nerve impulses to muscles. While the act of running itself requires no special equipment, running gear is designed to improve performance and enhance comfort and safety. Clothing must be designed to fulfill every aspect involved in

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running, and this section will identify them, and research how they influence performance.

Product personalisation

The product user’s needs, physical and psychological profile and life style must be well-understood, before a product that the consumer will find attractive can be designed: studying these as-pects allows the designer to create a conceptual definition and turn the study results into product specifications.

Business opportunities

Having reached the conclusion that sports and leisure activities represent a huge market, let’s not forget that the modern consu-mer values and appreciates an added value factor for which he is willing to pay. This makes the market attractive for manufacturers, and comfort is one of the most important aspects of a garment which is subjected to physical stress and strain during use, and this research line will include evaluation studies of the garment’s performance and comfort. The most important objective is to offer high-quality products which fulfill all the market’s requirements and the user’s comfort needs.

El proyecto "RUNNING: Investigación y Desarrollo de un equi-pamiento de indumentaria deportiva para running que permita un aumento de la confortabilidad y del rendimiento deportivo", cuenta con el apoyo de la Conselleria de Indústria, Comerç i In-novació a través del IMPIVA y está cofinanciado por los fondos FEDER, de la Unión Europea. Expediente IMAMCI/2012/1.

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INTRODUCTIONAs textiles are worn close to the body, they can provide signifi-cant benefits if they contain advanced functionalities. The appli-cation of hydrogels to textile substrates, for example, opens up a wide range of possibilities in the field of medical and cosmetic textiles.

Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymeric networks of natural or synthetic origin, characterised by their extraordinary ability to absorb water and other liquids and retain large amounts of them in their structure without dissolving. This water absorbency pro-perty makes them materials of great value, as they can be used to absorb and release certain active ingredients that are beneficial to health.

When obtaining hydrogels, it is possible to use many different polymers whose characteristics determine the final properties of the hydrogel. Moreover, some polymers have the ability to respond to external stimuli such as temperature, pH, ultraviolet

light, etc. The hydrogels formed from these polymers can under-go changes in volume (swelling/shrinkage) in response to the-se external stimuli, and this property can be used to release the substances contained inside.

TEXTILES MODIFIED WITH HYDROGELS FOR MEDICAL AND/OR THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS

I. Solé, S. Vílchez, J. Esquena - Instituto de Química Avanzada de Cataluña (IQAC), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), and CIBER en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN)

M. Ferrándiz - Instituto Tecnológico Textil (AITEX)

Chemical structure of chitosan

Example of the reaction between chitosan and crosslinking.

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One such polymer that can produce hydrogels with proper-ties of value to the field of medical and cosmetic textiles is chitosan.

Chitosan is a natural polysaccharide that is mainly obtained by a process of partial deacetylation of chitin, which, chemi-cally, is a polysaccharide that is widely found in nature in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects, as well as in the cell walls of many fungi.

The functional properties of chitosan are its biodegrada-bility, biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity and wound healing acceleration. But also, the presence of amino and hydroxyl groups in the polymer chain enables a wide variety of modifications to be carried out, such as enzyme anchoring reactions, grafting, crosslinking, etc., from which materials are obtained with properties that are suitable for immediate and future biotechnology applications.

CHITOSAN POLYMIER SOLUTION

CROSSLINKING AGENT SOLUTION

PRE-HYDROGEL SOLUTION

INCORPORATION INTO TEXTILES

DRYING

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APPLYING HYDROGELS TO TEXTILE SUBSTRATES

Hydrogel synthesis is simple and applying it to textile substrates can be carried out through conventional finishing processes, such as impregnation or exhaustion without the need for complex facilities.

En el siguiente esquema se representa el proceso para la obten-ción de textiles funcionalizados con hidrogeles de quitosano:OBTAINING TEXTILES WITH THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE WOUND HEALING

In order to determine the properties of functionalised fabrics con-taining these hydrogels, the following tests can be performed:

Determining fabric wetting time

Fabric wetting time can be determined by means of a drop test in accordance with AATCC Test Method 39-180, which involves depositing a drop of water on the fabric surface and measuring the time it takes to absorb it.

Results have shown that absorption is instantaneous, demonstra-ting that hydrogel improves the fabric’s wetting properties.Antimicrobial studies

Antimicrobial activity can be determined in accordance with AATCC 100-2004, which provides an antibacterial assessment of fabric with contact conditions of 37 ± 2°C for 18-24 hours.

The results obtained for a fabric impregnated with 1% chitosan and 0.05% crosslinking agent are shown in the following table:

Germ tested Epidermophyton stockdaleae CECT 2988

UNTREATED FABRIC

FUNCTIONALISED FABRIC

Count at time 0 22.000 cfu 20.000 cfu

Count at 20±2h 25.000 cfu 4.200 cfu

Viability 0% of reduction 79.9 % of reduction

Germ tested Staphyllococcus aureus ATCC 6538

UNTREATED FABRIC



Count at 20±2h 8.000 cfu < 100 cfu

Viability 0% of reduction 100 % of reduction

Germ tested Escherichia coli ATCC 10536

UNTREATED FABRIC



Count at 20±2h 510.000 cfu < 100 cfu

Viability 0% of reduction 100 % of reductionIn the case of unfunctionalised fabric with chitosan hydrogel, the reduction percentage is 0.

In vitro wound healing study

The wound healing properties of fabric can be determined by means of an in vitro CytoSelect TM Wound Healing assay, which analyses the effect of samples on the migration ability of fibro-blasts.In this test, an open wound is simulated by dividing a monolayer of fibroblasts into two through a 0.9 mm space.The tissue is exposed to a fibroblast culture for 24 hours at 37°C, after which the percentage of area occupied is determined.

Percentage of area occupied (%) = Surface area occupied by

cells/total surface area x 100

The results are compared with a control sample in a fibroblast growth medium.

This test is performed on unfunctionalised fabrics and those that contain uncrosslinked and crosslinked chitosan with the aim of assessing the wound healing properties of hydrogel-modified fabrics.

Code ReferencePercentage of area occupied

(%)

Control Control 20.32±2.46

A Untreated fabric 11.24±0.6

B Fabric impregnated with 1% chitosan solution 14.88±0.51

CFabric impregnated with 1% solution of chitosan with 0.05% crosslinking agent

13.04±0.36

t=0 t=24


The larger the area occupied by fibroblasts, the greater the sample’s healing properties. The control sample shows that fibro-blasts occupy most of the area after 24 hours of contact, com-pared to the treated fabric, whose occupied area is much less. To determine the wound healing properties of the fabric, the functionalised fabric samples are compared with the control and the untreated fabric.

Therefore, the results obtained suggest that the reference A fa-bric significantly induces (p<0.05) in vitro wound healing com-pared to G. Moreover, such material does not show significant differences in relation to the control material. Regarding mate-rial C, wound healing is significantly induced (p<0.05) relative to material G, demonstrating that the crosslinking process does not influence the fabric’s healing properties.

Functionalised fabric with hydrogels has interesting properties for its application in the treatment of wounds. These properties are:

1. Maintainingamoistenvironmentmaintainingmois-ture in the wound helps the healing process.

2. Waterabsorptioncapacityabsorbstheexudatespro-duced.

3. Protectionagainstmicroorganismspreventsinfectionin the wound.

4. Cellular regeneration.

The water adsorption capacity of functionalised fabric with pH-sensitive chitosan polymer increases compared to unfunctiona-lised fabric.

Fabric that is impregnated with 1% crosslinked chitosan with 0.05% crosslinking agent has the ability to heal wounds and is also antimicrobial.

Project ADVANMEDTEXThe research outlined in this article is part of the line of research in which is framed the project TEXTILE RESEARCH AND DEVELO-PMENT FOR MEDICAL USE AND / OR THERAPEUTIC PROCESSES THROUGH SURFACE FUNCTIONALIZATION - ADVANMEDTEX, whose aim is the application of different techniques and mate-rials from the biotechnology sector in the textile value chain, in order to develop high value-added products with applications in the medical and cosmetic field. This project is led by Unitex, SA, and it also involved Nirvel, SL, Texknit, SA, Aznar Textil, SL, Manent Casanovas, SA, Stretch Knit Lloveras, SA AITEX being the CSIC and technology partners. Project supported by the Ministry of Eco-nomy and Competitiveness through INNPACTO Subprogram 2010 National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and In-novation 2008-2011 and cofinancido by EU FEDER.

Images of test samples after 24 hours of contact

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Tax deductions for R+D+i activities and samples

Área de Proyectos de I+D+I de AITEX

What are tax deductions for R+D+i?

Article 35 of Company Tax Law (RD 4/2004) regulates tax deduc-tions available for R+D+i and technological innovation (modified by Law 2/2011 on Sustainable Economy (art. 65)) and provides fis-cal support for R+D+i projects. This is a right which a company has and is not limited in terms of costs incurred.

Why deduct?

This tax break is of great interest to any company involved in R+D+i or which manufactures textile samples, as the full cost can be deducted up to the maximum given below:

•42% in R+D projects (25% in general plus an additional 17%if it is the first time the company has applied tax deductions).

•12% in IT projects

•12% in samples

The advantages of R+D+i tax

deductions

These deductions represent a series of advantages:- The company has up to 18 years to apply for the deduc-tion. - They are a right for any company involved in R+D+i. - They are compatible with other types of aid such as CDTI. - Projects can be spread over several years. - Includes a wide range of costs.

Tax deductible costs for R+D+i are wide-ranging, as long as they are associated with the activity, and include: project-related personnel costs, raw material consumption for the research, prototype development, collaboration with universi-ties, technology centres, external consulting, testing, amortisa-tion and sub-contracting.

- The calendar is back-dated.

- There is no risk of a tax inspection as long as one of the fo-llowing is obtained:

o Binding consultation.

o Pre-evaluation agreement.

o REASONED REPORT issued by the Ministry for Economy andCompetitiveness.

SimulaTeD DeDucTion of an R+D pRojecT

INCURRED AND ACCEPTED COSTS 2012

Personal 72.000,00

Innovation and Technology Centres (2609/1996)

10.000,00

Other external collaboration 5.200,00

Amortisation of material and immaterial assets

9.500,00

Perishable goods 14.000,00

TOTAL 110.700,00

R+D costs accepted in 2012: 110.700,00 €

Deduction base: 110.700,00 €

% deduction 25% + 17%* = 42%

DeDucTion 46.494,00 €*the first time that R+D deductions have been applied

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SimulaTeD DeDucTion of a pRojecT qualifieD aS Technological innovaTion:

INCURRED AND ACCEPTED COSTS 2012

Personal 104.300,00


8.500,00

Other external collaboration 25.700,00

Amortisation of material and immaterial assets

10.530,00

Perishable goods 32.000,00

TOTAL 181.030,00

Accepted costs in IT in 2012: 181.030,00 €

Deduction base: 181.030,00 €

% deduction 12%

DeDucTion 21.723,60 €

advantages of tax deductions for textile samples

Law 23/2005, dated the 18th of November modifies the deductions for R+D+i activities to include, within the concept of technological innovation, textile samples.

Tax deductions for textile samples recognise the group of activities associated with a project related to not-for-sale prototypes.

The application of tax deductions for samples represents the following advantages to the manufacturer:

- The company has up to 18 years to apply for the deduc-tion.

- The calendar is back-dated.

- Various samples can be manufactured in a tax year.

- Includes a wide range of costs.

The costs which can be deducted are grouped into design, definition and manufacturing phases, and include: person-nel, amortisation of equipment and assets, perishable go-ods, costs associated with external collaboration and other directly-implied costs.

- There is no risk of a tax inspection as long as one of the following is obtained:

Binding consultation.

Pre-evaluation agreement.

REASONED REPORT issued by the Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness.

SimulaTeD DeDucTion of coSTS foR a TexTile Simple pRojecT:

INCURRED AND ACCEPTED COSTS

Phase 2: Design and

definition

Phase 3: Manufacture of

prototypes

Personnel 89.395,00 € 79.562,00 €


10.750,00 € 13.210,00 €

Other external collaboration 6.200,00 €

Amortisation of material and immaterial assets 7.860,00 € 58.300,00 €

Perishable goods 22.500,00 € 2.100,00 €

136.705,00 € 153.172,00 €

TOTAL 289.877,00 €

Accepted costs for 2012 289.877,00 €

Deduction base 289.877,00 €

% Deduction 12%

DeDucTion 34.785,24 €


38

Definitions of technological R+D+i

Here it is important to underline what are the legal definitions (according to Art. 35 of Company Tax Law) of research, development and technological innovation, as this forms the basis for R+D+i tax deductions.

R+D Ti

ReSeaRch DevelopmenT Technological innovaTion

Original and planned, which seeks to discover new knowledge and greater scientific and technological understand ing.

Art. 35.1.a)

The application of research results (…) to manufacture new materials or products or to design new processes or manufacturing systems as well as the substantial technological improvement of pre-existing materials, products, processes and systems.

Art. 35.1.a)

An activity which results in a technological advance in obtaining new products or manufacturing processes or substantial improvements to existing ones. “New” shall be understood to be products or processes whose characteristics or applications differ substantially in their technology from those already in existence.

Art. 35.2.a)

SignificanT Technological impRovemenT

how to obtain the Reasoned Report, according to Royal Decree 1432/2003

HOW AITEX CAN HELP YOU

Obtaining the Reasoned Report is initiated when the company requests an ENAC-accredited certifying body to produce a technical report of the project. After a technical and fiscal evaluation, the certifying body issues a non-binding technical report. rtifying bodies provide technical competence and guarantee a controlled and transparent procedure. The company then uses this technical report to apply for a binding Reasoned Report from the Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness (www.mineco.es).

The Ministry produces and issues the Reasoned Report.

The company can then apply the tax deductions for R+D+i for the full adjusted amount with total confidence.

Figure 1 shows the procedure explained above.

AITEX offers a personalised technical and fiscal consulting service to companies throughout the entire certification process described above, to help the company certify its R+D+i activities for samples.

Figura 1: Procedure for obtaining Motivated Report

COMPANY

CERTIFYING BODY (Accredited by ENAC)Requests a technical report

Requests a binding Reasoned Reportwww.mineco.es

General Directorate of Promotion of Business Innovation

Receives a non-binding technical report Offers technical competence and

transparent procedures.

Office for Innovation and Competitiveness

Get binding Motivated Report

Presents Motivated Report

39


C/ ALCALÁ 119, 4º IZQUIERDA

28009 MADRID (ESPAÑA)

TEL: +34 91 431 62 98 FAX: +34 91 431 18 12

www.asepal.es / [email protected]

ASOCIACIÓNDE EMPRESASDE EQUIPOSDE PROTECCIÓN PERSONAL

Contacte con nosotros llamando a nuestras oficinas o visitando nuestra página web.

CATÁLOGO DE EPI CERTIFICADOSNUEVO

» Herramienta electrónica de apoyo para la preselección de equipos

» Motor de búsqueda con múltiples criterios de selección

» De la normativa al fabricante o distribuidor en tan sólo 3 pasos

¡AHORA

es el momento

de hacerse socio!

Asiste con nosotros a

SICUR 2012en el pabellón de

prevención laboral

más visitado

www.asepal.es

ASEPAL es desde 1989 la única asociación del sector de Equipos de Protección Individual en España y la representante en Europa. Fabricantes, distribuidores y otras empresas aúnan sus fuerzas para hacer que la protección personal sea siempre certificada y se utilice mejor.

ASEPAL ofrece a sus asociados entre otros servicios:

» Apoyo a la asistencia a ferias nacionales e internacionales: gestión de espacios, subvenciones en ferias y misiones comerciales.

» Relaciones con la Administración en cuestiones como desarro-llo de normativa, control de importaciones y distribución en el mercado y uso adecuado de los EPI.

» Proyección de la imagen del sector: relaciones con medios de co-municación, folletos divulgativos, revista NUEVA PROTECCIÓN.

» Publicaciones técnicas: Catálogo electrónico de EPI certifica-dos, Guía de Selección de Equipos de Protección Personal, es-tudios comparativos de las nuevas normas y las existentes…

» Participación en los comités técnicos normalizadores. Aseso-ramiento técnico sobre normativa.

Asepal Anuncio PT/246x336.indd 1 10/03/11 10:04

40

_research

creativity laboratory: Towards a new fashion age based on the synergy of technology and creativity

Clothing Fashion and Design AITEX Innovation Group

Indeed, modern market rules dictate that the shorter the life cy-cle of a product, the higher the sales generated, and therefore, the higher the profits achieved, and this is what happens in our sector: garments that are completely obsolete within barely a few months or brands that change their collections several times a month.

new ways of consumingThere are, however, good reasons to believe that this model will soon disappear. The world does not have enough resources to meet the ever-increasing demands of the market and the pro-ducts that promised happiness to consumers who were willing to pay anything to acquire them have proven to be useless, incom-plete, very low quality and in many cases, quite unnecessary.

The current fashion market is linked to a system in decline. Re-gions where production costs are still low, such as Asia and Latin America, are experiencing a time of growth and development. In the old continent, however, things are different, and society has already begun to look for new ways to consume in a sustainable, reasonable and rational way.

And now is precisely the time to begin to propose a new fashion vision to determine what place it will have in the coming years and decades. Presenting really innovative products that truly re-present a major improvement not only requires financial inves-tment and time spent on research, but also specialised technical knowledge and know-how.

Fashion, by definition, is a passing fad. It is suc-cessful for a time, then fades away and is soon forgotten, only to be quickly replaced by ano-ther, which will suffer the same fate. It is a peris-hable product, and, if we look at most of today’s industry, it seems to have adopted the same production model. Products should not be long lasting, just like clothes and clothing accessories, which are created as objects that exist now and will soon disappear.

aitex octubre 2009__casos de éxito

41

aitex may 2013_

NNew technologies for the garments ofthe future

If we observe how technology has advanced in most sectors in recent years and compare it with advances in the fashion indus-try, we realise that there has been virtually no change in the pro-duct since the appearance of synthetic fibres in the 1950s. The textile sector has, however, made enormous advances in mate-rials, finishes and processes - generally developed for other fields of application - and other sectors (mobile technology, nanotech-nology, medicine and aeronautics) have also seen technological development that, at some point, could be applied to the field of clothing.

Having reached a point at which we have at our disposal nume-rous technological developments, the company is considering how to take advantage of all of this to create the clothes of the future - self-adjusting, interactive, personalisable garments that change shape, colour, feel or size, or even improve the health of those who wear them.

Creativity Laboratory

Through the formation of a collaborative working group bet-ween AITEX and the Fashion Lab of the European Institute of Design (IED) in Madrid, one of the most prestigious fashion de-sign schools in Spain, today’s new advances and technologies are

made available to fashion/textile companies and designers and creators (either AITEX’s own developments or those already avai-lable in the market) to generate added value for their clothes and for new types of product.

The Creativity Laboratory is a pioneering global initiative resul-ting from a strategic alliance between AITEX and the IED, whose main goal is to provide the fashion industry with added value through the synergy of technology and creativity.

Through this initiative, we collaborate with companies to deter-mine the type of technology to apply to their products in line with their market and their brand philosophy, and all of the ne-cessary services are provided to ensure the implementation of innovative solutions and developments for the industrial manu-facture of the final product.

The work process begins with a session involving the company’s key personnel, in which AITEX presents different areas of possible development and work is carried out to identify the company’s needs, on which subsequent work will be focused.

After identifying the company’s needs, value propositions are analysed from technological (AITEX) and creative (the IED’s tea-ching staff and postgraduate students) perspectives and the results drawn up for the company. The proposition selected by the company is developed and the material, technical documen-tation and prototypes are submitted to the company as the final result.

Through this service, experts in technology and experts in design can help fashion companies gain access to new technologies in a simple way, thus enabling relationships of trust to be formed with the creators of new products and projects, and ensuring that together we can move forward towards a new fashion age.

If we watch how technology has advanced in most sectors in recent years and compare it with the advances in the fashion industry, we realize that there has been virtually no change

42

Polytechnic University of Valencia – Alcoi Campus,AITEX Training Department

The Polytechnic University of Valencia and AITEX present a new “Diploma in the Development of Textile Products”.

AITEX is aware of the demands and requirements coming from the industry, both regionally and nationally and is fully cons-cious of the type of knowledge that future textile technicians will be required to have.

Por otro lado la UPV y concretamente su Campus de Alcoy ha visto como la reciente reforma educativa universitaria, común-mente conocida como Plan Bolonia, ha mermado la capacidad de formación en contenidos textiles a sus estudiantes.

The PUV has seen over recent years how the university educa-tional reforms, known as the Plan Bolonia has damaged the university’s ability to teach textile-related subjects and courses. That is why the two institutions have joined forces to design a joint training plan which can fill the gaps in students’ needs and created the “Diploma in the Development of Textile Products”.

Course content

The Diploma is a single unit, worth 34 ECTS credits, comprising seven subjects structured into three groups.

The aim of the content is to teach a student about facets of today’s textile industry which are not covered in other courses and which

are vital if the textile industry is to remain competitive. The objec-tive is to create a generation of first-class professionals and specific education in:

•Manufacturing specialised products using high-technology mate-rials and processes.

•Diversify the fields of application for textile into a greater numberof sectors.

•Develop transversal competence, focused on the problems oftoday’s textile company to include decision making, problem sol-ving, analysis and synthesis, organisation and planning, team work and motivation for quality.

¿Who is it aimed at?

The contents have been created based on the broad experience of AITEX and PUV, and both institutions have contributed their knowledge to cover as wide a student base as possible to ensure that every aspect of a course such as this has been met. The fo-llowing groups are targeted:

_learning

AITEX and the PUV – Alcoi Campus, recently signed a collaboration agreement to launch a Diploma de-signed to reinforce knowledge in materials, products, processes and management in the textile indus-try. The Diploma is open to students at PUV, as well as to anyone working in the industry or to students from other institutions.

MATERIALS AND PHYSICAL TEXTILE PROCESSES 13 creditsInnovation in textile fibresNew technological developments in spinningDesigning textile structures

THE ENVIRONMENT AND TEXTILE CHEMICAL PROCESSES 11 creditsEmerging textile finishing processesSustainability – the ecology of textile processes

TEXTILE PRODUCT MANAGEMENT 10 créditosManufacturing calculations and textile product costingTextile markets and technical requirements

43

• University graduates working in textiles with degrees inchemical engineering, industrial design engineering or product development.

• Graduates from other disciplines who wish to study the textile industry.

• Degree students with a textile or design background.

• Non-graduate professionals with experience in the texti-le industry.

Students with no previous textile experience will have to study an on-line access course, worth 12 credits, which is tutored by the course tutors. The access course can be taken through optional itineraries to reinforce just those areas of knowledge that the stu-dent has no experience of.

Inicio y modalidad del curso

Course start and methods

The course has been approved by the University and is progra-mmed to begin in the middle of next September. The majori-ty of the course will be taught on-line using the PUV’s virtual classrooms, which allow videoconferencing to ensure active student participation.

Teaching will be on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings, with occasional laboratory practicals, which will be under-taken at AITEX’s facilities. This will give the student ample ex-perience on the most up-to-date laboratory equipment.

The Diploma is scheduled to finish at the end of March 2014, and will provide the student with a high level of training and equip them with all the necessary skills to work in a produc-tion management or innovation role within the textile and garment industries.

InscripciónThe registration period is now open, the number of places available is limited. The selection of students is done by order of registration.

Georgina Blanes Nadal, Director of the Alcoy Campus and Vicente Blanes Julia, Director of AITEX, have forma-lized an agreement between AITEX and UPV for the implementation of the said College Degree. This is a new Course at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, created by the Institute, which aims to strengthen knowledge in materials, products, processes and management of the textile industry of college students. Practices of this diploma will be in AITEX laboratories. Both institutions have joined forces, through this agreement, to design a training able to meet the training needs of the industry and the indus-try, whose companies require trained personnel have specifically advanced skills and knowledge

aitex may 2013_

_shows cases

44

New Materials and Sustainability AITEX Research.Group

NATUR-SUN: DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURE OF A LOW-TEMPERATURE SOLAR COLLECTOR WITH A BODY MADE FROM ECOLOGICAL COMPOSITES

The Project:

EThe main objective of NATUR-SUN is the design and develop-ment of a solar panel using renewable resource-based materials reinforced with functionalised natural fibres. The project also considered:

Thefunctionalisationofnatural fibres inthereinfor-cing system in order to improve the bonding between the base and the reinforcing system and therefore the final properties of the composite.

Theuseofbiomassresinsfromanepoxyofsoyaorricin oil, as an alternative to the use of petroleum-based resins in the composites to develop an eco-friendly material.

Close-ups of the Natur-Sun low-temperature panel.

Since 1997, Ingeniería de Compuestos S.L. (InCom) has been dedicated to the design, manufacture, sale and installation of products and components for the renewable energies sector, particularly wind energy, and has wide experience in working with fibreglass, polyester and other synthetic compounds to build low-temperature solar panels and accessories. The NATUR-SUN Project was initiated by InCom, with funding by CDTI to develop the research necessary for the project.

The following images show various examples of articles manu-factured by InCom during NATUR-SUN, including close-ups of components of the low-temperature panel.

Included in the project has been a study into the possibility of replacing insulation systems in the panel, normally made from synthetic material such as Rockwool, for biodegradable materials from renewable resources such as cork, non-woven natural fibres etc. where possible.

Prototype development

NATUR-SUN has seen the development of a wide range of pro-totypes using different natural reinforcing fibres of different title and bonding methods, modifying the chemical nature of the sur-face and even considering the use of renewable resource-based thermostable resins during the resin injection stage.

The prototypes have mainly consisted of two composite types: a compound reinforced only with layers of textile from a renewable source, and another formed by a combination of natural material with a core of cork or polyurethane/polychloride vinyl foam. The composites were compared in terms of their physical and mecha-nical properties with others employing fibreglass reinforcing.

The differences between the Natur-Sun eco-friendly composites and glass fibre-reinforced materials were found to be acceptable, and the results of the joint AITEX InCom initiative were conside-red to be a success.

45

aitex may 2013_

Characterising Natur-Sun composites

D. JOSE BURRUECO- HEAD OF INNOVATION

“The project is viewed by InCom as an excellent op-portunity to demonstrate the use of natural fibres as reinforcing systems in composites and of their use as a practical alternative to glass fibre in certain techni-cal applications. The project has contributed greatly to broadening InCom’s range of products and has provi-ded our products with an invaluable added-value factor by using sustainable and renewable resources, and fits nicely into our sales and environmental strategy”

Se ha desarrollado una amplia matriz de prototipos, habiéndose considerado la utilización de diferentes fibras naturales de refuerzo, variando la estructura del material textil (título de hilo y ligamento), modificando la naturaleza química de la superficie de las estructuras textiles de refuerzo

aitex octubre 2009_

_shows cases

46

Área de proyectos de I+D+I de AITEX

Research into New Functionalities and Intelligence Introduced into Textiles

What does the project consist of?

The ITURRI group, operating under the project title of INFINITEX, heads a 15-company strong consortium which AITEX is partici-pating in as one of the leading technology partners. The project is researching a new generation of technical textiles with the support of the CDTI (Centre for Industrial Technology Develop-ment).

The consortium members represent each stage of the textile va-lue chain from raw materials to making up, including technology companies who will interact with the textile industry in the fu-ture.

Objective

The objectives are to develop solutions to existing problems and the generation of new short and medium-term applications:

• Research into new applications and

functionalities

• Identification of needs

• Ground research

• Conceptual and applied research

• Materials development

• Development of textile architecture

Work areas:

The project has an overall budget of 30 million Euros which will fund 29 lines of research distributed among 5 WP’s:

1. Electronic textiles

Textiles incorporating the functionality of an electrical circuit in-cluding sensorisation, signal handling or heating

2. Active textiles

Textiles which respond predictably to certain stimuli such as heat or a current

3. Comfortable textiles

The use of new materials and technology to improve a textile’s comfort

4. Protective textiles

Aimed primarily at the military, which requires protection from threat and detection.

5. Health textiles

Textiles which interact with the body to release pharmaceuticals on demand, or which prevent external agents from developing (as is the case with vectors or bacteria produced by perspiration)

Applicable functionalities:

The various research lines covered by the project are all aimed at providing textiles with a series of functionalities;

• Heating functionality• Sensory functionality

In the very near future, textiles will boast functionalities that today are unheard of. The technological leaps afforded by research into nanotechnology and textiles will provide textiles with vastly-improved levels of protection and comfort, and professional technical clothing will benefit the most.

47

aitex may 2013_

• Luminescent functionality• Slow-release functionality• Ultra lightness with high mechanical performance• Integration of electrical circuits• Adaptable camouflage

With more than 30 research lines in different fields such as fire-proofing, weather protection, NBQ, bullet proofing etc. and the leadership of the entire industry, ITURRI Group is committed to defence, emergency services and healthcare clothing solutions through its involvement in projects such as INFINITEX.

Opening premise: motivation

The need to address the project stems from the analysis of a ran-ge of factors, coupled with the future business opportunities it represents.

Important among these factors is the PPE industry: in Europe alo-ne, 140 million people use PPE’s on a daily basis, as well as textile applications for the military and emergency services. If these new functionalities are introduced into textiles, then the number of users is even greater. The project seeks to improve the levels of protection and safety for millions of people.

It is particularly important to note that a wide range of sectors will benefit from these developments including fire fighters, emergency services, the military, police, transport, industry, health workers.

The state of the art of the technologies included in the project, such as nanotechnology, materials technology, electronics and microelectronics, plasma technology, weaving and simulation are ideal candidates for research on a project of this type, as re-search will focus on involving all of them in the textile chain.

A wide-ranging consortium, involving every stage of the textile value chain

INFINITEX has seen the collaboration of a range of companies which have all benefited from the experience of working together on a lar-ge project with common goals.

Project leader, ITURRI Group seeks through projects such as this to help the entire textile value chain by sharing a common aim: the de-velopment of functional textiles with a high added value factor.

This has led to the generation of know-how and the ability to beco-me exporters of textile technology, as another of the projects ambi-

Images taken during the last phase of testing in INFINITEX project.

aitex octubre 2009_

48

_shows cases

tions is to support an internationalisation strategy for all the partners concerned.

Each of the members provide coordinated know-how, under the direction of the leader, to help the project achieve its aims of im-proving textile comfort and functionalities through the integration of textile engineering technologies. As a result, the consortium will achieve an increase in its ability to develop next-generation textiles, through its work with research into spinning, weaving, finishing and making up processes.

One of the main results has been the opportunity to unite represen-tatives of the whole value chain and bring them together on a colla-borative project. Companies who do not participate in these types of activities spend huge sums on diversifying their activities to deve-lop new products without considering the rest of the textile chain; a consideration which is vital to achieve ultimately successful results.

The ability to coordinate a group of companies in an R+D project of this size (an uncommon situation) bodes well for the technological advances sought.

Project consortium

The project has a clear multi-disciplinary, cross-industry nature and includes members from a whole range of industries and of varying sizes from industrial groups to SME’s. The Valencian Community and Catalonia are obviously heavily represented, as they are tradi-tional centres of textile industry in Spain.

The consortium is led by ITURRI, and counts on the support of other companies and partners from other disciplines. In addition to AITEX, there are other research bodies including universities and centres participating in the different WP’s.

The team comprises compa-nies with a diversified range of activities with vast expe-rience in product and process research and innovation. Indi-vidual, need-based research

has been revealed to be the most efficient way of achieving results and in INFINITEX, the partners have undertaken it in a coordinated fashion with common objectives.

Project launching meeting

49

aitex may 2013_

In addition to the leader, the following are involved: ANTOLIN Group, ANTEX, ANTECUIR, COMERSAN, ESTAMBRIL, FAE, IQN, MANTEROL, MARINA TEXTIL, SATI GRUPO TEXTIL S.A., SELVAFIL, SISPRA, TEXTULAN and YFLOW.

Most of the above are in the textile sector, although some mem-bers are from transport and research, which broadens the scope and view of possible future applications for the research carried out by the project.

As has been mentioned before, many of the activities are being carried out in the Mediterranean area, traditionally a focus of the Spanish textile industry, although the project is fairly decentralized and spread around several Spanish provinces.

On a final note, it is important to underline that to ensure a suc-cessful outcome of a project of these dimensions, a clearly-defined structure was required from the outset, including the role of each partner, backed up by route map to coordinate the scientific and technological aspects into the overall project.

The CENIT programme (National Strategic Consortia on Techno-logical Research) by the CDTI stimulates public and private sector cooperation through the financing of large-scale scientific and te-chnological consortium projects with planned research in areas of future technology with international possibilities that may lead to the creation of new products, processes and services and the inte-gration of strategic technology.

aitex octubre 2009_

_actualidad aitex septiembre 2012_

Smart and functional textiles AITEX Research Group

MATTRESS COVERS FOR COTS IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL MATERIAL TO ALEVIATE THE EFFECTS OF PRESSURE AND MOISTURE ON THE SKIN OF NEW-BORN BABIES.

_shows cases

50

MANTEROL and AITEX have collaborated on a year-long project to develop a spacer fabric to protect the skin of new-born babies from ulcers and skin complaints associated with lying immobile on a mattress for long periods.

The product has been tested on babies at the Neonatal unit at the Valencia University Hospital with the collaboration of the Dermatology, Ulcer and Injury Unit at the same hospital.

The definition of an ulcer:

Ulcers are ischemic lesions caused by pressure, friction, rubbing or a combination of all three at the same point on a bone, giving rise to a shortage of blood to the tissue which leads to a rapid deterioration in tissue health: apart from the above causes, mois-ture can also weaken tissue. Continued pressure on soft tissue trapped between two hard surfaces provokes occlusion in the blood vessels which creates a condition of ischemia, leading to the formation of an ulcer.

The requirements and objectives of the project:

The joint project between MANTEROL and AITEX has used the experience gained during research into 3-dimensional Raschel fabrics to develop a project which has culminated in the develo-pment of a range of 3D textiles to meet the needs of a niche mar-ket that medicine, and more particularly, paediatrics has been seeking an answer to for many years: skin complaints developed by new-born babies admitted to hospital.

New-born infants are considered among the most at-risk group for developing pressure sores, because of the early stage of deve-lopment of their bodies.

The problem is greater for new-born babies than in other groups, and is even more prevalent among babies in intensive care units where they may be on life support systems. MANTEROL has long been interested in the problem and has invested heavily in hel-ping to alleviate suffering caused by these conditions among the most defenceless.

A spacer structure with the right degree of resistance to deforma-tion caused by the weight placed on top of it allows the patient to remain still, avoiding friction and rubbing as well as alleviating pressure at a particular point through micromovements and the redistribution of weight. Its hollow structure creates air pockets which help insulate the skin against temperature changes as well

51

_actualidad aitex septiembre 2012_aitex may 2013_

José Luis Terol VidalProject Head

For MANTEROL, this project repre-sents a new challenge for diversifi-cation into technical and healthcare textiles which we began over 4 years ago, to dedicate part of our Raschel blanket manufacturing process to

the production of three-dimensional fabrics. The product range which emerged from this project is now being sold with the EC healthcare product label. With initiatives like this, MANTEROL is demonstrating its clear investment in innovation, added value and the opening of new markets.

51

acting like a cushion to redistribute weight, prevent moisture and aid transpiration.

The project has had two objectives: the development of fabric structures which adapt to the light weight of the patient and re-distribute it (e.g. the head is the heaviest part of the body); and the evaluation of skin tolerance and localised sensitivity after using the mattress with babies at the Valencia University Hospital as well as evaluating the sensory and morphological characteris-tics of the product.

The most relevant results that have come out of the project are linked to the benefits experienced by the new-born babies af-ter using the prototypes. This article describes the methodolo-gy and explains the results of the project to increase the public’s awareness of spacer fabrics, beyond the results of previous stu-dies carried out by AITEX under standardised conditions which were used to produce an enhanced mattress later used in clinical trials.

Results:

The test group included 45 patients: after analysis it was found that 9% were at high risk of developing pressure sores (Braden Q less than or equal to 16 points), and the remaining 91% were considered low risk. The average age was 6.25 months, and the average admission time was 50.5 days.

Using Braden Q, the classification for the group in terms of the risk of developing pressure sores was 41 neonatal patients at low risk (who presented lesions) and 4 at high-risk.

The qualitative evaluation study was carried out by healthcare experts who were monitoring both the study and the patients, as the patients are not able to express their own reactions. The results were used to produce parameters related to a patient’s comfort, and 100% improvements in warmth, humidity, mace-ration, erythema, pruritus and erosion were achieved.

After analysing test data using a pressure blanket, it was obser-ved that the mattress reduced pressure on average by 55%, and

produced a maximum reduction of 60% under similar condi-tions

Conclusions:

To avoid partiality, the conclusions of the joint MANTEROL and AITEX study are reproduced here exactly as they arrived from Neonatal Unit and the Dermatology, Ulcer and Injury Unit at the Valencia University Hospital:

1. The present test demonstrates the effectiveness of the 3-Tex mattress with spacer fabric SPECIAL PRESSURE-MANAGE-MENT SURFACE (SPMS) static, effective in preventing the develo-pment of pressure sores in paediatric patients. However, it must be remembered that while the effectiveness of SPMS has been demonstrated, the study was carried out on a small group.

2. The 3-Tex mattress is a pressure sore preventative mea-sure which alleviates pressure, friction and humidity among bed-ridden paediatric patients.

3. The use of the 3-Tex mattress contributes to reducingthe incidence of pressure sore development.

4. The prevention of pressure sores represents a reduction in patient costs and therefore savings for the healthcare system.

5. Handling and maintenance of the 3-Tex mattress is op-timum and it can be used both domestically and in a hospital set-ting.

aitex octubre 2009_

52

_shows cases

Clothing Fashion and Design AITEX Innovation Group

The “FASHION +ART+TECHNOLOGY” workshop week is dominated by the latest technological innovations in textiles

To mark this vital relationship between fashion and technology, the first workshop week, entitled “FASHION +ART+TECHNOLOGY” was held between the18th and the 22 of February, in collabora-tion with the European Institute of Fashion Design Lab, Madrid and AITEX; during the week, fashion school students had the chance to see up close, all the latest developments and work with a talented group of developers in a range of fashion, art, textile technology and digital disciplines.

The students had the chance to handle and use light and heat-sensitive pigments in the textile art Workshop given by the London artist Margot Bowman. The students also worked side-by-side with Alex Noble, the famous designer who has created dresses for Lady Gaga, creating outstanding fashion pieces using

materials more commonly-associated with the car industry than fashion.

The students were also introduced to new fibres, processes and finishing at the workshop given by AITEX staff, during which fi-nal year students had the chance to carry out the latest finishing processes and see for themselves the properties of AITEX’s latest finishing developments. The closing party was held on the 21st at the Blackout RAVE-UP: a new and upcoming club in the capital where the students wore the creations they had made during the week.

On Friday, AITEX staff and the school’s fashion director, Isabel Berz, met to discuss the week’s developments. It was judged a great success in terms of bringing technology and tomorrow’s designers together, giving the students the chance to integrate technology into their designs, and opening up a world of possibi-lities that could lead to enormous changes for the industry.

The fashion industry has always been closely linked to advances in textile technology, and quickly takes up materials and finishing develo-pments which offer enhanced garment proper-ties, making the new technologies more functio-nal and cheaper.

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PRINT • Textile art with mixed techniques

Margot Bowman. Illustrator and graphic designer, (London).

She has worked with Alexander McQueen and publications including Another Magazine, Dazed & Confused, The Esthetica Review…

PHOTOGRAPHY • Fashion campaign using technical clothing

Mert Derman. Photographer (Istambul).

Has worked with numerous publications including Vogue España, Vogue Turquía, Elle Turquía, Cosmopolitan Turquía, H Magazine…

SCULPTURE • Accessories using technological material

Assaad Awad. Accessories and amazing objects designer (Madrid).

Works with firms like Thierry Mugler and celebrities including Madon-na or Lady Gaga…

PERFORMANCE •Fashion with performance materials

Alex Noble. Artist, designer and creative director, (London).

Has worked with Lady Gaga, Thierry Mugler, Florence Welch, Cirque Du Soleil, MTV, Glastonbury Festival…

INSTALLATION • Materials in set design

Coco Ví. Set Designer, (London).

Has worked on projects for EGO de MBFWM, Mercedes-Benz, Absolut, Swatch, Swarovski, Pull & Bear, Selfridges…

DIGITAL ART • Web design

Claudia Mate. Artistic director and web designer, (Madrid).

Freelance: web designer who works on interactive projects and is experimenting with programming languages and 3D software.

DOCUMENTATION • Artistic director for a digital fanzine

Sergio Arribas. Creative director, (Milan, Madrid and New York).

Has worked with several firms and the media including Zara, PHotoEs-paña, Vans, Elle.es, Esquire, Vogue Corea, Cosmopolitan Corea, Elle Corea…

TEXTILE ART • Experimenting with new textiles, processes and finishes

Federico Sáinz de Robles. Designer, engineer and researcher, (Madrid).

Has worked with V Magazine Spain and as design assistant to Suzanne Rae. Currently works closely with AITEX .GIF ART • Development of GIF piecesCarlos Sáez. Creative director and digital artist, (Madrid).Has worked with Nike, Dis Magazine, American Apparel, EY! Magateen, and is the creator of cloaque.org

To see more of the students’ work,

visit the blog: http://fashionartandtechnology.tumblr.com/

CREATIVE WORKSHOPS AT THE IED MADRID MODA LAB

aitex octubre 2009_

_actualidad

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_european projects

FIBNATEX 2: Hemp textiles for technical application in the SUDOE

Hemp fibers have lots of benefits, both environmentally and technically:

During the cultivation of hemp, its needs for water are limited and do not require the use of herbicides, fungicides and pesticides.

One of the potential uses of this plant is in construction as thermal insulation and soundproofing. Its high absorption and desorption of water are also excellent for regulating the humidity of the air.

During FIBNATEX 2 two other potential uses have been detected:

Mobility

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

SPINNING PROCESS

Through a new technique of fibres separation, it has been possible the obtain fibres with a length from 50cm up to 80cm. This is a pro-mising result for the rest of the project FIBNATEX 2.

The challenge is now to find an industrial process to spin these fi-bres, and a hemp harvesting method for the production of hemp bales with parallel rods. This should help to achieve a better perfor-mance in the new defibering process

HEMP TEXTILE PROTOTYPES FOR MOBILITY DOMAIN

It has been used hemp wastes generated in spinning process as raw materials for wet-laid and compression moulding technolo-gies in order to develop thermoplastic composites

Source of wastes used:

ICAM/Caña y Retama S.L/Alhama Linares

Wet-laid technology is based on a nonwoven production process

in which the textile fibres are dispersed in an aqueous medium, and by means of a pump sucking device are then driven to a con-veyor belt that carries the nonwoven sheet to the consolidation station.

Bonding between fibers of the nonwoven are generated by the action of the temperature inside the drying module, through the melting of the thermoplastic fibres or particles that are present in the veil.

Call: INTERREG SUDOE IVB. /Duration: 24 months - Start day: July 2012 – End Date: June 2014 / Participants: AITEX, ASINTEC, GIH, ICAM, IPN Coordinator: CITEVE

Figure 1: Fiber preparation. Pre-dispersion fiber. Tank supply.

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In order to get a non-woven with a smooth surface and slightly better mechanical properties, a calander is used once finished the thermal consolidation process.

Several layers of hemp non-wovens are then used as raw mate-rials in compression moulding process, acting the hemp fiber as

reinforcement of the thermoplastic material of the non-woven which is acting as the matrix of the composite.

HEMP PROTOTYPES FOR PPE – PERSONAL PROTECTING EQUIPMENT

In this point, it has been performed a normative study regarding the standards to be considered in PPE’s certification. According to this information, two main applications have been considered

for hemp fabrics to be developed in Fibnatex 2 Project:

Second step carried out has been the functionalization of com-mercial hemp fabrics in terms of liquid repellence. Some tests have been carried out with different liquids: water, diesel and petrol. Good results have obtained with water and it is aimed to improve the results with diesel and petrol.

Functionalization of commercial hemp fabrics in terms of han-dling improvement by means of enzymatic treatments has also been carried out obtaining good results.

Figure 2: Veil formation in an aqueous medium.

Figure 4: Nonwoven Finishing: Calendering

Figure 3: Nonwoven consolidation. Thermal Consolidation.

Chainsaw textile PPEs

Main Researcher from AITEX: Eduardo Fages, Head of the Sustainability and Materials Department.

Webpage:http://fibnatex.eu

Petrol Station Garments/PPEs

Detailed view of the waterproof properties of textiles.

aitex enero 2010_

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_european projects

Demonstrative solutions for reducing noise pollution in industrial areas - NOISEFREETEX

Duration: 24 months Start date: January 2011End date: December 2013Coordinated by AITEXParticipants: PIEL, S.A., NTT Tecnotessile, PUV (Gandía campus) and ATEVAL.

Textile finishing technology is used on acoustic absorp-tion material, and these textile-based solutions can be used as construction elements in industrial facilities, walls, ceilings and acoustic panels on roads to reduce noise pollution.

The project aims to produce lighter, more efficient ma-terials that will represent an alternative to mineral wool tra-ditionally used in these situations, which will have the added benefit of reducing transport and installation costs associa-ted with heavier materials.

The first two years of the project have seen the defi-nition of the requirements and specifications demanded by materials used to reduce noise pollution, particularly in in-dustrial zones close to urban areas. Existing solutions were closely studied to create an in-depth technical dossier to document their advantages, disadvantages and weaknesses. The most important properties of the textile materials to be used were also studied to improve their acoustic performan-ce. Once the materials had been defined, they were purcha-sed and analysed for acoustic and fire performance.

Once this phase was complete, the selected materials were subjected to various tests in the following finishing proces-ses:

• Electrospinning: three polymer types were used: polyu-rethane, polyamide 6 and PVA to allow the selection of the most appropriate coating for the textile substrate.

• Plasma: different gases were used to treat the samples to improve the final finish quality.

• Coatings: different resins (mainly polyurethane andacrylics) were used to increase surface porosity.

The evaluation phase is currently underway, and the samples are being tested in three categories, as is explained in greater detail below.

In the laboratory: the first samples were tested to establish ab-sorption coefficients, flow resistance, thickness and density. Sam-ples which did not possess the required absorption characteris-tics were rejected.

Second phase: two scale transmission and reverberation cham-bers were constructed at PUV to evaluate the samples and deter-mine their acoustic behaviour, which dispensed with the need to test them at full scale, (in the order of 10-12 m2). Acoustic panel prototypes with different perforation patterns and a transmission tube were also built. The tube is used in the first place to measure the transmission, which is then measured again in the chamber.

The final test phase is an industrial installation of the two best-performing materials. Simulation software is also being progra-mmed which will provide additional data from the prototype re-sults and for further testing of other materials and conditions.

http://noisefreetex.aitex.net

NOISEFREETEX (LIFE+09 ENV/ES/461) aims to validate demonstrative solutions to reduce noise pollution in urban areas which are close to industrial zones.

Project financed by the EC within the LIFE+ programme.

Scale reverberation chamber for measuring the sound absorption coefficient

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“Texolotl” OEKO-TEX®'s Mascot

OEKO-TEX ® has created "Texolotl”, whose mission is to make chil-dren aware of clothing and textiles that have been tested for ha-zardous substances and that are harmless to wear.

"Texolotl” is also a great, fun way to introduce the whole family to the Oeko-tex® label.

Texolotl is fun, a sustainable little guy who is friendly and helpful, created by OEKO-TEX ® as part of the celebrations for the label’s 20th anniversary. C & A are also taking part in the campaign launch, and the High Street fashion chain is helping introduce the mascot to the market through an international campaign which underlines its responsibility for safe products and high-quality textiles. Eventually, OEKO-TEX ® will be taking the campaign to the whole retail market.

The campaign began on the 15th of October last in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Holland, and on the 15th of March 2013, it began in France, Spain, Turkey and Belgium. Texolotl and OEKO-TEX ® Standard 100 are at the centre of C&A’s childrenswear

department’s attention, and the slogan: "A symbol you can rely on" is being heavily promoted. The mascot’s free magazine "Texo-lotl-Mitmach" is available at checkouts, which contains exciting stories and fun games as well as an internet prize draw. The prize is Texolotl picture book where the mascot and his friends take the reader on an adventure through the world of textiles.

The multi-language webpage www.texolotl.com is aimed at chil-dren between 5 and 9 years of age and their parents, and the con-tent is based on fun learning. Texolotl also appears on the we-bpages for OEKO-TEX ® and C & A and even has his own Facebook fan page. The mascot also has a bright future ahead with a whole range of exciting activities.

_AITEX actuality aitex enero 2010_

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_ateval actuality

1.000 million Euros is the budget that CDTI has to spend in support of industrial R+D+i in 2013. The news was presented, along with other measures, in Madrid by the President of CDTI on the 19th of March.

Among the main points was a reduction in the minimum bud-get for suitable projects down to 175.000€, which will be applied from the end of last October and which opens the doors to more projects from smaller companies, adapting to the realities of mo-dern business.

Another of the innovations is the opening up of the much-awai-ted Direct Line of Innovation which will offer support to compa-nies wishing to develop innovative products or incorporate la-test-generation equipment and offer them financing from public funds at extremely favourable rates.

The CDTI will offer loans to finance up to 85% of a project at 2% interest to be paid back in 5 half-yearly payments commencing the year after the projects finalises.

The budget will include the acquisition of fixed as-sets, staffing costs, materials and consumables, ex-ternal collaboration, general costs and project audi-ting costs, but the costs must be incurred after the date of application to the CDTI for financing.

The maximum duration for a supported project will be 18 mon-ths and the applicant may apply for an advance of 25% of the total, or 75% (to a maximum of 300.000€) if a banker’s guarantee accompanies the application.

ATEVAL belongs to the national network coordinated directly by the CDTI, through its R+D+i Information Point, and has in-house specialists who can analyse your company and consult on and carry out applications to finance your projects.

Grants of up to 75% of the cost of the investment are still a more-than-attractive incentive for Spanish companies looking to pur-chase new plant. This is still the best way for our companies to continue to grow and become more competitive by improving their products and manufacturing processes, filling the hole left by the lack of credit facilities being offered by the banks.

This year, the Ministry for Industry, Energy and Tourism has brought the basis for REINDUSTRIALISATION and PROMOTION OF INDUSTRIAL COMPETITIVENESS under one roof, regulating the grants available for the creation, expansion and movement of companies, as well as fulfilling improvement plans based on the incorporation of technology and the development of more sus-tainable products.

These long-term, low-interest grants for up to 75% of the project cost for SME’s and 70% for large companies can be paid in advan-ce after the project has been approved.

The programmes can help industry to finance its costs including plant purchase, construction costs, civil engineering and the de-velopment of sustainable projects.

There has never been a better time to analyse the investment your company will be making in the coming year. Let AITEX help through its free consultancy service through our R+D+i Informa-tion Point within the national CDTI network. Our experts will study your case and guide you through the improvement programmes that best suit your needs.

CDTI (The Centre for Industrial Technological Development) to spend 1.000 million Euros on help for R+D+i projects in 2013.

Machinery purchase and the development of sustainable products will continue throughout 2013, with the support of public funding

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