Glossary
The language of technical textiles.
A working glossary of the textile technology terms that matter when building performance, protective and intelligent apparel.
2-layer laminatea.k.a. 2L
A face fabric bonded to a membrane, with a separate free-hanging liner — light, soft, typically used in lifestyle and trail outerwear.
Read →2D vacuum pressing
A manufacturing platform that forms a 2D laminate into a 3D garment shape via vacuum-assisted pressing.
Read →3-layer laminatea.k.a. 3L
Shell, membrane and backer bonded as a single sandwich — the most durable laminate format, standard in technical alpine and expedition apparel.
Read →3D scan-to-pattern
A workflow that converts a 3D body scan directly into garment patterns ready for cutting and assembly.
Read →Active surface
A textile membrane surface that carries distributed electrical, sensing or protective function across its entire area — not just at discrete points.
Read →Adhesive Encapsulation
Liquants' proprietary seam technology that encapsulates adhesive into a laser-prepared seam surface to create a fused, barrier-integral bond.
Read →Antimicrobial textile
A textile engineered to inhibit the growth of bacteria, viruses and fungi — typically by treated finish or inherent fibre chemistry.
Read →Automated manufacturing
Garment production processes where the construction steps are performed by automated equipment rather than machine operators.
Read →Barrier membranea.k.a. Barrier membrane film
The thin functional layer inside a laminate that blocks liquid water while allowing vapour to pass.
Read →Bloodborne pathogen (BBP) protection
A garment performance requirement ensuring that blood and body fluids cannot penetrate the fabric — critical in medical, EMT and tactical applications.
Read →Bonded seam
A seam produced by adhesively joining two fabric surfaces without sewing — eliminating needle punctures through the membrane.
Read →Breathability
The ability of a garment or fabric to move water vapour from inside to outside — critical to wearer comfort during high-exertion use.
Read →CBRN suita.k.a. Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear suit
Protective apparel designed to shield the wearer from exposure to hazardous chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents.
Read →Conductive adhesive
An adhesive loaded with conductive particles that bonds components while carrying electrical signal or power between them.
Read →Dark factory
A manufacturing facility operated end-to-end by automated equipment, without the need for human lighting — the target of next-generation on-demand apparel production.
Read →DWRa.k.a. Durable Water Repellent
A surface finish applied to the face fabric of a garment to cause water to bead up and roll off rather than soak in.
Read →Embedded Interface Module (EIM)
A Penanos interface component permanently integrated into a garment to control the active surface.
Read →EMT garment standards
Performance requirements for emergency medical technician uniforms — typically combining bloodborne-pathogen protection, durability, and visibility.
Read →ePTFEa.k.a. Expanded PTFE
Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene — a microporous, hydrophobic membrane chemistry at the heart of many waterproof-breathable laminates.
Read →Face fabrica.k.a. Shell fabric
The outermost woven or knit layer of a laminate — the surface the wearer sees and the environment abrades.
Read →Flame barriera.k.a. Flame-retardant (FR)
A textile engineered to resist ignition, self-extinguish or shield the wearer from flame and heat exposure.
Read →Hard shell vs. soft shell
Two classes of technical outerwear: hard shells prioritise weather protection via rigid membranes; soft shells prioritise mobility via stretch and breathability.
Read →Hydrostatic heada.k.a. Water column
A laboratory measure of how much water pressure a waterproof fabric can hold back before leaking through, expressed in millimetres of water column.
Read →Inline lamination
A construction method where textile lamination happens during the manufacturing sequence, not as a separate pre-process.
Read →Knit plating
A knit technique that combines two or more yarns in the same stitch, with one presented to the face and the other to the back.
Read →Laminate construction
A textile assembled from two or more layers bonded together — typically a face fabric, a membrane and a lining or backer.
Read →Lamination yarn
An adhesive-capable yarn used to bond knit faces, laminate structures or add functional zones during knitting.
Read →Laser seam
A seam produced using a laser to prepare, cut, or bond the seam surface — typically as part of an automated manufacturing process.
Read →Lining / backer
The innermost layer of a laminate or garment — protects the membrane and provides hand-feel against the skin or insulation.
Read →Low-melt yarn
A yarn that melts or softens at a lower temperature than standard textiles, enabling heat-activated bonding without damaging surrounding fibres.
Read →Manufacture licensing
A licensing agreement that grants a manufacturer the right to use a patented technology in the factory, typically including access to proprietary machinery, materials and technical packs.
Read →Microcurrent garment
A garment that uses distributed low-intensity electrical current across its surface to deliver function — humidity management, microstatic pulse, or heating.
Read →MVTRa.k.a. Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate
A measure of how much water vapour can pass through a fabric per square metre per day — a proxy for breathability.
Read →Overlap seam
A seam geometry where two fabric panels overlap along their edges and are bonded, welded or stitched together across the overlap zone.
Read →Printed electronics
Electronic functionality delivered by printing conductive or semi-conductive materials onto a substrate rather than by discrete wiring.
Read →PU membranea.k.a. Polyurethane membrane
A hydrophilic or microporous polyurethane film used as the barrier in waterproof-breathable laminates — typically lighter, stretchier and less expensive than ePTFE.
Read →R&D licensing
A licensing agreement that grants an R&D partner direct access to a technology and its core suppliers for a defined application and commercialisation window.
Read →Sales & Marketing licensing
A licensing agreement that grants a brand the right to commercialise a technology under its own or the technology's co-branded identity — typically on exclusive or non-exclusive terms.
Read →Seam sealing
The post-sewing process of restoring waterproof barrier performance at seams, usually by applying seam tape.
Read →Seam tapea.k.a. Seam-sealing tape
A thin, heat-activated laminate strip bonded over sewn seams to restore the waterproof barrier lost to stitching.
Read →Seamless garment
A garment constructed without traditional sewn seams — either by circular knitting, bonded construction, or a combination.
Read →Spacer yarn
A yarn used in double-face knit constructions to hold the two faces apart, creating loft, thermal insulation or padding.
Read →Technical packa.k.a. Tech pack
The engineering document set that specifies every detail of a garment for manufacture — materials, trims, construction, seams, tolerances.
Read →Ultrasonic welded seam
A seam produced by high-frequency vibration that locally melts and fuses thermoplastic fabrics along the join.
Read →UV protectiona.k.a. UPF
A textile's ability to block ultraviolet radiation — a performance attribute increasingly expected of technical apparel.
Read →Waterproof-breathable
A fabric construction that blocks liquid water from entering while allowing water vapour to pass through — enabling sweat to escape from a sealed garment.
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