Archive: Nov 2014

Medical Textile Innovations

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Recently Textile World hosted an Innovation Forum in Atlanta, GA which focused some of the innovations in the textile industry, including those in engineering, processing, and R&D. At Jason Mills we are always paying attention to latest technology in the industry and right now we’re really excited about some of the innovations in moisture management and antimicrobial finishes.

An antimicrobial finish’s purpose is to kill any microbe that comes in contact with the material before it can harm the end user. Antimicrobial finishes are incredibly important in the medical and healthcare sector, but what is exciting is it can be applied to a variety of other industries as well such as use in military applications or even keeping sweat off a gym treadmill. Similarly moisture management finishes are designed to repel water and can be applied to other industries such as outdoor goods.

While both of these may be found naturally in a yarn, more often than not the finish is a chemical agent that is applied topically to the fabric at the end of production. Some of the chemicals used as antimicrobial agents include quaternary ammonium, triclosan, and metallic salts, which can be applied to polymer surfaces, cotton, and other textiles.

We’ll continue to follow the textile trends and keep you updated on the latest in the industry and you can follow us on Twitter for more textile news.