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Common Terms

Terms, Definitions, Abbreviations

A ATEX Technologies, Inc.: ATEX Technologies is the industry’s most comprehensive resource for the design, development and manufacture of implantable textile components for medical devices. Our scientists and engineers are technological innovators who fuse the latest medical textile technology with time-tested craftsmanship. Our state-of-the-art facility enables us to design and customize implantable for a wide variety of medical applications. We have the expertise and the experience to help you get your medical device to market faster.

B Backwinding: Rewinding yarn or from one type of package to another. To break down a large package into smaller packages. Batten: The reciprocating part of a multi-space narrow fabric machine which carries the -landings, shuttles and reeds. Beam: A horizontal cylinder usually of metal on which a large number of yarns are wound in a side by side arrangement in preparation for weaving or warp . Bio-absorbable : A chemical compound that over time dissolves and is absorbed by the body. Also referred to as resorbables.

Braid/ Braiding: A complex structure or formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material. A is usually long and narrow, with each component strand functionally equivalent through the overlapping mass of the others.

The simplest possible braid is a flat, solid, three-strand structure. More complex can be constructed from an arbitrary (but usually odd) number of strands to create a wider range of structures, such as wider ribbon-like bands, hollow or solid cylindrical cords.

Braiding mandrel: Rigid material to braid on top of to give desired diameter. Burst Strength (Truburst): the strength of a fabric in all directions, tested on Truburst machine.

C Carrier: In braiding process, the mechanism that carries one through the cycle. Cone: Package of yarn that has a cone shape. Cone Gage: A gage used in QA Testing to measure the diameter of a tube. Continuous Filament: Possibility of never ending (having no knots). Courses: The row of loops or stitches running across a . Courses per inch (CPI): The number of horizontal rows of loops in an inch of knitted fabric. Covering: The process of wrapping one yarn around another. Creel: A framework of vertical poles that hold yarn packages together in ordered positions. Used in the warping process. Crimp: The waviness of a fiber expressed as crimps per unit of length.

120 W. Monroe Avenue Pinebluff, NC 28373 910-281-ATEX (2837)

D Denier: Weight per unit length of yarn (g/9000m) or Weight in grams of any yarn 9,000 meters long. The lower numbers represent the finer sizes and the higher numbers the coarser sizes. Denier per Filament: The denier of an individual continuous filament. In filament yarns it is the yarn denier divided by the number of filaments. Density: EPI (Ends Per Inch) x PPI (Picks Per Inch). Die: The frame or cutting template used in the die press to fabric panels into shapes, sizes, or lengths as required by the customer on the Design Specifications. Die Cut: The process of cutting a product to the dimensions required by the customer on the Design Specifications. Die Cut Press: Machine used to cut fabric panels into the dimensions required by the customer on the Design Specifications. The die and material to be cut are placed in the press and the final shape is stamped out. : A mechanical attachment on a that controls the harness to permit the weaving of geometric figures. : A weaving machine with harness frames and limited design capability can make seamless tube. Doff: The action of removing products from the machines; to remove finished beam from warper, to remove finished knitted or woven products from machines. Double End: Two ends woven as one in a fabric. Draw-Texturing: In the manufacture of thermoplastic , the simultaneous process of drawing to molecular orientation and imparting crimp to increase bulk. Draw Winding: The process of changing a yarn from a given denier to a smaller denier and/or the operation of stretching continuous filament yarn to align or order molecular and crystalline structure. The drawn yarn is taken up on a parallel tub resulting in a zero-twist yarn. Drawing-In: In weaving the process of threading warp ends through the eyes of the and the dents of the . The process of pulling the warp yarn into the weaving machine one end at a time (through heddles). Dtex: Weight in grams of any yarn 1,000 meters long. DTY: Acronym for Draw-texture yarns. E Elongation: The deformation in the direction of the load caused by a tensile force. Elongation is usually expressed in percentage of the original specimen length. Elongation at Break: The increase in length when the last component of the specimen breaks. End: An individual warp yarn. Ends Per Inch (EPI): The number of vertical rows of in an inch of . Entering: The process of threading each warp yarn on a loom beam through a separate drop wire, , and reed space in preparation for weaving. Extruder: The machine that feeds molten polymer to an extrusion manifold or that first melts the polymer in a uniform manner then feeds it to a manifold and associated equipment for extrusion.

120 W. Monroe Avenue Pinebluff, NC 28373 910-281-ATEX (2837)

Extrusion: Process of creating yarn. See also .

F Fabric: A textile produced especially by knitting, weaving, or felting fibers. False Twisting: See TEXTURING, False-Twist Method. Fiber: A or filament that forms the basic elements of a fabric or textile. Fibers can be made from various materials. Filling Yarn: See Filling.

G Greige Fabric: An unfinished fabric just off the loom or . Guides: In knitting, a fitting that the yarn passes through in the machine. Guide Bar: A mechanism on a warp-knitting machine that directs warp threads to the needles. H Harness: A frame holding the heddles in position in the loom during the weaving process. Heat Set: The process of conferring dimensional stability and often other desirable properties such as wrinkle resistance and improved heat resistance to manufactured fibers, yarns, and fabrics by means of either moist or dry heat. Heddle: A , round steel wire, or thin flat steel strip with a loop or eye near the center through which one or more warp threads pass on the loom so that the thread movement may be controlled in weaving. Homopolymer: A polymer consisting of repeating units on only one monomer.

J Jacquard: A system of weaving that utilizes a highly versatile pattern mechanism to permit the production of intricate designs.

K Knit Fabric: A structure produced on a loom by interloping one or more ends of yarn or comparable material. (Also see KNITTING). Knitting: A method of constructing fabric by interlocking series of loops of one or more yarns. Knitting Machine: A machine that produces knit product.

L Loom: A machine for weaving fabric by interlacing a series of vertical, parallel threads (the warp) with a series of horizontal, parallel threads (the filling). Lot: A unit of production or a group of units or packages. Lot Number: Number assigned to a unit of production once it has been doffed or removed from the machine, also referred to as a doff number.

120 W. Monroe Avenue Pinebluff, NC 28373 910-281-ATEX (2837)

M Mandrel: A cylindrical or symmetric shaft or form sometimes tapered or bifurcated constructed to the dimensions as required by customer design specifications that is used in the heat set process of woven vascular grafts. Mono Filament Yarn: Yarn composed of a single fiber. Multi Filament Yarn: A yarn consisting of many continuous filaments or strands. N Needle: The portion of a knitting machine used for intermeshing the loops. O Orientation: In a linear polymeric structures the degree of parallelism of the chain molecules. Orientation can also be used to express the degree of thermal and mechanical stability of the yarn. P Package: An individual cone of yarn, May also referred to as a Pirn, tube, bobbin or Spool. Partially Oriented Yarns (POY): Filament yarns in which the draw ratio is less than normal resulting in only partial longitudinal orientation of the polymer molecules. Permeability: The state or quality of being penetrable by fluids or gases. Pick Count (PPI): The number of filling yarns per inch or per centimeter of fabric. Picks: Individual filling yarns from the shuttle. Also known as weft. Pirn: An individual cone of yarn may also be referred to as a Package or Spool. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET): a thermoplastic polymer resin of the family and is used in synthetic fibers. Q Quill: A lightweight tapered tube constructed of either wood, plastic, or metal on which the filling yarn is wound for use in the shuttle during the weaving process. Quill Winding: The process of winding filling yarns onto filling or quills in preparation for use in the shuttle for weaving. R Reed: A comb-like device on a loom that separates the warp yarns and also beats each succeeding filling thread against that already woven. The reed usually consists of a top and bottom rib of wood into which metal strips or wires are set. The space between two adjacent wires is called a dent (or split) and the warp is drawn through the dents. The fineness of the reed is calculated by the number of dents per inch.

120 W. Monroe Avenue Pinebluff, NC 28373 910-281-ATEX (2837)

Regenerative Medicine: The process of regenerating human cells, tissue, or organs. The objective is to restore normal function. Often includes biomedical approaches that involve stem cells delivered using a bio-absorbable textile scaffold. Retain: A sample of product that is kept for trace ability and design specification purposes. S Scouring: The act of cleaning fabric panels or woven grafts to remove any soil, oils, or residues before further processing can be completed. SDY: Acronym for Spin Draw Yarn, this is a yarn that is made on a spinning machine where the drawing occurs on line, i.e., spin and draw in one step, normally the final product at the winding is a yarn that is fully drawn and ready to use. Variation in the process (heat set and draw ratio) will yield yarns that have different properties. Shuttle: A boat-shaped device usually made of wood with a metal tip that carries filling yarns through the in the weaving process. It is the most common weft-insertion device. The shuttle holds a quill, or pirn, on which the filling yarn is wound. It is equipped with an eyelet at one end to control rate. The filling yarn is furnished during the weaving operation. Spinneret: A metal disc containing numerous minute holes used in manufactured fiber extrusion. The spinning solution or melted polymer is forced through the holes to form the fiber filaments. Spinning: The process or processes used in the production of single yarns or of fabrics generated directly from polymer. T Textured Yarns: Yarns that develop stretch and bulk on subsequent processing. When woven or knitted into fabric, the cover, hand, and other aesthetics of the finished fabric better resemble the properties of a fabric constructed from spun yarn. (Also see TEXTURING). Texturing: The process of applying bulk to a yarn. The process of crimping, imparting random loops or otherwise modifying continuous filament yarn to increase cover or to provide a different surface texture. The false twist method is the preferred avenue to obtain this effect, and uses simultaneous twisting, heat setting and untwisting. The temperature at which the yarn is heat set once the effect is obtained determines some of the properties of the yarn. Threadup: The process of directing or threading fiber though all the machine positions to start or re start a process. Tube: See package. Twist: The number of turns about its axis per unit of length of a yarn or other textile strand. Twist is expressed as turns per inch (tpi), turns per meter (tpm), or turns per centimeter (tpcm). Twist Direction: The direction of twist in yarns and other textile strands is indicated by the capital letters S and Z. Yarn has S-twist if when it is held vertically, the spirals around its central axis slope in the same direction as the middle portion of the letter S, and Z-twist if they slope in the same direction as the middle portion of the letter Z. When two or more yarns, either single or plied, are twisted together, the letters S and Z are used in a similar manner to indicate the direction of the last twist inserted. Twisting: The process of applying twist to yarn to increase strength and abrasion resistance holds multifilament yarn together.

120 W. Monroe Avenue Pinebluff, NC 28373 910-281-ATEX (2837)

W Wales: A column of loops lying lengthwise in a knitted fabric. Warp Beam: A beam (large spool) that holds multiple ends of yarn to be woven or knitted. See also Beam. Warping: The process of converting multiple packages of yarn into a single warp beam. : A type of knitting in which the yarns generally run lengthwise in the fabric. The yarns are prepared as warps on beams with one or more yarns for each needle. Examples of this type of knitting are tricot, milanese, and raschel knitting. Weaving: The process of interlacing two yarns of similar materials so that they cross each other at right angles to produce woven fabric. Weft: Individual filling yarns from the shuttle. Also known as picks.

Y Yarn: A continuous strand of fiber used for weaving, knitting, and braiding.

Some definitions cited from: Dictionary of Fiber & Textile Technology. Charlotte, NC: Hoechst Celanese Corporation 1990. Print.

120 W. Monroe Avenue Pinebluff, NC 28373 910-281-ATEX (2837)