|
Same great product with a new name:
Woolpower® (formerly Ulfrotte® Original)
Research
and Development
Woolpower® is a complete system of thermal clothing, accessory garments,
socks, gloves, hoods and linings. Intensive product development
with a focus on function and comfort has fueled Woolpower®’s progress in the global market. We collaborate with
a number of organizations, research institutes, testing laboratories,
universities and raw material suppliers in many different countries.
 Unique
manufacturing method
Woolpower® is manufactured on advanced, custom-designed
tubular knitting machines that give sleeves, legs and body sections,
as well as cuffs and waistbands, a seamless construction. For the
best possible fit, the various garment sections and sizes are woven
individually on knitting machines with varying diameters. The yarn
is woven in a loop system to produce a soft and airy terry cloth,
a technique that offers high comfort, durability and a minimum of
seams.
Dressing/blocking
In order to stabilize the material, the cloth is washed in water.
The finished garment may shrink by a maximum of 5%. Using heat and
steam, the material is then blocked and crabbed on metal frames
and tenters.
Stamping/cutting
Every size and model has a specific length and width. The garment
sections are bundled and stamped with metal knives and a warping
machine is used to split the tubular knitted pant legs at the crotch.
Flat
inseams
After stamping and cutting, the various garment sections are sewn
together with flat inseams, a technique that creates inseams without
edges that chafe.
Quality
assurance
Continuous, random testing is carried out at every stage of the
manufacturing process to ensure that raw materials, semi-finished
and finished products maintain high and consistent quality. Changes
in appearance, durability, absorption capacity, insulation and shrinkage
are routinely analyzed in the laboratory. The company complies with
the regulations for quality assurance according to ISO 9000. The
various garment sizes and sections are woven indivdually on different
knitting machines with needle beds of varying diameters, giving
the garments excellent fit and comfort.
 Testing
and Field Use
Woolpower® garments are tested regularly by SINTEF,
both in a laboratory environment and on test groups ranging from
forestry workers, fishermen, road workers and drivers to the military
and oil platform workers. Over the years, several thousand field
trials have been conducted on a variety of test persons in Germany,
Norway, Sweden, Canada, the U.S., etc.
Woolpower® is also tested in an arctic climate at SINTEF’s field
station on Svalbard. The tests are aimed at improving protective
clothing for demanding work environments. The results of SINTEF’s
tests serve as a basis for product development.Knowledge on location.
Some
of the development work is carried out by collecting data on location.
Expeditions have been made to places such as Australia and New Zealand,
where wool production was studied. Furthermore, every year our agents
and staff undergo training in an arctic environment in cooperation
with SINTEF.
 The
Norwegian Navy During the winter of 1997 the Norwegian Navy tested
Woolpower® in order to compare it with the Norwegian
military’s standard cotton underwear.
245
soldiers were equipped with a sweater and pants in Woolpower® 200 g/m2 (0.7 oz/sq. ft), a jacket in 400 g/m2 (1.3 oz/sq.
ft) and socks in 600 g/m2 (2 oz/sq. ft). An additional 138 soldiers
outfitted with the military’s standard undergarments formed
a reference group.
The
test period was 6 weeks long. One of the questions asked at the
end of the test period was ”How would you rate the odor (perspiration)
of the undergarments used during the test period compared with those
you normally use?” The results showed that odor is an area
where Woolpower® demonstrates very favorable characteristics
in comparison with standard undergarments.
|
