Company News

Cone Denim partners with BastCore

August 11, 2022

Cone Denim®, a global company focused on denim authenticity and sustainable innovation, is expanding its partnership with expert hemp processing innovator, BastCore, following Cone’s recently launched U.S. Hemp Collection. This evolving partnership continues to open new opportunities for collaboration between like-minded companies providing increased sustainable denim offerings to customers while increasing Cone’s support of American …

EcoNote

Bio-based creora® gets global SGS certification

August 9, 2022

Global elastane manufacturer Hyosung has received eco-product certification from Standard Global Services (SGS) guaranteeing that creora® bio-based elastane is made with plant-based materials and is produced in a harmless and eco-friendly environment, a Knitting Industry article reports. Hyosung’s creora is made by replacing 30 percent of petroleum-based resources with bio-based raw materials derived from industrial field corn, known …

Features

Translational research to market success

August 9, 2022

Unexpected demand, raw material price volatility, market fluctuations and other factors have created a stressful scenario for the commodity textiles sector. In countries like India, where textile exports contribute significantly to export income, such volatile situations create a panic in the entire supply chain. Solutions, in part, lie in enhancing the availability of raw materials …

What's New?

Glove senses objects and attaches like an octopus

August 9, 2022

Humans aren’t good at grasping things underwater, but new research reveals how nature could lend us a helping hand. Scientists at Virginia Tech have developed a glove for grasping things underwater with rubber suckers and a sophisticated sensing capability that mimics an octopus’s unique muscular and nervous systems. The octopus is very well equipped to …

In the Industry

Advanced Textiles Products announces name change

August 9, 2022

The Advanced Textiles Products, a division of the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), formerly known as the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), announces that it has changed its name to Emerging Technologies Division (ETD). The name change coincides with ATA’s rebrand in recent months.  The division’s board strives to bring programming and education to its members …

What's New?

Twisted soft robots navigate mazes independently

August 9, 2022

Researchers from North Carolina State University (NC State) and the University of Pennsylvania have developed soft robots that can navigate complex environments such as mazes without input from humans or computer software. “These soft robots demonstrate a concept called ‘physical intelligence,’ meaning that structural design and smart materials are what allow the soft robot to …

Events

Answers to your Supply Chain questions!

August 8, 2022

CONNECT by ATA will be hosting an Ask Me Anything on Supply Chain Challenges event with Bill Rooney of Kuehne + Nagel Inc. on August 30! Get the answers to your supply chain questions from an expert at this live session on August 30 from 1-2pm EDT. Can’t make it to the live session? Email …

Company News

Sunbrella & United Fabrics unveil Modern Art fabrics

August 5, 2022

Sunbrella and United Fabrics unveiled Modern Art, their third joint-contract upholstery collection to help design professionals discover new opportunities for contemporary commercial spaces. Featuring 32 new durable, soft and bleach-cleanable fabrics in a range of bold colors and playful patterns, Modern Art is designed to complement the Origins and Reflections collections, as well as other …

Company News

Canada honors Magog Textile Mills

August 4, 2022

In 1883, Alvin Moore and William Hobbs founded the Magog Textile and Print Company. In the spring of 1884, the plant printed the first pieces of cotton in the country. By bringing together spinning, weaving, bleaching, and printing operations in a single industrial complex, the Magog Textile Mills played an important role in modernizing the cotton industry in 19th century Canada. …

Company News

Culp changes executive management structure

August 3, 2022

Culp Inc. announced the company’s board of directors has approved a change in the executive management structure of the company, effective September 1, 2022. Franklin N. Saxon, the company’s current executive chairman and former CEO, will alter his role and be less involved in the day-to-day management of the company. Saxon will remain as chairman …

Events

Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America moves co-location debut with IFAI Expo to 2022

July 7, 2021

Messe Stuttgart announced that its new U.S.-based show Sun Shading Expo North America will not be held in 2021 as a separate trade show but will instead contribute its expertise in internal and external sun shading systems at IFAI Expo 2021 in the form of expert talks, open discussions and more. IFAI Expo 2021 will still take place …

Expo News

Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021

May 10, 2021

Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021. IFAI Expo celebrates the 100th anniversary of the show this November, and you won’t want to miss it! After a long hiatus of in-person events, this year’s show is the perfect place to reconnect with your industry. Register now to get the Early Bird rate! Early Bird rates end …

Expo News

Standard for active illumination developed in Europe

November 16, 2020

In a session at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, “Smart Textiles Standardization, Active Illumination,” Dr. Jan Beringer, senior scientific expert Hohenstein Group, explained the new standard for active illumination that will soon be implemented in European Union countries.  Organizations worked together to develop the standards. It is notable, he said that both textile and electronics industries …

Expo News

Textile industry leaders call for policy changes to support U.S. production of PPE

November 13, 2020

The U.S. textile industry has stepped up to meet the demand for face masks, medical gowns, wipes and other products necessary to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but it needs policy changes from Washington so that the U.S. is not caught off-guard again in a future crisis, according to association leaders speaking at Industrial Fabrics Association …

Expo News

The larger issues in respiratory protection

November 12, 2020

Dr. Bryran Ormond, assistant professor, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State explained respiratory protection in an “Ask an Expert” session with Jing Liang, Medical PPE Consulting LLC. Dr. Ormand has typically worked in the area of chemical and biological protective equipment, but with the onslaught of the pandemic, began to focus on respiratory protection generally, …

Expo News

Surgical gowns require extra manufacturing considerations

November 11, 2020

All surgical gowns are not created equal, and a Nov. 11 presentation at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020 helped sort out the differences. The finer points of surgical gowns were discussed by Dr. Martin King, a professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, and Jing Liang, president of Medical PPE Consulting LLC. …

Expo News

Rodgers: Textiles are the “T” in STEM

November 11, 2020

How do you create a channel from research to application? How do you create a pathway toward understanding complex human problems across supply chains and market sectors? STEM—a curriculum based on teaching science, technology, engineering and math—has branched out from basic chemistry and biology and physics classes, into collaborative efforts, including textiles, according to Stephanie …

Expo News

E-textile testing and standards are evolving

November 11, 2020

At the 2020 Virtual Expo session, “Ask the Expert: Textile Electronics Testing and Standards,” Jesse Jur, a professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, discussed how standards and testing continue to evolve due to the evolution of textile-based electronics (e-textiles). Jur said that standards have long been a vital resource for …

Expo News

Guidance offered in commercial insurance market

November 10, 2020

Wildfires, hurricanes, a pandemic and civil unrest have wreaked plenty of chaos on the commercial insurance market in 2020. Steve Christenson, with Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, offered guidance to business owners Nov. 9 at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. “The business insurance market has been going through several changes this year,” says Christenson, with U.S. …

Expo News

How to make your business attractive to a buyer

November 6, 2020

Thinking about selling your business—either to an outside party or the next generation? Then it’s time to start considering how your equipment and processes fit into your succession plan. Jonathan Palmer, the second-generation owner and CEO of equipment supplier Autometrix, and Autometrix director of global sales Truy Pham, led an educational session at IFAI Virtual …

Features

Translational research to market success

August 9, 2022

Unexpected demand, raw material price volatility, market fluctuations and other factors have created a stressful scenario for the commodity textiles sector. In countries like India, where textile exports contribute significantly to export income, such volatile situations create a panic in the entire supply chain. Solutions, in part, lie in enhancing the availability of raw materials …

Features

Breaking out of the bubble

July 25, 2022

In seeking to promote growth in the textile industry, it’s important to identify value-driven markets that our capabilities, or core competencies, can address. Our inspirations concerning the industry come from different sources. Most recently, a blog post on this site, by Advanced Textiles Source editor Janet Preus, “You call that a textile?”, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning …

Features

Protective textiles at work

July 11, 2022

A safe, clean and pollution free workplace is important in offering quality of life for a labor force, which also enhances worker productivity. With multiple risk factors in a work environment, including mechanical or electrical hazards, extreme heat or cold, toxic chemicals, noise and air pollution, providing for worker physical and psychological comfort is a …

Features

Major support for smart textile R&D announced

June 27, 2022

Government contracts, historically, have been a major source of funding for research and development in the advanced textiles world. An example of this significant commitment was announced recently with a new program through The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA). It has introduced its Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems (SMART ePANTS) initiative to …

Features

Expanding the definition of “textile”

June 9, 2022

When is a material a textile? When is a textile a fabric? The unprecedented scope of new materials in development—by academia, government-funded technology groups, and start-ups—is challenging traditional concepts of fabric formation. How this will impact the larger industry is a useful question to consider.  E-textiles are progressing from “devices” mounted on a fabric structure, …

Features

From concept to market success

May 23, 2022

There is no shortage of innovation in medical textiles, but it remains a persistent challenge to get those great ideas to market. In terms of patents filed, medical technology is showing relatively slow growth among the technology fields—just 6.5 percent during the period 2008–2018, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  Around 40 percent …

Features

A startup ecosystem

May 9, 2022

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for, and the benefits of, translational research, which enables startups. “Startups are akin to having new plants and trees in an ecosystem,” says Dr. Atul Parvatiyar, director, Center for Sales & Customer Relationship Excellence at Texas Tech University. “Without new plants and trees, we will have a …

Features

Expanding the possibilities with e-fibers and yarns

April 25, 2022

Electronic or e-yarns are a natural development within e-textiles as the sector strives for greater miniaturization, flexibility and a more seamless integration of electronics and textiles. Emerging, in a relatively short time, is the added value and novelty that it can bring to both smart materials and to yarn development.  Here we look at two …

Features

Progress through collaboration

April 25, 2022

The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) continues to be in the forefront of new developments in technologies for advanced textile systems. Michelle Farrington, vice president of strategic growth for AFFOA, provided several examples of projects with its industry partners. The organization has been working with new textiles for wearable products, including carbon nanotube textile advancements; …

Features

Workforce, supply chain and manufacturing

April 11, 2022

This year’s Smart Fabrics Summit zeroed in on the industry’s most important issues, building a new in-person event with more than 150 attending at North Carolina State University (NC State), its producing partner.  Elena Veety, education director and operations manager, ASSIST Center at NC State, described the university’s center headquartered at the university. However, it …

Industry News

OSHA administers $11.7 million in training grants

June 22, 2022

The U.S. Department of Labor will provide a funding opportunity for $11.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support the delivery of training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards. Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the grants will target disadvantaged, underserved, low-income, and other hard-to-reach, …

Industry News

Drexel University seeking volunteers for e-textile focus groups

September 2, 2021

The Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center (PA FDC) at Drexel University is recruiting for focus groups with e-textile professionals from diverse backgrounds to share their experiences and challenges in developing and integrating e-textile applications. Researchers will be conducting focus groups with designers, engineers and manufacturing experts working in the e-textiles space to better understand the challenges …

Industry News

Global textile coatings market forecast

August 26, 2021

According to a report by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the market for textile coatings is expected to grow at a CAGR of less than 4% during the forecast period of 2021 to 2026. Major factors driving the market studied are increasing standards for protective textiles. Thermoplastics have dominated the global textile coatings market due to their superior properties …

Industry News

Brown and Manning call for Biden to prioritize American manufacturers and bolster domestic PPE

January 29, 2021

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Representative Kathy Manning (D-NC) wrote to President Biden calling on the Administration to prioritize purchasing fully made in America Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), according to Textile World in a January 24 article.  The lawmakers outline four steps the Administration can take now to ensure our frontline workers have products needed …

Industry News

Industry and union coalition outlines PPE recommendations to Biden and Congress

January 29, 2021

 A broad coalition of industry organizations and labor unions, representing a broad spectrum of manufacturers and workers who stepped up to make essential PPE and other products throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, sent a letter today to President Biden and congressional leaders outlining recommendations on specific policy initiatives that must be adopted to re-establish a permanent …

Industry News

Take IFAI’s survey: COVID-19’s Business Impact in 2020

December 22, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic will be remembered as one of the most challenging and unprecedented periods ever for the specialty, technical and engineered textile industries. As 2020 comes to a close, Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) would like your help in understanding how businesses in our industries were affected by the events of this year and …

Awards

2020 Outstanding Volunteer Award Recipients announced

November 12, 2020

Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) is very fortunate to have so many volunteers who give of themselves selflessly, helping every day by serving on different boards, task forces and committees. These volunteers judge competitions, provide education and impassioned leadership to others day-in and day-out. To acknowledge their service, IFAI developed a program in 2012 called …

Awards

2020 Honored Life Member Award Recipient announced

November 12, 2020

Honored Life Member status for Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) is designed for individuals who have shown a commitment to the association. Honored Life Membership is bestowed by special request only, and at the discretion of the IFAI Board of Directors to candidates based on the following criteria: Meritorious or outstanding work accomplished for the …

Awards

Meet the Newly Elected and Re-elected 2021 IFAI Board of Directors

November 12, 2020

Each year, Industrial Fabrics Association International’s (IFAI) Leadership Development Committee follows a detailed process outlined in our bylaws for electing board members. It is IFAI’s pleasure to announce the newly elected and re-elected individuals who were chosen to serve on the 2021 IFAI Board of Directors. Newly Elected Directors Jennifer Fennell, Polo Custom ProductsJennifer Fennell …

Industry News

APPI explains energy contracts

September 3, 2020

By Kathryn Allen, APPI Energy (Editor’s note: APPI energy services are included in the membership benefit package offered by Industrial Fabrics Association International. The following information was compiled by APPI to help explain their services.) APPI Energy provides our clients a comprehensive way to reduce energy expenses and create budget certainty. Unbiased and independent, we …

Out There

Squid-inspired insulating material can be mass produced

May 9, 2022

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have invented a new insulation material designed to shield hands from heat, but, because it can be economically mass produced, the adaptive fabric could potentially have a range of uses. Drawing inspiration from cephalopod (squid) skin, the engineers in the Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering have shown that the …

Out There

NASA to test centrifugal force satellite launcher

April 25, 2022

NASA has agreed to test SpinLaunch’s technology, designed to launch a satellite into space at hypersonic speeds with an electric centrifuge instead of a rocket. The company says that modern carbon fiber is one of the main reasons why the technology was not possible until recently, as the fiber has transitioned to more widespread industrial …

Out There

Lightweight material is stronger than steel

February 21, 2022

Scientists have believed it’s impossible to induce polymers to form 2D sheets, but using a novel polymerization process, MIT chemical engineers have created a new material that is stronger than steel, as light as plastic, and it can be easily manufactured in large quantities.  According to press information from MIT, the material is a two-dimensional …

Out There

New cooking system operates with a flexible mat

February 3, 2022

Italian company Lapitech has created a cooking system that could be completely concealed under a modern sintered stone kitchen counter. Activated by a high-tech cooking mat, the Lapitec Chef features an electrothermal component developed in collaboration with the University of Padua.  To operate the induction cooking system, the Lapitec Chef silicone mat is placed on …

Out There

“Soft silica” is made from knitted glass

January 24, 2022

Canadian designer Sarah Roseman is working in a new material that straddles the boundary between textile and glasswork. According to a story on designboom.com, Roseman began her research experimenting with knitting glass fibers, working to find innovative and sustainable industry alternatives in materials. The result is a material called “soft silica,” that can be formed into …

Out There

Apparel developed to confuse CCTV recognition algorithms

December 20, 2021

German design studio WertelOberfell, in collaboration with a consortium of technical partners, sought to find a way to protect people from a very modern hazard: CCTVs that are equipped with AI human-recognition algorithms. With today’s sophisticated technology, CCTV doesn’t just record video footage, it also uses artificial intelligence with human detection and facial recognition algorithms to track our behavior …

Out There

Inflatable hand could give amputees real-time tactile control

September 27, 2021

Engineers at MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have designed a soft, lightweight and potentially low-cost neuro-prosthetic hand that can give an amputee the ability to perform daily activities with dexterity. Additionally, the researchers found the prosthetic, designed with a system for tactile feedback, restored some primitive sensation in a volunteer’s residual limb.  The MIT …

Out There

Wearable keyboard is MIDI capable

August 23, 2021

Musical keyboards with digital interfaces (MIDI), no matter how big or small, expensive or not, are rigid structures that can be very heavy. Irmandy Wicaksono from MIT’s Media Lab turned to user-friendly textiles to create an interactive textile-based musical interface, laid out in 88-keys, just like a full piano keyboard. The prototype KnittedKeyboard II utilizes digital knitting technology, utilizing …

Out There

New “skin” could help prosthetics and robots sense injuries

June 28, 2021

When a person bumps an elbow against a wall, they not only feel pain but can also experience bruising. But robots and prosthetic limbs don’t have these warning signs, and that could lead to further injury. Researchers reporting in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have developed an artificial skin that senses force through ionic signals and changes color …

Out There

Solar desalination unit tested

May 24, 2021

Although a large percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, most of it is undrinkable. Removing the salt, compounds and microbes that make it unsafe to drink could expand the world’s supply of safe drinking water and address many human health concerns.   Desalination is an important technology that could help accomplish this, and …

What's New?

Glove senses objects and attaches like an octopus

August 9, 2022

Humans aren’t good at grasping things underwater, but new research reveals how nature could lend us a helping hand. Scientists at Virginia Tech have developed a glove for grasping things underwater with rubber suckers and a sophisticated sensing capability that mimics an octopus’s unique muscular and nervous systems. The octopus is very well equipped to …

What's New?

Twisted soft robots navigate mazes independently

August 9, 2022

Researchers from North Carolina State University (NC State) and the University of Pennsylvania have developed soft robots that can navigate complex environments such as mazes without input from humans or computer software. “These soft robots demonstrate a concept called ‘physical intelligence,’ meaning that structural design and smart materials are what allow the soft robot to …

What's New?

Bionic clothing integrates AI to expand mobility 

July 25, 2022

Bionic clothing brand CIONIC has collaborated with Swiss industrial designer Yves Béhar and his firm fuseproject to unveil the Neural Sleeve, designed to improve mobility. The FDA-cleared “bionic” leg wearable uses artificial intelligence (AI) to enable greater independence for those living with mobility differences such as those that may be caused by sclerosis, stroke or cerebral palsy. …

What's New?

Researchers suggest new light-emitting fabric solution

July 11, 2022

Canadian researchers may have found how to develop light-emitting fabric based on principles taken from typical ultrasheer tights (known as pantyhose in North America). Current approaches to producing light-emitting apparel can involve stiff diodes, wires and optical fibers within the textiles that are difficult or impossible to wash. Light-emitting displays that can be integrated into fabrics …

What's New?

A smart “onesie” provides information on infants’ movement 

July 11, 2022

A new innovation makes it possible to quantitatively assess babies’ movements in their natural environment. Researchers at the University of Helsinki have developed a smart jumpsuit or “onesie” that accurately measures the spontaneous and voluntary movement of infants from the age of five months. The assessment is part of the neurological examination of infants, but typically, …

What's New?

New fire shelters could better protect wildland firefighters

July 11, 2022

North Carolina State University (NC State) researchers found that four new designs for shelters to protect firefighters trapped in wildfires could increase the survival time inside the shelter compared with the current industry standard. In lab simulations of wildfire burn-overs—where a wildfire sweeps over a group of trapped firefighters or equipment—temperatures inside the shelters remained …

What's New?

Textile-based filter could remove carbon dioxide

June 27, 2022

North Carolina State University researchers found they could filter carbon dioxide from air and gas mixtures at promising rates using a proposed new textile-based filter that combines cotton fabric and an enzyme called carbonic anhydrase, one of nature’s tools for speeding chemical reactions. The findings from initial laboratory testing represent a step forward in the development of …

What's New?

Reebok introduces its first adaptive shoes

June 27, 2022

Reebok has teamed up with Zappos Adaptive to launch a sneaker collection specifically designed to empower people with disabilities. Named ‘Fit to Fit’, the adaptive footwear is envisioned for functionality and inclusivity without compromising on style. There are two sneaker models in the collection: the Nanoflex Parafit TR for sports activities, and the Club MEMT Parafit tennis shoe. …

What's New?

Self-powered smart pillow tracks sleep

June 27, 2022

Many people who struggle to get enough sleep could benefit from monitoring their sleep, but they have limited options for doing so. In a new study in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, one team describes a potential solution: a self-powering smart pillow that tracks the position of the head. According to a report on the technology in offgridenergyindependence.com, …

What's New?

Dissolving pacemaker just got smarter

June 9, 2022

Just one year ago, Northwestern University scientists introduced the first-ever transient pacemaker—a fully implantable, wireless device that harmlessly dissolves in the body after it’s no longer needed. Now, they have unveiled a new, smart version that is integrated into a coordinated network of four soft, flexible, wireless, wearable sensors and control units placed around the upper body. …