Advanced Textiles Conference begins Oct. 11 

Presented by the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), the Advanced Textiles (AT) Conference opens Oct. 11 at the Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, N.C., with a full afternoon dedicated to advanced textiles education, including a welcome lunch with plenary session at 11:30 a.m., with Dr. Andrew Dent, EVP of Materials Research, Material ConneXion, speaking on the topic, “Imagining our material future: Developments at the forefront of performance and sustainability.”

Afternoon presenters include: 

• Dr. Jesse Jur, director of ecosystem technology, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), who will speak on the need for the e-textile industry to mature in a number of ways that go beyond just new capabilities. 
• Colton Mehlhoff, Applications Engineer, Stratasys, will discuss how 3D printing is changing the textile world. 
• Drew Hoyle, aerospace textile engineer, NASA Johnson Space Center, will answer the question, “What does it take to make functioning and long-lasting space suits, crew clothing, and technical textiles for Moon missions?”
• Dr. Reinhold Schneider, with the German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research Denkendorf (DITF) discusses textile-based proximity sensors for e-textile applications.  
• Dr. Gang Sun, professor, University of California, Davis, will speak on the development of environmentally friendly biological protective textiles. 
• Erin Parker, graduate research assistant, Mississippi State University discusses using e-textiles to create wearable technologies for a variety of market segments.Ben Mead, managing director, Hohenstein, discusses strategic quality testing of smart materials and products. 
• Dr. Andre West, director of the Zeis Textiles Extension NCSU Wilson College of Textiles, will present on the topic, “Flex Factory: Innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainability for the future.”
• Dr. Braden Li,materials engineer, U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, will speak on “Human Enhancing Artic Textiles” (HEAT).
• Dr. George Sun, CEO and founder of Nextiles Inc., will explain “Why the textiles industry deserves its own semiconductor revolution.”
• Cole Nielson, founder and CTO, and Amolak Badesha, co-founder and CEO, Orbital Composites, will show how the textile industry can play a pivotal role in driving the adoption of composites by reducing cost.
• Holly Harris, senior textile engineer, ResMed Corp., discusses “Sustainable Textile Materials and Design for Medical Devices.”

Additional sessions will be presented during Expo Oct. 12-13. Presenters include Dr. Reinhold Schneider, German Institutes of Textile and Fibre Research Denkendorf (DITF); Lucas Tyson, senior business developer, Hologenix; Ben Mead, managing director, Hohenstein; Matthew Kolmes, CEO, VOLT Wearable Tech, a division of Supreme Corp.; and Frank Keohan, senior technology manager, Bolger & O’Hearn, Inc.

All access registration is required to attend the AT Conference. Visit https://ifaiexpo.com/advancedtextiles/ for more information and to register.