Smartphones, smart TV, smart tablets, but what about smart clothing? That would be clothing and shoes made of intelligent material that can both warm you up or cool you down, making sure your body temperature is always within a comfort zone. As it happens, Freudenberg's Comfortemp® material can do just that.
The bitterly cold winter in which large parts of the country are dealing with record-low temperatures for extended periods of time has made us into experts in layering and wearing extreme weather outerwear. But, winter weather is not only about being cold.
It is about constant temperature changes. We keep moving between warm interiors and punishingly cold outside temperatures, and the clothing that makes us comfortably warm outside becomes unbearably hot as we enter a vehicle or a heated building. Putting on and shedding layers of clothing every time we walk in or out of a store or public transportation is highly impractical. But there is a solution for that.
Freudenberg, a global technology group and nonwovens industry leader, manufactures a new nonwoven material that has already found its application in outdoor and sports clothing made by some of the leading European outdoor and sports clothing and footwear manufacturers.
Freudenberg's Comfortemp® is a thermo-regulating nonwoven material with textile sensation that provides high quality and comfort, and it is an optimal solution for winter clothing. It is an intelligent nonwoven material into which mPCM or phase change materials contained inside a durable microcapsule have been integrated. PCM's are substances that can change their physical state with change in temperature. The best known PCM material is water. When the temperature rises above the preset level, the PCM turns from a solid to a liquid. Cooling down will revert the PCM to solid. This process will repeat as long as the temperature crosses the preset value. That means, Comfortemp® material will help keep the wearing temperature within a desired range (not too cold and not too hot).
PCM technology was originally developed in the 60's for use in NASA space suits. With the successful introduction of micro-encapsulated PCM (mPCM), this technology became available to the consumer and industrial markets.
"Traditional insulation materials or moisture management materials keep you either warm OR cool, but not both," says Paul Dubnansky, Freudenberg-Nonwovens general manager interlinings, and adds, "With its mPCM, Comfortemp® offers automatic dual protection in one material. When you need warmth Comfortemp® provides it, and when you start getting hot, Comfortemp® provides relief and comfort by absorbing the excess heat so you sweat less. It is extremely breathable which makes it very suitable for applications in apparel, shoes, accessories, and bedding."
Due to its soft textile handle, Comfortemp® can be combined with almost any shell fabric, can be cut, sewn, trimmed, and is available in various weights for different temperature ranges. It is durable and can be laundered or dry-cleaned.
"Maybe, in a few years, dressing an infant in a snowsuit won't be such a stressful experience since there won't be a reason to rush - the snowsuit will keep her comfortably cool until she steps into the snow, and then it will keep her warm," says Dubnansky.
