Molecular manufacturing

Molecular manufacturing

Molecular manufacturing is a term used to describe an emerging technology that is being developed to build large objects to atomic precision, quickly and cheaply, with virtually no defects. As it becomes more sophisticated, it promises to be an energy-efficient and environmentally benign way to make materials and textiles. Built with a high level of automation, an armada of molecular robotic subsystems working in parallel to process pure chemicals into brand new materials and devices. The manufactured products would exhibit significantly higher performance to a substantially lower price than that of today’s products.

However, it’s important to question the safety of brand-new Nanotechnology. An interesting view about issues regarding molecular manufacturing website Lifeboat Foundation: “molecular manufacturing too dangerous allow?” In molecular manufacturing, the uniqueness is to be able to control every molecule in the system precisely will revolutionise the concept of designing and wearing garments. The current accomplishment to apply Nanotechnology to textiles brings forward innovations.

Textile innovations

• Thermal sensing and breathability control
• Antibacterial and odour removing effects
• Stronger than steel fibre (Nanotube fibres)
• Clothing sensoring and diagnoses (sense injury and immediate medication delivery)

Molecular manufacturing will promise revolutionary changes far beyond current advances

• Programmable garments that increase or decrease their size as needed
• Variable and self-regulating fabric breathability
• Textile colour and pattern changes in demand
• Self-cleaning and self-repairing fabrics (integrating molecular robotic material components)
• Self-moveable fabric effects by programming
• Seamless garments (molecular fasteners)

Recommended posts and books

• Introduction to nanotechnology in the fashion and textile industry part one
• Introduction to nanotechnology in the fashion and textile industry part two
• Introduction to nanotechnology in the textile industry. Part three
• Modular manufacturing, too dangerous to allow? Lifeboat.com website
• Nanofabrication, edited by Yoshitake Masuda. Published 2011 by Intech
• Molecular Assembly of Biomimetic Systems by Junbai Li, Qiang He, and Xuehai Yan. Published 2011 by Wiley-VCH Verlag
• Nanotechnology, Risk, ethics, and law, edited by Geoffrey Hunt. Published 2006 by, Earthscan
• Nanotechnology Challenges, Implications for Philosophy, Ethics, and SocietyEditors Joachim Schummer and Davis Baird. Published by 2006 by World Scientific Publishing Co
• Microfabrication and Nanomanufacturing, Edited by Mark J. Jackson. Published 2006 by CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group