Through specialized coatings, textiles acquire new properties and enhanced functionalities. Semi-finished textile products gain additional capabilities, whether it’s avalanche fences in vibrant signal colors, durable grid structures for soil reinforcement in applications such as dike protection or road construction, or reinforced roofing membranes with textile inserts designed to improve dimensional stability and hail resistance. At Follmann, we bring decades of expertise in coating textile substrates to deliver solutions that meet the highest industry standards. Our deep understanding of your industry spans the entire value chain—from raw material preparation to spinning, weaving, finishing, recycling, and sustainable reuse. As a trusted partner in the technical textile sector, we offer adhesive and coating solutions designed to enhance performance and durability while supporting your sustainability goals. Discover the versatile functionalities textiles can achieve and how Follmann integrates recycling considerations from the start. Maik Schmolke, Director of Sales for Functional Solutions, shares insights into our innovative approach.
What interests you most?
- Applications of Technical Textiles
- The Market for Technical Textiles – How Follmann Supports Manufacturers Across the Entire Value Chain
- Resistant to seawater, alkalis, or fire: Functional Coatings for Technical Textiles
- Additional Functional Coatings for Technical Textiles
- New Materials and Recycling – Developing Solutions Together with Our Customers
Applications of Technical Textiles – From Road Construction and Mountaineering to Life-Saving Protection in Extreme Heat
Functional coatings for textiles find applications across nearly every sector: from building roads, roofs, and shading systems to producing functional clothing, specialized bedding for hospital rooms, and equipment for extreme conditions like open seas or firefighting.
Technical textiles provide innovative, tailored solutions for a wide range of industries, including agriculture, construction, apparel, geotechnics, interior design, industrial manufacturing, healthcare, mobility, environmental protection, packaging, as well as personal and asset protection. Our products are developed with the versatility to meet the specific demands of these diverse fields, delivering optimal performance and functionality for every application.
Sporttech
In the field of sports and leisure, technical textiles play a central role in the production of functional and high-performance sportswear. Customers expect outdoor and sports clothing to be not only durable but also comfortable, breathable, and water-repellent.
With our FOLCO REACT adhesives, plastisols, PSA adhesives, and polyurethane hot melt adhesives, we give technical textiles the properties they need for demanding applications:
- FOLCO REACT adhesives provide exceptional flexibility, reliable adhesion, abrasion resistance, water resistance, and durability – ideal for activewear, outdoor clothing, and extreme conditions.
- PSA adhesives offer an efficient and user-friendly solution for technical textiles by enabling strong adhesion without additional curing or heating processes. This saves time and simplifies production processes.
- Polyurethane hot melt adhesives ensure strong and durable bonds between various textile materials such as fabrics, membranes, and films. Their versatility allows for seamless integration of different components, enhancing the performance and quality of technical textiles.
Our solutions are used in numerous Sporttech applications, including::
- Functional clothing such as activewear and outdoor clothing, which offer comfort and durability.
- Sports equipment and accessories that withstand extreme conditions.
- Sports shoes made from innovative materials for better performance and protection.
With these innovative adhesive and coating solutions, Follmann supports the production of high-quality sports textiles that meet the highest demands.
Agrotech
Technical textiles in agriculture offer functional and durable solutions that enhance efficiency and protect resources.
- Sun protection textiles: Reduce heat in poultry barns and provide protection for animals and infrastructure.
- Weed control fabrics: Help maintain soil quality and effectively prevent weed growth.
- Avalanche protection: Reliable green-white textiles provide safety from snow slides.
- Ski slope fencing: High-visibility colors like orange ensure safety and visibility in winter sports areas.
With innovative technical textiles, Follmann contributes to making agriculture and outdoor activities safer and more efficient.
Geotech
Geotechnical textiles play a critical role in construction, water management, and transportation infrastructure by enhancing stability and strength.
Key applications include:
- Geogrids (e.g., black) for civil engineering, water management, and road construction, providing essential support and durability.
- Reinforcement of unbound aggregates to increase load-bearing capacity and ensure structural integrity.
- Foundation stabilization for roads and transport pathways, offering long-term resilience and reliability.
- Asphalt reinforcement to enhance durability, reduce cracking, and extend the lifespan of road surfaces.
Buildtech
echnical textiles are indispensable in construction and engineering, enhancing structural integrity and delivering reliable protection.
Key applications include:
- Roofing membranes designed for weather resistance and long-lasting durability.
- Reinforcement fabrics and meshes to ensure superior strength and dimensional stability in demanding applications.
Hometech
Technical textiles for home applications seamlessly combine functionality and comfort, playing a vital role in furniture, upholstery, interior design, carpets, and flooring. They are particularly valued by furniture manufacturers, designers, architects, and planners.
- Technical components for furniture to ensure durability, stability, and long-lasting performance.
- Upholstery and interior materials that deliver a perfect balance of comfort and functionality.
- Carpets and flooring solutions designed to meet high standards of aesthetics and practicality.
- Interior sun protection systems that regulate light while enhancing energy efficiency.
Versatile Solutions for Diverse Applications:
For these applications, we provide a broad range of versatile products. Our offerings include water-based coatings for thinner layer applications, such as in geotechnical uses or for coating raschel fabrics, plastisols for thick-layer coatings, bitumen emulsions for asphalt reinforcement, and other specialized coatings for a variety of needs. Our foamed and compact PVC plastisols are ideal for textiles with inherent flame-retardant properties, providing excellent protection for textile fiber bundles.
Additionally, we support our customers in Medtech, Mobiltech, Oekotech, Packtech, and Protech. Our solutions promote hygiene and patient comfort, deliver durable coatings for vehicles and marine applications, support resource conservation with eco-friendly filtration systems, enhance packaging stability, and offer specialized protective textiles that safeguard people and assets.
Our innovative solutions ensure exceptional performance and sustainability across diverse industries and applications.
At Follmann, we take a comprehensive view of the entire product lifecycle of technical textiles—and thus the entire value chain. This allows us to support many stages of the manufacturing process with our products and services. Increasingly, this also includes topics such as proper disposal and recycling. Our overarching goal is a sustainable circular economy, where materials are recycled and reprocessed for further use after their initial application.
Solutions such as deinking, water-soluble adhesives, and recyclable components contribute to long-term sustainable production. This approach:
- Conserves resources,
- Saves energy costs and reduces CO₂ emissions, and
- Leads to more efficient use of materials.
Key solutions include using pure or easily separable materials and designing durable products. Follmann is happy to advise you on these strategies. Upon request, we provide data sheets for all our products, ensuring that companies have the necessary and required information for every step of the process—including recycling.
Resistant to seawater, alkalis, or fire: Functional Coatings for Technical Textiles
With PVC plastisols or water-based polymer dispersions, various substrates—such as roofing membranes, geotextiles, or transport and conveyor belts—gain enhanced functionalities tailored to specific needs.
Plastisols for the Production of Technical Textiles
The advantage: Plastisols can be used to coat textiles to be either air and light-permeable or completely impermeable, depending on the desired outcome. Plastisol-coated textiles are highly durable and robust. Additionally, phthalate-free plastisols are now readily available for manufacturers.
Companies Save Costs with Innovative Functional Materials
In today’s volatile raw material markets, supply chain stability and raw material security are critical for businesses. At Follmann, we proactively address these challenges by qualifying new raw materials to provide innovative solutions that ensure optimal supply reliability for our customers.
One of our advancements includes a PVC plastisol formulation that initiates the gelling process at lower temperatures. This innovation allows manufacturers to achieve significant savings in energy costs and CO₂ emissions compared to previous products.
For our customers, this translates to faster, more energy-efficient coating processes. Additionally, to align with future regulatory requirements, the product is available in a phthalate-free plasticizer variant, ensuring compliance and sustainability.
Additional Functional Coatings for Technical Textiles
Different substrates and specific purposes require tailored coatings. Our extensive range of textile coating formulations is continuously expanded with new products, many of which are developed in close collaboration with our customers.
Commonly Used Coatings:
- Water-based bitumen emulsions for asphalt reinforcement applications.
- HPVC (water-based PVC-plasticizer systems) for thinner coatings that retain many of the benefits and properties of plastisol coatings.
- Specialized coatings and binders for ultra-thin coatings that preserve the textile structure and the fabric’s feel, even after application.
- Acrylates and polyolefin dispersions used for textile structural elements, such as prepregs or molded parts.
- Vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) or polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) systems for coatings, laminations, bonding, and as general-purpose binders.
These innovative solutions cater to a wide variety of applications, ensuring performance, durability, and flexibility in technical textiles.
New Materials and Recycling – Developing Solutions Together with Our Customers
At Follmann, we strive to fully understand the material cycle alongside our customers. This means considering the entire product lifecycle right from the production of the initial material through to the multi-step value chain. As regulatory requirements continue to grow more stringent, our research and development team is dedicated to advancing materials tailored to customer needs.
We are committed to offering more than standard solutions and welcome unique customer requests. In the future, demand for homogeneous coatings that are easier to recycle will increase significantly. Additionally, innovative biodegradable systems remain a key focus of Follmann’s research and development efforts.
