The chief executive of Outlast Technologies, Greg Roda, has told sportstextiles.com that his company is preparing to offer temperature-balancing functionality to polyester fabric and is looking for a sports brand to help it fast-track the idea into the market.

Outlast researches, develops, designs and markets phase-change materials (PCMs) for use in performance textiles. Its micro PCMs are usually applied to fabrics that brands can incorporate into their apparel, footwear and bedding offerings.

The principle of Outlast’s PCMs is that they absorb excess heat to keep the wearer cool in high temperatures, and store the heat to warm wearers up when necessary. The overall effect is to increase comfort, while remaining undetectable to touch and eye.

Mr Roda says he now wants brands to re-think how they might use this technology, but, for Outlast’s part, he wants to concentrate the company’s efforts on a smaller number of possible applications. “We’ve quit working on 20 or 30 projects,” he explains, “and are focused on only two or three instead. One that I am very excited about is a process we call infusion.”

Infusion is something the company has been doing since last year, applying its technology to finished garments of 50% (or more) cotton or other natural fibre. It already has one manufacturing partner in the US and another in Hong Kong that have incorporated infusion into their product offering.

“It’s been proven to be very good for cotton and high-percentage cotton blends,” the CEO continues. “But, recently, we’ve found that we are also able to infuse flat fabric, even 100% polyester, without compromising its wicking properties. Garments made from polyester have been pretty comfortable up till now, with good wicking, but they have generally had no temperature performance. We now have the ability to add that.”

This newer use of the infusion idea involves the Outlast application going onto rolls of fabric. Previously it was infused into fibres. Mr Roda acknowledges that, in the normal scheme of things, it could take as much as two years before any polyester garments with his company’s PCM appear on the market. But he’s hoping for a quicker breakthrough. “We’re hoping to fast-track any brand we can convince to be interested,” he says.

Legal challenges the company has faced in recent years—from Frisby Technologies—over the patents behind the technology are almost over. The chief executive says the intellectual property is Outlast’s to use, and that one recent court hearing offered “a very strong opinion” in his company’s favour. He knows of one further appeal, but is unsure of the exact date.

He’s also pleased about progress in what he refers to as “our Asian supply chain”. The partnerships Outlast has there are working well, and the companies involved have given him all the confidence he needs that they will be able to build the PCM technology into fabric in the right volume and to the most demanding customer specification. “That’s why we know we’d be able to fast-track one of the big brands on the polyester application,” he adds.