Engineering and Technical Textiles

Technical textiles are fabric materials and products manufactured primarily for their technical and performance properties rather than their aesthetic or decorative characteristics.
They have been engineered for a wide range of industrial, commercial, medical and domestic applications.
Engineering textiles involve using both traditional and newly developed fibres in novel ways to create these advanced products.

Technical textiles are generally categorised into 12 key sections, known as “tech-tex” sectors. These include Agrotech (agriculture, horticulture, forestry), Buildtech (construction), Clothtech (technical components of shoes and clothing) and Hometech (components of furniture, household textiles).
Some of the other sectors are Indutech (filtration, cleaning), Meditech (hygiene, medicine), Mobiltech (automobiles, shipping, aerospace) and Sporttech (sport and leisure).

These textiles exhibit specialised characteristics such as high-performance, chemical and heat resistance, strength and durability, and often include properties such as fire retardance and antistatic behaviour.
The exact properties depend greatly on the intended use of the textile, hence why precise functional requirements contribute heavily to the textile’s structure and composition.

A number of synthetic fibres are commonly utilised in technical textiles due to their enhanced properties. These include polyester, polyamide, aramid and polypropylene.
High performance fibres like aramid (for example, Kevlar) and carbon fibres are employed for their extreme strength and durability.
Natural fibres such as cotton, jute and wool may also be used, often in combination with synthetics, when specific characteristics are required.

Technical textiles span a range of applications. For instance, geotextiles are utilised in civil engineering projects to reinforce landscapes, medical textiles include bandages and implants, whilst automotive textiles are used in vehicle interiors.
In the aerospace industry, engineered textiles like composite materials and para-aramid synthetic fibre (Kevlar) are used in the manufacture of aircraft structures.
Protective clothing is another area that relies on technical textiles. These include heat and flame resistant textiles for firefighters, and stab and bullet-resistant textiles for law enforcement officers.

Like other textiles, the manufacture and disposal of technical textiles have a significant environmental impact. Features such as their reusability and recyclability are important considerations.
Increasingly, the sector is also focusing on developing sustainable and biodegradable alternatives, such as natural fibre composites or bio-based polymers. These efforts aim to reduce reliance on fossil-based resources and improve waste management practices.