Plasma metal coated yarns - coating continuous filament yarn with the metal of your choice without any adhesive layer underneath and thus combining the characteristics of the metal (such as conductivity) with those of a filament yarn (such as touch or workability).

Plasma coated yarns have several big advantages over the classical chemo-galvanic ones:

a. extremely conductive – especially the plasma silver coated type «SwicoSilver HiCon»

b. a much better washing behaviour

c. they provide flexibility and longevity and are not brittle unlike other metalized yarns

d. a very regular coating along the yarn - ideal in automatisation applications - where a uniform conductivity is important - to keep reaction margins extremely narrow.

e. in apparel applications there is no problem with silver or copper diffusing through the Gold yarn – there is no Ag or Cu underneath the Gold (all others have that)

f. they can be made with the properties needed so that they are easy to process in the textile chain – including counts, substrate material and metal coating

g. products on the fashion side have a wonderful noble appearance.

Since plasma metal coated yarns have been launched, quite a number of customers initiated new activities in different fields. SwicoGold yarns have been used in Aussiebum’s exclusive 24K Gold men underwear for example. Of course there are many other applications where SwicoGold yarns or other plasma metal coated yarns play an important role:

• fabrics for decoration
• high end fashion
• luxury menswear with pin stripes
• sewing and embroidery threads
• fabrics for clerical applications
• home furnishing
• carpets
• medical end uses (also for in body applications!)
• engineering as ESD applications
• jewellery and watches
• computing
• electronic components
• defense applications
• automotive high end
• your idea