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The prototype for a robe designed to warm up the user’s body is the new star of J.F. Almeida, the home textile company from Moreira de Cónegos that for this year is expecting a rise in business volume.
The heating robe is the first outcome of the iHeatex project, which developed an innovative technology by integrating a conducting thread into the weaving process. Once patented, it will enable the incorporation of an internal heating programme within several home textile products.
“The conductive circuit embedded in the fabric will enable the regulation of the robe’s temperature, and it has been tested to stand 40 industrial washing cycles at 60 degrees Celsius”, guarantees João Almeida, J.F. Almeida’s liaison in iHeatex, a project predicted to last three years and that implies an investment up to one million euro.
The prototype robe is programmed to function at a temperature of 40oC, but at the end of this R&D project it will be possible to regulate temperatures within the 35oC to 70oC range. There will be no danger of burning since an interior lining fabric prevents overheating.
“We must always be ahead”, explains João Almeida, adding that the towels made with the technology developed by the iHeatex project will dry much faster, and the robes will not only be meant for comfort, but also to provide an added feeling of well-being to its users, by helping them to relax and relieve back pain.
“We want to do innovative and very technical products to diversify our offer and always be on the frontline”, challenges João Almeida, creator of J.F. Almeida’s 360 thread, one of the star products of a company that takes pride on being 100% sustainable, since all the waste it generates is used into making new thread.