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Services for business

Textiles Engineering and Materials researchers have a wide range of specialist knowledge and expertise. The team is highly skilled and experienced in delivering specialist consultancy work.

TEAM can provide your business with the knowledge and skills needed to attract new customers and developing new technologies. With access to state-of-the-art textile research and testing laboratory the TEAM researchers provide a service to help new product and service development and innovation. Working with your current assets the programme will provide you with the necessary training for new markets and technologies to improve and aid diversification.

Drawing on experience, TEAM can access global market knowledge and identify potential new markets. This can be supported by assistance to help with the creation of supply chains and groups, plan for the future. TEAM can also provide information relating to grants and investment.

Facilities

These include a conditioned laboratory equipped to carry out all conventional testing of textiles and yarns. Testing can also be carried out using the many specialist techniques that are also available within the TEAM Research Group and throughout the University. Additional support is from by a wide range of external specialist when supplementary expertise is required.

Performance testing of textile fabrics

TEAM has unique laboratory facilities available for testing the performance properties of textile fabrics to international standards. Our services can support clothing and fabric development for:

  • High street retail stores
  • Sports and functional clothing for manufacturers and designers
  • Specialist performance textiles for emergency services clothing manufacturers and designers

Testing therefore covers use in areas such as antimicrobial functions, flame retardance, comfort, the effects of laundering (shrinkage, colour fastness, creasing), strength and weathering.

Fibre processing and cleaning

TEAM have developed an optimised mechanical process to produce clean and well separated fibres. Mechanical processing experiments can be carried out on straw at different stages of retting and maturity to optimise cleaning in terms of fibre yield and separation.

Based on the traditional methods of retting to enable fibre extraction from the plant stems, we have extensive experience of enzyme processing for fibre cleaning and separation. Although we are aware that this is a more sustainable alternative to chemical methods, extraction using chemical methods is used for the production of ultimate fibres and their subsequent testing.

Laboratory trials led to the development and establishment of a commercial scale decortication system, currently being used for the decortication of flax, hemp and nettle straw.

Quality assessment of natural fibres  

TEAM has laboratory facilities that can be used for the quality assessment of natural fibres and their suitability for a range of end uses. The facilities are regularly used to measure physical fibre properties such as fibre diameter and fineness, colour and cleanliness (MDTA). Chemical properties can also be measured, in addition to spectroscopic and microscopic methods for fibre and plant chemical components. 

Modification of enzymes and enzyme application in textile processing

TEAM is able to offer textile biotechnology services by using enzymes to replace traditional chemical treatment in textile processing. Using bio-engineering expertise to produce ‘immobilised’ enzymes offers exciting opportunities for production of enzymes with specific textile properties. Recent work in the application of enzymes of the processing and finishing of textile materials including retting of bast fibres, enzymatic coloration, shrink-resist finishing of wool, etc. has often resulted in a patent applications and commercial exploitation.

Surface nano-coating and surface modification of textile materials

TEAM has recently being developing the surface nano-coating techniques for multi-functional textile materials including super-hydrophobic and antimicrobial properties. Advanced and sustainable technology has been developed to produce multi-functional finishes on textiles for specific end uses. The surface nano-coating techniques can also be applied for the development of composite materials and technical textiles such as protective garments.