Inside Outdoor Fall 2017

new patents have been filed by Gore based on new technologies related to manipulating the ePTFE membrane. To further enhance its product de- velopment capabilities on both the con- sumer and military sides, Gore recently built two new state-of-the-art labs which greatly expand its R&D capabili- ties. The new facilities, which opened in the Fall of 2016, include a comfort lab that simulates a wide variety of environmental conditions and a Flame Resistance simulation lab. This lab is of special interest to the military. The state-of-the-art Heat and Flame Protection Laboratory, housed at Gore’s headquarters in Elkton, Md., allows Gore’s textile scientists to pre- cisely measure and analyze the ability of the new materials they’ve developed for three key elements of burn protec- tion: flame resistance, thermal insula- tion and thermal stability. Gore’s new FR lab is four times the size of Gore’s former heat and flame testing lab at 1,350 square feet and is home to a new generation of high-tech testing equipment and technology. This in-house capability supports Gore’s development of novel heat and flame protection technologies at the compo- nent, laminate and composite level. The Comfort Lab, meanwhile, simu- lates a vast number of rain, wind and temperature conditions. Over the years the labs at Gore have generated a wide variety of textile innovations and several of its newest are gaining quick traction in global military circles. A recent example is the LANPAC 2017 Symposium & Exposi- tion in Honolulu, which took place in late May. LANPAC is an international event sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army that focuses on the role of land forces in the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater and their contributions to the A technician running tests at Gore’s Heat and Flame Protection Laboratory FALL 2017 | Inside Outdoor 23