The major growth in textiles is fueled by the research provided by scientists in numerous industries. Materials science provides the fibers that make up textiles, many of which are plastics or polymers, lending need for polymer science as well. With the latest trends towards green products and technology, textile manufacturers need to understand how their products will impact the environment, demonstrating the place that environmental science may hold. All in all, there are places for many scientific disciplines in the textile manufacturing industry, and lots of jobs that need filling.
A textile is a flexible network or weaving of numerous fibers. The fibers may be natural, such as wool or cotton, or the fibers can be artificial, such as polyester and Kevlar. Textiles may be manufactured by weaving, felting, crocheting, knitting, or any other similar technique. Textiles have been around in one form or another from as far back as 6500 BCE. Textiles saw their major boom in growth once mechanisms for their production were made and the process became industrialized. Once that occurred, the textile industry grew like a flash fire.
There are a number of purposes and applications for textiles in a number of fields. Cloths are developed for clothing as well as for bags and baskets. New examples are the biodegradable shopping bags that are sold at many groceries and many shopping centers. Textiles such as canvas are vital for art and shipping. Several kinds of currency are technically textiles. Transportation sees the use of textiles in balloons, sails, and parachutes. Another use of textiles is in reinforcing structures with fiberglass or carbon fiber. Industrial uses include medicine, where textile implants provide support for healing and harmlessly absorb into the body after the healing process is complete. Textiles are made to help protect crops and provide support for embankments. Protective textiles provide protection from projectiles, heat, and molten metals. A very modern invention is fibers coated with special nano-wires to generate electricity just by moving the textile.
The potential applications lend themselves readily to how different scientific fields can help keep the textile design engine running. Materials science is the understanding of how materials are structured and what their properties are. A new direction in materials science is focusing on nano-technology and nano-wires. New textiles are developed by creating new materials with which to make the fibers for the textile. Material scientists are also responsible for understanding how the fiber will interact with other materials, such as when carbon fibers are combined with resin in order to form a very strong composite material.
A specialization of the material science field is called polymer science. Polymers are long molecules that tend to link up into chains, forming strong bonds and what could be considered molecular fibers. The field of polymer science can be split into three sub-disciplines: chemistry, physics, and analysis. Six Nobel prizes, five in chemistry and one in physics have been awarded to scientists who have made major advancements in the understanding of polymers.
When it comes to careers in textiles, scientist will find lots of research positions working to develop all kinds of textiles and fibers. There is work to do on incorporating nano-materials and other compounds to fibers in order to create textiles with incorporated circuitry. Self-assembling textiles will provide manufacturing viability to a number of exotic materials. To land these sorts of jobs, it takes a few steps and following some general, yet worthwhile advice.
First of all, one needs an open mind when it comes to how they apply their skills in a new career. The textile industry has needs in many fields and disciplines, from physics and chemistry, to materials and polymers. Break down your skill set into basic skills, and find the underlying process by which you perform your skill. As a scientist, there are a lot of basic skills that can be applied to any field. These include math, computers, reasoning, and so on. Perhaps the most important skill which gets used is the scientific method. In textile research, you will take past knowledge and current results and come up with a hypothesis. Why do certain fibers act a certain way? Can you control it? How tight a weave is optimal for a textile?
Once skills have been worked out, it is important to be able to convey them so that you sell yourself as a valuable asset to a company. Many times a scientist will find that they have to work outside their direct field of specialty. An optics scientist who works computer simulations may work to simulate chemical interactions when certain fibers are woven together and heat is applied. It is all about being open to the fact that there are ways to be challenged in any industry, and there are plenty of jobs that one might not know about. The textile industry is one of them.
