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In the Industry
Devan and HUUB announce partnership
May 17, 2019
Devan Chemicals and triathlon and performance brand HUUB recently announced their partnership. Devan Chemicals says that it was sparked by the need for athletic clothing designed to keep triathletes from overheating during races. Devan’s Moov&Cool formulation has been applied to HUUB’s tri-suits. The Moov&Cool technology is reported to contain a continuous heat absorption capacity that …
In the Industry
Unifi Asia Pacific partners with Kipas
May 16, 2019
Unifi Asia Pacific Company Limited (UAP) has entered into a strategic commercial agreement with Kipas Mensucat Isletmeleri A.S. to supply REPREVE® staple fibers in the Republic of Turkey. UAP and Kipas will leverage the supply infrastructure in Turkey to provide quality, service, speed-to-market and REPREVE-based staple fiber offerings to fabric mills as well as brand and …
In the Industry
Techtextil runs this week in Frankfurt
May 15, 2019
International trade fairs Techtextil and Texprocess May 14-17 at the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre, Frankfurt, Germany. It will be spotlighting the functions of textiles, especially technical textiles, and the ways in which textiles are processed. Transport pods for the Hyperloop, textile room installations, intelligent fashions and 3D avatars that try on garments, the events …
What's New?
JRC-Reflex introduces dual-tone reflective material
May 14, 2019
Light-reflective specialist JRC-REFLEX is presenting two new product ranges at the Performance Days trade show in Munich, Germany, May 8 and 9. JRC-REFLEX has developed an innovative process that gives its products novel two-tonal variations. These new ranges expand on the palette of pastel colors the company launched in 2018. White Metal and Black Metal …
EcoNote
Recycling ghost nets
May 13, 2019
Art, marine plastic recycling and 3D printing have come together in a new initiative. The Second Nature project aims to create awareness about the damage to marine wildlife caused by abandoned fishing nets, a recent release says. The New Raw design studio began the project by working with Greek fishermen and divers to collect discarded …
In the Industry
IPC schedules Electronics Materials Forum
May 10, 2019
How do emerging technologies change our materials set? Answers to that question will be explored at the new IPC Electronics Materials Forum, Nov. 5–7, 2019, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The new technical conference is for engineers and managers who procure materials or want to understand the advancements in materials for the board, assembly, components and protective layers. The …
Out There
Poncho design “explodes”
May 9, 2019
A transformative poncho is the latest collaboration between Nike and Tom Sachs. The poncho has taken four years to arrive at this patent-pending stage of design, according to a report on designboom.com. Jarrett Reynolds, Nike’s senior design director for apparel special projects, developed the slim-line pack containing a quick-deploy and easily repacked poncho as part of a …
My Take
It’s what you don’t see
May 6, 2019
by Janet Preus Several years ago I thought it would be a good idea to do an article on research in invisibility technologies, taking the camouflage question beyond the obvious, you might say. I still think it was a good idea, but information and sources were … well, hard to find. Had I chosen to …
EcoNote
Infinited Fiber forms partnerships for sustainably produced fiber
May 6, 2019
Finnish textile startup Infinited Fiber Co. (IFC) recently formed new partnerships with fashion retailer H&M, Finnish investment company Virala, and clean energy and resource efficiency company Fortum, with the aim of more opportunities to close the loop for textiles. “Fortum is studying possibilities to grow business that is based on the more efficient use of biomass. …
Out There
Knit canoe buoyed by 3D
May 6, 2019
VISIONknit, a technical knitting company based in Toronto, Canada, and Canadian collaborators Composite Creations, have launched a 3D knitted canoe. The VISIONknit material can be used on modern flat (v-bed) knitting machines and knit into patterns, accompanying logos and other design features. According to an article in Knitting Industry, the company’s patent pending material is a …
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VYNGUARD® Resists Broad Spectrum of Microbes on Vinyl
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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VYNGUARD® Resists Broad Spectrum of Microbes on Vinyl
Feature
Almost invisible
May 6, 2019
Protecting the military today requires sophisticated, multifaceted camouflage solutions. by Marie O’Mahony New fabric developments in camouflage, as well as innovative design approaches, are taking them to another level of protection for military applications. In recent years, a great deal of discussion has been given to digital camouflage and its perceived success or failure. While …
Feature
Wearables with freedom
April 22, 2019
Movement and health monitoring enters the next generation. Editor’s note: Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) have had a series of breakthroughs in technologies that will improve health and wellness monitoring in smart garments. This article is a compilation of reports on this topic that were released by the university in recent …
Feature
E-textiles in health monitoring
April 8, 2019
The potential, progress and challenges for next generation smart garments. Among the many benefits promised by the smart fabric revolution has been the “consumerization of health care.” Wearables are enabling the remote monitoring of a wide range of chronic medical conditions, from diabetes, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure (CHF) to symptoms of disease, …
Feature
Hidden textiles
March 25, 2019
Infrastructure and construction textiles grow in importance and focus on more sustainable alternatives. Infrastructure textiles are an important, but often overlooked, category within advanced textiles, but these functional fibrous structures are gaining importance. The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) reports that construction textiles are a growth area. In its 2018 State of the Industry …
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 …
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VYNGUARD® Resists Broad Spectrum of Microbes on Vinyl
Industry News
New Hot Swap program from Kamber
April 8, 2019
Kamber Narrow Fabric Machinery LLC, a global trader and specialist in pre-owned weaving, braiding and knitting machinery, has announced a new Hot Swap program for manufacturers. The program offers manufacturers the opportunity to have their narrow fabric needle looms completely refurbished with a full one-year warranty and with zero minutes of downtime with their current …
Industry News
Webinar: Wearable Tech & Smart Textiles: A platform for women’s leadership
April 5, 2019
Members: $69 Non-Members: $129 April 30 | Noon EST Join Justine Decaens of CTT Group for a webinar in conjunction with the Smart Fabrics Virtual Summit. The start-up culture is emerging as textile manufacturers have begun diversifying and differentiating by leveraging smart textiles. This culture is driving a new mentality and providing leadership roles for women. …
Industry News
Smart Fabrics Virtual Summit registration now open
April 5, 2019
Members: $200 both days | $125/one day Non-Members: $300 both days | $175/one day May 14-15, 2019 | 11:00am – 3:00pm EST For the third year, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) will host the Smart Fabrics Summit 2019. This year, the summit will be conducted virtually from May 14-15, 2019. Newly titled as the “Smart Fabrics Virtual …
In the Industry
Growth predicted for thermal insulation market
April 5, 2019
A new report from Transparency Market Research (TMR) tracks and predicts the thermal insulation market growth from 2017 to 2025. According to TMR, the global thermal insulation market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4 percent to attain a value of about $78 billion] by the end of 2025. …
Industry News
NCTO announces new officers
April 1, 2019
The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) has announced the election of its 2019 officers. Leib Oehmig, CEO of Glen Raven Inc., based in North Carolina was elected chair. Glen Raven is a leader in textile research and development, dying, spinning, weaving and finishing, and distribution and logistics. Vice chair for 2019 is David Roberts, CEO of CAP …
Industry News
Women leaders in textile industry share expertise—and encouragement
March 25, 2019
More women than ever now own textile companies, and IFAI’s recent Women in Textiles Summit brought together many of these business leaders to share their unique expertise within a highly specialized industry. This year’s inaugural summit, held March 6–8 in Savannah, Ga., facilitated what IFAI President and CEO Steve Schiffman calls an “investment in the …
Industry News
Call for participation in IPC E-TEXTILES 2019
March 25, 2019
IPC, a global trade association serving the printed board and electronics assembly industries, their customers and suppliers, has issued a call for participation in IPC E-TEXTILES 2019. Innovators, technologists, materials suppliers, electrical engineers and academicians are invited to submit technical conference abstracts and educational course proposals for the conferences, which will take place in Philadelphia, …
Industry News
AATCC announces Chapin Award recipient
March 22, 2019
Sandra L. Johnson is the 2018 recipient of the Harold C. Chapin Award for her service to the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC). She is recognized for being a strong advocate of education, as an active speaker and participant in local and national conferences, workshops and symposia. Johnson has served as president of …
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 …
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VYNGUARD® Resists Broad Spectrum of Microbes on Vinyl
Out There
Poncho design “explodes”
May 9, 2019
A transformative poncho is the latest collaboration between Nike and Tom Sachs. The poncho has taken four years to arrive at this patent-pending stage of design, according to a report on designboom.com. Jarrett Reynolds, Nike’s senior design director for apparel special projects, developed the slim-line pack containing a quick-deploy and easily repacked poncho as part of a …
Out There
Knit canoe buoyed by 3D
May 6, 2019
VISIONknit, a technical knitting company based in Toronto, Canada, and Canadian collaborators Composite Creations, have launched a 3D knitted canoe. The VISIONknit material can be used on modern flat (v-bed) knitting machines and knit into patterns, accompanying logos and other design features. According to an article in Knitting Industry, the company’s patent pending material is a …
Out There
Decay as part of design
April 29, 2019
Could microbes combined with water be guided to selectively disintegrate and then be harnessed as agents of assembly? What would the ecology of a system that included microbes, biocompatible substrates and the contextual environment look like? Those are some of the questions a team of MIT researchers set out to answer as part of the Aguahoja …
Out There
Shape-shifting aircraft wings offer new concept
April 22, 2019
MIT and NASA researchers have developed a new shape-shifting approach to aircraft wing construction. An article in MIT News says the system is designed to automatically deform, in part or in total, in response to the roll and pitch of a plane. The flexibility of the new wing assembly system relies on hundreds of identical …
Out There
New sneakers made from coffee
April 18, 2019
German shoe brand nat-2 has created a means to recycle coffee into sneakers. The 100 percent vegan, unisex sneaker uppers are made from sustainable recycled coffee, coffee beans and coffee plants. The coffee is applied to a layer and retains its natural coffee scent. The material covers up to 50 percent of the shoe’s surface, depending …
Out There
Robotic gripper uses an origami structure
March 28, 2019
A team at MIT has developed a robotic gripper that uses a 3D-printed origami structure reported to be able to lift 100 times its own weight. The origami-inspired gripper consists of a 3D-printed 16-piece silicone rubber skeleton encased in an airtight skin. A vacuum collapses the gripper, which conforms around a multitude of shapes without losing strength, …
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 …
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VYNGUARD® Resists Broad Spectrum of Microbes on Vinyl
What's New?
JRC-Reflex introduces dual-tone reflective material
May 14, 2019
Light-reflective specialist JRC-REFLEX is presenting two new product ranges at the Performance Days trade show in Munich, Germany, May 8 and 9. JRC-REFLEX has developed an innovative process that gives its products novel two-tonal variations. These new ranges expand on the palette of pastel colors the company launched in 2018. White Metal and Black Metal …
What's New?
Speedo + HeiQ = Fastskin
May 6, 2019
Modifying the surface of fabric at the microscopic level is at the heart of Fastskin, an innovation for a swimwear line by HeiQ and Speedo. Competitive swimmers always want to break their own records, according to a news release from HeiQ. Reducing drag as their bodies go through water is one way to accomplish additional …
What's New?
Researchers 3D print electronic fibers onto textiles
April 22, 2019
To make comfortable, wearable electronics, a group of researchers in China has developed a 3D printer that deposits electronic flexible fibers onto transitional textiles or clothes. According to an article in Innovation In Textiles, researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing printed patterns that can harvest and store electricity onto fabrics. With a 3D printer equipped …
What's New?
3D printed casts could replace plaster casts
April 22, 2019
Two Latvian entrepreneurs are on a mission to change the way bones are protected and supported during the healing process. CastPrint, a startup founded by Sigvards Krongorns and Janis Olins, uses 3D printing to create lightweight, personalized casts made of plastic web. According to an article in Forbes, the web-like casts can be taken on …
What's New?
Fabrics protect from chemical warfare agents
April 22, 2019
A new coating for textile fibers shows promise for efficiently capturing toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents under real-world conditions, including high humidity. The research could lead to improved masks and personal protective equipment for soldiers and others at risk of exposure. Researchers at North Carolina State University (NC State) and the U.S. Army’s …
What's New?
Stella McCartney + adidas + Carbon = 4D shoes
April 11, 2019
German footwear manufacturer adidas andSilicon Valley–based Carbon are furthering their partnership and line of shoes that use Futurecraft 4D technology. Now the companies are also collaborating with British fashion designer Stella McCartney to work on the AlphaEdge 4D silhouette, a 3D Printing Industry article says. Like other shoes in the line, the AlphaEdge 4D features a 3D printed midsole, tailored …
What's New?
Researchers create self-healing electronic “skin”
April 8, 2019
A team of researchers has created an electronic skin that includes functionality similar to underwater invertebrates such as jellyfish. The team from National University of Singapore Materials Science and Engineering was led by Assistant Professor Benjamin Tee and had collaboration from Tsinghua University, China, and the University of California Riverside. The touch-sensitive, stretchable, transparent material …
What's New?
Plastatech’s announces prefabricated accessories for geomembranes
April 4, 2019
Plastatech Engineering recently announced its new line of prefabricated accessories featuring a straight pipe boot, angled pipe boot, inside corner, outside corner, and customizable options for a variety of geomembrane projects. The accessories are available in polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), reinforced polyethylene (RPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), reinforced polypropylene (RPP), and thermoplastic olefin …
What's New?
HyWEAR hybrid data collector introduced
April 2, 2019
FEIG ELECTRONICS has introduced HyWEAR compact, a new hybrid barcode and radio-frequency identification (RFID) wearable, a recent release says. The device is attached to a fingerless glove and rests on the back of the hand of a stock person, parcel deliverer or baggage handler. The current process of picking up a device, scanning and resetting …
What's New?
Trek’s bike helmet features WaveCel technology
March 25, 2019
American bicycle manufacturer Trek has launched a new helmet design that replaces EPS foam with Wavecel technology. The honeycomb-style layers of cells are designed to mimic the brain’s own protective fluid that can absorb rotational energy to better protect the wearer. Trek and Bontrager Co. have partnered with WaveCel to create the helmet technology, said to disrupt years of accepted …
