TEXTILES.ORG
FabricLink Network has announced its Top 10 Innovation Award winners, recognized for producing exceptional textile-based materials and technologies that were launched in the past year and are commercially available. The awards, presented by the Tarzana, Calif.-based trade group, honors both companies and researchers in categories such as innovative manufacturing and production technologies, novel insulation solutions and advancements in textiles for a variety of markets.
The companies and products winning the 2014-15 awards include:
- 3M Thinsulate Featherless Insulation. Thinsulate™ Featherless Insulation by Minn.-based 3M offers 600 Fill Power protection. The down alternative mimics or surpasses the performance of natural down in fill power, loft and performance when wet, and it provides warmth with no feathers.
- The Hohenstein Institute and Freudenberg Interlining for new nonwoven polyester lining material. Global nonwovens manufacturer Freudenberg introduces the first nonwoven polyester lining material made from independently certified biodegradable fibers. Apparel made with Freudenberg linings will have a less intrusive impact on the environment at the end of its useful life when it is discarded in a landfill.
- HydroTurf™ CS and HydroTurf™ Z. An economical, eco-friendly erosion armoring technology, developed by Watershed Geosynthetics, Alpharetta, Ga., is designed to reduce construction and long-term maintenance costs in geotechnical applications
- Mount Vernon FR AMTEX™ PLUS and Carhartt Wind Fighter™ Technology: FR Extremes™ Arctic Outerwear —The Extremes Arctic line offers wind resistance, durability, warmth and comfort to workers in extreme weather conditions, without added weight or bulk. The outer shell is made from an abrasion-resistant, 9-ounce FR canvas, using Mount Vernon F’s AMTEX™ PLUS cotton/high-tenacity nylon FR fabric. Extremes Arctic uses Carhartt’s proprietary Wind Fighter™ technology for protection from wind chill.
- Outlast® Universe, a PCM/down filling. Outlast Technologies has launched a PCM viscose fiber and down-blend filling material. In warm climates, the Outlast® fibers absorb excess body heat. As the climate cools, the fibers release the stored heat back to the wearer.
- Schoeller ® WB400 soft-shells with memory foam. Sustainably produced elastic fabrics by Swiss company Schoeller Textil AG feature breathability, moisture transport, water repellence and heat retention.
- Teijin Aramid’s wet-spun carbon nanotube fibers. Teijin Aramid, Arnhem, The Netherlands, and a research team at Rice University in the U.S. have produced wet-spun carbon nanotube fibers with the high electrical and thermal conductivity performance of metals, combined with added textile flexibility, robust handling and tenacity.
- Ultraflect™ reflective, lightweight polyester woven insulation fabric. Developed by Chicago-based AFM Heatsheets®, Ultraflect™ fabric incorporates an ultra-thin, soft and durable reflective, insulation membrane laminated to woven fabrics for protection from the sun, or to stimulate warming.
- VOORMI® CORE CONSTRUCTION ™. This single-layer weather protection fabric by Colo.-based VOORMI® represents a shift in weatherproofing, from lamination and coating to the integration of barriers directly into textiles.
- WoolVisions™ by produced by FiberVisions®. Wool and CoolVisions® yarns (a dyeable polypropylene) are blended into a single yarn to make WoolVisions™ by FiberVisions®. Available for both woven and knit constructions, the yarn cools when it’s warm and retains heat when it’s cold.
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