18 Dec Resuinsa finalises R&D&i project to develop innovative textile products
Resuinsa, a specialised textile company in the hospitality sector with over 40 years’ experience, has concluded the R&D&i project that it begun in 2015 (IDI-20150999) to develop innovative textile products for the industry.
The project received a grant from the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI), a public business institution responsible for managing and implementing the technological innovation policy of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. The grant was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Multiregional Operational Programme for Smart Growth 2014-2020.
The project looked into materials and technology required to develop innovative textile products, providing them with enhanced capabilities and high value added. To achieve its goal, two different research lines were undertaken.
The first area comprised developing products for the sector that included in-built functional textile indicators that enabled traceability and standardisation in industrial laundry. In this regard, three fields were researched and developed:
First, a label containing ID strips for different parameters that changed colour to verify washing instructions: washing and ironing temperature, and the use of hypochlorite.
Second, a monitoring system was developed for the approximate number of washes for an item by incorporating ‘tracer’ threads to obtain the ratio between conductivity and the number of washes.
Third, the project looked into the possibilities of integrating the ‘new smart label’ alongside the RFID tag developed in the previous CDTI project (and which Resuinsa currently uses).
With regard to the second research area, textile products were developed offering new, high value-added functionalities by obtaining and optimising special textile finishes.
Specifically, this area researched and developed high performance textiles offering easy upkeep through anti-crease, easy-care or soil-release finishes.
In turn, an initial sizing identification and proper elimination protocol and methodology, alongside new solutions for coatings or layers with breathable waterproof properties, were investigated and developed.
Collaboration with AITEX
The project benefitted from technical collaboration provided by the Textile Technological Institute (AITEX), as well as qualified Resuinsa technical staff, in compliance with the company’s internal code of conduct and corporate social responsibility.
In turn, all tests and trials undertaken during the project were in line with the sustainable environmental criteria set out in STeP certification issued by the Oeko Tex Association.
Research, development and innovation are three essential pillars for Resuinsa—a company that fosters modernisation and the introduction of emerging technologies by undertaking projects like this to contribute to the sector’s industrial evolution.
‘This kind of research extends Resuinsa’s ongoing commitment to set the pace in innovation. The hospitality sector has committed to future success through technological innovation and Resuinsa is playing its role in this approach’, states Félix Martí. ‘In fact, thanks to this project we have managed to underscore an essential issue in professional linens: controlling how they are laundered to ensure comfort and durability.’
**The research leading to these results, part of the RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT INTO HIGH VALUE-ADDED TEXTILE PRODUCTS FOR THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR, received funding from the Multiregional Operational Programme for Smart Growth 2014-2020, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
