\u201cEastman is collaborating with the school [because] we have the capabilities to assist them in processing the material,\u201d said Jeff Krauss, <\/span>Dyeing and Finishing Pilot Plant<\/span><\/a> manager for Zeis Textiles Extension. \u201cThis is their chemistry, this is their fiber. We have the equipment in creating and spinning, in knitting and in wet processing to add value to their materials.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The relationship was facilitated by Loren Chambers, commercial manager at Eastman since 2011. His previous employer, Milliken & Company, had a longstanding relationship with the Wilson College of Textiles, so he was already well-versed in the school\u2019s capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I got here, I already knew what Jeff Krauss\u2019 lab could do and what the Wilson College of Textiles could do,\u201d said Chambers. \u201cI reached out to Jeff and Brian (Davis) at that point to take advantage of the facilities they have, to do early testing…those guys are great. It\u2019s easy to go to somebody who understands what they are doing and tell them what you want to accomplish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n We are constantly striving to innovate new products to meet those demands in the marketplace.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Naia\u2122<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Naia\u2122 is a comfortable, washable yarn with a silk-like aesthetic well-suited to the intimate apparel market. Eastman developed the product nearly a century ago and since then it has been used in a range of applications from medical tape to formal wear. However, the company has used recent improvements in manufacturing techniques to spin it into a lower denier yarn — making it finer and more lightweight — while also improving tensile strength. Over the past few years, they have researched the yarn\u2019s properties in comparison with competitive materials. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe discovered that value propositions for Naia\u2122 fall into three categories, which are comfort, luxury and ease of care,\u201d said Heather Quigley, applications development scientist at Eastman. \u201cAround comfort, we found that Naia\u2122 has very good dry rates…it has good moisture management and has a cool hand. In terms of ease of care…the fabrics are washable, they have good dimensional stability, good wrinkle recovery and good soil release as well…In terms of luxury, we have a very nice drape, silky hand and luster. It\u2019s a very lustrous fiber, naturally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Knitting Lab<\/span><\/a> manager Brian Davis experimented with mixing the product with other yarns, including cotton, polyester, nylon and spandex. Krauss took Naia\u2122 through its paces — washing, processing, dyeing and finishing it — and proved the yarn had high stain resistance and was able to be richly colored. <\/span>Weaving Lab<\/span><\/a> manager William Barefoot wove the new yarn into prototype fabrics.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis cellulosic yarn is made from renewable wood pulp harvested from sustainable forests and produced in a near-closed loop process in the United States,\u201d said the company in a recent statement. \u201cAll waste is either recycled, reused or offered for resell. Also, solvents used in the production of Naia\u2122 are recycled back into the system for reuse. Water returned to source streams is routinely tested to ensure the biodiversity of the local river is receiving clean water.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Avra\u2122<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eastman\u2019s new performance fiber is designed to be moisture-wicking, with a soft hand and a cool-to-the-touch sensation — but the component that makes these qualities possible is not actually a part of the final product.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAvra\u2122 is, for lack of better words, a super fiber,\u201d said Chambers. \u201cWe use a proprietary sacrificial polymer to do bicomponent spinning to be able to knit a high denier and then open to a very low denier.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Avra\u2122 is a ribbon-shaped synthetic fiber so fine that it must be enrobed in a sacrificial polymer sheathing in order to be knitted or woven — much like the inverse of papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9. The fiber and its protective sheathing are knit or woven into fabric together, then during fabric wet processing, the sacrificial sheathing is removed, leaving behind the finer inner core.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe critical technology here is the bicomponent aspect,\u201d said Dr. Richard Holbert, an application research scientist for Eastman and an <\/span>NC State<\/span><\/a> triple alumnus. \u201cBicomponent fibers are not necessarily new, but the special sauce is the sacrificial polymer that is proprietary for Eastman, (which) enables different wet processing techniques that make it a little bit easier to remove that polymer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Knitting Lab, Davis worked with the yarn in its pre-scoured phase, which presented some challenges along the way. In fact, the initial package of Avra\u2122 yarn completely washed away during the first test knit.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe filaments were sticking together,\u201d said Davis. \u201cI would start knitting and all of a sudden there was nothing there to be knit.\u201d The company solved the problem and relied on the lab to trial knit as they worked on the spin finish and winding tension and extending the product\u2019s shelf life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Dyeing and Finishing Lab, Krauss noted how the fabric changed as he put Avra\u2122 through the scouring process.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you wash and scour [a product], it is going to change its [properties],\u201d said Krauss. \u201cThen you have to go back [to the Knitting Lab] and change the knitting structure — trying to achieve that proper hand, that dimensional quality, that opacity, that you\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The way Avra\u2122 is manufactured enables a smaller, more lightweight fiber than others on the market, which means it is engineered to enhance the wearer\u2019s performance.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe properties that the fiber enables are better moisture management, in terms of being able to wick moisture away from the skin and spread it further through the fabric,\u201d said Holbert. \u201c[This] also enables faster dry rates, so if you are actively running or hiking and you are perspiring heavily, an Avra\u2122 fabric would be able to wick that moisture away from your skin faster and dry it faster so you feel more comfortable. When you first grab and feel the fabric, it has an initial cooling sensation that you can feel and it does demonstrate a long term cooling performance over time — which is a major benefit for the active base layer market. That is where we are targeting and using the fiber, at least at first.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The company is exploring future applications for Avra\u2122 and experimenting with its technology.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur first product will be a flat-shaped polyester,\u201d said Chambers. \u201cBut we have the ability to change shape, change size and change the polymer, so it will be a full platform for Eastman going forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s next?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Avra\u2122 and Naia\u2122 are just the beginning of the collaboration between Eastman and the Wilson College of Textiles. The company has sponsored two senior design projects, one investigating the limitations around the production of crimped staple fibers and one designing fabrics that blend Naia\u2122 with other yarns such as polyester and nylon. Along with the undergraduate efforts, Eastman also is currently sponsoring three doctoral level projects within the Wilson College of Textiles through their <\/span>Eastman Chemical Center of Excellence<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Zeis Textiles Extension isn\u2019t the only group in the Wilson College of Textiles working closely with Eastman Chemical Corporation. Faculty in the <\/span>Departments of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science<\/span><\/a> (TECS) and <\/span>Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management<\/span><\/a> (TATM) have worked with Eastman on numerous research projects in the past, and the <\/span>Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/span><\/a> (TPACC) has ongoing work with them as well. The Wilson College of Textiles values a collaboration with Eastman, because working together will contribute to economic development in the United States and fill existing and future needs in the textile industry.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have massive efforts going on with our business team, reaching out to brands and mills and understanding what the unmet needs are in the textile industry,\u201d said Quigley. \u201cBrands and mills always want to know what\u2019s new and what you are doing to innovate. We are constantly striving to innovate new products to meet those demands in the marketplace.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n By Cameron Walker<\/p>\n\n\n\n For the past six years, the <\/span>Wilson College of Textiles<\/span><\/a> has been working with <\/span>Eastman<\/span><\/a> in many exciting ways. One in particular has been to assist in the development and testing of two unique fibers through <\/span>Zeis Textiles Extension<\/span><\/a>: <\/span>Naia\u2122<\/span><\/a>, a silky and luxurious cellulose acetate, and <\/span>Avra\u2122<\/span><\/a>, a polyester with exceptional performance-enhancing capabilities. Naia\u2122 recently debuted at international lingerie and activewear trade show <\/span>Interfili\u00e8re Paris<\/span><\/a>, and Avra\u2122 was recently incorporated into the base layer of the U.S. Ski Team\u2019s official uniform.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEastman is collaborating with the school [because] we have the capabilities to assist them in processing the material,\u201d said Jeff Krauss, <\/span>Dyeing and Finishing Pilot Plant<\/span><\/a> manager for Zeis Textiles Extension. \u201cThis is their chemistry, this is their fiber. We have the equipment in creating and spinning, in knitting and in wet processing to add value to their materials.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The relationship was facilitated by Loren Chambers, commercial manager at Eastman since 2011. His previous employer, Milliken & Company, had a longstanding relationship with the Wilson College of Textiles, so he was already well-versed in the school\u2019s capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I got here, I already knew what Jeff Krauss\u2019 lab could do and what the Wilson College of Textiles could do,\u201d said Chambers. \u201cI reached out to Jeff and Brian (Davis) at that point to take advantage of the facilities they have, to do early testing...those guys are great. It\u2019s easy to go to somebody who understands what they are doing and tell them what you want to accomplish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n We are constantly striving to innovate new products to meet those demands in the marketplace.<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Naia\u2122<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Naia\u2122 is a comfortable, washable yarn with a silk-like aesthetic well-suited to the intimate apparel market. Eastman developed the product nearly a century ago and since then it has been used in a range of applications from medical tape to formal wear. However, the company has used recent improvements in manufacturing techniques to spin it into a lower denier yarn -- making it finer and more lightweight -- while also improving tensile strength. Over the past few years, they have researched the yarn\u2019s properties in comparison with competitive materials. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe discovered that value propositions for Naia\u2122 fall into three categories, which are comfort, luxury and ease of care,\u201d said Heather Quigley, applications development scientist at Eastman. \u201cAround comfort, we found that Naia\u2122 has very good dry rates...it has good moisture management and has a cool hand. In terms of ease of care...the fabrics are washable, they have good dimensional stability, good wrinkle recovery and good soil release as well...In terms of luxury, we have a very nice drape, silky hand and luster. It\u2019s a very lustrous fiber, naturally.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Knitting Lab<\/span><\/a> manager Brian Davis experimented with mixing the product with other yarns, including cotton, polyester, nylon and spandex. Krauss took Naia\u2122 through its paces -- washing, processing, dyeing and finishing it -- and proved the yarn had high stain resistance and was able to be richly colored. <\/span>Weaving Lab<\/span><\/a> manager William Barefoot wove the new yarn into prototype fabrics.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis cellulosic yarn is made from renewable wood pulp harvested from sustainable forests and produced in a near-closed loop process in the United States,\u201d said the company in a recent statement. \u201cAll waste is either recycled, reused or offered for resell. Also, solvents used in the production of Naia\u2122 are recycled back into the system for reuse. Water returned to source streams is routinely tested to ensure the biodiversity of the local river is receiving clean water.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Avra\u2122<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eastman\u2019s new performance fiber is designed to be moisture-wicking, with a soft hand and a cool-to-the-touch sensation -- but the component that makes these qualities possible is not actually a part of the final product.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAvra\u2122 is, for lack of better words, a super fiber,\u201d said Chambers. \u201cWe use a proprietary sacrificial polymer to do bicomponent spinning to be able to knit a high denier and then open to a very low denier.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Avra\u2122 is a ribbon-shaped synthetic fiber so fine that it must be enrobed in a sacrificial polymer sheathing in order to be knitted or woven -- much like the inverse of papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9. The fiber and its protective sheathing are knit or woven into fabric together, then during fabric wet processing, the sacrificial sheathing is removed, leaving behind the finer inner core.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe critical technology here is the bicomponent aspect,\u201d said Dr. Richard Holbert, an application research scientist for Eastman and an <\/span>NC State<\/span><\/a> triple alumnus. \u201cBicomponent fibers are not necessarily new, but the special sauce is the sacrificial polymer that is proprietary for Eastman, (which) enables different wet processing techniques that make it a little bit easier to remove that polymer.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Knitting Lab, Davis worked with the yarn in its pre-scoured phase, which presented some challenges along the way. In fact, the initial package of Avra\u2122 yarn completely washed away during the first test knit.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe filaments were sticking together,\u201d said Davis. \u201cI would start knitting and all of a sudden there was nothing there to be knit.\u201d The company solved the problem and relied on the lab to trial knit as they worked on the spin finish and winding tension and extending the product\u2019s shelf life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the Dyeing and Finishing Lab, Krauss noted how the fabric changed as he put Avra\u2122 through the scouring process.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you wash and scour [a product], it is going to change its [properties],\u201d said Krauss. \u201cThen you have to go back [to the Knitting Lab] and change the knitting structure -- trying to achieve that proper hand, that dimensional quality, that opacity, that you\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The way Avra\u2122 is manufactured enables a smaller, more lightweight fiber than others on the market, which means it is engineered to enhance the wearer\u2019s performance.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe properties that the fiber enables are better moisture management, in terms of being able to wick moisture away from the skin and spread it further through the fabric,\u201d said Holbert. \u201c[This] also enables faster dry rates, so if you are actively running or hiking and you are perspiring heavily, an Avra\u2122 fabric would be able to wick that moisture away from your skin faster and dry it faster so you feel more comfortable. When you first grab and feel the fabric, it has an initial cooling sensation that you can feel and it does demonstrate a long term cooling performance over time -- which is a major benefit for the active base layer market. That is where we are targeting and using the fiber, at least at first.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The company is exploring future applications for Avra\u2122 and experimenting with its technology.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur first product will be a flat-shaped polyester,\u201d said Chambers. \u201cBut we have the ability to change shape, change size and change the polymer, so it will be a full platform for Eastman going forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s next?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Avra\u2122 and Naia\u2122 are just the beginning of the collaboration between Eastman and the Wilson College of Textiles. The company has sponsored two senior design projects, one investigating the limitations around the production of crimped staple fibers and one designing fabrics that blend Naia\u2122 with other yarns such as polyester and nylon. Along with the undergraduate efforts, Eastman also is currently sponsoring three doctoral level projects within the Wilson College of Textiles through their <\/span>Eastman Chemical Center of Excellence<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Zeis Textiles Extension isn\u2019t the only group in the Wilson College of Textiles working closely with Eastman Chemical Corporation. Faculty in the <\/span>Departments of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science<\/span><\/a> (TECS) and <\/span>Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management<\/span><\/a> (TATM) have worked with Eastman on numerous research projects in the past, and the <\/span>Textile Protection and Comfort Center<\/span><\/a> (TPACC) has ongoing work with them as well. The Wilson College of Textiles values a collaboration with Eastman, because working together will contribute to economic development in the United States and fill existing and future needs in the textile industry.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have massive efforts going on with our business team, reaching out to brands and mills and understanding what the unmet needs are in the textile industry,\u201d said Quigley. \u201cBrands and mills always want to know what\u2019s new and what you are doing to innovate. We are constantly striving to innovate new products to meet those demands in the marketplace.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Learn how a collaboration with the Wilson College of Textiles at NC State is helping Eastman develop and test the fibers of the future through the Zeis Textiles Extension.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":25012,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"caption\":\"\",\"displayCategoryID\":2135}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[512],"tags":[1496,1497,735,1498,1143,1499,1500,1163,1501,936,738,1502,1503,697,1504,939,1505,727,991,590,611,1506,1382,898,663],"class_list":["post-12873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-and-innovation","tag-avra","tag-bicomponent-fibers","tag-brian-davis","tag-cellulosic-yarn","tag-department-of-textile-engineering-chemistry-and-science","tag-dr-richard-holbert","tag-dyeing-and-finishing-lab","tag-eastman","tag-heather-quigley","tag-jeffrey-krauss","tag-knitting-lab","tag-loren-chambers","tag-naia","tag-nc-state","tag-performance-fiber","tag-pilot-laboratory","tag-sacrificial-polymer","tag-tecs","tag-textile-and-apparel-technology-and-management","tag-textile-engineering","tag-textile-technology","tag-weaving-lab","tag-wilson-college-of-textiles","tag-zeis-textiles-extension","tag-zte"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":[],"yoast_head":"![\"Eastman](\"https:\/\/tex-cloud-cdn.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/textiles-ncsu\/20231108101347\/eastman-scientist-fiber-plant.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n