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EcoNote
Devan joins consortium
March 21, 2019
Devan Chemicals is participating in a new consortium consisting of 17 European partners representing all links in the value chain: research and innovation, design, manufacturing and nongovernmental organizations, an article in Innovation in Textiles reports. The consortium’s DECOAT initiative will explore methods of separating coatings from base materials. Devan’s role will be to develop …
EcoNote
GOTS reports growth in certification of organics supply chain
March 20, 2019
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) reports that 2018 figures show an increase of 14.6 percent in facilities certified in the organics supply chain. A total of 5,760 certified facilities employ more than 2 million workers. Certified facilities are now located in 64 countries. GOTS certification covers the processing of certified organic fibers along the entire …
Industry News
Techtextil Forum invites interaction
March 19, 2019
The new Techtextil Forum will provide visitors insights into the latest developments in the technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Speakers will cover topics including sustainability, filtration, smart textiles, composites, textiles in urban spaces and textiles for medical application. Specifics about sustainability include recycling, traceability of bio-cotton and bio-based coated textiles. Presentations regarding textiles in urban …
EcoNote
Mesh and bamboo harvests water from the air
March 15, 2019
More than 1 billion people worldwide are affected by water scarcity, according to a recent designboom.com report. People often travel great distances to gather water and may not be able to rely on the water’s cleanliness. Arturo Vittori was inspired to create a solution to gathering potable water after visiting northeastern Ethiopia. He observed women …
Industry News
IFAI Expo 2019 exhibitor Early Bird deadline is March 30
March 13, 2019
Exhibitors: Book your IFAI Expo 2019 booth by March 30 to take advantage of the Early Bird discount. Don’t be left out! IFAI Expo is the largest specialty fabric trade event in the Americas. Each year, more than 5,000 high-level decision makers, industry insiders and qualified buyers meet in an unrivaled face-to-face environment, where networking …
What's New?
Safe landing for athletes’ knees
March 13, 2019
Athletes risk injury when landing from a jump. To offset that risk, designer Hubert Chen has developed the Safe Landing Garment (SLG), a compression garment that incorporates 3D printing. Physics can wreak havoc with athletes’ knees. Chen says, “When landing from a jump, athletes can experience up to seven times their own body weight.” The SLG garment …
My Take
It’s not just your shirt that’s smart
March 11, 2019
Wearables and personal gear have dominated the smart textiles news—including in this publication. Smart shirts, shoes, backpacks and purses deliver health and fitness monitoring, safety features, and a means to access our smart phones when we need to leave them stashed in a pocket or handbag. But the technology is capable of applications in other …
What's New?
Fabric both insulates and ventilates
March 11, 2019
A new dual-use fabric may be the answer to having a garment that serves equally well in summer and winter wardrobes. The new fabric alternates between insulating and providing ventilation by responding to the wearer’s perspiration. Study co-author YuHuang Wang, a chemist at the University of Maryland in College Park, sees the fabric being applied …
EcoNote
Flexible flags collect solar and wind energy
March 11, 2019
A team at the University of Manchester has developed flags that collect wind and solar energy. Flexible photovoltaics do their job capturing the sun’s energy while piezoelectric strips allow the flag to generate power through movement. The University of Manchester study is said to be the first of its kind to harvest wind and solar …
What's New?
Loomia launches self-heating jacket for women
March 11, 2019
Loomia will launch its first direct-to-consumer product March 15, a women’s self-heating jacket that features Loomia’s wire-free, soft-circuit system. The slim-line jacket is designed to fill a market need for women, as most heated jackets on the market are designed for men and altered to make a women’s version. The company’s H1 jacket takes into …
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Expo News
2018 Advanced Textiles Student Design Competition Winners Announced
October 18, 2018
Advanced Textile Products and the Narrow Fabrics Institute, divisions of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), recently selected the winners of the 2018 Advanced Textiles Student Design Competition. The awards were announced during IFAI Expo 2018, held in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 15-18. First Place First-place honors went to J. Walter Lee, Stephanie Wang and Caroline …
Expo News
Testing basics provide key communication points on textile products
October 17, 2018
When you plan to sell a textile product, there are numerous reasons to test it before taking it to market. Many of those testing results tell you what you can ultimately communicate to others about your product, and what they can expect of your product. Dr. Emiel DenHartog, North Carolina State University, College of Textiles, …
Expo News
IFAI Expo 2018: Show Stopper winners on the floor
October 17, 2018
All the best from Texas: Wednesday morning, Oct. 17, at IFAI Expo led off with lists of winners for the year, including the most popular products on the show floor. The seventh annual Show Stopper competition was designed to showcase the best of the best in the industry, from fabrics, equipment and chemicals to services …
Expo News
2018 IFF Greater Good Award winner: Service Thread
October 17, 2018
Service Thread, based in Laurinburg, N.C., was awarded the 2018 Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF) Greater Good Award at IFAI Expo 2018 in Dallas, Texas. The Greater Good Award focuses on an IFAI member company that does good business—and strives to be a good neighbor, good citizen, and good partner. Nomination criteria were based on the …
Expo News
Advanced textiles market research at Expo
October 17, 2018
Jeff Rasmussen, IFAI market research director, presented a brief overview of the advanced textiles market at IFAI’s Expo 2018 in Dallas this week. His research reveals that steady growth should be expected at 8.8 percent for 2018 (the same as 2017). In his Advanced Textiles Market Update, Rasmussen pointed to the overlay between the smart …
Expo News
Fiber production trends outlined
October 17, 2018
An update on fiber production did not reveal any big surprises, but it did provide some important details assessing the nature of the market today. In a “Campfire” session on the show floor, Darrell Collier, Tecnon OrbiChem, showed participants the growth trajectory and market dominance that polyester since it entered the textile market. Collier also …
Expo News
IFF 2018 Innovation Award Winner: W.L. Gore & Associates
October 17, 2018
The Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF) has announced W.L. Gore & Associates Inc., Newark, Del., as the winner of the 2018 IFF Innovation Award. The company’s GORE-TEX® PYRAD® fabric won in the category of Fabrics, Fibers and Films. The award was presented at IFAI Expo 2018 at IFAI’s annual meeting, held Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the …
Expo News
2018 International Achievement Award Winners Announced
October 17, 2018
The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has awarded this year’s International Achievement Awards (IAA) for design excellence in specialty fabrics applications, announced at the awards breakfast on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at IFAI Expo 2018. IFAI Expo is the largest specialty fabrics trade show in North America, held this year at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention …
Expo News
Sharpen your competitive edge
October 17, 2018
Asking yourself one simple question can help make your business a magnet for new customers, says marketing professional Madeleine MacRae, owner of MM MacRae Coaching & Consulting. “That question is ‘Who is your ideal client?’” In her Oct. 16 Expo session on distinguishing yourself in the marketplace, MacRae says answering this question is the key …
Expo News
GlideWear finds new applications in reducing friction
October 16, 2018
A variety of advanced textile products were discussed in sessions during IFAI’s Pre-Expo Conference Oct. 15. Caroline Portoghese explained how her company’s product, called GlideWear, offers innovative skin protection by reducing friction and shear to prevent skin tears and blisters. The product has been used by athletes, burn patients wearing compression garments, in wheelchair components …
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Feature
Smart architecture
March 11, 2019
New forms offer promising small-scale, smart fabric applications. The intense focus on IoT as the panacea for smart buildings may be premature, and instead it could be time to pay more attention to smaller, more achievable steps that will ultimately feed into the greater complexity. For advanced textiles, it affords an opportunity for innovation and …
Feature
Communicating with your attorney
February 25, 2019
Tips for working effectively with your intellectual property counsel. Preparation for meeting with counsel and healthy communication can help maximize an inventor’s intellectual property protections. For example, when seeking patent protection, inventors should always think carefully about the “big picture” benefit offered by their invention and communicate that benefit to their patent attorney. This ensures …
Feature
Understanding IP law
February 11, 2019
Advice for innovators from innovators. Editor’s note: I asked select entrepreneurs that I’ve met to answer questions about intellectual property (IP) law and their experiences with it. They are at various stages in their careers or the course of a new enterprise, so they come from different perspectives because of their experiences and level of …
Feature
Fire danger!
January 21, 2019
NC State rises to the challenge of developing the next generation wildland fire shelter. The Textile Protection and Comfort Center at North Carolina State University (NC State) has recently completed a project to develop advanced fire blocking materials for wildland fire shelters. Roger Barker, director of the center discussed the three-year-long project at IFAI’s Expo …
Feature
Complete comfort
January 9, 2019
A systems approach is needed to meet all the requirements of high-performance garments. Comfort for the human body needs to be comprehensive. This complicates the technologies that are available to reach the ultimate goal of providing physiological, environmental and psychological comfort. A definition that fits technologically well to clothing is a “feeling of relief.” In …
Feature
Sustainability successes in textiles
December 17, 2018
Both large picture and incremental changes can have a positive impact. Two major challenges facing the advanced textile industry in its pursuit of sustainability are first, meeting consumer expectations and secondly, meeting global industry standards. This second challenge one might expect to be more straightforward, but for the fact that new information about environmental impacts …
Feature
Sustainability in the industry: where do we go next?
December 10, 2018
Textiles are part of a larger, more comprehensive sustainability picture. Sustainability may be understood as a way to judiciously consume resources while leaving, or even enhancing, the availability of resources for future generations. The term “sustainability” has developed a powerful vibe that impacts our society in general and the business community, specifically. Environmental contamination stresses …
Feature
Advances in smart medical textiles
November 26, 2018
Successful new developments and designs have prompted encouraging growth rates, but challenges remain. A series of novel developments in medical textiles see smart textiles coupled with smart design to deliver benefits to both patients and medical professionals. With the medical textile market predicted to grow at a CAGR of 4.23 percent during the period 2018-2022, …
Feature
E-textiles: where we are
November 12, 2018
With breakthrough technologies and standards under development, it’s been a turning point year for e-textiles. IFAI’s Expo 2018 in Dallas in October offered a good variety of topics in its presentations and a range of products across advanced textiles markets. Medical and health, protective and safety, smart fabrics, solar textiles and military applications were among …
Feature
Move over, synthetics
October 22, 2018
There’s a new appreciation for the versatility of natural fibers in high tech fabrics. Since the industrial revolution, textiles have transitioned from natural fibers of cotton, wool, silk and linen, to textiles created from petroleum products and reconstituted wood pulp. Today’s synthetic fibers are stronger, cheaper to manufacture, and have proven easily adaptable to a …
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EcoNote
Devan joins consortium
March 21, 2019
Devan Chemicals is participating in a new consortium consisting of 17 European partners representing all links in the value chain: research and innovation, design, manufacturing and nongovernmental organizations, an article in Innovation in Textiles reports. The consortium’s DECOAT initiative will explore methods of separating coatings from base materials. Devan’s role will be to develop …
Industry News
Techtextil Forum invites interaction
March 19, 2019
The new Techtextil Forum will provide visitors insights into the latest developments in the technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Speakers will cover topics including sustainability, filtration, smart textiles, composites, textiles in urban spaces and textiles for medical application. Specifics about sustainability include recycling, traceability of bio-cotton and bio-based coated textiles. Presentations regarding textiles in urban …
Industry News
IFAI Expo 2019 exhibitor Early Bird deadline is March 30
March 13, 2019
Exhibitors: Book your IFAI Expo 2019 booth by March 30 to take advantage of the Early Bird discount. Don’t be left out! IFAI Expo is the largest specialty fabric trade event in the Americas. Each year, more than 5,000 high-level decision makers, industry insiders and qualified buyers meet in an unrivaled face-to-face environment, where networking …
Industry News
NC State’s College of Textiles receives Wilson family gift
March 8, 2019
Thanks to a $28 million gift from alumnus Frederick “Fred” Eugene Wilson Jr. and his family, North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles will be known as the Wilson College of Textiles, a recent release says. The Wilson College of Textiles is the only standalone textile college in the United States, according to the release. Marty Moran, …
Industry News
Shandong Ruyi acquires INVISTA business
March 4, 2019
Shandong Ruyi Investment Holding, a Chinese textile and apparel company, has acquired INVISTA’s Apparel & Advanced Textiles business, a manufacturer of fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and hygiene industries. The new company will operate as The LYCRA Company, named for INVISTA’s spandex/elastane fiber. The purchase includes a portfolio of consumer and trade brands: …
Industry News
Lenzing opens new Center of Excellence
March 1, 2019
The Lenzing Center of Excellence (LCOE) has opened at the company’s Indonesian location in Purwakarta. According to information released by the Lenzing Group, the center intensifies cooperation with partners along the value chain and increases efforts to jointly conduct research and develop new yarns. The LCOE provides laboratory and analytical facilities to conduct trials and …
Industry News
Puma steps up with a self-lacing shoe
February 28, 2019
Puma has announced its first self-lacing shoe in the Fi (Fit intelligence) collection. The shoe is intended for workouts and light running. A micromotor powers the cable system that laces the shoe. The motor is activated with the swipe of a finger on the module located in the tongue of the shoe. The sneaker’s smart …
Industry News
Kimberly Glas to head NCTO
February 25, 2019
On April 29, 2019, Kimberly Glas will become the new president and CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO). Glas will succeed Augustine “Auggie” D. Tantillo, who announced his decision to step down. Glas has more than 20 years of experience in government policy development and advocacy. Her multifaceted career includes spearheading manufacturing …
Industry News
AATCC publishes new standard for e-textiles
February 25, 2019
AATCC research committee RA111, Electronically-Integrated Textiles, recently approved its first evaluation procedure. AATCC EP13, Evaluation Procedure for Electrical Resistance of Electronically-Integrated Textiles, is one of the very first international standards for e-textiles. The procedure provides detailed instructions for measuring resistance of e-textiles—a key indicator of functionality. It also includes guidance and calculations for determining change …
Industry News
Beyond patents
February 25, 2019
Advice for innovators from an experienced entrepreneur Editors note: Claire King, president of Pawtucket, R.I.-based Propel LLC, was interviewed to be part of a feature with other entrepreneurs. In the course of our conversation, she brought up a number of important related points that I felt merited inclusion in a feature on IP law. Her …
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Out There
LG introduces a rollable TV
February 7, 2019
LG Electronics has introduced the SIGNATURE TV R, a rollable TV that uses organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. A recent article in Printed Electronics World states that manufacturers are trying to make large TVs less conspicuous—without sacrificing depth of color and resolution. LG may have accomplished that by creating the R version of the OLED …
Out There
Nike presents digitally powered adjustable footwear
February 4, 2019
NIKE has launched a lace-less smart shoe with the new platform, NIKE adapt, the company has announced. NIKE adapt for basketball is designed to be a continually updated performance product that the company ways will create a near-symbiotic relationship between the shoe’s digital app and the opt-in firmware updates. Athletes may update and evolve their shoes …
Out There
Plastic waste used to 3D print street furniture
January 21, 2019
Print Your City, the initiative conceived by the Dutch-based research and design studio The New Raw, has moved from concept to city scale. Following the XXX bench prototype presented last year in Amsterdam, Print Your City has launched its first Zero Waste Lab in Thessaloniki, Greece. Implemented by Coca-Cola in Greece, the lab is equipped …
Out There
Solar umbrellas challenge concept of air
January 18, 2019
During Miami Art Week 2018, Berlin-based artist Tomás Saraceno presented “Albedo,” an atmospherically attuned installation created in collaboration with Swiss watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet. Reflective solar umbrellas and floating sculptures provided daily aerosolar performances that questioned how breathing will be affected in the post–fossil fuel era. Saraceno created a large-scale temporal pavilion composed of 40 …
Out There
Shoes are made of car interior material
December 19, 2018
Joris de Groot teamed up with Low & Bonar, a manufacturer of performance materials, for the in4nite II project, which examined various techniques applied in the manufacturing of car interiors and translated them into a collection of shoes. Designboom.com reports that Studio de Groot has molded Low & Bonar Colback car upholstery material around shoe lasts. The …
Out There
Shoes are made of car interior material
December 17, 2018
Joris de Groot teamed up with Low & Bonar, a manufacturer of performance materials, for the in4nite II project, which examined various techniques applied in the manufacturing of car interiors and translated them into a collection of shoes. Designboom.com reports that Studio de Groot has molded Low & Bonar Colback car upholstery material around shoe …
Out There
Artist grows fungi into lamp shades
December 10, 2018
London-based designer Nir Meiri selects materials for his creations that most would not consider. Recently, the Nir Meiri Design Studio presented Mycelium Lights at the London Design Festival 2018. According to designboom.com, this is its latest project—the result of ongoing material research in mycelium, the vegetative part of the fungus, which has led to the …
Out There
Drone-operated fire rescue net introduced
November 26, 2018
A group of six students from Guangzhou, China, has designed a concept called NET GUARD that’s a combination of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and cloth net for rescuing people from fires in high-rise buildings. When the drone and net combination receives a distress signal, it uses GPS to pinpoint the location of the fire. …
Out There
Robotic skin can animate objects
October 22, 2018
Scientists at Yale University have developed a robotic skin that can be applied to inanimate objects seemingly bringing them to life. The elastic “skin” sheets are embedded with a variety of sensors and actuators capable of animating the legs of a stuffed animal or causing a foam tube to flex. This type of robotic technology …
Out There
Eco-friendly, acoustic panels made of hemp husks
October 18, 2018
Russian design studio Aotta presents a new sound-absorbing and lightweight panel made of hemp husks. A completely organic material, the husks are routinely disposed of as useless waste. That means the material is a cheap resource. Aotta’s hemp husk panels are a naturally porous membrane for absorbing sound reflections, and it can regulate the humidity …
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VYNGUARD® Anti-Graffiti Chemical & Stain Test
What's New?
Safe landing for athletes’ knees
March 13, 2019
Athletes risk injury when landing from a jump. To offset that risk, designer Hubert Chen has developed the Safe Landing Garment (SLG), a compression garment that incorporates 3D printing. Physics can wreak havoc with athletes’ knees. Chen says, “When landing from a jump, athletes can experience up to seven times their own body weight.” The SLG garment …
What's New?
Fabric both insulates and ventilates
March 11, 2019
A new dual-use fabric may be the answer to having a garment that serves equally well in summer and winter wardrobes. The new fabric alternates between insulating and providing ventilation by responding to the wearer’s perspiration. Study co-author YuHuang Wang, a chemist at the University of Maryland in College Park, sees the fabric being applied …
What's New?
Loomia launches self-heating jacket for women
March 11, 2019
Loomia will launch its first direct-to-consumer product March 15, a women’s self-heating jacket that features Loomia’s wire-free, soft-circuit system. The slim-line jacket is designed to fill a market need for women, as most heated jackets on the market are designed for men and altered to make a women’s version. The company’s H1 jacket takes into …
What's New?
Mosquito bite-resistant garments developed
March 11, 2019
Five professors at North Carolina State University (NC State) have filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for new mosquito bite-resistant garments. Andre J. West, Marian G. McCord, Charles S. Apperson, Richard Michael Roe, and Emiel A. DenHartog, the inventors, have created an insect-proof, form-fitting undergarment of superfine, knitted fabric. The garments’ top …
What's New?
Shima Seiki targets pointelles for ventilation
February 27, 2019
Shima Seiki is engineering pointelles for targeted breathability and ventilation. The company says that its new samples showcase the pointelles for comfort as well as design elements. The pointelles are placed in underarm and back sections and can be knit in patterns to spotlight brand names. The company’s functional base layer for men features wool …
What's New?
Research in self-cleaning, sunproof silk progresses
February 25, 2019
To give silk hydrophobic and UV-blocking properties, researchers from Wuhan Textile University have experimented with in-situ synthesis of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods on fabrics made of natural silk. A Materials Today article says that the team’s report, which appeared in Materials Letters, says they’ve produced super-hydrophobic silk without the addition of seed particles or the …
What's New?
Noble Biomaterials notes fiber technology products and partnerships
February 20, 2019
Noble Biomaterials Inc., a manufacturer of odor elimination and smart fabric solutions, has announced a number of products using Noble’s platform of inherent fiber technologies. Noble Biomaterials anti-odor solutions are being used in active apparel and base layers as well as sleepwear. Noble’s XT2 uses the properties of silver ions to kill odor before it …
What's New?
Rossignol applies dynamic compression to new skiwear
February 19, 2019
French ski brand Rossignol has introduced a new range of compression skiwear that it says can offer better muscle alignment and efficiency as well as promote more effective recovery. The range, which it calls The Compression, combines Lycra Sport Fabric and Rossignol’s own patented compression technology. It includes race tops and race tights for men …
What's New?
DuPont and NIPI will create a new down fabric
February 12, 2019
DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) and Natural Insulation Products Inc. (NIPI) are collaborating to create a seamless sheet of down fabric. A recent release from the companies says the partnership will yield a “new category of insulation.” The fabric will use the Thindown proprietary process to combine DuPont bio-based Sorona fibers and Thindown down fabric. The blend is …
What's New?
Scientists develop fabric to warm or cool the wearer
February 11, 2019
Innovations in fabric technology have produced high-tech thermal properties that keep the wearer cool or warm, but a fabric that can do both has been elusive. According to information released by the University of Maryland (UMD), researchers there have created a fabric that can automatically regulate the amount of heat that passes through it, depending …
