Filament Weaving: Enabling Technology, Digging The "New Potential" Of Products In The Functional Field

From August 27-29, 2024, the China International Textile Fabrics and Accessories (Autumn and Winter) Expo will be held in the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Shanghai). The China Filament Weaving Association sent personnel to the exhibition for research. The research team visited more than 20 key member enterprises and upstream and downstream enterprises in the filament weaving industry chain, focusing on the production and operation of weaving enterprises, new product research and development, and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industry chain. The details are as follows:

1、 Science and technology enable us to tap the "new potential" of products in the functional field

With the upgrading of consumption and the extension of product application scenarios, consumers' demand for fabrics continues to increase. Filament weaving enterprises strengthen product development and functional innovation, mainly in the first place, strengthen technology research and development for existing fabrics that still have consumption potential in the future, and make continuous iterative upgrading; The second is to constantly focus on new consumption needs, new scenarios and new trends, deeply integrate raw material innovation and finishing technology, and continue to develop new functional fabrics; The third is to focus on subdividing areas, make efforts to differentiate the track and develop featured products.

（1） Raw material innovation depth enabling product development

1. Function outdoor

In recent years, outdoor sports have gradually become a new trend, and various types of outdoor equipment are increasingly abundant, and more high-quality and personalized needs are constantly emerging. Filament weaving and upstream and downstream enterprises, based on their own advantages, are deeply engaged in outdoor functional fields. The new products launched by Fuhua are woven with ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber to improve the overall tear resistance of the fabric; Xiangxing uses volcanic rock+aerogel dual thermal fibers to weave a lightweight thermal fabric with temperature locking and heat insulation functions.

2. Sunscreen fabric

With more and more people going outdoors, sunscreen clothes have more abundant application scenarios, and the functionality and technological content of fabrics are also gradually increasing, not only sunscreen, but also have a variety of functions such as cool, thin, breathable, antibacterial, etc. Liansheng has developed a fiber with sunscreen function, which can not only achieve multi-dimensional sunscreen, but also has good air permeability and moisture permeability; Taihua can achieve permanent sunscreen only by using functional yarn and weaving technology. Compared with traditional fabrics that need finishing to achieve sunscreen function, Taihua has good air permeability, washability, lightness and comfort; Lantian showed the UV anti bionic technology fabric, which can block 99% UV by adding super sunscreen nano factor in the raw material spinning process.

3. Special tooling

The enterprise has also carried out innovative development in the field of special tooling. Fuhua has developed a welding suit for special work by using polyacrylonitrile pre oxygen wire, which can cope with a variety of working environments. Nantong Dongyi develops comprehensive protection, jungle military police, special tooling, safety protection, high-end chemistry and other series, which are suitable for different scenes.

4. Great health

Big health products are also growing in popularity among consumers. Zhongyuan Group exhibited a kind of plant anti mite fiber, which was made of special nano materials, and the mite inhibition rate was up to 99%. Hengli launched the "Kukang Silk" special nano material antibacterial multi-functional fiber, which is used in medical textiles, infant clothing, sportswear, underwear and home textile products.

（2） Post finishing technology extends product innovation boundary

Printing and dyeing finishing technology is the most direct and efficient way to improve the quality and color of fabrics. The enterprise actively focuses on the technical innovation of finishing after printing and dyeing, expands the new functional fields of fabrics, and provides important support for the versatility of fabrics. Jiangsu Junlin has launched the "Air Series" outdoor functional fabric, which is covered with a layer of PU film, so that the fabric has excellent breathability, comfort and functionality; Huayang fabrics for different application needs are compounded with PU, TPU, PTFE and other films to meet different functional requirements.

With the increasingly severe international market, the international market has also put forward more requirements for fabric development. California, the United States, is about to implement the PFAS textile ban, aimed at limiting the textiles containing perfluorinated and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In response to international rules, filament weaving enterprises strengthen technology research and development to improve their product competitiveness. The fluorine free microporous membrane fabric developed by Liansheng has excellent air permeability and moisture permeability, which is environmentally friendly and high-performance; Sanfeng strengthens the research and development of fluoride free products so as to integrate into the international market more quickly; Jiayao introduced an easy to clean fabric based on the water oil separation technology of stain management in the exhibition, which is free of fluoride and environmentally friendly.

（3） Gather and subdivide racetracks to enhance product differentiation

More and more enterprises realize that only by focusing on core resources, integrating advantages, strengthening the main business, building a moat in the differentiated, specialized and characteristic development, and taking the road of "specialized, special and new" development, can they occupy their own competitive highland.

Xinmin focuses on Blended or interwoven regenerated cellulose fabric The development of Tencel Filament and Nylon interweave to improve the strength of the fabric while maintaining skin friendly and breathable properties, endow it with special texture and meet consumer needs. Guangyu deepens the development of blended and interwoven fabrics of acetic acid, Lyocell, rayon, viscose and other fibers, and customizes differentiated products according to customer needs.

　　 Non spandex elastic fabric Due to the advantages of small elasticity, good recovery, easy dyeing, and independent use of raw materials for weaving, it effectively meets the market demand for low elastic fabrics and has an important impact. Sanlian has developed a variety of elastic fibers, including LTY ® One component room temperature dyeable non ammonia elastic DTY, regenerated PBT/PET bicomponent high stretch yarn, etc., provide more options for filament weaving enterprises.

In this exhibition, Light weight of fabric It has become a trend. The ultra light rain proof fabric on display by Xiang Xing is made of 15D ultra light nylon 66 fabric. The three-layer structure is precisely fitted, and the weight is less than 80g/m2. It is light and comfortable to wear and can provide ultra-high protection performance; On the basis of better waterproof and moisture permeability, the weight of the fabric of Chinachem's assault suit has been reduced from the original 100g/m2 to the current 70g/m2, becoming the main "star product"; The 7D 3L ultra lightweight fabric brought by Fuhua adopts the 7D ultra fine denier weaving technology, and the corresponding 7mm functional polyurethane film and 7D nylon warp knitted fabric are processed in a three in one composite process. On the basis of giving consideration to the high moisture permeability and high protection of the traditional composite fabric, the whole garment is lightweight, and the weight is only 57g/m2, further improving the portability and comfort of the fabric.

Filament weaving enterprises have always been at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation, developing new products following the market trend, and achieving functional superposition and integration of fabrics and functional extreme upgrading have become the highlights of enterprise product innovation in this exhibition. In addition, the research team observed that outdoor fabrics not only have the dual improvement of technology and functionality, but also are closely linked with popular fashion elements, which shine in high-end clothing and special functional clothing.

2、 "Green content" has been improved, and enterprises have continuously deepened sustainable development

The new fabrics exhibited by filament weaving enterprises in this exhibition are full of "green". According to the survey, the newly developed products of most enterprises widely use green raw materials such as recycled fibers, solution colored fibers, bio based fibers, and regenerated cellulose fibers to create green products from the source.

1. Recycled fiber

Jiangsu Zhongyuan focuses on the spinning and production of recycled polyester chips and recycled polyester fibers, showing a variety of types of recycled polyester fibers, including recycled cations, etc., which are characterized by low cost, low energy consumption, low carbon emissions, no chemical residues and by-products. Jiahua exhibited PRUECO ® This product breaks through the domestic technology and pioneered the domestic chemical recovery of nylon, reducing the impact of ordinary nylon production on global warming by 90%.

2. Degradable fiber

The degradability of chemical fiber has always been the focus of green development in the industry. In the survey of this exhibition, Yongyin Chemical Fiber brought biodegradable PLA fiber and developed a plastic gnawing agent, which can accelerate the fracture of chemical fiber macromolecular chain, thus accelerating the degradation process; Chinachem uses Sorona ® The company has developed new products with environment-friendly materials, focused on building fabric brands, and won widespread praise from downstream customers. At present, this type of products has accounted for 20% - 30% of Chinachem's orders; Lyocell fiber is natural, environmentally friendly and degradable. Guangyu, Junlin, Xinmin, etc. have exhibited a number of fabrics made of Lyocell fiber blended or interwoven with other fibers, which have been highly praised by customers.

3. Solution colored fiber

In recent years, the solution dyed fiber has made rapid development and become one of the most potential green fibers. COLOR of Jilin Chemical Fiber ® The original solution dyed filament is evenly colored and bright, providing another important choice for weaving enterprises to develop products; Jiangsu Zhongyuan's solution dyed fiber has achieved customized production, which can mix up to four colors. The market volume is large, and currently accounts for more than 30% of the orders of enterprises.

3、 The national charm is long, and the new Chinese style is bold and innovative

At present, the national style and the new Chinese style are the most popular elements in the fashion field. The national style and the new products are deeply integrated. The time-honored brands "turn red" through the old, and the new national style is bold and innovative. The filament weaving industry is accelerating the development of Guochao culture with unprecedented speed and depth.

It can be seen from the survey of the exhibition that when developing new products, enterprises not only focus on technology and quality, but also firmly grasp the fashion trend, and constantly meet the aesthetic needs of the market. Filament enterprises represented by Xinmin and Guangyu pay attention to the use of copper ammonia, acetic acid, Lyocell and other filaments to develop products, and use modern jacquard weaving technology, or with special weave design, blistering, wrinkling, hollowing and other designs, or combined with linen, cotton and other styles, supplemented by Chinese aesthetic color, to improve the grade and added value of products and endow products with traditional cultural connotation, Continuously meet the aesthetic needs of consumers and form a new breakthrough and rise path for China's fashion industry.

According to the survey of this exhibition, filament weaving enterprises have made new progress in low-carbon development, scientific and technological innovation, cultural value and other fields, keeping up with the changes in market trends. The enterprise has continuously strengthened the development of green products. From the selection of green fiber to the development of environmental protection products, the green development has gone deeper and more solid. Deepen technological innovation from raw materials, weaving, dyeing and finishing and other fields, extend the functional boundaries of products, constantly improve the added value of products, and promote the development of enterprises towards characteristics and differentiation. Conforming to the market trend, enterprises rely on the deep combination of technological innovation and national trends to give play to the soft power of Chinese culture.

(Source: China Filament Weaving Association)