What is Fabrican?

Fabrican created and patented instant, sprayable, non-woven © Spray-on fabric. Based in London, at the London Bioscience Innovation Centre, Fabrican technology is capturing the imagination of designers, industry and the public around the world. The technology has been developed for use in industrial applications, as well as personal and healthcare, decorative and fashion/apparel products.

The British company Fabrican has developed a way to bond and liquefy fibres so that textiles can be sprayed out of a can or spray gun straight onto a body or dress form. The solvent then evaporates, and the fibres bond, forming a snug-fitting garment. Not just for clothes, the technology has household, industrial, personal and health care applications. Time Magazine: One of the Best Invention of 2010

Fran Scott from the BBC series ‘The Imagineers’ describes how Dr Manel Torres from Imperial College in London invented Fabrican – a fabric that is sprayed from a can. He is seen spraying some onto the arms of a fashion model. A can of silly string was his inspiration for this product. The fabric is sterile so can be used as a bandage. It can be made to set hard and so could also be used as a cast for broken bones. But perhaps most amazingly, the fabric absorbs oil, and so could be used to clean up after oil tanker disasters, which can cause catastrophic environmental damage. BBC The Imagineers: Inventing future fabrics