Textile and Design Lab (03:32)

FREE PREVIEW

Peter Helsop uses high-end technology to give New Zealand manufacturers an edge. Gordon Fraser uses a computer program to design a jumper. He programs the design into the knitting machine and the machine creates the jumper. The jumper is then placed into a screen-printing machine.

A New Generation of Fibers (03:58)

At Agresearch, textile scientists combine wool with Vectran to create a flame and stab resistant fabric; wool is a protein fiber and does not burn well. Dr. Stewart Collie and Dr. Watt demonstrate the flame and cut-resistant properties.

Nanotechnology and Fashion (03:02)

Prof Jim Johnston combines wool with nano particles of gold. The gold particles change color because of surface plasmon resonance. Kerstin Lucas demonstrates how to turn gold purple; trisodium citrate allows sing gold atoms to combine while limiting growth to the nanoscale.

Nano Gold Wool (03:08)

It takes $500 worth of gold to dye one kilogram of wool. The chemical bond and antibacterial properties of gold gives the fabric colorfastness, sun resistance, and moth resistance. The market for this fabric is top-end carpet manufacturers and high fashion. Students design garments for a Nano gold competition.

Is Shrink Proof Wool Possible? (02:41)

Dr. Surinder Tandon takes a strand of wool and splits it into many substrands. The strands are twisted back together, making the yarn smooth and fine. When weaved, the material is tightly packed and the yarns cannot move. The new fabric developments appear on the fashion catwalk.

OBO's Niche Market (03:12)

Simon Barnett states that OBO's market share globally is in excess of 65%; they cater to hockey goalies. Reuben Parr focuses on sports impact protection. He uses a cannon to test hockey face masks; resulting in the development of the face-off mask, and sparring protection.

OBO Testing (01:41)

Reuben Parr tests different padding materials. OBO's manufacturing machines are custom-designed and built to give the level of performance Parr's rigorous testing requires. Dr. John Watt tries on a pair of hockey goalie leg pads.

Credits: What Are Science and Technology Doing to Assist Our Fashion and Textile Industries? Ever Wondered? (Series 1) (00:27)

Credits: What Are Science and Technology Doing to Assist Our Fashion and Textile Industries? Ever Wondered? (Series 1)