Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA)
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) is a nonprofit, public-private partnership and a U.S. Department of Defense-funded Manufacturing USA Innovation Institute. AFFOA is dedicated to revitalizing the U.S. textile industry by transforming traditional fibers, yarns, and textiles into sophisticated, integrated, and networked devices and systems. The organization aims to bridge the gap between early-stage technology and commercialization, leveraging its expertise and membership ecosystem to advance textile-based products with transformative capabilities for defense and consumer markets.
Industries
N/A
Nr. of Employees
small (1-50)
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA)
Products
National Fabric Innovation Center (headquarters prototyping facility)
A central prototyping facility offering end-to-end fiber and fabric prototyping, device integration, materials development and characterization to support demonstration and translation of advanced fabric projects.
Defense-focused Fabric Discovery Center (defense prototyping facility)
A regional prototyping facility focused on development and maturation of defense-relevant fabric technologies with capabilities for integration of embedded electronics and systems-level prototyping.
Regional Fabric Discovery Centers (example: Pennsylvania, UMass Lowell)
Regional end-to-end manufacturing platforms offering polymer compounding, fiber and yarn processing, textile fabrication, system assembly and testing resources to translate concepts into production-relevant prototypes.
Digital STEAM curriculum for functional fabrics (SeamLS)
A digital curriculum with lesson plans, slides, videos and hands-on activities to teach design, electronics and prototyping for advanced textiles in classroom and outreach settings.
Fabric communications and LiFi demonstration platforms
Fabric-integrated light-based communication demonstrations and other fabric communication platforms intended to show high-bandwidth, fabric-to-device data transmission concepts.
National Fabric Innovation Center (headquarters prototyping facility)
A central prototyping facility offering end-to-end fiber and fabric prototyping, device integration, materials development and characterization to support demonstration and translation of advanced fabric projects.
Defense-focused Fabric Discovery Center (defense prototyping facility)
A regional prototyping facility focused on development and maturation of defense-relevant fabric technologies with capabilities for integration of embedded electronics and systems-level prototyping.
Regional Fabric Discovery Centers (example: Pennsylvania, UMass Lowell)
Regional end-to-end manufacturing platforms offering polymer compounding, fiber and yarn processing, textile fabrication, system assembly and testing resources to translate concepts into production-relevant prototypes.
Digital STEAM curriculum for functional fabrics (SeamLS)
A digital curriculum with lesson plans, slides, videos and hands-on activities to teach design, electronics and prototyping for advanced textiles in classroom and outreach settings.
Fabric communications and LiFi demonstration platforms
Fabric-integrated light-based communication demonstrations and other fabric communication platforms intended to show high-bandwidth, fabric-to-device data transmission concepts.
Expertise Areas
- Advanced functional fabrics and e-textiles R&D
- Thermally drawn fiber and fiber-integrated device engineering
- Prototype and pilot-scale textile manufacturing and scale-up
- Textile-based sensors and wearable physiological monitoring
Key Technologies
- Thermal fiber draw processes
- Fiber-integrated microelectronics
- Flexible hybrid electronics (FHE)
- Knitting, weaving and braiding machinery
Key People
Director of Engineering
Director of Business Operations
Director of Engineering
Director of Business Operations
News & Updates
An upcoming event from December 2-5, 2024, focusing on defense manufacturing innovations.
Scheduled for December 3-5, 2024, this event will showcase innovations in defense technology.
An event hosted by the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs to showcase top teams with high potential to accelerate delivery of new fabric technologies.
Dr. Eric D. Evans joins AFFOA's Board of Directors, bringing expertise in technology transfer and national security.
AFFOA focuses on Education & Workforce Development to train and hire younger workers.
AFFOA partnered with MIT visiting artist Chloe Bensahel to explore the intersection of textiles and memory.
An upcoming event from December 2-5, 2024, focusing on defense manufacturing innovations.
Scheduled for December 3-5, 2024, this event will showcase innovations in defense technology.
An event hosted by the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs to showcase top teams with high potential to accelerate delivery of new fabric technologies.
Dr. Eric D. Evans joins AFFOA's Board of Directors, bringing expertise in technology transfer and national security.
AFFOA focuses on Education & Workforce Development to train and hire younger workers.
AFFOA partnered with MIT visiting artist Chloe Bensahel to explore the intersection of textiles and memory.