Advanced functional fabrics serve many complex functions.

They transform traditional fibers, yarns and textiles into sophisticated, integrated devices and systems that allow for capabilities including communication, energy storage and health monitoring.

At the forefront of innovation in this space is Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), a public-private partnership founded in 2016 to bridge the gap between product ideation and commercialization. Funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) and one of 18 Manufacturing USA institutes, AFFOA uses its expertise in fibers and fabrics, as well as its ecosystem of 150 members across 38 states, to advance the domestic development of textile-based products with transformative capabilities for defense, health care and consumer applications.

Advanced functional fabrics are in a category known as tough tech, which is comprised of science-based technologies that aim to solve global challenges related to health, climate change, energy and other issues. These tough technologies go beyond typical software development to building new physical infrastructure and industrial systems, often requiring significant research and development, as well as capital, to take breakthrough science out of the lab and into the market.

“In the tough tech space, it takes years to advance,” says Sasha Stolyarov, CEO of AFFOA. “Over the past few years, there have been significant developments in the space of advanced fiber technology. A lot of the capabilities that were in their infancy have reached the stage of commercialization, with products on the market and system-level prototypes being built—not just component technologies, but actually full systems.”

Read the full article: https://www.advancedmanufacturing.org/technologies/materials/affoa-a-decade-of-fabric-innovation-and-commercialization-in-the-u-s/article_b071712f-bd10-4b10-9bde-957a5e5d4b9f.html