Coated textile are used in a wide range of applications, in industries including aerospace, robotics, and welding. Used in high-temperature applications, coated textile can be made with varying compositions to provide a range of different benefits.

Silicone

Silicone rubber provides a wealth of benefits when used to coat fabrics for high temperature applications. The material offers a high level of thermal resistance in temperatures up to 572oF, and can often exhibit superior elongation, creep, tear strength, thermal conductivity, and fire resistance when exposed to these extreme temperatures.

In addition to heat resistance, silicone also has a high level of chemical and abrasion resistance. The silicone coated textile can be used for removable pad insulation, weld spatter protection, and thermal insulation barriers.

Refractory Compound

Refractory compounds maintain their strength at high temperatures – typically above 1000oF – so refractory coated textile are often employed in applications where high strength is required.

Refractory coated textile are widely used for furnaces, ovens and kilns, due to the high temperatures resistance. Other uses include expansion joints, seals, and abrasion resistant curtains.

Vermiculite

Vermiculite experiences significant expansion when it is heated, which makes it a popular choice for seals and barriers in high-temperature applications.

They are comprised of a fiberglass substrate coated with vermiculite that enhances the resistance against burning, flame impingement, sparks, corrosion, and molten splash.

This coated fabric also has great thermal insulation properties, allowing it to be used in applications that require heat resistance, such as continuous furnaces that have both hot and cool sections.

Ceramic

Ceramic coated textile are a popular choice for high temperature applications as they provide a wealth of desirable properties including high strength, excellent wear resistance, and low thermal conductivity.

The ceramic coated textile have enhanced strength and dimensional stability, the fabric also doesn’t fray as easily as other fabrics, and they have improved weather and heat resistance.

Typical ceramic coated fabric applications include molten metal splash protection, thermal insulation seals, and insulation pads.

While developing a custom carrying case or custom sewn product, durability is almost always a major factor to keep in mind while sourcing textile . Using textiles with high durability against wear and abrasions is especially important in the medical and military fields where product failure is not an option. While sourcing textile , it is beneficial to have knowledge of what qualities you want your end product to have, and any special elements you would like it to be resistant to. If your product is going to face the elements in its day-to-day use, you may choose to use a coated textile for prototyping and production.

A coated textile is a textile that has been treated to make them longer lasting, stronger, and more weather resistant. Rather than interweaving a strengthening fiber directly into the textile , these textile are coated with a substance that makes the textile ’ surface more impervious to damage. The most common coating is polyethylene, the most basic plastic compound, which has proven its durability through its use in the packing industry. Other coatings include rubber and plastic resins, polyvinyl chloride, acrylic, laminates, PVC, and more.

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Coated textile also lead to further coating customization. At it’s most basic level, most coatings make the textile not only more durable, but water resistant (and in the case of some treatments, even completely water proof). Textile manufacturers have the ability to customize a coat for any textile to meet a diverse array of needs, ranging from something as simple as mildew resistant to something as powerful as fire resistance. This opens up for experimentation and further customization of the durability features that your product has.

Coated textile can also benefit the medical field. For example, using an antimicrobial coating on a textile can seriously reduce spread of germs. This type of textile could be used in an EMS carrying case or a medical wearable device.

With nanotextiles on the horizon, one method of nanotech integration is through a coating. While this type of nanotechnology integration is still in infancy due to the staying power of the coating, this would even further the effects of a coated textile , leading not only to durable solutions, but also technologically advanced product outcomes.

With new and more effective textile treatments in development, coated textile are an excellent choice for projects that need increased durability and resistances to certain specified elements.