W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) hopes to outline common terms between textiles and electronics as these industries converge and new products are introduced into the market, it reports.
“This terminology standard will serve as a foundation for future standards that objectively measure performance of traditional textile products (such as clothing) that also function as high-tech products,” says Carole Winterhalter, an ASTM International textile technologist at the U.S. Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center in Mass.
The proposed standard, created by ASTM International’s committee on textiles (D13), will include definitions that help differentiate various products and components, it notes.
According to members of the committee, the standard will help buyers — both businesses and consumers — better understand what smart textiles products they are purchasing, it writes.
The committee is looking for people interested in helping create these new terms, it relates. The standard is expected to evolve continuously to keep pace with innovation.
“Creating this standard is the first step toward developing future test methods that will support quality and innovation in smart textiles and intelligent textile systems,” adds Winterhalter.
She says that the standard will be useful to the entire smart textiles community, including developers, suppliers, laboratories, retailers, and consumers.
Originally founded in 1898, ASTM International seeks to “integrate consensus standards and innovate services to improve lives,” it indicates.
The proposed ASTM international standard will support continued growth of the smart textiles industry, it notes.
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