Textiles for transport - Innovative technologies and materials

The automotive and vehicle building industries are huge consumers of textiles. An average, modern car incorporates around 25 yd2 of fabric and, of the 20 kg of fabric used in the car, about 85% is for functional rather than aesthetic purposes. As far as tyre card is concerned, polyester dominates the North American market, while viscase maintains 45% of the European market. New automotive products include Twaron para-aramid yarns as a substitute for steel cards, PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) fibres for use in filters and hoses, Malimo stitch-banded fabrics for upholstery, Evolon nonwovens for headliners, trims, filters, etc., and the Rieter Ultra Light camposite consisting of a multilayer fibre/foam sandwich laminate.