Specialty Textile Services
Specialty textiles for aerospace, space, aviation, defense, automotive, filtration, PPE, medical, and numerous additional applications necessitate specialized construction and material treatments to address the unique requirements of each sector. At Tex Tech Industries, our high-quality, customizable coated, laminated, and needle-punched wovens, non-wovens, and 3D wovens possess the durability necessary to address such varied needs. Additionally, we have the ability to manufacture complex composite materials and components with high carbon and silica purities for use in defense, aerospace insulation, racing, and automotive components.
Specialty Textile Services: Coating Technology
Fabric coatings and lamination techniques imbue their valuable functional and mechanical characteristics to knit, woven, and non-woven textiles. Fabrics undergo these treatments on one or both sides to create materials that perform to customer specifications. Coating technology and lamination provide such enhancements as:
Absorptivity & Emissivity Requirements
Resistance to Heat, Flame, Microbes, & Other Hazards
Noise & Vibration Reduction
Antistatic & Waterproofing Qualities
Air & Liquid Holding
Ability to be Welded
Improved Durability
Polymer and rubber-based formulations are applied as solvent, aqueous, or solid coatings in our landfill-free coating facility. Custom coating techniques and advanced analytical resources complement our extensive capabilities. Popular applications for coated and laminated fabrics include:
Aerospace Heat Shields
Air & Liquid Holding Materials
Transmission Belt Materials
Gaskets
Safety Equipment
Inflatable Medical Equipment
SCUBA & Marine Gear & Inflatables
Specialty Textile Services: Non-Woven Fabrics
We produce non-woven fabrics in multiple thicknesses as webs or mats of fibers bonded by mechanical means, such as needle-punching, or through the application of heat or chemicals. Materials commonly used for non-wovens include:
- Meta-aramids and para-aramids, such as Nomex and Kevlar
- Oxidized polyacrylonitrile (OPAN) fiber
- Silica fibers
- Thermoplastics such as Torcon and polypropylene
- Traditional materials, such as wool and nylon
- Numerous other synthetic, hybrid, and specialty fibers
Because non-woven fabrics do not involve weaving or knitting yarns, their structures offer unique characteristics when compared to more traditional materials, such as:
Increased Tear Strength & Durability
Better Absorbency
Increased Sound Attenuation
Enhanced Thermal Conductivity & Insulation
Improved Capability for Repelling & Filtering Liquids
These characteristics make non-woven fabrics an ideal solution for an exceptional range of industries and applications, including:
- Fire-resistant materials such as welding blankets, thermal blankets and fire barriers
- Acoustic, battery, and thermal insulation
- Aerospace thermal protection systems
- Heat-tolerant uses, such as thermal protection for aerospace applications, high-temperature industrial filters, and welding protection
- Personal protective equipment and safety gear
Specialty Textile Services: Woven Fabrics
Combining traditional fabric manufacturing techniques with innovative, modern fibers produces woven fabrics that satisfy the needs of industries from common consumer goods to high-performance specialty applications. Many thermoplastics and other organic and synthetic materials can be spun into yarns, enabling them to be woven in standard fashion, while specialized coatings can enhance their innate qualities. Industrial woven fabrics offer such advantages as:
Excellent Strength and Durability
Improved Abrasion Resistance
Resistance to Deformation & Stretch
Common applications for industrial woven textiles include:
Specialty Textile Services: 3D Weaving
The creation of 3D fabric structures incorporates weaving fibers between the thicknesses of the fabric (on the z-axis), providing increased strength and durability. Typical materials include fibers and yarns made from stainless steel, carbon, glass, aluminum, etc. Advantages of 3D weaving include:
Improved Structural Integrity
Superior Strength with Reduced Weight Over 2D Materials
No Delamination
Typical applications for our specialty 3D woven textiles include:
- High-strength uses where reduced weight is necessary, such as transportation and marine projects
- Braided filler rope for gaps in composite parts
Specialty Textile Services: Silica Materials
Tex Tech uses a proprietary chemical leaching technique to transform specialty glass fibers into silica. Demanding markets like aerospace and military require parts made of rugged, long-lasting materials like our silica fibers and felts to hold up against harsh environmental conditions in mission-critical tasks. Applications in air and spaceflight will expose such components to vibrations, radiation, and widely fluctuating temperatures and pressures. Aerospace parts should also be lightweight to stay within weight limitations, resistant to shock, and highly durable to reliably carry out their necessary functions without fail or degradation.
We develop our silica materials to resist burn-through and block flame propagation at temperatures higher than 1,800° F, with weights starting at 4 ounces for a square yard. Silica materials are advantageous for several reasons, some of which include:
- Strength and durability coupled with flexibility
- Thermal, radiation, and chemical resistance properties
- Low thermal expansion and conductivity
- Incombustibility
Applications for silica materials in the aerospace industry and beyond include:
- Ablative applications such as rocket nozzles
- Aerospace thermal protection materials and tiles
- Thermal insulation
- Thermocouple wire overbraid
- Welding blankets
- High temperature applications in furnace applications
Specialty Textile Services: CVI
Chemical vapor infiltration (CVI), along with induction heating, is important in the production of carbon-carbon composites. Utilizing high-heat reactive gases, this precise process deposits carbon-rich materials onto fibers, generating fiber-reinforced composites and enhancing the material’s properties. Such composites feature qualities such as:
- High material strength
- Resistance to corrosion, heat, thermal shock, and radiation
- Improved carbon densities
- Stiffness
Common applications for CVI-created carbon-carbon composites are as follows:
High-Temperature Systems Like Heat Shields & Combustion Chambers
Blades for Turbines
Hypersonic & Heavy-Duty Vehicles
Stator Vanes
Carbon Disc Brakes & Brake Pads
Bearing Seals
Specialty Textile Services: Rayon-Based Carbon Fabrics
Carbon fabrics begin as rayon woven fabrics. Rayon itself originates from cellulose and is a manufactured material. Rayon-based carbon fabrics are often treated with a resin coating and are becoming increasingly popular in the automotive, aerospace, and military markets, as it helps manufacturers meet fuel efficiency goals and emission control regulations per the U.S. government.
With improved physical and mechanical characteristics, rayon carbon fabrics can be used in materials to provide:
Low Thermal Conductivity
Ablation Capabilities
High Tensile Strength
Thermal Insulation
Light Weight
Applications for rayon carbon fiber and felt include:
Specialty Textile Services with Tex Tech
Since 1904, Tex Tech has combined our expertise in fabric development and manufacturing with our commitment to innovation to deliver high-performance textiles for industrial and specialty projects, offering material solutions for challenging applications and environmental conditions in aerospace, military, healthcare, and other markets.
Contact us for more information on the full range of special textile services available at Tex Tech, or request a quote for your industrial or specialty textile project today.