Fall 2019 - Inside Outdoor Magazine

Inside Outdoor | FALL 2019 52 Last year, Munich-based functional textile specialist Sympatex Technolo- gies presented the initial prototypes of UTMOSPHERIC, a seamless, no-stitch three-dimensional waterproof inner shoe. The multi-customer prototype phase is now close to completion, and in early 2020, the first series produc- tion machines for the fully automated thermal forming process will go on-line. Sympatex relied on automotive man- ufacturing experience to develop this highly automated production technology that allows the company to permanently give its laminate a three-dimensional form. UTMOSPHERIC is created through a thermal forming process to produce a seamless and crease-free inner booty that adapts to the foot, all without affecting the quality or function- ality of the laminate, said the company. UTMOSPHERIC is manufactured on fully automated production line and then integrated directly into the existing up- per production process. Although the injection molding of shoe soles is a highly industrialized process, production of the shoe up- per still involves painstaking manual labor, especially if the shoe needs to be reliably waterproof and breathable. To date, the functional laminate has only been available in two-dimensional form, which means extensive manual labor is needed to “design” a three- dimensional foot form that is then integrated into the upper as an inner booty, said Sympatex. The unavoid- able cutting and stitching inevitably harms the membrane, however, so that the waterproofness ultimately has to be reconstructed with the help of tape, a time-consuming step. Elimination of the manual produc- tion process reduces both the pro- duction time and manual labor, said Sympatex, while material savings are incurred by fully eliminating the need for tape, which more than offsets the additional costs for the machines. At the same time, the high degree of automation guarantees reliable water- proofness. End customers, likewise, also will feel the difference. By elimi- nating the stitching, wearing comfort is noticeably increased. “The production capacity of our initial pilot system is limited to between 350,000 and 500,000 pairs of shoes a year. To handle the vol- umes in the key manufac- turer coun- tries that our pilot partners announced during the preliminary discussions, we are already working to procure additional machines,” explained Dr. Rüdiger Fox, CEO Sympatex Technologies. Sympatex Moving Toward Automated Waterproof Shoe Production Ingredients Schoeller Introduces Biodegradable Textiles Schoeller officially unveiled its new PROEARTH collection of bluesign-approved biodegradable poly- ester textiles. The new collection will debut as part of the Schoeller FTC (SFTC) line, a joint venture be- tween Schoeller Textil AG and the Taiwanese Formosa Taffeta Co. Ltd. Schoeller says PROEARTH was created to help offset the more than 16 million tons of textile waste produced in the U.S. alone each year. The SFTC PROEARTH collection will launch with five bluesign-approved fabrics designed for lifestyle, fashion and outdoor categories. Made with virgin polyester that has been optimized for biodegradation, the initial PROEARTH articles available this fall include jacket, pant and lining material qualities with various color options. Fabric Could Smell Better After Sweating Researchers at the University of Minho in Portugal recently discovered a way to activate a lemony aroma by placing a protein found in pig snouts with a cotton fabric. In the study, the protein bound in the cotton captured the intended scent molecules, which are activated when contacted by salty water, or sweat. The researchers also tested a second method using liposomes to bind the scent to the fabric instead of the proteins. Liposome, often used for de- livery of nutrients or medicine, are like tiny bubbles that mimic the material of a cell membrane. This method reportedly led to more fragrance and re- leased a more constant aroma that was lighter than the scent created using pig-snout proteins. Researchers are trying to come up with a method to permanently fix the pig protein to cotton, and it will likely be some time before consumer- facing applications hit the market.