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Home / Technical Textiles
Technical Textiles - Definitions
Technical textiles are "textile materials and products manufactured primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than their aesthetic or decorative characteristics. A non-exhaustive list of end-uses includes aerospace, industrial, marine, military, safety and transport textiles
The technical textiles industry is a diverse and dynamic one, embracing a wide range of materials, processes, products and applications. It also shares a number of technologies and has overlapping interests with other materials industries such as glass, plastics, films, membranes, metals, composites and paper.
Definitions
One source of confusion is that the term "technical textiles" is often taken to mean "industrial textiles" - an older term with a narrower focus. With the expansion of the technical textiles industry in the latter half of the 20th century, the industrial textiles is now recognised to be a subset of technical textiles, ie. industrial textiles are defined as :
1. Textile materials and products intended for end-uses other than clothing, household, furnishing and floorcovering, where the fabric or fibrous component is selected principally (but not exclusively) for its performance and properties as opposed to its aesthetic or decorative characteristics.
2. A category of technical textile used either as part of an industrial process, or incorporated into final products.
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Industrial textile Products
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Description |
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| Transportation Upholstery and Auto Seat Covers |
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Only uncoated types. Substrates for coated transportation upholstery and auto seat slipcovers are shown under Substrate Fabrics. |
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| Hose |
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Wrapped, knitted, braided and woven products |
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| Belts |
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Both Rubber and non-rubber mechanical belting. |
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| Chafer & Other Tire |
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Flippers, liners, bead wrap & breaker strips. |
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| Rope, Cordage & Clothesline |
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All methods of manufacture, i.e., twisted, braided, extruded monofilament, etc. Rope is defined as being 3/16" or greater in diameter, with products less than 3/16" classified as cordage or clothesline. |
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| Substrate Fabrics |
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Woven, knit and nonwoven fabrics used as a substrate for flocking, fine gauge tufting and vinyl, rubber or urethane coating, lamination or impregnation. |
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| Construction Fabrics |
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Broad woven, nonwoven or spunbonded fabrics, except upholstery and narrow fabrics, used in the construction of automotive seating, upholstered furniture, box springs and mattresses. |
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| Agricultural Cloth |
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Poultry, shade cloth and commodity covers including coated fabric. Soil erosion and stabilization cloth are under Civil Engineering Uses. |
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| Luggage, Handbags & Other Soft Goods |
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Only uncoated types. Examples of "soft goods" include military backpacks, athletic backpacks, wallets, briefcases and other soft-sided containers. |
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| Civil Engineering |
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Paving, soil erosion and stabilization cloth, drainage applications, roofing and other construction industry materials. |
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| Tents, Tarpaulins, Etc. |
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Only uncoated items, such as parachutes, deceleration chutes, tow targets and awnings, beach, garden and tractor umbrellas. Substrates for coated items are shown under Substrate Fabrics. |
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| Other Stuffing |
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Non-engineered fiber and needle batts for filling uses. |
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End User Applications for Technical Textile Products
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Description |
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| Narrow fabrics |
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Woven labels, industrial webbing, shoelaces, tapes (Venetian blinds & industrial), transportation seat belts, auto wind lace, channeling & trim, outdoor furniture webs and zipper tapes |
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| Medical, surgical & sanitary |
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Bandages, gauzes, adhesive tapes & plasters, sanitary napkins & tampons, cotton diapers, rayon disposable diapers, surgical gowns and packs |
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| Transportation fabric |
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Auto seat upholstery & slipcovers, sidewall, headlining and sheeting |
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| Tires |
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Tire cord & tire cord fabric, chafer and other tire components |
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| Hose |
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Wrapped, knitted, braided and woven products |
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| Belting |
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Flat conveyor & transmission belts |
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| Electrical applications |
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Electric wire insulation & covering, friction tape and cable wrap, stuffing & identification |
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| Reinforced plastics |
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High and low-pressure laminates used in the manufacture of construction materials, process equipment, transportation uses and marine, missiles, molded electrical parts, housing, seating, trays, etc. |
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| Felts |
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Wet & dry papermakers' felts, mattress felts, cushioning and wicking felts |
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| Filtration |
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Woven & nonwoven filters for wet & dry filtration, tea bags |
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| Sewing thread |
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Home sewing, industrial and weight goods, medical sutures |
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| Rope |
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Hawsers, baler, harvest twine, clothesline, tying twine, fishnets, seines & netting twine |
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| Bags & bagging |
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Synthetic yarn in nylon mailbags, olefin lemo mesh & closewoven bags, sandbag, olefin bags for wool bales, carpet backing bale wrap |
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| Coated & protective fabrics |
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Tents & tarpaulins, substrates for vinyl, rubber or urethane coating, lamination or impregnation, parachutes, deceleration chutes & tow targets, awnings, beach, garden & tractor umbrellas, inflatable dunnage & cushions, airbags and boat & pool covers |
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| Paper & tape reinforcing |
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Gummed and pressure sensitive tapes, nonwoven bonded structure for paper, tape and ribbon reinforcing |
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| Fiberfill, stuffing & flock |
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Used in all applications (apparel, home textiles & industrial) |
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| Miscellaneous |
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Abrasives, book binding, luggage & handbags, shoes & slippers, tobacco cloth, woven wiping cloths and wall-covering fabrics |
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