Gelvenor mulls commercial use of K27 textile technology

14 Sep '16

2 min read

Gelvenor Textiles, a South African fabric engineering company, wants to develop applications for commercial use of its K27 textile technology. For this purpose, it has joined hands with The Innovation Hub's OpenIX to invite business ideas from various enterprises. The firm will collaborate with the winners to develop and market their products.

The plain weave K27 fabric is woven using high tenacity nylon yarn and coated with a silicone elastomer for a high strength to weight ratio. Some of the unique properties of the fabric include self-repair characteristics, puncture and tear resistance, shape memory as well as chemical, water and UV resistance.

The company has already identified some possible applications of the fabric which include creating protective wear for marine and military personnel, camping equipment and self-healing linings for water containers and gas tanks. The K27 fabric can also be used for making patient transfer slides, parachutes, wing suits, hot air balloon envelopes, PPE for factory and healthcare workers and more.

But, to find more possible application of the fabric, the companies are inviting proposals from small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) and research groups. Participants based in or willing to set up operations in the South African province of Gauteng will be preferred, however, innovative proposals from other locations will also be considered, Innovation Hub said on its website. Solution providers based in Gauteng will be eligible for proof of concept funding from The Innovation Hub to support the development of their product and business model.

The Innovation Hub said that the proposed solutions will be judged on their value propositions and scientific merits. The participating SMMEs should also present data to support their claims and should be willing to work as a team with the challenge owner's staff. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India