Nike is introducing a new upper technology that resembles your grandmother’s crochet more than a running shoe. The ultralightweight Nike Flyknit combines yarns and fabric that are precisely engineered so that they only where they are needed. The result is a true minimalist shoe that is formfitting with a virtually seamless upper.
We’ve seen similar things done with clothing for years. It’s been done with for footwear with other materials as well such as leather. With the knitting, you can imagine how light it can be and yet maintain its strength.
Finally last November, after five years, the Air Force approved a lighter weight fabric for the Airman Battle Uniform. Previously, ABUs were manufactured from a 50/50 Nylon and Cotton twill. You old timers can think winter or heavy weight BDUs and you younger guys need to know that even the original BDUs weren’t as hot as the ABU.
But now everything has changed. ABUs will now be made from the same ripstop 50/50 blend of Nylon and Cotton used by the Army and they are beginning to roll of the production line at Propper. This newer fabric was first introduced in the early 1990s on the Enhanced Hot Weather Battle Dress Uniform. Why it took so long we will never know.
Something to remember, the ABU is not intended to be worn outside of the wire in combat environments.
New Air Force recruits will begin to receive the new version of the ABU at BMTS. But militarygear.com wanted us to pass this along.
“If you just can’t stand the heat anymore, you can pre-order the nylon-cotton ripstop ABU coats (MSRP $59.99) and ABU pants (MSRP $59.99) at MilitaryGear.com. The first orders are expected to ship around April 16, 2012.”
LiteLok is the second focus of our ongoing bi-weekly series presented by Duro Textiles LLC on the various fabrics they offer in the MultiCam camouflage pattern. MultiCam is a single camouflage pattern designed to help the wearer hide in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. After a great deal of commercial success and adoption by elements of US Special Operations Forces, in 2010 MultiCam was selected for use by the US Army as its Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern (OCP).
Grey Ghost Gear uses LiteLok as one of the fabrics for their Lightweight Assault Pack. A simple, yet functional design it features a large main compartment as well as a side entry front pocket, modular webbing for attaching additional pouches and padded shoulder straps that stow away when not in use. The pack is already 30% lighter than comparable designs even before considering the weight savings of LiteLok. Additionally, the LiteLok provides a very good looking aesthetic with its visible ripstop weave.
Duro developed LiteLok fabric in conjunction with Glen Raven Technical Fabrics LLC. Weighing 30% less than traditional 500D nylon, Litelok exhibits excellent breaking strength and outstanding abrasion resistance performance. The double layer design is key to abrasion performance, while creating an ideal material for a lightweight backpack or vest.
Specs
Finished Width – 59 inches cuttable
Finished Weight – 5.4 oz/yd² approximately
Fiber Content – 100% nylon
Breaking Strength – 150/200 (warp/fill) (lbs, approximate)
Water Resistance – 127+ cm
Abrasion – may exceed 1300 cycles, H18 @500g
Duro offers progressive pricing based on the number of yards ordered. For more information on this or any of the full line of MultiCam fabrics visit www.multicamfabric.com or email Galpen_Ben@DuroLink.com.
The new Continuous Dye-Range Finishing System recently acquired by ACW is used to treat their numerous webbing products. It will virtually eliminate pigment excess due to its precise and consistent aqueous padding application of dye and pigment finishes to webbing material.
ACW President, Mark Krauss told us, “We are very pleased to be able to make a major equipment upgrade that will benefit our customers with consistently, high quality products. Our mission is to always improve our products and services in every possible way to better serve our customers in this highly competitive marketplace. This equipment upgrade enables ACW to exceed our customer’s expectations.â€
DuPont Protection Technologies is pleased to announce the winners of the DuPont Kevlar Innovation Awards, which showcase ideas, methods, technologies, applications, products and services using DuPont Kevlar in a new way. This year’s U.S. awards were bestowed in three categories: innovation, protection and collaboration to QinetiQ North America, TYR Tactical and UNEQUAL Technologies, respectively.
They’re excited to announce the winners of these awards that recognize not only incredible ingenuity in uses for DuPont Kevlar, but our partners commitment to industry collaboration to help make the world a better, safer place, said William F. Weber, vice president of DuPont Protection Technologies, North America. DuPont Kevlar is most commonly known for ballistic protection, but its light-weight strength is used for a myriad of other purposes; these award winners showcase some of the best of the wide range of innovative uses of DuPont Kevlar in the industry.
Innovation award criteria focused on the use of DuPont Kevlar with new materials and/or new processing technologies, creativity in the use of DuPont Kevlar in new applications and general uniqueness or impressiveness of the product. The protection award was based on the best demonstration of an innovation that enhances protection of people, processes or the environment using DuPont Kevlar. The collaboration award was given to the entry that best demonstrated ways in which the company worked with DuPont or other organizations to develop a product using Kevlar that provides commercial significance and benefit to others.
QinetiQ North America’s rocket propelled grenade (RPG) protection solution, Q-Net, is the winner in the innovation category. Q-Net provides superior RPG defeat capabilities, is adaptable to a variety of platforms, and is low-cost and ultra-lightweight. QinetiQ worked in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop the Q-Net system, which is based on nets rather than traditional armor. The system leverages DuPont Kevlar in the netting in combination with metal points at net junctions to create the configuration. DuPont Kevlar was chosen for the netting for its strength, weight and low stretch characteristics. The resulting system offers an innovative solution to vehicle light-weighting and performance challenges, as reducing weight decreases the overall wear and tear of vehicle operating systems and fuel consumption.
QinetiQ North America Q-Net
TYR Tactical is honored with the protection award for its PV Nylon, a hybrid laminate that is significantly stronger and lighter-weight than standard nylon. TYR Tactical’s PV Nylon demonstrates how scientific innovation can yield incredible hybrid materials that address market challenges. By incorporating DuPont Kevlar to provide increased strength and ballistic resistance at a lighter-weight, TYR Tactical decreased the amount of nylon needed in a protection system, in turn reducing the weight of protection systems overall and increasing the life cycle of each product. This provides the market with a much needed solution for longer-wearing, more resistant and lighter-weight armor.
TYR Tactical PV
The collaboration award goes to UNEQUAL Technologies for its EXO pads, which offer body protection to soldiers and athletes. UNEQUAL worked with DuPont to incorporate DuPont Kevlar into its layered pad systems, yielding the first multi-threat, all-fabric solution that reduced fabric thickness, weight and cost. Collaboration with the sports industry allowed UNEQUAL to create padding that protects against blunt force trauma significantly better than traditional foam pads. UNEQUAL relied on Villanova University, Drexel University, Southern Impact Research Center and Safariland/BAE Systems, as well as other industry and academic partners to conduct extensive testing of its EXO Skeleton technology. EXO pads are now used by multiple NFL and NHL teams to help protect players. The different systems are light-weight, thin, and flexible to increase comfort without sacrificing protection on the sports field or battlefield.
UNEQUAL Technologies
The DuPont Kevlar Innovation Awards were judged by a prestigious panel of experts: Professor Philip Brown of Clemson University; Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; Eric Lin, Ph.D., Chief of the Polymers division at National Institute of Standards and Technology; Adam Rogers, senior editor at Wired; and Doug Muzyka, Chief Science & Technology Officer at DuPont. Each award winner received $10,000 to donate to a charitable organization that benefits education, science, technology and/or government service. QinetiQ donated its award to the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members as they recover and transition back to civilian life. TYR Tactical donated its award to Fisher House Foundation, which provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. UNEQUAL donated its award to the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research and education and is expected to open in 2014.
This contest is particularly timely, as DuPont recently opened its new Cooper River plant near Charleston, S.C. the single largest investment in the fiber since its invention. Overall global production capacity for DuPont Kevlar will increase initially by 25 percent and is expected to grow by 40 percent, creating the supply essential to further DuPont Kevlar innovation and new applications by both DuPont and its partners.
With the proliferation of simple technologies to monitor increasing portions of the electromagnetic spectrum simple visual signature camouflage is no longer enough. Much work has been done in IR and NIR suppression. UVR Defense Tech specializes in the ultraviolet portion of the EM spectrum. The more you learn about this area of expertise, the more important you will realize that UV defense is not a one size fits all solution and has to be tuned based on the military operating environment.
UVR Defense Tech is currently Alpha testing two durable UV signature management solutions – UVRC-P for Shelter Fabric and UVRC-A for uniforms and other simple fabrics.
UVRC-P for Shelter Fabrics
Military tents and other fabric shelters for field use, e.g., mess-halls and operating theaters, are usually constructed of a PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) coating on a polyester substrate. UVRC-P may be sprayed, rolled, brushed, or printed onto the PVC as a thin, matte, hard-wearing topcoat; intimately bonded to the PVC. Drying in minutes, the UVRC-P acts as UV camouflage, reflecting the percentage of UVA appropriate to the surroundings; for example, 7% in foliage or 22% in desert sand. Though applied for its camouflage attributes, UVRC-P also increases the life of the PVC substrate by blocking (reflecting/absorbing/scattering) the near-UV light. UVRC-P will not alter the visible or near-IR properties of the fabric. This patent-pending camouflage will soon be available to license in 7%, 22%, 50%, and 80% UV reflectances.
UVRC-A for Uniforms
UVRC-A is water-based and non-toxic. It may be sprayed, rolled, brushed, or printed onto standard military fabric. UVRC-A has most of the properties of UVRC, in that it serves as UV camouflage, without significantly altering the visible or near-IR camouflage substrate. However, UVRC-A is a durable – projected 50 washes – addition to the fabric. UVRC-A will be available as 7% and 22% UV-reflective compounds, in ready to apply liquid form. Licensing will be available.
Ballistic material producer Honeywell announced earlier this week that they are expanding their operation in nearby Chesterfield County, Virginia. Honeywell has 17 facilities employing about 1,800 people in Virginia. The expanding Chesterfield location manufactures polyethylene fiber for use in Spectra and employs about 300 people.
Designed by the ArmorWorks WarriorWorks Team to be used with PALS compatible pouches, the Modular Plate Carrier trades external webbing for slots cut into a new impregnated fabric. It’s tough. We gave a few tugs at SHOT Show and it can’t be torn by hand. The unique construction offers over 150 MOLLE gear, cable, and hydration connection points. Designed for ESAPI/SAPI plates and soft armor inserts, it offers multiple configuration options including integrated water bladder, cummerbunds, side plates, soft armor, radio pouches, and a similarly designed combat belt. Additionally, a load distribution and quick-release versions are coming soon.
