Developing seamless shaped woven medical products

Abstract

Currently, the cutting and sewing process is utilized to produce medical products with tailored shape, which leads to a number of adverse consequences due to seams. These drawbacks have prompted us to undertake research to develop new methods by which seamless tubular woven products with inherent shape could be produced. The methods could potentially lead to the design and production of seamless shaped textiles that might be used in a wide variety of medical applications. Three variables were tested, specifically yarn shrinkage, weave designs, and thread density. A variety of samples were woven using different combinations of these variables to create structures with different shrinkage properties. Upon finishing in a solution containing a surfactant and soda ash, the structures experience different degrees of shrinkage resulting in desired shapes. Length and width dimensions of each sample were taken before and after finishing. The change in sample shape due to differential shrinkage in terms of yarn shrinkage, weave, and thread density is reported.