Specialty Fabrics Review December 2020 - 35

Overcoming Murphy's Law yields pain-relieving yarns for socks
" Lather, rinse, repeat. Lather, rinse, repeat, " became the mantra of
Matt Kolmes, CEO at VOLT, when his company took on the challenge
of making cannabidiol (CBD)-infused socks for pain relief.
VOLT, a division of Supreme Corp., has expertise in military and medical
textiles, cut-resistant textiles, and conductive yarns and thread, but was
not experienced in working with CBD oil. Research and development
scientist Rakkiyappan Chandran, Ph.D., came on board and figured out
how to convert the VOLT machines to extrude oil onto yarn.
At one point they had a " big disaster " with the oil and the machines,
requiring six hours of intensive cleaning. " Eventually, we got one thread
line working, and we went from there, " Kolmes said.
The process required continuous refinement, says Kolmes, with a level of
acceptance that Murphy's Law was in full operation: " Everything that could
go wrong went wrong, but we kept detailed, daily contemporaneous notes. "
In time, VOLT perfected the yarns, which went to the Sock Factory to be
knitted into a successful end product for consumers seeking pain relief.

Understanding the regulation and testing of medical PPE
Jing Liang, founder and president of Medical PPE Consulting LLC,
walked participants through the regulatory process and testing for
medical personal protective equipment (PPE) in her session,
" Understanding Testing Requirements of Medical PPE. " Medical PPE
products are considered " medical devices, " which underscores the
importance of understanding regulatory and testing protocols.
Each device or product is put into a class, which indicates how it can
be used, and each class has a set of requirements and recommended
testing regimens. " Before testing, have a plan in place-the big picture-
of what testing is needed, " she said. This will include verification provided
by testing, " to ensure that I've made the product correctly, " and validation,
provided by clinical evaluations, " to be sure I've made the right product. "

The one-on-one R&D partnership

he process of working with a research and development center was discussed in Dr. Thomas Stegmaier's presentation, " Testing and Standards Integral to
Timely Product Development. " Dr. Stegmaier is head
of Competence Center Textile Chemistry, Environment, Energy, with DITF [Deutsche Institute Für Textil Und Faserforschung Denkendorf], a textile research
center in Germany.
Stegmaier described projects DITF had undertaken
to solve different problems. A study of polar bear hair
guided a project to construct the " polar bear pavilion "
to learn how the bears absorb light and turn it into heat.
Mimicking the bear, the building was designed with
an outer layer, an absorbing layer and inner insulation,
and-just like the polar bear-the building could store
the energy it collected for long periods of time.
Additionally, a study was successful in recreating
superhydrophobic surfaces for awning textiles,
inspired by nature's lotus leaf. German manufacturer
Schmitz Textiles has demonstrated that its Nano Clean
maintains self-cleaning functionality for five years.
" That's really quite amazing, " he said.

Rodgers: Textiles are the " T " in STEM
How do you create a channel from research to application? How do you
create a pathway toward understanding complex human problems across
supply chains and market sectors?
STEM has branched out from basic chemistry, biology and physics
classes into collaborative efforts, including textiles, according to Stephanie
Rodgers, director of product research and development with Apex Mills of
Inwood, N.Y. She connected the explosive growth in the wearables sector
with women who have embraced the technology and the opportunities it
has created. Women entrepreneurs, neuroscientists, PhDs, artists and
those with textile backgrounds are advancing smart textile technology
and its practical applications. Industry-academic connections are helping
to bridge the gap between research and the marketplace so that new
technology doesn't fall into the " valley of death " -waiting for an industry
partner while funding runs out, she said.
" How you would scale that up? There are ways to imagine it now, "
she added. " And all you need to do is ask. "

The " polar bear pavilion " project studied how polar
bears make and store heat for long periods of time.
The research succeeded in creating a building with
similar capabilities. Photo: DITF.

DITF helped a textile manufacturer develop a
superhydrophobic awning fabric inspired by
the lotus leaf. Photo: DITF.

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Specialty Fabrics Review December 2020

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