In addition to its textile solutions product line, 3M is introducing 3M-specified water repellent greige yarn.
The yarn is specifically designed for the development of durable, moisture-wicking fabrics, allowing apparel manufacturers to create dual-action, water-repellent, moisture-wicking flyknit sportswear and footwear that can perform in harsh environments. demanding exteriors. The new product joins other 3M fabric-based innovations, such as 3M Thinsulate Insulation and Scotchgard Protector.
3M specified water repellent greige yarn is pre-treated with Scotchgard Protector, 3M’s durable water repellent (DWR) additive. The new yarn brings greater efficiency to fabric manufacturing and dyeing processes compared to repellent stuffing, according to 3M.
3M internal testing indicates it can save production time and money, increase throughput, minimize water and chemical waste on fabric, reduce chalk mark complaints, provide a uniform color treatment and eliminate the need for wet finishes on the fabric.
“With this new yarn, we are helping mills overcome the common challenges they face with inconsistent processing, namely investing a lot of time and money to find the right formula recipes for each fabric,” said said Robert Polik, senior application engineer at 3M. “Because conditions can differ from batch to batch, factories typically get unstable outputs. But our treated yarn solves this problem by simplifying the process and, in turn, providing greater ease and efficiency in fabric manufacturing.
When held to AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization) test standards, 3M-specified water-repellent greige yarn received one of the highest ratings. high possible for spray, anti-wicking and flex tests. sustainability.
As part of 3M’s strong innovation pipeline, 3M-specified water-repellent greige yarn comes after 3M Thinsulate Xerogel insulation. Launched in 2021, 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation has already won an ISPO Textrends 2023-24 Top Ten Award, recognizing the latest textile innovations for sports and outdoor apparel.
Using 3M-specified water-repellent greige yarn along with 3M Thinsulate insulation and Scotchgard protector, mills can develop stable DWR textiles, innovative moisture-managing fabrics and advanced water-repellent knits. Additionally, brand specifiers can use them to create new lines of dual-action, water-repellent and moisture-wicking sportswear, innovative outdoor gear and water-repellent flyknit.
“We’re really excited to bring 3M-specified water-repellent greige yarn to market,” Polik said. “It’s an innovative solution that will open new doors for factories to develop new textiles and for global brands to create sportswear and outdoor gear with rugged, repellent performance.”
Additional 3M textile-based innovations are expected to launch in late 2022 and early 2023.
