German knitting machine producer, Karl Mayer has developed a semi-rigid shoe fabric which, with the right finish, is flexible enough to be comfortable to wear and also tough enough for long-term use.
“The key element of this innovative textile is a tricot fabric combined with a coating made from polyvinyl acetate (PVA),” a press release from Karl Mayer informed.
According to Karl Mayer, shoe fabrics must be able to withstand wind, weather and high mechanical stresses and also must be pliable and breathable and have typical textile characteristics.
The conventional ways of making materials stiffer is to carry out heat-setting and/or to apply acrylate dispersion in water, two processes that form the cornerstones of what is currently possible.
Coating with PVA is an alternative to these processes and the amorphous, odourless and tasteless PVA coating increases the stiffness.
“It consequently also increases the dimensional stability of the warp knit, without having any great effect on its textile characteristics,” the knitting machine manufacturer added.
“Due to this, both the breathability and specific handle of the knitted fabric are retained, while the coating also increases the light and weather resistance of the textile,” it informed.
To apply the PVA dispersion, product developers at Karl Mayer worked closely with finishing experts at Textilveredlung Erzgebirge GmbH & Co. KG, which is extremely experienced in the finishing of warp knits.
Warp-knitted textiles made from 100 per cent polyester, which had a subtle pattern featuring slightly structured effects were produced on a TM 4 EL in a gauge of E 28 and were used during the stiffening trials.
“The PVA coating could therefore be applied with no problems whatsoever, and by applying the thermoplastic material, semi-rigid textiles were produced having a technical, grainy feel,” it explained.
“The semi-transparent ground remained unaltered, so that the finished fabric also provides adequate porosity to permit air and heat exchange, thus offering a high level of comfort,” Karl Mayer observed.
The PVA-coated tricot fabric is also suitable for other applications where dimensional stability, textile suppleness and weather resistance are all needed.
Examples of possible product applications include covers for garden furniture, sunscreens and bag or luggage materials.
