When it comes to airline seats, there is a new fabric technology. Consider this.
According to Innovation in Textiles:
“ACME Mills has joined forces with Quantum Materials to launch the newest level of fabric innovation designed for aircraft seating applications – Comfort Zone powered by Quantum ZXT technology. This B-surface fabric technology is designed to provide long-term enhanced comfort to passengers and reduce or eliminate the need for foam commonly used in airline seating.
“Comfort Zone is a 100% polyester-based fabric made with a combination of high performing elastomeric monofilament and spun yarns. The Quantum ZXT technology provides the Comfort Zone fabric with enhanced conformability, comfort and durability, according to the manufacturer.
“’There has been a tremendous focus on weight reduction in the transportation industry as a whole and while this is important to help maximise fuel efficiency, passenger comfort has sometimes been overlooked or sacrificed,’ said Neil Gross, COO for ACME Mills. ‘In a survey by Skytrax, uncomfortable seats ranked third among a long list of customer complaints. With our Comfort Zone product, we see an opportunity to change this.’
Initial testing
“Comfort Zone has been engineered with Quantum ZXT technology. Utilising this proprietary technology, the fabric is said to be able to provide customised levels of ergonomically correct support throughout the seat, ultimately enhancing comfort to passengers. As a supporting B-Surface application, Comfort Zone reduces the amount of foam needed and can eliminate the need for springs, wires, clips and insulators that have historically been used.
“Initial testing has shown that this new fabric can reduce weight by as much as 8 pounds per seat or a total of 1,512 pounds. In addition to weight reduction, and depending upon the size of the plane, there is the potential to add more than 10 seats without redesigning the interior cabin due to space savings. The fabric can be engineered or treated with the various performance requirements needed to pass standard FAA regulations.
“’Airlines are constantly looking at ways to maximise the interior space in the aircraft cabin, helping to increase revenue stream. With the benefits of comfort, weight and space savings, we see this as innovative solution to help support growth in the airline industry,’ said Jeff Bruner, Founder and CTO for Quantum Materials. ‘Quantum has had a long history in advancing industries with new technologies and believes that this could be a step towards revolutionizing the way we fly.’
Debut
“ACME Mills will be debuting Comfort Zone powered by Quantum ZXT at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, next week.
“Acme Mills is part of The Acme Group of companies – a group dedicated to the fabric and textiles industry, serving industrial and commercial customers. Founded in 1917 and privately owned, ACME Mills has evolved into one of the largest suppliers of industrial fabrics to the transportation industry in the world.
“Quantum Materials is a leading manufacturer and innovator of unique yarns and high performance woven fabrics to the furniture, construction, recreational, industrial, healthcare, automotive and airline industries. Founded in 1985, Quantum has expertise in mono- and multi-filament yarns and possessing extensive yarn preparation processes, including warping, texturising and twisting fibres, producing a wide variety of engineered performance characteristics, patterns and textures.”
