Performance apparel stays dry with new TransDRY
Cotton Incorporated has unveiled a new TransDRY moisture management technology which will allow quick-drying fabrics for performance apparel to be produced.
Fabrics made using the technology remain soft but offer added comfort because they help the wearer to stay dry and cool. They are engineered to transfer moisture away from the skin to the outside of the fabric, where it can evaporate.
”Many synthetic fabrics in the market claim to have the ability to move moisture away from the body to the outside of the fabric,” says David Earley, director of supply chain marketing.
“But most do nothing more than absorb perspiration into the fabric, staying as wet on the inside of the garment as they are on the outside.”
The company has spent the past year conducting moisture management testing using the MMT Tester from SDL Atlas in the UK. This testing equipment can measure wetness on both sides of a performance fabric and calculate a one-way moisture transfer index.
“Fabrics engineered to have one-way transfer performance beat any synthetic product we’ve tested in head-to-head comparisons – it’s not even close,” says Mr Earley. “
American performance apparel and base layer garments manufacturer Longworth Industries Inc. will be the first firm to bring a TransDRY product to market under its new PolarMax Naturals brand.
