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.