Presented are automated manufacturing systems for fabricating engineered textiles, footwear and apparel formed with such engineered textiles, methods for making such engineered textiles, and memory-stored, processor-executable instructions for operating such manufacturing systems. An automated manufacturing system constructs engineered textiles from workpieces composed of superposed, unwoven wires. The system includes a movable end effector bearing a stitching head and an image capture device. The stitching head has a thread feeder and sewing needle to generate stitches. The image capture device captures images of the workpiece and outputs data indicative thereof. A system controller receives this image capture device data and locates, from the captured image of the workpiece, gaps defined between quadrangles of the superposed wires. The controller commands the end effector to sequentially move the stitching head and thereby align the sewing needle with the gaps, and commands the stitching head to insert a succession of stitches within these gaps.

The invention relates to a method and a device for producing an annular multiaxial laid fabric and to an annular object produced therewith. The object of the invention is therefore to create a method and a device for forming a multiaxial laid fabric for annular structures which has no twisting or displacement of the thread layers. Furthermore, it should no longer be necessary to close a butt join or overlap separately to form a closed ring of the multiaxial laid fabric. This object is achieved in that at least a lower thread layer (2a) and an upper thread layer in the form of an endless thread array or an endless single thread, or in the form of thread-array sections or single-thread sections, are laid around the entire circumference of two mutually spaced ring elements (3) with differing thread orientations, and the first and upper thread layers (2a, 2b) are then fixed to each other at points.

A chitin-modified polypropylene spunbond non-woven fabric and a preparation method of the chitin-modified polypropylene spunbond non-woven fabric are provided. The chitin-modified polypropylene spunbond non-woven fabric contains a modified chitin in a weight percentage range of approximately 0.2%-1.5%. The modified chitin includes chitin modified by a modifier including 2-hydroxybenzimidazole, cellulose acetate butyrate, and adipic acid dihydrazide. The chitin-modified polypropylene spunbond non-woven fabric has an anti-mold grade less than 1, and an antibacterial rate greater than 9.5%.

A reinforced substrate is provided for use in molding a composite material. The reinforced substrate has a reinforcing layer having reinforcing fibers extending in a fiber direction that is aligned in a single direction and auxiliary fibers laminated on only one surface of the reinforcing layer so as to extend in only one direction that intersects with the fiber direction. The auxiliary fibers are joined to the reinforcing fibers to hold the reinforcing layer. The auxiliary fibers have a higher tensile elongation at break than do the reinforcing fibers. The reinforcing layer is arranged with fiber bundles of large tows being aligned in an unopened state. The large tows have a higher fiber count of the reinforcing fibers than does a regular tow.

A reinforced substrate is provided for use in molding a composite material. The reinforced substrate has a reinforcing layer having reinforcing fibers extending in a fiber direction that is aligned in a single direction and auxiliary fibers laminated on only one surface of the reinforcing layer so as to extend in only one direction that intersects with the fiber direction. The auxiliary fibers are joined to the reinforcing fibers to hold the reinforcing layer. The auxiliary fibers have a higher tensile elongation at break than do the reinforcing fibers. The reinforcing layer is arranged with fiber bundles of large tows being aligned in an unopened state. The large tows have a higher fiber count of the reinforcing fibers than does a regular tow.

Presented are automated manufacturing systems for fabricating engineered textiles, footwear and apparel formed with such engineered textiles, methods for making such engineered textiles, and memory-stored, processor-executable instructions for operating such manufacturing systems. An automated manufacturing system constructs engineered textiles from workpieces composed of superposed, unwoven wires. The system includes a movable end effector bearing a stitching head and an image capture device. The stitching head has a thread feeder and sewing needle to generate stitches. The image capture device captures images of the workpiece and outputs data indicative thereof. A system controller receives this image capture device data and locates, from the captured image of the workpiece, gaps defined between quadrangles of the superposed wires. The controller commands the end effector to sequentially move the stitching head and thereby align the sewing needle with the gaps, and commands the stitching head to insert a succession of stitches within these gaps.

A method of creating an engineered textile includes placing a yarn-wound jig on an upper surface of a substrate, selectively printing or extruding a bonding material across the plurality of arranged yarn strands, solidifying the bonding material to bond adjacent ones of the plurality of arranged yarn strands together and form a bound plurality of arranged yarn strands, and removing the bound plurality of arranged yarn strands from the substrate and the frame.

A method to generate a non-woven fabric includes prearranging at least one thread guide arranged to guide at least one textile thread, prearranging moving means for actuating the thread guide according to at least one degree of freedom, prearranging at least one rigid support and handling each thread guide by the moving means for arranging at least one first portion of each textile thread along at least one first trajectory γ_1 on each rigid support. Each thread guide is handled by the moving means for arranging at least one second portion of each textile thread along at least one second trajectory γ_2 on each rigid support. Each second trajectory γ_2 overlaps with each first trajectory γ_1 at least at one intersection point P_i, joining each second portion of each textile thread with each first portion of each textile thread at each intersection point P_i.

A protective cover including a mesh sheet, a first pliable support member, and, in some embodiments, a second pliable support member. The mesh sheet has a first end, a second end, a top end, and a bottom end. The first pliable support member extends between the first end and the second end and is spaced a distance away from the top end. In embodiments having a second pliable support member, the second pliable support member extends between the first end and the second end and is spaced a distance away from the top end and spaced a distance away from the first pliable support member. Each of the first and second pliable supports members is movable between a straight configuration and a bent configuration. The mesh sheet forms and sustains a wearable shape when each of the first and second pliable support members is in the bent configuration.

A protective cover including a mesh sheet, a first pliable support member, and, in some embodiments, a second pliable support member. The mesh sheet has a first end, a second end, a top end, and a bottom end. The first pliable support member extends between the first end and the second end and is spaced a distance away from the top end. In embodiments having a second pliable support member, the second pliable support member extends between the first end and the second end and is spaced a distance away from the top end and spaced a distance away from the first pliable support member. Each of the first and second pliable supports members is movable between a straight configuration and a bent configuration. The mesh sheet forms and sustains a wearable shape when each of the first and second pliable support members is in the bent configuration.