The Future Fibres Facility at the Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials has an unparalleled mix of research and industrial-scale equipment that can take fibre products from ideation to prototype and pilot-scale.
Equipment for the design of next generation fibres and textiles
The Future Fibres Facility, based at Deakin University’s Waurn Ponds campus, is dedicated to textile research and prototyping for the next generation of fibres and textiles.
Globally recognised fibres and textiles experts work closely with partners to develop new product ideas into commercial reality. This unique space allows partners to ensure the viability of commercialisation and de-risk the research and development process by duplicating processing paths from laboratory through to small industrial scale in one location.
The facility houses the only cotton processing and spinning line in Australia, among an array of other textile processing equipment.
Capabilities include short staple spinning for natural fibre yarn creation, knitting, weaving and non-woven equipment for fabric manufacture.
The facility also has melt and wet extrusion lines for man-made fibre creation, advanced imaging, chemical and mechanical testing and extensive characterisation labs.
The Future Fibres Facility is supported by The Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) and is the ANFF Fibres Node.
Revolutionising Fibre Innovation in Australia | eqwools x Deakin University
Research and Development for the fibres and textiles industry
The Future Fibres Facility offers not only affordable access to top experts in the design and manufacture of fibres and textiles, but also equipment that can’t be found anywhere else in Australia.
Collaboration opportunites
Companies can access our expertise and resources through the following pathways:
- Services orders or direct contracting of the facility for product development and small batch manufacture.
- Directly funded or leveraged research with the Future Fibres Group at the Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials. The research team will use the facility to understand your problem at a fundamental level and take it through to a product demonstrator.
- One-on-one and short course training of staff in specific areas of the textile industry to increase knowledge or in preparation for future manufacture facilities.
- Other universities can also collaborate with the Future Fibres Group or directly hire the facilities for their research.
Projects
Uluu – Biodegradable seaweed derived plastic
In a world first, Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials researchers have produced fibres from a polymer derived from seaweed – laying the foundation for biodegradable alternative to polyester.
Western Australia-based biotechnology company Uluu, which produces biodegradable plastic from seaweed, engaged IFM to help them produce a formulation that enables their plastic pellets to be melt extruded into fibres.
In 2024, IFM researchers within the ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres were able to produce continuous filament yarns for knitting into single jersey fabrics. Researchers were able to progress the product further, to create finer stronger fibres with a softer handle, and a colouration method that achieved strong, vibrant colours with good fastness.
“The Uluu product is very interesting as a textile fibre as it is a full biodegradable polymer that is naturally occurring in the environment,” Chief Investigator Assoc Prof Christopher Hurren said.
“This polymer comes from the sea so it is not displacing food production when it is being grown. Seaweed lives off run-off from animals and agriculture and helps to clean some of the human contaminations stopping them entering the sea. The product has been shown to be carbon positive in its production.”
“This is a world first for this type of polymer. The polymers have strengths like wool and cotton and can achieve fibres with similar fineness. The work has developed a successful dyeing system to enable scaling of this technology in the fashion industry.”
Nanollose – Microbial cellulose from food waste
Nullarbor™ fibre offers a forest-friendly alternative with minimal environmental impact.
The yarn was provided to Victorian knitwear developer Knovus, who used zero-waste 3D knitting technology to produce two garments designed by Lee Mathews, along with sample swatches. The successful integration of Nullarbor™ into existing manufacturing systems demonstrates its commercial viability and compatibility with industrial-scale production.
Following the successful pilot production of Nullarbor, Nanollose are keen to work further with Deakin to develop their processes and improve the scalability of their product offerings.
Through Nanollose’s strong partnership with the ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres, Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials played a key role in enabling this breakthrough.
RESEARCHER: Associate Professor Rangam Rajkhowa, Dr Hina Iqbal Syeda
Country Road – Mud to Marle
Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials researchers at the Future Fibres Facility successfully turned wool waste into quality yarn for Country Road as part of the Mud to Marle project.
The research team, led by Associate Professor Christopher Hurren, demonstrated how a low-impact textile could be created using short wool fibre, often discarded as waste, and cotton to create a marle yarn (made of 30% wool and 70% cotton fibres). Supported by the Country Road Climate Fund and managed by Full Circle Fibres (a B Corp-certified social enterprise) with contributions from industry partners Loomtex and Michell Wool, Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials researchers made a pallet of 12 colours to show the marle effects that could be achieved. A production run of four colours for woven and knitted fabrics demonstrated that the technology could be scaled in production.
“The project achieved a low impact product by several means,” Assoc Prof Hurren said.
“Only the wool fibre was dyed saving more than 70% of water, effluent, chemicals and energy.”
“Through this project we were able to weave and knit fabrics that were turned into beautiful garments. It proved that textiles of low impact could be produced in Australia from Australian fibres.”
The project has led to an ongoing relationship between Michell Wool and Deakin University to further develop wool cotton products through the IFM-led ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres.
