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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
April 22, 2019
by Seshadri Ramkumar, Ph.D NETInc, a nonwovens technical conference, was developed by engineers and technologists and has nonwovens professionals from around the world attending each year. This year the Nonwovens Engineers and Technologists (NET) division of TAPPI will be showcasing new developments in the field at the forthcoming NETInc 2019 conference to be held May …
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 …
April 22, 2019
The Leadership Development Committee of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) is now seeking candidates for positions on its Board of Directors and Division Advisory Boards. The current 1st Vice Chairman Kathy Schaefer, IFM (Glawe Tent and Awning Co.) is Chairman-elect and will automatically assume the duties of the Chairman of the Board in October. …
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 …
April 17, 2019
UniFirst Corp. has been included on Barron’s second annual list of the 100 Most Sustainable Companies in the United States, a recent release announced. Barron’s partnered with Calvert Research and Management to analyze the 1,000 largest publicly held companies by market value with headquarters in the U.S. Each company was assessed against 300 performance indicators …
April 16, 2019
The U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration (ITA) is organizing a webinar featuring business opportunities for technical textile companies in the German market. The German textile industry consists of 1,400 mostly SME companies with 135,000 employees and an annual turnover of $39 billion. The market offers great opportunities for high-tech and leading-edge products in …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
March 25, 2019
Textile manufacturer 1888 Mills has announced a new line of home textiles featuring DuPont INTELLIFRESH odor protection technology. DuPont INTELLIFRESH is a built-in odor protection treatment that prevents and minimizes odor-causing bacteria from forming on treated fabric surfaces, a recent DuPont release says. The protection is enabled by Silvadur technology, which is reported to absorb …
March 25, 2019
A team of University of Manchester researchers, led by Dr. Nazmul Karim and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov, has developed a method for scaling production of graphene-based yarn, according to a report in www.phys.org. Lead author Dr. Shaila Afroj said, “To introduce a new, exciting material such as graphene to a very traditional and well-established textile …
