Measurements on Electrically Conductive Textiles

"My grandmother has had an electric blanket for as long as I can remember. So what’s innovative about heating textiles today? And how do they protect the environment?"

Browatech GmbH & Co.KG currently holds two international patents on the world market. One involves a drainage textile which is installed in special green roofs and other structures, and includes a function for rainwater retention. The other involves a new type of heating textile 2.0. Browatech consistently pursues the goal of protecting the environment, and at the same time making it possible for companies and private individuals to adapt their lives to the climate.

And thus Browatech’s heating textile has a special structure which offers specific advantages. For example, the textile can reduce heating costs by up to 94%. It provides CO₂-neutral heating. It’s 100% recyclable. It can be produced and used in large sizes (well beyond the usual 0.5 square meters). Hotspots are excluded even with partial damage. It can be adapted to customer requirements in terms of volts, amperes, watts/m², radiation temperatures of up to 150° C etc., and it eliminates the need for hydronic radiators because it can be installed directly into furnishings such as tabletops, door or cabinet panels, partitions, walls, paintings, floors and carpets, as well as behind mirrors and paintings.

"Finding a measuring instrument which makes it possible for us to perform measurements on our conductive textiles quickly and easily, both in-house and at customer locations, was crucial for the development of the textile. It was important for us to be able to limit the supply of voltage or current, and at the same time to display the textile’s consumption values: amps, volts, ohms and watts," explains managing director Mario Browa.

Various points were of elementary importance in gaining a better understanding of the conductive textile. For example:

• The measurement of inrush current
• Power demand volatility in the operating state, because the textile regulates power demand itself
• Endurance tests over a lengthy period of time with simultaneous recording of the values

"None of the measuring instruments we found on the market came even close to our expectations, until we discovered the various versions of the SYSKON. We’re using the SYSKON P1500 and we’re very pleased with our choice. We’re impressed above all by the instrument’s accuracy and precision, as well as its straightforward operation," adds Browa.

The SYSKON meets all of the requirements described above and offers outstanding reliability thanks to its modern internal topology. There’s no occurrence of inaccurate or fluctuating values, which has been and will remain essential for the development of our textile.