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While composites and rigid structures may not seem to have much in common with textiles, they do often feature soft goods for a variety of purposes. Many examples were on display at this year’s JEC World composites trade show, demonstrating how textiles are being used in products, such as sporting goods.
The sporting goods industry has long been a key innovator in new materials, from apparel and footwear to equipment. The global sportswear market was estimated at almost $336 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $646 billion by 2030, growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9%, while the sports composites market was valued at $3.82 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.8% during the same period, according to two reports from Grand View Research.
Today, 3D textiles are being used to make high-performance and lightweight sporting goods, vehicles, and footwear—for example, in composite materials and the precise laying of fibers by robots. While performance and lightness remain key drivers of 3D textiles and composites’ popularity, sustainability is becoming increasingly important.
Flax in sports equipment
Sometimes, a more sustainable product performs better than its traditional counterpart; for example, take Babolat’s Pure collection of flax composite-based tennis rackets. The French sports equipment company partnered with EcoTechnilin, a manufacturer of nonwoven products made from natural fibers, to create the collection.
One of the rackets in the collection is the Babolat Pure Aero 98 tennis racket. It has been used by world champion tennis player Carlos Alcaraz.
“We are not talking about a smaller project anymore,” says Thibault Roumier, development and technical sales director, EcoTechnilin. “We are talking about one of the key players of the tennis market with high technicity in the racket.”
Flax was used for its excellent weight-to-strength ratio and its environmental advantages as a renewable plant fiber. To create the Pure collection, flax and carbon fiber were layered throughout the rackets, benefiting from the mechanical stiffness of the carbon fiber, according to Roumier. He sees additional benefits to be had with better vibration damping and improved player comfort.
The company also has developed a pickleball paddle that is fully recyclable using flax and polypropylene. These paddles have an increased “sweet spot,” or the location where the hit is most true, with optimal power and consistency.
The racket sport of padel has more than 30 million amateur and federated players worldwide, according to the International Padel Federation, with Europe, where the game originated, being a particularly strong market. Some sources call it the fastest-growing sport in the world. The global market size is forecast to reach $0.87 billion by 2033 from $0.29 billion in 2024, registering a CAGR of 12.9% during the forecast period, according to Business Research Insights. Within the market segmentation, the padel racket is expected to account for around 75% of this market, followed by footwear.
At present, a standard padel racket can be expected to last six to 12 months before it delaminates or breaks because of impact. While tennis rackets can be restrung and last for many years, this is not the case with padel rackets, although they have a comparable price. CompPair has developed the HealTech™ padel racket, which can be repaired.
The composite uses a repair technology embedded in the resin, which combines with glass, carbon or flax fibers. It’s available in the form of a prepeg or a liquid composite molding that allows microcracks to repair at 100 C (212 F) to extend the lifespan.
CompPair is part of the NERTHUS consortium of Spanish, Swiss and Italian companies that was awarded €2.8 million ($3.3 million) in Eurostar funding in 2024 to develop sustainable transportation composites.
Carbon fiber’s versatility
Demonstrating the versatility of textile manufacturers, Toray’s carbon fibers are used in very different ways for bicycle and footwear design engineering. In footwear engineering, the company’s continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composite allows designers to tailor the range of foot motion through a combination of component design, fiber placement and resin selection.
In athletic footwear, the insole composite can be used as a single plate or in specific areas. When used in the spring or propulsion plate that extends into the foot’s first or second metatarsal, it can offer enhanced spring and resilience. Used in the heel plate, it helps stabilize the heel during heel strike to minimize pronation and supination. Used in an insole, the composite has been shown to reduce foot fatigue and offer improved stability, while its thinness and thermoplastic quality allow it to be adjusted using heat for individual comfort.
With a focus on strength, lightness and speed, Toray and the High Performance Center of Japan Cycling have developed what the companies believe to be the world’s fastest bicycle. The bicycle features TORAYCA® carbon fibers that were originally developed for the aerospace industry and utilizes Toray’s sophisticated computer simulations, rigorous testing and real-world evaluations.
Precision with robotics
Formula 1 racing teams push the boundaries of what is technically possible to achieve greater levels of performance. In a collaboration with the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, Holy Technologies has developed a fully recyclable casing for a vehicle side mirror that is lighter and capable of meeting the sport’s stringent technical requirements.
Conventional methods for making a pre-impregnated fiber rely on materials where the fibers are pre-aligned. This means that the same amount of material is used throughout, so areas where little performance is needed still must use the same amount of material as the high-strength areas. But the process used here is Holy’s Infinite Fiber Placement, which allows for one continuous carbon fiber to be placed very precisely by a robot in a recyclable epoxy resin. This results in an optimization of the fiber paths and allows for weight reduction without compromising structural integrity. The double-walled 3D geometry enables a 20% weight savings, and it can be fully recycled because of the manufacturing process and resin selection.
In these developments for 3D textiles, knowledge and expertise draw on a very broad range of areas, from design to sustainability, robotic manufacturing and digital technologies. While some of this knowledge develops in-house, increasingly it is through cooperation that many of these advances have been achieved.
Marie O’Mahony, Ph.D., is an academic, industry consultant, author and a regular contributor to Advanced Textiles Association publications. She is based in London.