Safety first: A closer look at environmentally-preferred DWRs
December 4th, 2015
With the growing emphasis on multiple functionality and comfort in safety apparel, breathable durable water repellency (DWR) has become an important attribute of most safety clothing and workwear. Uniforms and workwear coated with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or its greener alternative, polyurethane, successfully repel water, oil, dirt, chemicals, blood and airborne pathogens; but they are hot, […]
Jabil and Clothing+ introduce smart garment system
December 4th, 2015
Jabil Circuit Inc., an electronic product solutions company, and Clothing+, acquired by Jabil in June 2015, have introduced Peak+, an innovative smart garment reference design for building an integrated textile, heart-rate monitoring (HRM) system. Jabil and Clothing+ partnered with Suunto, a manufacturer of heart rate monitors, and Firstbeat, a provider of physiological analytics for sports, […]
Sanitized® (USA) launched with North Carolina headquarters
December 4th, 2015
Scott Rosenzweig has been appointed president of Sanitized® (USA) Inc., and the U.S. headquarters for Swiss-based Sanitized group has been established in Charlotte, N.C. Sanitized® is a built-in antimicrobial brand that delivers hygiene function and material protection to more than 500 licensees who incorporate the Sanitized technology and ingredient brand in hundreds of product categories. […]
REPREVE kicks off #TurnItGreen recycling tour
December 4th, 2015
REPREVE®, the recycled-fiber brand of Greensboro, N.C.-based yarn maker Unifi Inc., has launched a national recycling education tour as the next phase of its #TurnItGreen™ movement. Together with such partners as Marvel Universe LIVE!, the Detroit Lions professional football team and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the REPREVE mobile tour showcases the high-quality REPREVE-based […]
Protective textiles: not an oxymoron
December 4th, 2015
When the average person thinks of safety and protective products, I doubt that he or she thinks “fabric.” Used for clothing, bedding and curtains, in their world, fabrics are soft, flexible and lightweight–not the sort of material that could protect from fire or hazardous chemicals, much less a speeding bullet. Right? I suspect if a […]
Better ballistics, Part I
December 4th, 2015
Protective materials for military and law enforcement have improved—and so has the market for them. Technology, like in many other industries, has dramatically redefined the advanced textile industry. The creation of advanced materials has transformed traditional fabric, chemical and metal production and continues to push the boundaries. Advanced textiles, a subset of advanced materials, include […]
IFAI holds webinar on FR textiles Dec. 15
December 3rd, 2015
In its continuing webinar series on flame-resistant (FR) textiles, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) will feature Dr. Marcelo M. Hirschler, Ph.D., M.R.S.C., C.Chem. The webinar, titled “Performance Standards for Industrial Textiles,” will take place Tuesday, Dec. 15 from 2-3 p.m. EST. The major applications to be discussed are plastic materials, electric cables, furniture and […]
ERCA unveils innovations at ITMA
December 3rd, 2015
Italy-based chemical collective ERCA introduced a pair of innovations at the International Textile Market Association’s ITMA 2015 trade show in Milan in November. ReactEVO® is a process based on a new post-treatment concept in dyeing with reactive dyestuffs that allows drastic reductions in energy and water consumption that also cuts treatment time. All ReactEVO auxiliaries […]