New HeiQ product can cut garment bulk by 50%
16/01/2019
Humans lose about 60% of body heat through thermal radiation, HeiQ said at the time of the launch. To keep people warm, insulation made out of material such as down or fleece are typically used in outerwear. The thicker the insulation, the less heat loss and the warmer the wearer.
“For the active person or traveller, the goal is to find the same warmth without all the bulk,” HeiQ said.
It went on to say that XReflex will allow outerwear, midlayers, sleeping bags and other products made from textiles to maintain the required level of warmth while reducing bulk by as much as 50%.
The technology works by applying an ultra-thin reflective surface to the textile using a vapour deposition process, increasing thermal resistance while still allowing maximum breathability. By using one layer of XReflex, a saving of 25% in bulk can be expected, the company has said. With two layers, the bulk can be reduced by up to 50% while maintaining the same level of thermal resistance.
HeiQ has also calculated that insulating a jacket using the new technology instead of down or fleece material will offer a saving in the environmental footprint of the garment; the new process will save six litres of water and 10 megajoules of energy, delivering a carbon footprint saving of 280 grammes of CO2 per garment. For context, 4.2 megajoules is the amount of energy required to boil ten litres of water.
Xefco, an Australian textile technology company that is a partner of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and Deakin University, worked with HeiQ on this project.
In comments at the time of the launch, HeiQ’s newly appointed chief sales officer, Christian von Uthmann, said: “Warmth without bulk is the best of both worlds for the active consumer. This technology reduces insulation bulk to create thin, lightweight, breathable products, which in turn consumes fewer raw materials and makes for more sustainable products.”
Share this story:
