The FETT project (Novel manufacturing methods for Functional Electronic TexTiles) has been researching new assembly methods that add electronic functionality to textiles. The end result is that E-textile users and manufacturers can now reliably incorporate desired electronic functionality into garments without significantly sacrificing the wearer’s comfort, garment feel or the garment aesthetic.
The FETT technology is based on embedding thin and flexible electronic filaments (less than 4 mm wide) into a host fabric in such a way that the filaments cannot be easily detected in the garment either visually or by touch.
The filaments are embedded during garment manufacture inside bespoke pockets that are concurrently woven into the garment as it is manufactured. It is also possible to knit the filament circuits with other textile fibres to achieve an electronic yarn that can be reliably threaded into ready-made garments.
Finally these filaments show excellent robustness. They can survive up to 1800 bending cycles when subjected to a harsh bending routine. The filaments are also waterproof, surviving more than 50 cycles in a domestic wash.
E-Textiles Network 