US Military Uniform Fabric: Perfect Combination Of Function And Appearance

In war, military uniform has always played an important role in protecting armour of armymen. From the earliest coarse cloth, fine cloth to chemical fiber cloth, blended fabric... And then to the functional fabric.

　　 U.S.A The technology in military uniform is more advanced. In 1983, the military uniform of the United States was characterized by dark brown, dark green, black and Tan Woodland Camouflage Patterns. 20 years later, in the color design of the military uniform, the United States adopted a digital general camouflage pattern which could integrate with the environment, and increased the characteristics of flame retardant and high temperature resistance.

How far is the fabric of the United States military uniform today? What is the trend?

With the development of science and technology, military uniform is quietly changing, and more and more high-tech elements are being given to it, according to David, a research and development center of the army's soldiers. What kind of high-tech elements does military uniform possess? On this issue, cloth plays a leading role. The cloth for making military uniform must be comfortable, breathable, wearable, washable and non fading. It also needs anti infrared reflectivity function.

　　 Military The cloth used also needs high performance. Eugene, a senior scientist at the research and development center, thinks that for military uniform, protection and durability are very important. Other factors, such as comfort and cost, need to be considered.

Because soldiers should wear military uniform to fight, it is very important to reduce the weight of military uniform without affecting other performance of products. DSM is now trying to produce high performance and lightweight military uniform. The ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber is used to produce unidirectional composite sheet through gel spinning process. This material is very light, but the hardness is higher than that of steel.

such product It can be used for personal protective solutions, such as bulletproof vest. In addition, the product can also be used for vehicle protection. DSM, global business director of DSM, said that the ballistic protection equipment produced by unidirectional composite sheet only increased the protective performance but did not increase its weight.

Another important attribute of military uniform is flame retardancy. When Gore researched and developed products, the company provided lighter weight and more compressible power for the products, and increased the flame retardancy of the products.

The Battleshield and Battleshield X fabrics developed by the Military Fabric department of the company use new nylon laminates and adopt the company's flame-retardant stretch process to increase the permeability of the products while improving the waterproofing and anti leakage properties. In addition, the GORE PYRAD flame retardant technology developed by Gore has self extinguishing laminate, which can be used to prevent arc flash and arc flashover accidents.

Recently, the US Army NAT Tek R & D Engineering Center has developed Army Digital Camouflage general combat suit, which uses rayon, aramid and nylon with flame retardant function. The military uniform is mainly made of aramid and nylon materials with flame-retardant function. The combat pants increase the flame retardancy and durability of the fabrics, and the movable kneecaps reduce the weight and volume, and provide breathability and environmental protection.

The army's R & D Engineering Center is developing "automatic cleaning" uniform, which has durable performance and super strong waterproof coating. Field tests showed that the coated fabric exhibited almost unattractive properties for dust and dirt, oil and dangerous chemicals.

Customers are willing to pay for high performance.

The production of military uniform requires in-depth understanding of the needs and purchasing strategies of various garments. Eugene believes that when making cloth for military textiles, we should not only pay attention to the changes of products in extreme climate and environment, but also give the products strong wearability.

Ron, vice president of the Department of homeland security systems, believes that the entire army's textiles, including uniforms and protective equipment, are predictability. So, "when you make a product, the reaction is very quick," he said.

One of the leading ways for Gore to stay ahead is to rigorously test materials. "We have a shower shower room that can simulate the scene of wind and rain. Usually we put the product in the shower room to set the wind speed and precipitation (3 inches per hour)." Rhodes, director of the company, said, "we also have humidity laboratory, which enables us to test the fabric products made at different temperatures and humidity. We also provide testing and evaluation of the final products for manufacturers of other products using the company's materials to ensure that the products they produce comply with the correct specifications. "

Te J Mandy Nima has done more flexibly in the military market. The company has invested heavily in its North Carolina plant to increase its capacity. In addition, the company focuses on the so-called "micro innovation", and makes necessary minor modifications with existing technology to make the new products speed up in the budget and ensure the quality of the products.

Rogan, a technical consultant of British military textiles company, believes that innovation will become the key to the survival of military textile companies in the market. "With budget cuts, military textile manufacturers are trying to innovate products to enhance product value, not simply reduce prices. The challenge to suppliers is not simply to cut costs, but to find new ways to increase the value and performance of products. For customers, they are more willing to pay for those products, "he said.

Expand market and speed up technology research and development

Many military textile producers are diversifying. "In addition to military procurement, other markets also need high-performance textiles." Eugene said these markets include emergency rescue personnel (such as police and firefighters), sportswear, outdoor and camping clothing and equipment, and medical clothing.

"These markets depend on the economic conditions of the country, they are all professional markets, so there are many professional requirements. Compared with the military market, their supply routes and customer expectations for products are quite different." Rogan believes that the current functional fabric products are interlinked with other products that the market needs, but suppliers need to understand these differences and similarities and implement them to the production and distribution channels.

Rogan added that the commercialization strategy and actively looking for other markets, such as medical products or sportswear, could offset the risk of Developing Military Textiles separately. "Such a market also represents an opportunity. Today, most of the sales of some military product suppliers come from the commercial market, and their R & D costs of military projects tend to exceed, "he said.

Expanding the market can help enterprises to have enough funds to develop new military textiles. Rogan said: "military textile products need perfect technology, world-class quality and can withstand the worst environment. Textile enterprises need to surpass themselves, combine the shape and function of products, innovate their own product lines, and explain how to assist the army in fulfilling its mission.