Industry News

IFAI names new president and CEO

April 20, 2018

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has named Steve Schiffman, the association’s vice president of media and sales, the new president and CEO of IFAI. He will replace Mary Hennessy, who is retiring June 1, 2018, after holding the position for the last six years. Schiffman had a long and successful career in publishing before …

Industry News

U.S. Air Force selects Med-Eng bomb suit

April 17, 2018

Med-Eng, a brand of The Safariland Group, announced that it has been awarded a five-year contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with the Med-Eng EOD 10 bomb suit to protect personnel conducting explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations. The Air Force selected the EOD 10 suit and accessories through a competitive solicitation process that required meeting …

What's New?

Ecco to make customized shoes for the masses

April 16, 2018

Ecco and Cambridge Design Partnership will use 3-D printing technology to make on-site digital shoe customization scalable. Sports Textiles reports that the project, known as QUANT-U (quantified you), provides in minutes a digital analysis of a consumer’s foot structure, including the way that person moves. Analysis begins with a wearable sensor embedded in the soles …

Industry News

PPE market size to be worth $55.6 billion by 2028

April 12, 2018

A recent report by Hexa Research says that the global personal protective equipment (PPE) market is slated to reach $55.6 billion by 2028. The report says growth will be due in part to the increasing awareness of employee health and safety issues coupled with rising industrial fatalities in emerging economies due to a shortage or lack of protective gear. …

Industry News

California schools promote maker initiative

April 11, 2018

California Community College Makerspaces offer work-based learning for students. The CCC Maker Initiative, administered by Sierra College (www.sierracollege.edu), is offering internships and work-based learning experiences for students through 24 California Community College makerspaces, where students gain technical, entrepreneurial and work-ready skills sought by employers. California Community Colleges participating in the CCC Maker (cccmaker.com) initiative to …

Industry News

Biomedical textiles market could reach $14.5 billion by 2022

April 9, 2018

The biomedical textiles market is projected to be worth $14.5 billion by 2022, growing from its 2017 value of $10.99 billion, according to a report from MarketsandMarkets. The rising number of surgeries, growing number of elderly people in the population, the high quality of biomedical textiles, and a growing need for advanced wound dressing materials are …

My Take

How textiles get smarter

April 9, 2018

Advanced Textiles Source was launched to provide information about the most sophisticated textiles in the industry, and, specifically, new developments and trends in materials, technologies and end products. Increasingly, I find myself talking about smart fabrics as research in this segment is expanding at an impressive rate, and breakthroughs are announced with some regularity. Part of …

Out There

“SHIFT” from acoustic panel to shelving

April 9, 2018

Benjamin Hubert’s London design agency LAYER will be launching a flexible, retail shelf system for Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat. The system called “SHIFT” is LAYER’s first collaboration with Kvadrat and the result of ten prototypes over a period of six months. The shelving is made from Kvadrat’s Really Solid Textile Board, a material made of …

EcoNote

THREAD X Timberland collection is sustainable and “doing good”

April 9, 2018

Timberland® has launched a line of products that use Thread International PBC Inc.’s Ground to Good™ fabric made from plastic bottles that would otherwise litter the streets and fill landfills in Haiti. According to Timberland, the Thread X Timberland collection uses a canvas fabric Thread has developed that meets or exceeds all of Timberland’s durability …

Featured

Active and smart

April 9, 2018

A range of new materials and technologies are adding functionalities to textiles. Textiles are well established as passive materials offering comfort and protection, as well as design and fashion choices. With strong interest in promoting textile manufacturing and enhancing the utility and performance of textiles, efforts have been initiated by academia and government researchers to …

Featured

Active and smart

April 9, 2018

A range of new materials and technologies are adding functionalities to textiles. Textiles are well established as passive materials offering comfort and protection, as well as design and fashion choices. With strong interest in promoting textile manufacturing and enhancing the utility and performance of textiles, efforts have been initiated by academia and government researchers to …

Featured

New technologies are redefining today’s textiles

March 26, 2018

From raw materials to manufacturing processes, the word “textile” takes on new meanings. Textile technology is undergoing a revolution, with innovative structures, raw materials and manufacturing platforms creating new fabrics that defy old-school definitions. Introductory textile science classes taught us that textiles were materials that could be woven, knit, crocheted, knotted or felted from yarns …

Featured

Textiles in hybrids

March 12, 2018

Manufacturers are finding new ways to enhance product performance with textiles. As the demands made on textiles have increased, the nature of what is defined as “textile” has greatly expanded, often including non-textiles or treating them in a textile manner. Hybrids that bring together different materials and processes can offer the benefit of conventional textiles …

Featured

When performance matters most

February 26, 2018

Testing is a complex and critical part of the manufacturing process for protective and occupational gear. It may be impossible to guarantee personal protective equipment (PPE) in extreme circumstances, but today’s testing standards can offer proven performance for PPE, occupational gear and equipment, and the fabrics they incorporate. Following an industry-standard testing process is critical …

Featured

In search of deep space textiles

February 12, 2018

NASA needs textile manufacturing partners to support the success of future missions. While NASA still has its sights set on a Mars mission in the 2030s, a more imminent project is in the works. The Deep Space Gateway is a joint project between the U.S. and Russia to build a miniature space station in lunar …

Featured

Smart Fabrics Summit set for April 24 in Washington D.C.

February 12, 2018

The event offers opportunities for collaboration and discussion of industry challenges. The U.S. Dept. of Commerce and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) will co-host the Smart Fabrics Summit in April 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C. The day-long event will take place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The Summit is designed …

Featured

Mutual benefits

January 22, 2018

From small startups to global corporations, academia and business forge alliances. Just days ago, VF Corp. and North Carolina State University (NC State) announced a strategic, multi-year partnership to “support student development at NC State and advance apparel and textiles innovation within VF,” the company says. It will also bring $1 million to the campus …

Featured

The academia and industry partnership

January 8, 2018

Centers for innovation offer new opportunities for collaborative work. Over the past year there has been noticeable growth globally in the number of innovation centers. The textile industry is grappling with a pace of technological change across all areas, from farming practices and manufacturing equipment to fiber development and retail models. Any one of these …

Featured

The all-encompassing commitment

January 8, 2018

Sustainability is a way of doing business, and certification systems can support the effort. “Sustainable practice in simple terms means looking after workers, using quality materials, minimizing waste and making fair margins.” This statement from the Council of Textile and Fashion Industries of Australia (TFIA) does indeed put the topic in simple terms, which is …

Featured

New technology, new standard

December 20, 2017

IPC committee seeks comments on e-textiles industry standard. In July 2017, IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) hosted the first web meeting of the IPC E-textiles Materials Subcommittee. Formed by volunteers from the e-textiles community, they had approached IPC with interest in developing industry standards for e-textiles. IPC was chosen because it is a developer of …

Industry News

IFAI names new president and CEO

April 20, 2018

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has named Steve Schiffman, the association’s vice president of media and sales, the new president and CEO of IFAI. He will replace Mary Hennessy, who is retiring June 1, 2018, after holding the position for the last six years. Schiffman had a long and successful career in publishing before …

Industry News

U.S. Air Force selects Med-Eng bomb suit

April 17, 2018

Med-Eng, a brand of The Safariland Group, announced that it has been awarded a five-year contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with the Med-Eng EOD 10 bomb suit to protect personnel conducting explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) operations. The Air Force selected the EOD 10 suit and accessories through a competitive solicitation process that required meeting …

Industry News

PPE market size to be worth $55.6 billion by 2028

April 12, 2018

A recent report by Hexa Research says that the global personal protective equipment (PPE) market is slated to reach $55.6 billion by 2028. The report says growth will be due in part to the increasing awareness of employee health and safety issues coupled with rising industrial fatalities in emerging economies due to a shortage or lack of protective gear. …

Industry News

California schools promote maker initiative

April 11, 2018

California Community College Makerspaces offer work-based learning for students. The CCC Maker Initiative, administered by Sierra College (www.sierracollege.edu), is offering internships and work-based learning experiences for students through 24 California Community College makerspaces, where students gain technical, entrepreneurial and work-ready skills sought by employers. California Community Colleges participating in the CCC Maker (cccmaker.com) initiative to …

Industry News

Biomedical textiles market could reach $14.5 billion by 2022

April 9, 2018

The biomedical textiles market is projected to be worth $14.5 billion by 2022, growing from its 2017 value of $10.99 billion, according to a report from MarketsandMarkets. The rising number of surgeries, growing number of elderly people in the population, the high quality of biomedical textiles, and a growing need for advanced wound dressing materials are …

Industry News

U.S. Secretary of Commerce to speak at Smart Fabrics Summit

April 9, 2018

The Smart Fabrics Summit, co-hosted by IFAI and the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, will feature the closing keynote remarks by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. Speakers for the full-day event will cover topics including: Education and collaboration Trends in public and private partnerships Intellectual property protection Solar-powered fabrics Data security and privacy Ross has …

Industry News

Baldwin showcases TexCoat G3

March 28, 2018

TexCoat G3, a precision application technology product from Baldwin Technology Company Inc., enables a sustainable textile and nonwoven finishing process with low energy consumption, reduced water and chemistry waste, and substantial savings of production time and costs. The product will be showcased during the ITM tradeshow, held in Istanbul April 14–17, 2018. Launched in 2017, …

Industry News

Toray to acquire TenCate Advanced Composites

March 27, 2018

Koninklijke Ten Cate B.V. (TenCate) has reached an agreement with integrated chemicals and materials group Toray Industries Inc. on the acquisition of TenCate Advanced Composites (TCAC). The combination of TCAC and Toray brings together complementary product offerings in high performance composites serving the aerospace, space and communications and high-performance industrial markets. There is strong strategic …

Industry News

IFAI, Dept. of Commerce will host Smart Fabrics Summit

March 26, 2018

Registration remains open until April 23, 2018 The 2018 Smart Fabrics Summit will be held on April 24, 2018, in Washington, D.C., at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Co-hosted by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), the goal of the summit is to foster greater collaboration …

Industry News

“State of the U.S. Textile Industry” addressed by NCTO

March 26, 2018

National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) outgoing Chair William V. McCrary Jr. delivered the trade association’s 2018 State of the U.S. Textile Industry overview at NCTO’s 15th annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Mr. McCrary’s speech outlined U.S. textile supply chain economic, employment and trade data; the 2018 policy priorities of domestic textile manufacturers; and other NCTO activities. …

Of Interest

New jeans stimulate skin revitalization

March 14, 2016

The latest products manufactured in partnership by Italian clothier Calzedonia and Emana®, the smart-yarn developed by the global business unit Fibras of the Solvay Group, look like standard jeans, but feature a polyamide yarn incorporated with bioactive minerals that, in contact with the body, facilitate heat exchange which boosts skin microcirculation, thereby improving the skin’s …

Of Interest

September 2014

September 9, 2014

.of-interest dd { height: 1.25em; overflow: hidden; margin-bottom: .75em; } Schiller Bikes “baycycle” is engineered for the water Schiller | product Forbes magazine takes note of smart textiles Forbes | article

Of Interest

June 2014

June 14, 2014

Texworld USA has announced a full roster of complimentary seminars organized by Lenzing Fibers, producer of man-made cellulose fibers Knitting Industry | article Graphene Flagship Announces large influx of partners through competitive call Graphene Flagship | pdf Oct. 1, 2014 deadline for EUREKA water tech Cluster ACQUEAU call for projects Eureka Network | article

Of Interest

May 2014

May 15, 2014

dd{margin-bottom:.75em;} Researchers look for more eco-friendly chemicals used in textile manufacturing Research and Markets | article Environmentally benign single-layer breathable Nanowebs developed Commodity Online | article “Thinnest feasible membrane” is extremely light and breathable ETH Zurich | article Forbes gets interested in smart textiles and wearable technology Forbes | article

Of Interest

February 2014

February 7, 2014

Electronic textile cushion This short video shows an electronic textile cushion recently produced by Ioannis Anastasopoulos of the Advanced Textiles Research Group, Nottingham Trent University, U.K.. The LED chips and interconnects have been fully integrated into the fabric structure. “Power pocket” could do more than store your phone Scientists at the University of Southampton are …

Of Interest

December 2013

December 16, 2013

Wearable Computing: Adaptive Tech to Blink and Bling Wearable computing, creative use of e-textiles—developed by someone amazingly young! Chinese giant takes control of Pakistan’s Masood Textile Chinese textiles conglomerate Shandong Ruyi Technology Group has acquired a 52 percent share of Masood Textile Mills (MTM) based in Pakistan.

Of Interest

November 2013

November 12, 2013

Structuring shade Shade structure reduces heat gain – for an entire building. The nanosilver debate A court ruling addresses limiting nanosilver in textiles. Call to reduce toxic chemicals Ecotextile online reports that the Natural Resource Defense Council has called for a new ‘Five Step Program’ to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in the global …

Of Interest

October 2013

October 8, 2013

“Knitted Light” A project at the Swedish School of Textiles uses three-dimensional patterns to create textile surfaces with complex properties that are capable of reflecting, filtering and transmitting light. Answer your glove Bluetooth phone gloves have been available in the marketplace for a while. Are they calling to you?

Of Interest

September 2013

September 10, 2013

KYMIRA Sportswear Not every observer buys into the claims of this sportswear company. It uses a new, but quite credible technology. What do you think? New nanomaterial increases yield of solar cells Researchers have optimized the nanostructures so that a solar cell provides more electricity and loses less energy in the form of heat. Paper-thin …

Of Interest

August 2013

July 31, 2013

The ultimate in a customized shoe The ‘DNA 3D printed shoe’ will be designed according to the individual’s foot contours and how that person moves. Under the sea Three Massachusetts research facilities will receive funding to help find out if undersea ”kites” can reliably produce renewable energy. Bountiful bamboo One researcher’s fascination with textile engineering, …

Out There

“SHIFT” from acoustic panel to shelving

April 9, 2018

Benjamin Hubert’s London design agency LAYER will be launching a flexible, retail shelf system for Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat. The system called “SHIFT” is LAYER’s first collaboration with Kvadrat and the result of ten prototypes over a period of six months. The shelving is made from Kvadrat’s Really Solid Textile Board, a material made of …

Out There

Digitally woven textiles copy origami paper structures

March 26, 2018

Studio Samira Boon collaborated with the TextielMuseum’s TextielLab in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and Professor T. Tachi from the University of Tokyo to translate traditional paper folding into digital weaving techniques. The computerized origami structures are able to incorporate smart properties to adapt to their surroundings, including being responsive to light, heat and sound. Archi Folds, …

Out There

Muskin “leather” is grown from fungus spores

March 12, 2018

The production of leather and textiles is often a resource-heavy process, and the industries are responsible for diverse impacts, including human, animal or ecological, depending on the material type and production methods. The growth in popularity of vegan lifestyle choices, as well as an increased concern for animal welfare in livestock farming, has prompted a …

Out There

Cephalopods may be the key to better camouflage for soldiers

March 12, 2018

U.S. Army Operational Camouflage Pattern uniforms could benefit from a new study about cephalopods. A research team led by Leila Deravi at Northeastern University has set out to discover how the stealth capabilities of cephalopods could help protect soldiers. Cephalopods are tentacled mollusks including squid, octopi, cuttlefish and the nautilus. These species can change their …

Out There

Waterproof boots are made from corn

January 22, 2018

Your new rain boots could offer something quite distinctive; the smell of popcorn while doing chores or stomping through puddles. These nature-inspired, waterproof boots are made from rubber and recycled non-food-grade corn. They’re designed by Sebastian Thies and manufactured by the German company nat-2™ in Italy. Besides the distinct smell of popcorn, the semi-transparent boots …

Out There

“The Shoe That Grows” designed for children

January 8, 2018

In 2007, Kenton Lee was living in Nairobi, Kenya. One day he noticed a little girl wearing shoes that were way too small for her feet. Lee wondered, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a shoe that could adjust and expand, so that kids always had a pair of shoes that fit?” And “The Shoe …

Out There

NASA’s BEAM textile module will stay on the ISS

December 20, 2017

NASA has decided to keep the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on the International Space Station (ISS). The textile module will stay attached to the ISS through 2020, or possibly longer. The ISS crew’s studies have shown that soft materials can perform as well as rigid ones for habitation volumes and that BEAM has performed …

Out There

Soft robot “muscles” draw inspiration from origami

December 11, 2017

Researchers from the Wyss Institute, Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have developed origami-inspired robot muscles that can lift up to 1,000 times their own weight. According to TechCrunch, the researchers say that the new, soft, robotic artificial muscles can be constructed in as little as 10 minutes …

Out There

Pleated fabric canopy tops a floating church

December 6, 2017

The Diocese of London has commissioned architecture studio Denizen Works to design an unusual means of reaching church-goers: a floating church. The studio will collaborate with Turks boat builders to construct a canal boat church, meeting parishioners and neighbors where they are along the waterways. A canopy of translucent pleats crafted from sail material mimics …

Out There

Researchers create an energy-harvesting bio-battery

November 20, 2017

Researchers at Imperial College London have created a two-in-one solar bio-battery and solar panel by printing living cyanobacteria and circuitry onto paper. The photosynthetic microorganisms have been used as ink and printed onto conductive material. The resulting experiment was able to harvest the sun’s energy and provide small amounts of electricity. An article on TechXplore reported …

What's New?

Ecco to make customized shoes for the masses

April 16, 2018

Ecco and Cambridge Design Partnership will use 3-D printing technology to make on-site digital shoe customization scalable. Sports Textiles reports that the project, known as QUANT-U (quantified you), provides in minutes a digital analysis of a consumer’s foot structure, including the way that person moves. Analysis begins with a wearable sensor embedded in the soles …

What's New?

LifeThreads® awarded agreement for healthcare worker uniforms

April 4, 2018

LifeThreads® LLC has been awarded a three-year group purchasing agreement with Premier, a leading healthcare improvement company. The new agreement allows Premier members at 3,900 U.S. hospitals and 150,000 other healthcare provider organizations to take advantage of terms pre-negotiated by Premier for the purchase of LifeThreads’ products, including its Classic Collection of unisex and female …

What's New?

Biodegradable oil-absorbent mats on the market

April 3, 2018

Microplastics and marine pollution, including oil spills, have been gaining global attention. In response to those concerns, Wellgro Tech, Chennai, India, has recently brought biodegradable and environmentally benign oil-absorbent mats to the market. Oil-absorbent mats have been predominantly synthetic-based. With increasing awareness about marine pollution caused by plastics, Wellgro Tech has developed sustainable, non-synthetic composite …

What's New?

New filtration media for gas turbines announced

March 30, 2018

Ahlstrom-Munksjö announces the launch of Trinitex® Advance W3200, an E12 industrial filtration media specifically designed for pulse jet gas turbine applications. This is the second product launch from the platform, a range of filtration media designed to purify air for industrial applications. The company reports that the product’s E12 efficiency class may produce up to …

What's New?

TeXtreme® expands product line with ±45° Grid fabric

March 29, 2018

TeXtreme® is proud to announce their latest addition to their line of Spread Tow products, the ±45° Grid fabric. This new version of TeXtreme Spread Tow fabric will further broaden the ability to optimize Spread Tow solutions for new applications and markets, the company says. TeXtreme Spread Tow Grid can be tailored to meet specific …

What's New?

Harvard researchers personalize soft exosuit devices

March 26, 2018

Soft, assistive devices, such as the exosuit being designed by the Harvard Biodesign Lab, work best when the wearer and the robot are in sync. But every person moves a bit differently, and tailoring the robot’s parameters for an individual user is a time-consuming and inefficient process. Now, however, researchers from the Wyss Institute for …

What's New?

Textile printing technology produces high-resistance fabric

March 26, 2018

Munich-based industrial designer Bastian Müller’s brand Patronace has introduced a unique soft protection jacket created using a new textile printing technology called GRDXKN. This process, according to a Designboom story, can integrate mechanical material performance into the textile, making it possible for two-dimensional colors to become three-dimensional in parts. Color that was once purely decorative has now become …

What's New?

Backpack designed for peace of mind, smart power

March 20, 2018

A backpack by VIP could provide better peace of mind for travelers with unusual features that are designed to prevent theft. The VIP Anti-Theft Backpack from U.K.-based VIPmemberstore.com is made of slash-proof material and has hidden zippers for private storage areas. Another feature that may gives travelers a sense of security is the integrated external …

What's New?

Chomarat develops multiaxial glass non-crimp fabric

March 16, 2018

Chomarat, the composite reinforcement specialist group, has developed multiaxial glass non-crimp fabric (NCF) for thermoplastic composites. According to a report in Technical Textiles, the patented stitching yarn can withstand processing temperatures up to 400° Celisus, making it an innovative industrial solution for thermoplastic composites and alternative to the woven reinforcements used in the automotive sector. …

What's New?

SGL Group develops new carbon fiber for aerospace

March 14, 2018

SGL Group has developed a new carbon fiber, SIGRAFIL C T50-4.8/280, which is characterized by a high Young’s modulus, making it ideal for aerospace applications. Pressure vessels, drive shafts, profiles and sheet molding compounds (SMCs) are other applications for the fiber, which has good mechanical properties due to high stiffness and strength. The high Young’s …