Alexium, Inc Releases a New Improved Version of Eclipsys Cooling Technology

Alexium, Inc is a performance materials manufacturer based in Greer, South Carolina. The company specializes in thermal and comfort management for application for textiles used in military and consumer products.

BodyArmorNews.com previously released an article about their composite fabric, Eclipsys, which transports heat away from the wearer to increase comfort. Now, we had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Billy Blackburn, CEO, Dr. Bob Brookins, CTO and Ms. Gina Lucia, Business Development Manager, to learn about the new, more powerful version of the Eclipsys cooling technology.

Eclipsys is a composite fabric that uses adaptive response technology to provide improved thermal comfort for the wearer. The hotter the wearer gets; the more heat Eclipsys moves away from them. It is a material that can be sewn into any hard armor or soft armor vest.

"Over the past year," Mr. Brookins explained, "Alexium has been focused on making sure that the technical features of Eclipsys-based body armor systems translate to consumer benefits. Alexium learned a lot from the challenges of our initial product launch. This led to refinements in the construction of the actual Eclipsys fabric, and in the technical guidance given to customers seeking to include Eclipsys in the construction of tactical vest. These refinements ensure the wearer gets optimal benefit from the inclusion of Eclipsys.

"There are two key components that give Eclipsys its unique performance: We have a heat transport film that moves the heat away, as well as a heat absorption textile. The two components work together to move heat away from the wearer. We’ve been able to amplify the performance of both components to significantly increase the cooling and comfort benefit to the user."

"The way I think about Eclipsys," Dr. Brookins said, "is as a channel to pull heat away. In standard body armor, all the heat between the person and the vest gets trapped there. What we have focused on is moving that heat away from the wearer.

"The industry has tried a number of approaches to improve thermal comfort such improved airflow in the foam. While these provide some benefit, more is needed. What we’ve done is developed a technology that acts as a channel to move the heat away. With our recent improvement, we have effectively increased the diameter of that channel to increase the heat flux away from the person and in to the environment around them."

A key feature of this fabric is that it significantly decreases the rate of perspiration of the wearer. "We’ve completed human trials," Dr. Brookins explained, "that demonstrated when Eclipsys is moving heat away from the person under physical exertion, their perspiration was reduce as much as 60%. These tests utilized standard body armor vest without Eclipsys, and identical vests with Eclipsys included. The testing concluded that the user of the Eclipsys vest did not get as hot, they perspired less, therefore the risk of dehydration was significantly reduced. Dehydration is a significant contributor to fatigue, so by having Eclipsys, you’re helping to reduce physical stress on the body."

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