
Circular economy and sustainability / High value-added solutions for strategic markets / Advanced manufacturing, smart textiles and digitalisation
NEW 3D KNITTING TECHNIQUES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL AND SUSTAINABLE FABRICS APPLICABLE TO THE FOOTWEAR SECTOR
TEX4FOOT 2022
Motivation
In recent years, the preferences of textile footwear consumers have been leaning towards the upper parts of this type of shoe mainly due to two different but related phenomena.
Firstly, as environmental awareness spreads across societies around the world, the demand for leather shoes has decreased considerably, with a consequent increase in demand for textile-based shoes. Secondly, a pronounced societal shift towards wellness and comfort has manifested itself in a growing demand for comfortable footwear. In response to these trends, the industry has begun to focus its efforts on making knitted shoe sections, known as upper shoes.


Objectives
- Development of functional and sustainable fabrics for use in the footwear sector using 3D knitting technology.
- Development of textiles for shoe uppers from sustainable fibres for comfort, strength and aesthetics.
- Development of textiles for footwear patterns with excellent slash and cut resistance for safe workwear.
- To study the recycling process of the final article: some of the prototypes will be taken through a shredding and separation process to study the behaviour of this new type of article in terms of its recyclability.
Expected results

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Textile structures for footwear cut from functional and sustainable fibres that provide high degrees of breathability, thermal comfort and comfort for the user.
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Textile shoe-cutting structures with high blade cut resistance for the safety footwear sector, while maintaining comfort and convenience.
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3D textile structures for the development of insoles for footwear with a high degree of breathability, cushioning and comfort for the user.
Grant number: IMAMCA/2022/6
Programme: Plan of non-economic activities 2022
Period of execution: January 2022 – December 2022
Status: Finished
More information: PLAN OF ACTION
Entity: IVACE

This project is funded by the Conselleria d’Economia Sostenible, Sectors Productius, Comerç i Treball de la Generalitat Valenciana, through IVACE.

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R&D AREAS
NEWS
The aim of the AGROLOOP project is to apply AITEX’s know-how in the field of mechanical textile recycling to a sector that produces large quantities of homogeneous waste that is not being fully revalued
AITEX was present at the CITEVE iTechStyle Summit presenting the European project r-LightBioCom of which the center is the main coordinator.
The R+D+i area is constantly growing, adapting to market needs and generating new solutions for multiple application sectors.