Research on textile material

The STFI also has many years of experience and expertise in the testing and certification of personal protective equipment (PPE). The STFI consistently pursues the path of contemporary and application-oriented research and has recently established the Center for Textile Sustainability in this context. The STFI has been an affiliated institute of Chemnitz University of Technology since 2006.

Lightweight textile construction in all its facets has increasingly become the focus of research at the STFI in recent years. Starting with the development of semi-finished textile products and the creation of new, sometimes hybrid material composites, through to recycling and reuse, the entire value chain is considered.

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics for a wide range of applications from the transport and automotive sectors to mechanical engineering play a major role in the research work. However, other reinforcing fibers, such as glass, basalt, aramid and natural fibers, are also being examined in various matrix systems. The spectrum ranges from classic thermoset and thermoplastic systems to elastomers and mineral matrices. In addition to researching new materials and processes, the parallel development of suitable test methods and complex evaluation criteria is a focus of the work, which is carried out with the support of the in-house testing and certification body.

The Center for Lightweight Textile Construction with its plant technology and existing know-how is available for one-off customer orders, bilateral contract research, small series as well as for joint research activities in consortia and clusters.