PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) – Welding isn’t just for aircraft carriers anymore.
The U.S. Navy could be turning to ultrasonic welding to make its uniforms lighter, stronger and cheaper. And if the project by a Rhode Island company and the Navy Clothing and Textile Research Facility is a success, it could help bring manufacturing back from overseas.
Propel LLC is trying to figure out how to make the Navy parka without stitches. It’s one of the Navy’s more expensive and challenging garments to assemble.
Welded seams are created when two pieces of fabric are essentially melted together by sound waves.
Industry experts say that if the technology could be perfected for the military, it could seep over into the commercial market.