Forget all that fiddling around with sewing machine and thread—British
scientists have welded a shirt together with a laser. Paul Hilton and his
colleagues at the Welding Institute in Cambridge made the shirt from panels of
viscose and polyester fabric. To weld two panels together, they coat the edges
with a dye that absorbs infrared light and lay one edge over the other. Firing a
low-power infrared laser at the fabric heats the dye and melts the fabric
slightly, forming a join. “The seams are probably stronger than you’d need to
satisfy the Army,” says Hilton. The technique, reported in Opto & Laser
Europe magazine, works on a variety of fabrics, from breathable all-weather
clothing to everyday textiles.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards
News
Mind
THC in cannabis may reduce nightmares in people with PTSD
News
Environment
Fishers detonate a bomb every hour on one Indonesian coral reef
News
Environment
How bad is the UK drought and how long will it continue?
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles