The Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) has received no less than five 2022 iF Design Awards from the iF International Forum Design, headquartered in Hanover, Germany

They include Fabric Jack, a road rescue product produced with the patented distance fabric (DIFA) air-jet loom developed at the TTRI.

The loom is used to manufacture large-spaced fabrics to produce non-equal-height vertical interwoven structures which the institute calls 2.5D. The pitch of the DIFA loom can vary from 120mm to 500mm. An electric vehicle’s charger is used to inflate the jack and when inflated, the structure provides strong and multi-point support. When deflated, it is foldable and can be conveniently placed in the trunk of a vehicle.

Fiber Soil 2.0 contains recycled cotton and polyester blends fibres that are difficult to recycle, transformed into a modular skeleton structure, for the creation of large-area flat or curved green walls. The material’s surface and bottom layers are 3D textile made of 100% recycled plastic bottles. The new-generation fibre soil planters are lined on the bottom with a thin layer of rPTFE membrane, also made of recycled plastic bottles, which ensures optimal water regulation.

TTRI’s Dual Membrane was initially designed to address ocean oil spills. When containing more oil than water, it exhibits lipophilic and hydrophobic properties, filtering out the oil. When there is more water than oil, it has hydrophilic and oleophobic properties to filter out the water. The membrane rapidly collects slick oil into its inner layer, after which the seawater is returned to the ocean. The membrane’s properties can also be used in the design of cleaning supplies, self-cleaning applications and other related household products.

With the current technology for producing gold thread, one gram of pure gold can produce a pure gold thread 0.02mm in width and 165 metres in length. With TTRI’s Golden Fiber, sputtering technology is used so that one gram of pure gold produces a gold fibre 1,500 metres in length. In addition to costing less to produce, production of the fibre requires no water and can be used in mass manufacturing processes. The resulting fabrics are washable and soft.

Digital Tex functional ink is both water repellent and water wicking – two opposite but crucial functions in sweaty sportswear design. The ink is especially suitable for customising small-batch, multi-style orders. Digital Tex functional ink saves water and reduces the amount of chemicals used and can be applied on any mono-material fabric.

www.ttri.org.tw