CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology
Capabilities
CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology specialises in fibres and fibrous materials.
The Division has evolved from wool and leather research to a broader
advanced fibrous materials capability. Our research focuses on:
· generating fibres from raw materials;
· manipulating fibres into fibrous structures with specific properties;
· developing products from fibrous structures.
Fibre and Fibrous Materials
Capabilities
CTFT is building a research program
designed to create new industries based
on advanced materials. It includes:
"
"
"
"
"
"
Biomedical materials for regenerative
health;
Nano-fibres, including carbon
nanotubes and electrospun fibres;
Electro-active fibres and textiles,
including flexible electronics
Fibre-based solutions for industry
society and the environment.
advanced materials, including
nanocomposites, electroactive and
bio fibres
technical textiles, including nonwoven
structures and bicomponent fibre
development.
Fibrous Biopolymer science
CTFT has expertise in biopolymer fibre
structures and relating biopolymer
molecular structure to fibre properties.
This expertise is crucial to the
development of new proteinaceous fibres
with commercially useful properties as
well as for new dyeing, bleaching and
shrinkproofing processes for natural fibres
Instrumentation and machinery
prototyping
CTFT has expert designers and engineers
with skills in the development and design
of instruments and fibre manipulation
machinery.
Textile Treatments and polymer surface
chemistry
CTFT has core capabilities in the polymer
treatment of fibres for:
"
"
"
shrink resistance
stain blocking
nanoparticle science expertise
We also have expertise in the
manipulation of surface energy of fibres
within structures to impart moisture
transport properties
Environment
CTFT has extensive environmental
expertise in lifecycle analysis,
environmental fate of chemicals,
standards for Ecolabels and in consulting
and testing. We have an Environmental
Analysis Group who operate a fee-forservice specialist pesticide testing service
Textile formation and Product
development
The CTFT division's core expertise in the
manipulation of fibres and fibrous
structures to produce new products in:
"
"
"
"
Apparel
Active sportswear
Military applications
Emergency services
CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology
Islands in the sea, splittable microfibres
illuminated with incident light.
www.csiro.au
Our Resources and facilities:
" pilot-scale mill facility
" dyeing and finishing facility
" materials
characterisation microscopy
unit
" spectroscopy facilities
" textile testing laboratory
" small scale and pilot scale nonwoven
" equipment;
" a bicomponent fibre extruder
" fibre electrospinning facilities
" carbon nanotube reactors
" engineering
workshop for making
prototype instruments
TFT capabilities in Advance Fibres.
Advanced Fibrous Material
Carbon nanotubes
Electronic textiles
Electrospinning barrier protection
Textiles as templates for tissue growth
Medical textiles to prevent injuries and
promote healing
Molecular templating
Technical textiles
Nonwoven textile research
Pilot-scale textile mill
Materials characterisation
Advanced Fibrous Materials
The development of advanced materials will
underpin growth in many areas of industrial
and economic activity in Australia' (National
Research Priorities, 2005).
CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology offers
world-leading skills in the formation of
complex fibrous structures for a range of
product area.
Our advanced fibrous materials capability
now includes:
"
"
"
The production of nanofibres by
electrospinning;
Carbon nanotube yarn (CNT) and sheet
manufacture;
Bicomponent fibre extrusion;
"
"
"
The formation and characterization of
structures manufactured from extruded
fibres;
Application of conductive polymers to
textiles
Integration of electronic functions into
textiles
Our focus
Our focus is on the use of new nano-, bio- and
electroactive materials in fibrous structures to
create high-value products.
We will channel our advanced fibrous materials
research into:
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Biomaterials
To develop tissue engineering scaffolds
and diagnostic devices
Electroactive fibres
To exploit CNT synthesis methods and
the fabrication of CNTs into yarns and
fabrics
To develop electrodes, batteries, sensors
and interconnections for textile-based
flexible electronics
Ultra high throughput separation
membranes
To apply CNT membranes to separation
and filtration
High-performance clothing for sport,
defence and workplace protection
To use advanced technologies in clothing
to monitor and improve performance,
comfort and protection of sports, military
and emergency services personnel.
Fibre solutions -- To offer our unique fibre
and fibrous materials expertise to find
solutions to problems in the water,
energy, health and defence sectors.
Silver coated copper wire weave
New Equipment
The development of advanced composite
materials is hampered by the cost of
preparing woven and knitted samples from
very expensive raw materials (titanium:
several thousand dollars per spool).
CCI small sample weaving loom
We have installed the first CCI sample
weaving machine in Australia which will
massively reduce the quantity of raw material
required for sample production. With the CCI,
we can rapidly produce samples 38 to 76cm
wide by three metres long, with low wastage
of expensive yarns. What currently takes 20
to 40 kg of yarn to produce on a conventional
loom now takes around half a kilogram to
produce a sample. The loom can be
customised to work with delicate fibres that
are not made for weaving.
We are currently weaving coated copper
wire, manufactured for the internal
mechanisms of watches to make electrically
conductive fabrics. The CCI is specially
adapted to handle these delicate and often
brittle fibres. The machine operates slowly at
40 pics per minute, a tenth of the speed of a
conventional loom and also has a slow
beating action. A single rapier is used for yarn
transfer and it is timed to pass through the
shed opening at its widest point, thereby
reducing friction on the yarn.
Harry Lucas R-1s miniature circular
knitting machine
The Harry Lucas R-1s circular knitting
machine adds to our advanced fibrous
materials capability. This machine is
equipped with 5 needles for the production of
fine hollow tubes of between 2 to 5mm.
These tubes are to be used for creating
human tissue replacement devices for clinical
applications.
Harry Lucas R-Is minature circular knitting machine
Chris Skourtis studing carbon nanotubes
Carbon nanotubes
CSIRO is looking at the industrialisation of the
spinning process to utilise nanotubes which
create textiles that can conduct heat and
electricity.
Carbon nanotubes are one of the most
promising new materials in textile science.
They are sub-microscopic, hollow fibres of
pure carbon. To the naked eye, they look like
black powder, but their true fibre nature
becomes apparent under the electron
microscope. Not only are carbon nanotube
fibres are immensely strong but they also
possess two unique characteristics: excellent
electrical and heat conductivity.
A research team at CSIRO is producing
carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and investigating
applications for them in textiles. To do this,
they are utilising CSIRO's expertise in the
following fields:
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
reactor design and construction
physical organic chemistry
chemical engineering and process
development
computerised process control and
analysis
fibre physics
yarn structure and properties
dispersal of nanotubes in polymers
polymer-nanotube binding and
functionalisation
electron microscopy (scanning,
transmission) and atomic force
microscopy.
How CSIRO uses it
We have built two reactors for 'growing'
carbon nanotubes. The team is exploring
applications for carbon nanotubes.
Encouraged by theoretical calculations based
on knowledge of fibre physics, our
researchers recently succeeded in spinning
yarn from nanotubes ('dry spinning'). CSIRO
is using its knowledge of chemistry and fibre
physics to produce carbon nanotubes for
production of yarns.
The fundamental properties of these
extremely fine yarns are being studied using
techniques borrowed from CSIRO's multifibre R&D capability.
We are also studying the production methods
and properties of extruded fibres made from
polymers blended with carbon nanotubes,
with an emphasis on the uniform dispersal of
the nanotubes in polymers, before extrusion
into yarn.
Our major collaborator is the NanoTech
Institute, University of Texas at Dallas, with
which we hold a provisional patent on the
spinning of CNTs into yarns.
The University of Texas continues to
investigate the basic science of the yarns,
while CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology
concentrates on industrialisation of the
spinning process - dealing with issues such
as efficiency, spinning head design, and
productivity.
We supply carbon nanotubes for research at
Monash University and have also given
samples to the University of Wollongong.
Researchers at these organisations report
back to us on the properties of the
nanotubes, and suggest changes for the
applications they are investigating.
We also collaborate with Deakin University
on the dispersal of nanotubes.
Contact : Ken Atkinson
Phone +61 3 5246 4803
Email [email protected]
“We produce metres of pure nanotube yarn without the need for
binding agents, which usually degrade the electrical properties of
the nanotube”, Ken Atkinson, Project Leader at CSIRO Textile and
Fibre Technology
CSIRO builds an invisible guitar to showcase
its expertise in designing and manufacturing
electronic and intelligent textiles for people to
effortlessly control computers.
interpreting arm movements and relaying this
to a computer for audio generation. Textile
motion sensors embedded in the shirt
sleeves detect motion when the arm bends in most cases the left arm chooses a note
and the right arm plays it.
Our expertise in this field includes:
Other electronic textiles projects :
Electronic textiles
"
"
"
"
"
design and manufacture of specialised
textiles for entertainment, sports,
rehabilitation and medical applications
integration of conductive fibres into
fabrics to form sensors
integration of technology and know-how
in electronics, conductive textile
structures, and software to develop next
generation textile technologies for
personalised human computer
interfaces
surface modification of textiles to
improve device functionality.
knowledge of the physics and chemistry
of designing and making fibres and
fabrics
Mobile computing
As mobile computing spreads into more
fields of human activity, the search is on for
simpler non-traditional ways of interacting
with computers. Intelligent textiles worn by
users are strong contenders for this role.
Mobile computer users will reap the benefits
as researchers at CSIRO Textile and Fibre
Technology create exciting human-computer
interfaces, using their knowledge of
advanced intelligent textiles, embedding
power sources and sensors in everyday
textiles.
Air Guitar
In a demonstration project intended to put
their skills on the line, a team led by
Research Engineer Dr Richard Helmer
created invisible musical instruments,
including an 'air guitar'.
"Freedom of movement is a great feature of
these textile-based interfaces," he says. "Our
air guitar consists of a wearable sensor
interface embedded in a conventional 'shirt',
with custom software to map gestures with
audio samples. It's an easy-to-use instrument
that allows real-time music making, even by
players without significant musical or
computing skills. It allows you to jump around
and the sound generated is just like an
original mp3."
How does it work?
The air guitar works by recognising and
"
Physiological monitoring
Textile sensors are being incorporated into
garments to monitor vital signs or joint
movements. One example is the Intelligent
Knee Sleeve, a biofeedback device that
monitors the wearer's knee joint motion
during activity. Developed by CSIRO and the
University of Wollongong, the knee sleeve
can be used to teach people the correct way
to perform movement skills to reduce their
risk of injury
"
Integrating electronics into smart
textiles
Working with the University of Wollongong's
Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, Dr
Mark Looney and Mr Peter Waters at CSIRO
have now found a way of 'seamlessly'
integrating conducting polymers into the
structure of textiles.
"
Exploring applications of carbon
nanotubes
A research team at CSIRO is producing
carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and investigating
applications for them in textiles. To do this,
they are utilising CSIRO's expertise in reactor
design and construction, physical organic
chemistry, chemical engineering and process
development, fibre physics, yarn structure
and properties, dispersal of nanotubes in
polymers, polymer-nanotube binding and
functionalisation and electron microscopy and
atomic force microscopy.
Contact : Bill Humphries
Phone +61 3 5246 4000
Email [email protected]
Richard Helmer
Electrospinning Barrier Protection
Ultra-sheer Structures for Bioprotection.
Ultra-sheer, micro-porous fibre membranes that
provide protection against chemically or
biologically active agents are 21st century
realities. These materials are finding increasing
use in fields as diverse as healthcare,
biotechnology, aerospace, energy and
cosmetics. CSIRO is actively researching the
potential of electrospinning as a method of
manufacturing high performance textile microfilters and surface altering characteristics
required by these end uses.
Textile Protection
The aerosol and liquid barrier properties of
electrospun membranes offer new possibilities
in protective products for hazardous medical,
industrial, military and emergency services
applications. Electrospun fibre-based
membranes are:
"
"
"
Very breathable
Lightweight
Multifunctional
(The membranes are considered multifunctional
because they protect physically against liquids
and gases due to their small pore size and;
chemically by easy inclusion of active
components) The high surface area to volume
of electrospun membranes imparts excellent
filtration properties.
Production Technology
Electrospinning
In the presence of an electric field an
electrostatic charge is introduced to a stream of
polymer solution. The electrically charged
polymer jet solution accelerates and thins out in
the electric field (usually with solvent
evaporation along the way) before reaching a
grounded collector plate, producing fine
filaments
Biological applications
Smart Bio-responses
The large surface area available in an
electrospun membrane makes it ideal for the
addition of reactive species such as
enzymes, fungicides, bactericides, inorganic
catalysts, flame-suppressing compounds or
other reactive species of interest.
These materials have the potential to
stimulate the biological healing processes.
“The high surface area to volume ratios of
electrospun membranes imparts excellent
filtration properties”, Dr Louis Kyratzis,
Research Scientist, Textile and Fibre
Technology.
Contact : Dr Louis Kyratsis
Phone +61 3 9545 2394
Email [email protected]
Textiles as templates for tissue
growth
Scientists at CSIRO Textile and Fibre
Technology are using textiles as supports for
growing tissues to assist the function of
damaged tissues and organs.
Tissue engineering support structures or
'scaffolds' are artificial devices, designed to
act as templates for attached cells and newly
formed tissues.
Their three-dimensional, porous structures
encourage cell attachment, proliferation and
migration through an interconnected network
of pores. New tissue gradually forms, and can
be implanted into the body.
The team is testing a wide range of
biocompatible, non-biodegradable and
biodegradable polymers for scaffold
fabrication.
Current research projects include scaffolds
for the regeneration of peripheral nerves, and
high performance scaffolds for tissue
engineering of spinal discs.
Specialty fibres
Project Leader Dr Louis Kyratzis says CSIRO
can extrude bicomponent (sheath/core) fibres
for drug delivery applications.
"Advanced extrusion facilities allow
incorporation of growth factors and other
biological agents into biodegradable fibres, to
promote cell growth and management," he
says.
Partners
These multi-disciplinary projects are carried
out in conjunction with a number of high
profile organisations, such as St Vincent's
Hospital and Monash Immunology and Stem
Cell Centre.
Our resources and facilities
For tissue engineering and other advanced
fibrous materials projects, CSIRO uses the
following resources:
Matching fibre to cell type
For a tissue engineering scaffold to work
effectively its structural and mechanical
properties must be suitable for the type of
tissue being grown. The CSIRO team is
tailoring fibrous scaffolds for particular tissue
types.
Using knitting, weaving, nonwoven and
electrospinning technologies, the researchers
produce scaffolds of tubular or flat design.
Image analysis and tensile testing reveal the
structural and mechanical characteristics of
the scaffolds produced.
"We are able to control fibre assembly to form
three-dimensional structures of known
porosity, pore size distribution and fibre
orientation," says researcher Dr Sharon
Edwards. "This allows us to customise the
structures for each cell type."
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
pilot-scale mill
small-scale and pilot-scale nonwoven
equipment
bicomponent fibre extruder
fibre electrospinning facilities
carbon nanotube reactors and spinning
machines
engineering workshop for making
prototype instruments
textile testing laboratory
microscopy unit.
In addition, we have recently installed two
small sample machines (described above).
" Harry Lucas R-1s miniature circular
knitting machine
" CCI small sample weaving loom (With
the CCI loom, we can rapidly produce
samples 38-76cm wide by three metres
long, with low wastage of expensive
yarns).
About the scientists
Dr Kyratzis leads projects on advanced
fibrous materials, including:
"
"
fabrication of textiles for biomedical
applications, especially tissue growth
integration of electronic circuitry, sensors
and batteries into textiles, also for
medical applications
"
nanofibre production and applications.
Dr Edwards predominantly researches the
design and production of textile structures, for
use as biomedical devices, such as tissue
engineering scaffolds. Her research includes:
"
"
design of textile devices for peripheral
nerve regeneration
production and characterisation of
textile scaffolds, for engineering various
tissue types
"
assessing the biocompatibility of fibres
(such as carbon nanotube yarns) with
particular cells.
Advanced extrusion facilities allow
incorporation of growth factors and other
biological agents into biodegradable fibres, to
promote cell growth and management.
Contact : Dr Louis Kyratsis
Phone +61 3 9545 2394
Email [email protected]
Dr Sharon Edwards
Phone +61 3 5246 4000
Email [email protected]
Medical textiles to prevent
injuries and promote healing
CSIRO is developing next generation medical
textile products for injury prevention and
wound management. Incorporation of sensors
and response technologies in wound
management should improve recovery from
surgery, trauma and medical conditions.
CSIRO is using its textile, biochemical and
materials research expertise to design textiles
that prevent wounds and promote healing.
Our researchers are testing injury prevention
limb covers to prevent or reduce skin tears
and other injuries. We are also developing
advanced textiles with integrated sensing and
response technologies, to promote healing of
burns, scars and ulcers.
CSIRO capability
CSIRO's Textile and Fibre Technology
Division, together with other divisions, is
using its extensive expertise in textile design,
manufacture and testing to develop woolbased textiles for two kinds of novel medical
applications:
"
"
injury prevention limb covers to reduce
skin tears and other skin injuries in the
elderly
advanced wound management products
with integrated sensor and response
technologies, to promote improved
healing of burns, scars, ulcers, and other
skin injuries.
Specific areas of expertise in these fields
include:
" knowledge
of how the physics and
chemistry of fibres affect fabric properties
" design
and manufacture of specialised
textiles for medical applications
" surface
modification of textiles to improve
wound management
" integration
of electronics into textile
structures, and the use of this know-how
to develop sensor technologies for
wound management textiles.
How CSIRO uses it
CSIRO works with clinicians and aged care
facilities to assess injury and wound repair
problems and possible solutions.
Our researchers design prototype textile
devices in collaboration with a commercial
partner. These are manufactured at CSIRO's
textile facilities for clinical assessment.
“ Smart, interactive medical textiles will sense and respond to physical changes in wound environments to assist healing”
Robin Cranston Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology.
Who else is involved?
With funding from Australian Wool Innovation,
CSIRO is partnered with a leading
international medical products supplier with
extensive experience in conducting clinically
approved trials and bringing new products to
market.
In addition, under an alliance with the
University of Wollongong's Intelligent Polymer
Research Institute, CSIRO is developing yarn
and textile production methods for a new
generation of electronic textiles.
These yarns and textiles will be based on
'inherently conductive polymers'. Electronic
functionality will be seamlessly integrated into
the materials.
“ Smart, interactive medical textiles will sense
and respond to physical changes in wound
environments to assist healing” Robin
Cranston Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO
Textile and Fibre Technology.
Contact : Robin Cranston
Phone +61 3 9545 2100
Email [email protected]
electronic textiles possessing several
advantages over other methods of producing
these materials.
Our patented Molecular Templating
technology enables us to seamlessly
integrate electronic functionality into textiles
and could form the basis of next generation
electronic textiles.
For example, electronic textiles produced by
our process:
"
"
"
are more robust and stable
have better control over the level of
conductivity,
have the electronic functionality more
seamlessly integrated into the textile
structure.
In addition, our Molecular Templating
process:
"
"
"
is compatible with conventional textile
processing systems and equipment,
is useful for a wide range of ICP
systems,
Has the potential to also incorporate
additional new functionality into textiles.
Integrated Sensing Applications:
Molecular templating
Integrated Textiles Sensors based on
Inherently Conductive Polymer Technologies.
In the area of Emerging Science, CSIRO TFT
has forged an alliance with the University of
Wollongong's Intelligent Polymer Research
Institute to develop enabling technologies
based upon inherently conductive polymers
(ICPs). These developments will make it
possible for electronic functionality to be
seamlessly integrated into textile materials to
facilitate a new generation of electronic
textiles.
Our recently patented Molecular Templating
technology provides a versatile method to
develop a range of new integrated electronic
functionality onto fibres.
Advantages of Molecular Templating:
Molecular Templating on textiles is a recentlydeveloped process that allows for ICPs to be
applied in novel ways to fibres. This results in
Our Molecular Templated textiles are ideally
suited to sensing applications and have the
potential to be used to sense:
"
"
"
"
"
temperature
strain,
pressure,
humidity,
chemical and biochemical sensors
In addition to sensing applications, our
Molecular Templated textiles are likely
candidates for applications such as:
"
"
"
"
shielding from electromagnetic
radiation,
anti-static treatments,
communications,
heating and cooling.
Contact : Mark Looney
Phone +61 3 9545 2325
Email [email protected]
"
"
"
"
CSIRO's technical textile production capabilities include traditional
knitting and weaving, 3D knitting, and modern machinery for
nonwoven bonding by chemical, heat or mechanical processes.
Technical Textiles
CSIRO's modern research facilities for
technical textile production and testing are
available to industry for product design and
development, and problem solving.
Technical textiles are manufactured primarily
for their technical performance and functional
properties. However, aesthetic values can be
applied to technical textile design.
Sportswear, for instance, can be technical
and highly styled. Carpets and furnishing
fabrics aren't usually considered technical
textiles unless they are in a car, aircraft or
boat.
Expanding production
Technical textiles make up about 40% of all
textile industry output worldwide. Production
is expected to continue to grow faster than
any other segment of the textile industry.
Technical textiles find application in many
sectors, such as:
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
aerospace,
manufacturing,
marine,
safety netting
conveyor belts
geotextiles.
Many uses in cars
The automotive industry is one of the largest
single markets for technical textiles. It is also
one of the most diverse. Applications range
from tyre cord, hose and drive belt
reinforcements, to thermal and sound
insulation, safety belts and airbags, filters,
cable harnesses and textile-reinforced
composites for body and suspension parts.
Even the internal furnishings of a car headliners, seating, carpets, parcel shelf and
boot liners - are regarded as technical textiles
because of the extremely demanding
specifications to which they are made and
tested.
Medical textiles
Medical and hygiene textiles products range
from high volume disposable products for
babies' nappies, feminine hygiene and adult
incontinence, to extremely specialised and
high value textile products for use in blood
filtration, surgical sutures, prostheses and,
most recently, scaffolds supporting tissue
growth.
Bright future
The promise of technical and performance
textiles is an emerging generation of products
combining the latest developments in
advanced flexible materials with advances in
computing and communications technology,
biomaterials, nanotechnology and novel
process technologies such as plasma
treatment.
military,
safety,
transportation,
construction, and
land management.
Some examples of technical textiles are:
"
"
"
"
car airbags
filters
bulletproof vests
wound dressings
curtain tapes
These will eventually have a direct impact on
all sorts of consumer textile markets,
including clothing and furnishings. The field of
'wearable electronics' has already captured
the imagination of many researchers and
large corporations.
Researchers at CSIRO Textile and Fibre
Technology are working in this area, and on
many aspects of technical textiles. Truly
interactive textiles, with sensors, actuators
and logic circuits built into the structure of the
fibres, yarns and fabrics themselves, are
beginning to appear.
Diverse manufacturing methods
Technical textiles are produced by a range of
technologies: they can be woven, knitted,
braided, or 'nonwoven'. In nonwovens, the
fibres are not formed into yarns. Instead,
individual fibres are arranged in a web or mat,
and then bonded by a variety of techniques.
Bypassing the yarn stage significantly
reduces production costs.
Our technical textile production capabilities
include traditional knitting and weaving, and
3D knitting. Nonwoven production is
supported by capabilities in:
"
"
"
"
Nonwoven textile research
assembly of fibres into a uniform web by
carding and air laying
bonding by chemical or heat treatment,
needlepunch, or hydroentanglement
spun-bond: continuous extrusion of bicomponent fibres, immediate assembly
into a web, followed by
hydroentanglement bonding
Extrusion of splittable & bicomponent
fibres.
Projects
CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology works on:
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Nonwoven technical textiles bypass the yarn stage used in
traditional textile production, significantly reducing production
costs.
sportswear
electronic textiles
advanced composites
shade-cloth
potable water-storage covers
sewage treatment plant covers
wool blend quilts
fibre-reinforced composites
wetsuits
automotive trims (including hot pressed
non-wovens)
filtration products
geotextiles
protective apparel.
Contact : Niall Finn
Phone +61 3 5246 4000
Email : [email protected]
CSIRO's modern, expanding research
facilities for nonwoven textile production and
testing are available to industry for product
design and development, and problem
solving.
Nonwovens are not made from yarns.
Instead, the fibres are arranged in a uniform
web or mat, and then bonded by a variety of
techniques for strength and functionality.
Bypassing the yarn stage has the advantage
of significantly reducing production costs,
since the expense of spinning is avoided.
Nonwoven products include:
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
air filters
automotive interior trims
carpet underlay
collar inserts for shirts
food packaging (e.g. meat trays)
formula 1 nose cones
office dividers
shoe insoles
vertical blinds
wind turbine blades
Production of nonwovens requires three basic
steps:
"
"
"
Fibre blending
Web formation using extrusion, airlaid,
wet laid or carded web
Fibre bonding for greater strength and
functionality, using thermal,
chemical
and/or mechanical techniques
How CSIRO uses it
We use the facilities for product development,
processing and instrumentation research,
prototyping, and low volume sample
production.
Technical textile projects at CSIRO Textile
and Fibre Technology have included:
CSIRO's modern nonwoven production mill produces small
samples, and also allows product development on pilot scale
equipment. Fibre bonding is achieved by chemical or heat
treatment, needlepunch or hydroentanglement.
The capability
Nonwoven production and research at CSIRO
Textile and Fibre Technology is supported by
capabilities in:
"
"
"
"
forming a fibre web by carding and air
laying
bonding by chemical or heat treatment,
needlepunch, or hydroentanglement
production of fibres, including
bicomponent fibres that can be split
into microfibres
spun-bond processing, with extrusion
of continuous fibre filaments for
immediate assembly into a web,
followed by hydroentanglement
bonding.
" wool blend quilts
" fibre-reinforced composites
" wetsuits
" automotive trims (including hot pressed
non-wovens)
" air filters
" geotextiles production
" protective apparel.
CSIRO's modern nonwoven production mill
produces small samples, and also allows
product development on pilot scale
equipment. Fibre bonding is achieved by
chemical or heat treatment, needlepunch or
hydroentanglement.
Contact : Niall Finn
Phone +61 3 5246 4000
Email [email protected]
Pilot-scale Textile Mill
Our equipment is designed for small volume
sample production and higher volume pilot
scale production.
CSIRO provides research and development,
consulting, testing and commission
processing services to the wool, cotton,
advanced materials and technical textiles
industries.
Fibres
We process natural and synthetic fibres from
as fine as 1 denier. These include specialist
fibres, bicomponent, soluble, Kevlar, Nomex
etc.
CSIRO has pilot-scale fibre and textile
processing facilities that can be used for a
variety of purposes.
Products
Filters, industrial felts, quilting, thermal
insulation, sound insulation, automotive
nonwoven components, medical textiles,
specialised industrial composites, apparel,
wipes.
Extruder
A bicomponent fibre extruder can form part of
a spun-bond sample production line.
The great value of these facilities is that they
combine commercially realistic processing
conditions with a controlled research
laboratory setting.
We have the flexibility to produce once-off
samples or to do specialist runs at any time.
Commercial mills often lack the flexibility to
switch equipment from commercial production
runs to one-off samples or special runs.
Prototype production can disrupt long
commercial runs, adding to the expense of
product development.
The capability
Our pilot-scale facilities can be used for:
"
"
"
"
"
"
Scouring: small to large lots, maximising
scour yield
Topmaking: we process fibre from ultrafine to coarse, producing natural,
synthetic or exotic fibre blends
Spinning: worsted or short-staple
spinning for quality yarns
Knitting: modern computer-assisted
equipment for seamless garments in a
range of yarns and blends
Weaving: sample and sectional warping
facilities with a range of looms
Non-wovens: we have hydroentanglement and needle punch
facilities.
We also weave wool, cotton, synthetics and
blends with a weaving width of 1620 mm (64
inches) and a wide range of reed densities on
our conventional machines. Many new
products are a blend of wool, cotton, and
speciality or synthetic fibres. CSIRO's textile
mill facilities offer commercially realistic
processing conditions in a controlled research
laboratory setting.
Our technical staff can merge a selection of
natural materials aimed at meeting growing
consumer trends towards the use of natural,
recyclable and renewable resources.
Facilities and equipment
Our facilities use equipment of modern
commercial design, from recognised suppliers
to the global textile industry. Our results
transfer readily to commercial mills.
Advanced fibrous materials:
To develop new materials for emerging and
high-tech industries, R&D specialists need to
quickly produce small size samples at
minimum expense. CSIRO has recently
installed some new knitting and weaving
machines to do this. Both of these machines
will be used in the fabrication of advanced
materials, such as scaffolds for biomaterials
or in electronic textiles.
CCI small sample weaving loom
The CCI sample weaving loom can rapidly
produce small samples, with low wastage of
precious yarns. Samples measure between
38 to 76cm (15 to 30 inches) wide by three
metres long.
Harry Lucas R-1s miniature circular
knitting machine
Also adding to our advanced fibrous materials
capability is the small diameter circular
knitting machine from Harry Lucas (R-1s).
At present this machine is equipped with five
needles (18 guage) for the production of fine
hollow tubes of between 2 to 5mm.
We have also purchased two new 35 and 38
guage cylinders for the 3.5 inch FAK circular
knitting machine to knit very fine structures,
ideal for biomaterials research.
These new resources will enable our
biomedical research team to experiment with
tissue engineering from textile structures.
Contact : Andrew Jones
Phone +61 3 5246 4000
Email [email protected]
Materials Characterisation
CSIRO's material characterisation expertise
helps improve product performance and
resilience across a range of product types
and operating conditions.
Materials characterisation is the detailed
study of a material's structure and
performance. It helps us to understand the
nature or origins of a material and how to
improve its performance and usability.
CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology can
examine the features, composition, structure,
and defects of materials. This information can
be used to identify new uses for existing
materials, create new materials, and improve
material processing and manufacturing
techniques.
We use modern electron and optical
microscopy to study materials where the
problem is invisible to the naked eye. Our
highly skilled microscopy unit uses state of
the art microscopes both electron and optical
with imaging and analysis facilities to solve a
vast range of problems.
Our areas of expertise include:
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
structure and properties of textile fibres
and hair
optical microscopy
SEM and TEM analytical microscopy
fibre chemistry and fibre physics
characterisation of fibre surface
structure
evaluation of surface treatments
identification and analysis of surface
coatings, plasticisers and similar
additives
chemical spectroscopy, chemical,
thermal and mechanical analysis
analysis applied to textile problems
the bonding of polymers to the surface
of natural fibres
identification of materials and
contaminants
monitoring effects of chemical and
physical treatments on fibre properties
testing of physical fabric properties.
Our facilities include:
"
"
"
"
"
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
Backscattered Electron Imaging (BSI)
Transmission Electron Microscopy
(TEM)
Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy
(EDXS)
Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy
(EELS) Optical Microscopy (OM)
Scanned Probe Microscopy (SPM)
Microtomes and Ultramicrotomes
We prepare and interpret:
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Low to high magnification images
Elemental and compound analyses
Chemical and mechanical treatments
Wettability measurements
Surface roughness and topographic
profiles
Surface friction maps
Plasma-etched/modified surfaces
Image analysis/particle size
distributions
Identification of contaminants
Tensile properties under controlled
conditions
Polymer cross-link density and
crystallinity
Micro-mechanical properties
Thermal properties
Colloidal particle size and charge
islands in the sea, splittable microfibres
IHow we use electron microscopy for
textile materials characterisation
One of the critical aspects of materials
characterisation is to be able to visualise the
external and sometimes internal structure of
the sample. Electron microscopes (EM) allow
this visualisation to occur at very high
resolution. EM is primarily divided into two
separate techniques, Scanning EM (SEM)
and Transmission EM (TEM). With both of
these techniques, not only can the structure
of the sample be imaged, compositional and
crystallographic information can be
determined as well.
n the SEM the sample can be viewed with
minimal preparation. With resolutions down
to 1 nm even the smallest surface details can
be discerned. By utilising the backscattered
electrons it is possible to show differences in
composition at small and large scale and by
measuring the energy of x-rays emitted from
the sample when electrons interact with it, it is
possible to determine what elements are
present and at what concentration.
Observing samples in the TEM requires more
preparation. As the samples have to be at
least partially transparent to the electron
beam they must be very thin (~100 nm) and
may require staining (biological samples) to
highlight features. For metallic or hard
samples it may be necessary to thin the
samples chemically or mechanically to get
them thin enough, ensuring that the sample is
not damaged in the process. With resolutions
below 0.1 nm in some TEM's atomic
resolution is possible. As well as imaging the
structure of the sample it is possible, as in the
SEM to look at the x-rays generated to
determine the chemical composition. It is
also possible to view the diffraction pattern
generated by the beam and hence get
crystallographic information about the
sample.
Contact : Colin Veitch
Telephone : +61 3 52 464000
Email : [email protected]
Christine Coombs preparing samples for analysis
Contact Us
Phone
1300 363 400
Email
[email protected]
Web
www.csiro.au
For further information about Textile and Fibre Technology
Louis Kyratzis
Phone +61 3 9545 2100
Email [email protected]
www.csiro.au