3M introduced 3M-Specified Water Repellent Greige Yarn, adding to its product mix of textile solutions. The product joins 3M’s other fabric-based innovations such as 3M Thinsulate Insulation and Scotchgard Protector.
The yarn is crafted for the development of durable, moisture-managing fabrics, which allows apparel manufacturers to create dual-action water-repellent/moisture-wicking activewear and fly knit shoes that can perform in demanding outdoor settings.
3M-Specified Water Repellent Greige Yarn is pretreated with Scotchgard Protector, 3M’s durable water repellant (DWR). The yarn brings greater efficiency to fabric manufacturing and dyeing processes when compared to the padding on repellent, with 3M in-house testing indicating it can:
- Save time and cost on production
- Increase throughput
- Minimize water and chemical waste on fabric
- Reduce chalk mark complaints
- Deliver easy, uniform color treatment
- Eliminate the need for wet finishes on the fabric
“With this new yarn, we’re helping mills overcome common challenges they face with regard to inconsistent treatment, namely investing extensive time and money in finding the right recipes for formulas for each fabric,” said Robert Polik, senior application engineer at 3M. “Since conditions can differ from batch to batch, the mills typically obtain unstable outputs, but our treated yarn solves for this problem by simplifying the process and, in turn, providing greater ease and efficiency to fabric manufacturing.”
When held to the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) testing standards, 3M-Specified Water Repellent Greige Yarn received among the highest possible ratings for spray testing, anti-wicking and flex-durability.
3M-Specified Water Repellent Greige Yarn arrives on the heels of 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation. Launched in 2021, 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation has won an ISPO Textrends 2023/24 Top Ten Award, a prize that recognizes textile innovations for sports and outdoor apparel.
Xerogel is an ultralight solid that’s nearly 99 percent air, and due to its porous structure, it can inhibit air circulation, making it a natural thermal insulator. Developed primarily for boots and gloves, 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation retains warmth even under compression. In fact, it’s proven to be 20 times more breathable and nearly twice as weight efficient as the original 3M Thinsulate Insulation designed for footwear. Comprised of 60 percent post-consumer recycled content, it stands alongside other 3M Thinsulate Insulation with sustainable features.
To date, all 3M Thinsulate Insulation products met the strict sustainability standards for textiles set forth by the bluesign System, OEKO-TEX, and The Global Recycled Standard (GRS).
By using 3M-Specified Water Repellent Greige Yarn as well as 3M Thinsulate Insulation and Scotchgard Protector, mills can develop stable DWR textiles, innovative moisture-managing fabrics and advanced water-repellent knits.
In addition, brand specifiers can use them to create new lines of dual-action water-repellent/moisture-wicking activewear, innovative outdoor gear, and water-repellent fly knit footwear.
Throughout 2022, discover more on 3M-Specified Water Repellent Greige Yarn, 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation, and Scotchgard Protector at PERFORMANCE DAYS, Nov. 3-4 in Munich and Nov. 28-30 at ISPO Munich.
More 3M textile-based innovations are projected for release at the end of 2022 and early 2023. For sales and/or further details, contact Derek Wei (dwei1@mmm.com) or Totti Liang (tliang2@mmm.com).
