What are smart textiles and e-textiles?
Smart textiles (also called e-textiles or electronic textiles) are fabrics with electronic functionality integrated at the textile level. This can include heating, temperature sensing, biometric monitoring, connectivity, or energy harvesting. The defining characteristic is that the electronics are part of the fabric itself, not a rigid device attached to the garment after manufacturing.
The e-textiles market spans heated apparel, medical wearables, military smart uniforms, sports performance monitoring, and industrial workwear. The challenge has always been integrating electronics without compromising what makes fabric work: softness, drape, breathability, and washability.
How Suryudey builds e-textiles
Most e-textile manufacturers use conductive thread embroidered into fabric. This approach works but adds bulk, stiffness, and weight. The embroidered traces are relatively thick (hundreds of micrometres) and change how the garment feels and drapes.
Suryudey takes a fundamentally different approach. We screen-print conductive silver-carbon inks directly onto textile-compatible substrates (primarily breathable TPU film) at 50 micrometres thickness. This printed layer is then laminated onto the fabric using heat bonding. The result is electronic functionality that is thinner than a human hair, adds no perceptible weight, and maintains the fabric's original breathability, softness, and appearance.
200 to 500μm trace thickness
Adds stiffness and weight
Visible on fabric surface
Limited circuit complexity
50μm trace thickness
No perceptible weight or stiffness
Invisible under fabric
Complex circuits possible
Scalable screen printing process
E-textile applications
Heated apparel
Our consumer brand iðoona uses printed e-textile heaters in jackets, vests, t-shirts, and gloves. Silver-carbon heaters are laminated between fabric layers using breathable TPU, powered by USB-C power banks. NTC thermistors and PID control maintain precise temperature settings.
Fabric-based biosensors
Printed electrodes and sensing elements on textile substrates for continuous health monitoring: heart rate, respiration, skin temperature, and hydration. The printed sensors sit flush with the fabric surface, making them comfortable for extended wear.
Connected textiles
Printed antennas on fabric-compatible substrates enabling NFC, Bluetooth, and RFID connectivity directly from the garment. No rigid antenna module needed. The antenna is the fabric.
Smart textiles in India
India is one of the world's largest textile manufacturers, and the integration of electronics into textiles represents a significant growth opportunity. Applications in military smart uniforms and the growing heated apparel market for exports drive demand for e-textile manufacturing capability within India.
Suryudey (SPEZL) is positioned as India's printed e-textile manufacturer, combining screen printing expertise with textile integration know-how. We serve both B2B customers (startups, research institutes, established companies) through SPEZL and the consumer market through our iðoona heated wearables brand.