Capabilities

Yarn Processing

Heathcoat Fabrics’ renowned XTEX yarn texturising unit develops and produces high-stretch yarns to enable textiles to be engineered with specific properties such as elongation at a set load, weight and fabric porosity according to customer requirements.

Processes used include false twist texturizing for thermoplastic fibres, hollow spindle elastic covering for other fibres and yarn twisting. A major product is 100% stretch nylon made from Heathcoat Advanced Yarn (HAY), for fabric reinforcements in compression moulded rubber synchronous timing belts.

Weaving

Heathcoat Fabrics’ unique weaving capability plays a valuable role in the creation of a diverse and expansive range of products. Our weaving facility is equipped with the latest generation section warping capability. Heathcoat’s weaving facility has embraced lean manufacturing ensuring it is a hub for continuous improvement both in process and creation of new and existing products.

An extensive range of high-performance fibres including spun, multi-filament, mono filament; high and low modulus fibres and high tenacity yarns can be woven to meet individual customer specifications; with the choice of machines that range from flexible, rigid rapiers to air jet and double beam looms.

Knitting

With over 50 years of warp-knitting experience, we have a warp-knitting production facility supported by in-house mill and direct warping.

Our diverse capability of single and double needle bar knitting machinery allows significant positive reaction to customer and market demands, both with 2D and 3D products.

Research and Development

The skills of our research and development team has driven Heathcoat Fabrics to engineer world-class products. Heathcoat Fabrics’ team of researchers, technicians and engineers excel in formulating chemical finishes and developing physical traits to ensure we produce fabrics specific to our customer requirements. Throughout development stages, we characterise materials and establish the benchmark for future applications.

Our research and development processes include the ability to accurately simulate the production process to generate fabric samples for systemic testing in our laboratories; assess performance of finishes on a small scale and subsequently analyse and interpret results.

Finishing

Our colouration, impregnation and finishing technology have seen sustained investment, leading to versatile treatments for woven and knitted textiles. From pre-treatment, dyeing, drying and multifunctional finishing ranges, we incorporate low liquor, energy saving initiatives and the highest level of sustainability in our operations.

We have an extensive range of colouration machinery, including low liquor dyeing with automated process regulation to ensure reliable recipes and reproducibility. Our technologists work to ensure our products meet the needs of current customers and open new opportunities through innovation.