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The A Penteadora and Fibrenamics presents individual protective clothing
The company A Penteadora and Fibrenamics, interface of the University of Minho, developed in partnership a garment capable of chemically, thermally and electrically protect its wearer.
In a world where technology and science are advancing at a hallucinating speed, it is increasingly urgent to think “outside the box” and come up with unusual solutions. From the need to develop innovative and commercially viable products, A Penteadora, a company recognized for the production of fibrous wool structures and which has stood out in the development of textile solutions for the protective equipment sector, came up with a disruptive idea to develop garments capable of providing protection to the individual who wears them.
In these terms, the “MultiScale Protech” was created, a project developed within the scope of a partnership established between A Penteador and Fibrenamics - University of Minho. Through the functionalization of wool substrates with Graphene Nanoplatelets, both by impregnation and by surface coating, it was possible to develop a material that provides chemical protection, in accordance with ISO 14325, thermal, ISO 6942 and ISO 11925-2 and electrical, ISO 1149-2 and 1149-3. In addition, the material developed was also subject to certification tests for welding protection (ISO 9185:2007 and ISO 11612:2015) and tests with electric arc (ASTM F1506), which allowed to reach the maximum level of protection D3 and APAC 2, respectively.
Thereby, as a demonstrator model, an apron was developed capable of multi-protect its wearer. However, as António Teixeira, administrator of A Penteadora, argues, “many possibilities of application have opened up” because from this project emerged a new market of personal protective clothing.