Sports and leisure

Antimicrobial treatment for down

1 September 2013

An antimicrobial treatment specifically developed for protecting down used in outdoor apparel is now available from Allied Feather & Down of Los Angeles, California, USA.

Cooling without chemicals

1 September 2013

A USA-based company has won accreditation for a range of textiles that provide a cooling effect without the application of any chemical treatments.

Fabrics based on merino wool

1 September 2013

A US company has introduced two ranges of fabric based on merino wool for use in sportswear.

Functional knitwear from Schoeller

1 August 2013

Schoeller of Sevelen, Switzerland, has revealed its latest ranges of functional knitwear for a variety of sports and leisure pursuits.

During Techtextil (held in Frankfurt, Germany, on 11-13 June 2013), Techarme Textiles of Jhonli, Taiwan, displayed a coated textile used to make inflatable products that exploit the air in them to pro

Treatment reduces friction between skin and fabric

1 August 2013

HeiQ of Bad Zurzach, Switzerland, is to introduce a topical treatment for fabrics that reduces their friction against the wearer's skin without adversely altering other important properties--such as h

Huntsman treatment makes athletes more comfortable

1 August 2013

A formulation that is designed to reduce the friction between the skin and a fabric, particularly a sportswear fabric, has been introduced by Singapore-based Huntsman Textile Effects.

Shock-absorbers for feet

1 August 2013

A range of low-density, durable, shock-absorbing materials has been developed for footwear by D3O of Portslade, UK, a specialist in impact-protection.

Non-wetting fabric that can drain sweat

1 June 2013

Bioengineers in the USA have made fabrics that can suck water from one side to the other and then move it away along threads to expel it.

Base-layer garment to keep athletes warm and comfortable

1 January 2013

A base-layer garment designed for athletes undertaking strenuous exercise combines the moisture-wicking properties of polyester (PES) with the support and movement of elastane (spandex).

Lineo to supply flax reinforcement for road-racing bicycle

1 January 2013

Lineo of St Martin du Tilleul, France, is to supply flax fibres to the international bicycle manufacturer Merida for use in its latest model for road racing, the Scultura SL.

Understanding sweat and odours in textiles

1 October 2012

Test methods that quantitatively determine the interaction of textiles with the odours associated with sweat are under development in Germany.

Compression socks shorten recovery times for athletes' muscles

1 September 2012

Wearing compression socks does not significantly improve the performance of athletes, but can reduce the recovery times for their muscles, a pilot study has concluded.

Additives for synthetic grass

1 August 2012

A USA-based manufacturer of additives for synthetic fibres has introduced a range of masterbatches intended for making long-lasting artificial turf.

Non-slip insoles for runners also help keep feet dry

1 August 2012

Replacement insoles for running shoes made by a Japanbased division of New Balance of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, will in future benefit from the inclusion of a strong nanofibre (Nanofront) of polyest

Natural fibre-reinforced composites for surfboards

1 July 2012

An Australian company has begun making stringerless surfboards using natural fibres to reinforce the composites instead of the more usual carbon or glass.

Textiles aid rehabilitation of muscles following sports injuries

1 July 2012

A wearable exercise product that focuses on the rehabilitation, reconditioning and strengthening of the wearer's muscles has been introduced by a UK-based company that believes it has identified a nic

Hybrid knitting yarn available for sportswear and workwear

1 April 2012

A hybrid knitting yarn that combines the benefits of synthetic and wool fibres is the result of a research project in Germany.

Nanofibres used to make the palms of cycling gloves with good grip

1 April 2012

A Japanese manufacturer of sports apparel has chosen to use a polyester nanofibre for the palms of its latest gloves for motorcyclists and bicyclists.

Heat-reflective technology helps to keep synthetic turf cool

1 March 2012

TenCate Grass is to add heat-reflective (HR) pigments to all of its synthetic grass fibres (XP Blade) sold to the US market.

Lightweight, breathable zip-fastener

1 March 2012

A seamless zip-fastener that can be applied directly to a breathable membrane-based fabric made its debut at the ISPO exhibition in Munich, Germany (29 January to 1 February 2012).

Shoe insoles to reduce injuries

1 March 2012

An impact-protection textile based on silicone has found a new application as thin lightweight insoles for shoes, according to the technology's developer, Dow Corning of Midland, Michigan, USA.

Garment technology--the hidden star of the London Games

1 February 2012

Niki Tait looks at the impact that the latest design and technology is having on the biggest brands of high-technology sports clothing, including some examples of garments that will be prominent du

Airbags take to the mountains

1 December 2011

Skiers, snowboarders and those taking outings in the mountains can now protect themselves from avalanches with the Ride Removable Airbag System (RAS) airbag available from Mammut of Seon, Switzerland.

More shapes for filament yarns

1 November 2011

Italy's RadiciGroup has added new shapes to its range of polyethylene monofilaments, RadiGreen MFL PE, which are used as yarns in the manufacture of artificial grass.

Football pitch can be wholly recycled

1 November 2011

A leading amateur football club in The Netherlands can now boast an artificial grass pitch that is completely recyclable.

Insole offers support and keeps temperature of foot constant

1 October 2011

An insole designed to combine comfort and support with foot-warming technologies will protect the user's feet from cold weather, without over-heating them at other times, according to the USA-based co

Schoeller makes lightweight fabrics rain- and windproof

1 August 2011

Schoeller Texiles has introduced a treatment to make fabrics that are soft, lightweight, windproof and resistant to rain.

Continuous, simultaneous knit-de-knit texturizing of up to 12 yarns

1 June 2011

A continuous knit-de-knit process capable of texturizing up to 12 yarns simultaneously will be unveiled at ITMA in Barcelona, Spain (22-29 September 2011).

Polyolefin fibre for artificial turf

1 May 2011

Mondo Spa of Italy has developed a monofilament fibre with a special cross-section for use in artificial turf.

Colourfast fishing line with high abrasion resistance

1 May 2011

Honeywell International Inc says it has found a way to make fishing lines from polyolefin monofilaments that have superior properties when compared with their conventional counterparts.

TenCate Grass boosts production of fibre to meet sharp increase in demand

1 April 2011

TenCate Grass of Dayton, Tennessee, USA, has increased production capacity for its fibre, TenCate XP Blade, that is used in synthetic grass.

Research offers prospect of much more comfortable sportswear

1 April 2011

Scientists in Germany claim their work will lead to the development of the next generation of breathable, functional textiles for sports and leisure wear.

Polartec creates a breathable, waterproof membrane

1 April 2011

Polartec claims its latest performance fabric - a hydrophobic, microporous polyurethane membrane called NeoShell - is the most breathable waterproof available commercially.

Stronger monofilaments make artificial grass look more natural

1 March 2011

Ridged monofilaments with a cross-section in the shape of a sickle are stronger and diffuse the reflection of light, making them particularly useful in artificial grass surfaces, reports a company fro

Process makes yarns and tapes without drawing

1 February 2011

A yarn deliberately engineered for use in artificial turf is the result of development work by Colbond BV.

Windproof, waterproof membrane can be stretched 200%

1 February 2011

At ISPO Winter 2011 (to be held in Munich, Germany, 6-9 February), Toray Industries Inc will introduce Dermizax NX, which the company claims is completely water- and windproof, can be stretched by up

Outdoor performance apparel attracts innovation in the USA

1 February 2011

John W. McCurry reviews US developments concerning textile-based products for performance apparel.

Sports--a niche market with high added value and wide scope

1 February 2011

An Interactive Workshop on Sports Textiles held in Mumbai helped to highlight some of the key issues that affect this market in India.

Forthcoming showcases for advanced sportswear in Munich

1 January 2011

The exhibition ISPO 2011, along with the Wearable Technologies Show held in parallel at the same venue, prove the performance sports sector to be a thriving market for technical fabrics, as well as em

Making sailing safer, more comfortable

1 December 2010

Inserts that protect the body from impacts are included in the latest range of sailing gear from Manchester, UKbased Henri Lloyd.

Mineral reflects infra-red radiation to enhance wearer's wellbeing

1 August 2010

A special mineral matrix integrated into a fabric reflects far infra-red (FIR) radiation from the body back to the wearer resulting in a number of beneficial effects, such as more energy, increased pe

Superior strings for racquets

1 July 2010

A monofilament string that offers superior playing characteristics for racquet sports is the subject of European Patent EP 2 175 055.

Single layer protection for Dutch Olympic skaters

1 March 2010

Dutch skaters at the XXI Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada, wore an innovative one-layer skin suit based on the high-performance ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre Dyneema

P2i technology for Adidas golf shoes

1 November 2009

P2i has installed its latest ion-mask liquid-repellent nanocoating line for Adidas in Guangdong, China, with start-up scheduled for December 2009.

Fibre design simplifies the application of in-fill to artificial grass surfaces

1 October 2009

TenCate Thiolen BV (Ten Cate Grass) is working to improve the characteristics of artificial grass fibres in such a way as to make the process of applying the in-fill to the surface simpler.

Synthetic turf developed to more closely resemble a grass field

1 March 2009

A synthetic turf designed to have a more natural appearance and a greater resilience is the subject of an International Patent Publication (WO 2007/107307) resulting from work by Jan de Clerck for Dom

Making artificial grass

1 October 2008

A German company has developed a method and apparatus for making highly crimped polymer strips that are strong, have a large volume, a high elasticity, good recovery and high resistance to wear,making

Better manufacturing of yarns for artificial grass

1 July 2008

Italy's Mondo Spa has patented a novel method for producing yarns suitable for use in artificial grass.

Textiles at the Olympic Games set their own Gold standards

1 June 2008

The difference between Gold and Silver Medals at an Olympic Games is measured in mere fractions of a second.

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