It is difficult to imagine the complexity involved in manufacturing the innovative textiles developed by Payen.
It is only by visiting the group's 3 Ardèche factories that we can truly understand the added value of this unique manufacturing process in the world.
Here's a quick guided tour.
This first stage of the process, carried out in a repurposed 2-century-old silk factory, consists of giving the polymer its intrinsic resistance properties by heating it to high temperature.
These textured threads, of different thicknesses, are the basic ingredient of the elastic materials manufactured by Payen.
On this second industrial site, the covering operation is carried out. An elastane thread (the core) is surrounded and protected by one or more textured threads.
Part of the manufacturing secret is hidden here, because by playing on the speed and direction of the winding, we give its properties of elasticity but also resistance to the threads.
Once the spools of thread have been assembled, the weaving operations are carried out on a third industrial site.
To do this, a preliminary warping step winds the threads parallel to each other to form the weft.
This is probably the most impressive stage of the process, because positioning the 800 wires parallel to each other by hand requires rigor and attention to detail.
The weft thread is here passed perpendicular to the warp in a tangle specific to each material. The successive back and forths of the weft thread gradually build the canvas.
Once the canvas is finished, there remains the dyeing and finishing stage. This is carried out in a closed circuit in an autoclave recycling more than 99.9% of the dyeing water.
For this process, we must only use shades obtaining the maximum rating for resistance and durability.
It took between 4 and 6 weeks to create this entire painting.
This process, due to its complexity, is 5 to 10 times more expensive than traditional sports material.
But it’s also what allows us to offer you materials of incredible quality!
