Anyone got any views on or knowledge about this clever coating?
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Cheers tom - do you know of anyone planning to use it for garments apart from footwear? It says here that it is "molecularly bound to the surface and will not leach away" so, if that's true, it could be amazing. That being said, it seems quite brave of Hi-Tec to use it on footwear where it is more likely to get abraded than on other garments.
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| Edited: 29/11/07 15:59 |
 WOW! Thats pretty interesting stuff. Seeing as the plasma penetrates and covers each fibre, it will be as durable as the actual material of the shoe itself. So very durable! This could be the revolution we have all been waiting for. I suppose as its individualy covered fibres breathability will not be effected and its also oil resistant, so no risk of contamination. It also adds no weight, so fabrics could be chosen for jsut their durability. Very interesting indeed.
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 At last, could be the big move forward in DWR nano-technology. I'll do some digging 
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Nope. There should be at least two footwear manufacturers, with Hi-Tec apparently being one of them, but I haven't heard of any apparelmanufacturer. I definitely want to see these shoes tested. I know the claims but I want to see if they are true after severe abuse. I'm a bit sceptic since it's still a chemical treatment which, in my eyes, can be abraded, but I guess time will tell.
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| Edited: 29/11/07 16:18 |
Its not though tom, it cant be abraded any more then the actual fabric itself. So if leather was treated, technically it should be as tough as the leather itself.
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 I look forward to seeing how this stuff does in the real world. I suspect the applications might be limited, at least for now, by what materials can actually be treated using this process. I am not much of a chemist, but what little I know about plasmas would lead me to think that the process won’t be universally applicable. Otherwise, I would imagine, the manufacturers would be making more of an effort to hit the textile market where waterproof clothing presumably has wider applications and profit margins than outdoor footwear.
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 > Ion mask™ works by applying a protective layer, just nanometres thick, over the entire surface of the product by means of an ionised gas or “plasma”.
A few nanometres will be worn away in very short order, I'd suggest.
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 scarpa make waterproof boots wth plain old leather.
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Some further info I've found: * applications: the application works on textiles, metals, ceramics, leather, glass and a numbr of other materials. For the moment they focus on laboratory products, filtration products and footwear (although I've heard they're going to use it also for electronics like e.g. Ipod, ...). The footwear involves a runningshoe, a leisure shoe and a golf shoe. * claims: they claim not just to have the next generation technology, they go much further. Quote: "we're as waterproof as membrane technology, far more waterproof than DWR technology and offer more breathability than either of them." That is what I call a bold statement. * durability: they've worked together with CTC in France and Hong Kong and Intertek and SATRA in the UK for durability tests( http://www.satra.co.uk/index.php/content/view/full/127 ). Tests included waterproofness and abrasion testing but also flex-tests. Quote: " SATRA thought we were mad but we wanted to see not just if the materials we were working with could withstand water penetration, but if they could do so after 100.000 flexes. Even the leading DWR brands fail when you flex the material, but ion-mask passed. A member of the testing team said he had never seen anything like that before. Source: WSA Performance and Sports Materials
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Intriguing .. but is 100,000 flexes much? Say you walk at 100 paces/minute.. 50 with each foot .. 3000 flexes an hour .. 33 and a bit hours. Mebbe 20 hours running. Mind you, they don't say it failed at that point, but if I was them I'd start with hats.
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I have seen the Ion Mask technology work first hand and how the product is treated it's pretty amazing stuff! It has been developed in conjunction with the MOD to protect soliders against nerve agents in their normal uniforms instead of having to wear huge chemical warfair suits which limits the mobility of the user. The additional benefits are huge to the apparel/footwear market, the treated products are waterproof/just as breathable as an untreated or non membrane product/stain resistant etc. As it is new to the Market they have subjected it to all benchmark tests used to measure leading membranes (Gore/eVENT). With refrence to the durability issue raised by ALoveSupreme the Plasma mix infuses every fibre as a result the product inside and out is treated, if for example this was a leather boot and the upper gets scuffed on a rock the fibres/material exposed still have all the features and benefits as it did undamaged. They do a pretty cool demonstration where some tissue is zaped in the Ion Mask chamber, when it comes out the tissue totally repels water, and the best part is becuase the tissue is built of a few layers they strip them apart, the tissue in the centre still has the same properties as the top layer. Hi-Tec will launch the technology in one boot for AW08 this will be the V Lite Altitude Ultra and I'm guessing will be expanded into the range going forward.
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Thanks Seb. Do you know of any garments - jackets, windshirts, trousers say, using the technology?
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I remember hearing about this years ago actually--while new technologies are often slow to catch on, I'm beginning to question how applicable it is. To stop chemical, airborne nerve agents, it would not only have to coat each fiber, it'd have to plug the spaces in between. I'm guessing we'd be left with essentially an ultra-thin PU layer: it'll work incredibly well with vapor, but once you hit your stride in your workout and you have condensation/drops of sweat, it'd be like any Goretex or Event.
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Their are no other brands using this yet as it has just been launched I guess it will only be a matter of time before others pick it up. I will try and find the answer to Pete2s point on the vapour Vs drops of sweat and how the Ion Mask would perform.
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Pete I dont think the issues you descibe would apply to this as the product that is put on the material, is done so in a plasma oven, your are extremely unlikely to experience these condiotons anywhere to allow this coating to become air bourne again.
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I have seen these demonstations before where they show beading, ie scotchgard, teflon etc and they have always been a bit of a dissapointment in the field especially when they get soiled. I would love to see if the boots are still beading after a winters use and throughout the walk.
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 No doubt it'll work all right for shoes but I'm still not certain. Potentially handy for rucksacks/stuffsacks etc. For a potentially huge win however why don't they waterproof down (not the outer fabric - the down itself). If they can do tissues without rendering them to cinder then why not feathers? This would have the potential to pretty much wipe out fleece & artifical insulation at a stroke. (cost being the only real remaining issue.).
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ION-Mask seems to be a market beater if other companies let it emerge ????
The question is how far will it emerge before it tries to get quashed by it competitors.
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