Industry & construction

Industry and construction

Knitted fabrics in new materials

Knits' advantages in industrial and construction applications

  • Knits make possible: flexible and rigid areas within the same material.
  • Conductive threads may be integrated in a knitted fabric.
  • Wide variety of applications – including Twaron/Kevlar, Carbon, Basalt, UHMWPE ("Dyneema"), fibre glass, Nomex, ceramic fibres, wires (copper or stainless steel, for example).
  • The risk of defects originating in the production process is minimised as individual production steps such as cutting, and customising are eliminated.
  • Knitted fabric leaves the machine with perfect fit.
  • Different knitting techniques and patterns can be integrated locally.
  • Wear resistance and elasticity can be defined during the planning stage.

Application example: “Technical knits in composite materials”, a research project 

This inter-disciplinary project merges expertise from architecture, material science, and engineering.
The cooperation explores the use of knitted textiles in the manufacturing of new composite structures. The objectives are to obtain better control of form and function of the material, and to improve manufacturing efficiency. The result: the knitting of various yarns to become
composite materials resulting in significant benefits.

Collaboration with the University of Michigan

By enmeshing a continuous yarn, rigid and soft structures became possible within a single work piece.
This created a homogeneous material structure without predetermined breaking points, while - simultaneously - providing a higher level of flexibility. The material is less prone to breaking compared to materials containing metal but is also extremely light. 

Compared with carbon-fibre reinforced conventional structures, knits can be integrated with considerably less effort.  
Ecological considerations are gaining importance in leaps and bounds. 
In this respect, knits offer obvious benefits: less waste and – in some knitting techniques – no sewing or additional manufacturing steps required.

An infinitely diverse potential of applications in construction and industry opens up:
Aerospace and automotive, bridge construction, bicycles, insulating and carrier materials, and much more...
The scientists participating in this project agree: they are convinced that technical knits in composite materials will become the material of choice in
the near future.
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