S. Stolyarov
AFFOA,
United States
Summary:
Many promising advanced textile technologies fail to transition beyond laboratory prototypes due to persistent barriers in design-for-manufacturing, prototyping infrastructure, manufacturing scale-up, and supply chain readiness. Bridging this “scale-up gap” requires more than technical innovation - it demands coordinated ecosystem development, shared infrastructure, and workforce alignment. This talk will highlight the role of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) in lowering these barriers and accelerating the commercialization of advanced textile technologies. Examples will draw from recent work in scalable electronic textile systems, sustainable materials integration, automation-enabled manufacturing, and critical safety applications. The discussion will emphasize practical lessons learned in moving from proof-of-concept to manufacturable, deployable systems. In addition, the presentation will address efforts to grow and prepare the advanced textiles workforce to support emerging manufacturing technologies, and will outline pathways for companies, researchers, and innovators to engage with AFFOA to advance product development and scalable manufacturing solutions.