November 23, 2020
IFAI Expo participants demonstrate the various routes to a shared goal. by Marie O’Mahony Social and environmental impacts have made their mark amongst this year’s exhibitors and presenters at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. In North America, President-elect Joe Biden has already shown his concern with these issues so that the new administration is expected to …
November 9, 2020
Virtual Expo 2020 advanced textiles education notes industry progress and new opportunities. by Janet Preus The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) opened the advanced textiles education sessions of Virtual Expo 2020 with topics designed to support the successful research, development and commercialization of new, advanced textile technologies and products. The first session was presented by …
October 26, 2020
Enhanced functionalities drive healthcare textiles’ growth. by Seshadri Ramkumar Healthcare textiles span a range of applications from hospital drapes to wound care and compression products used during recovery and rehabilitation after surgeries. Single-to-limited-life textile products find medical-related applications such as implants, barriers against microbes and lifestyle enhancement products used in caring for everyone from babies …
October 12, 2020
IPC E-Textiles Summit covers innovations, markets and business advice. by Janet Preus A large group of presenters and attendees participated in IPC’s two-day conference on e-textiles recently, sharing insights about new technologies, the business of e-textiles, markets and trends. The textile industry, generally, has been quick to respond to industry needs throughout the course of …
September 28, 2020
E-textile technologies have taken their place in the larger textile arena. by Janet Preus In the midst of the reworking of so many segments of the textile industry due to the pandemic, one market segment has been able to stay focused on the basics of what it does: e-textiles, and now conductive fibers and yarns. …
September 14, 2020
Wearables become more commercially viable with conductive fiber technology. By Marie O’Mahony Fibers that offer sensing with purpose have been given a more determined emphasis with the current pandemic. Like many smart materials and wearable technologies, there may be many exciting advances, but finding an application as equally forward looking can be challenging. Some recent …
August 24, 2020
What it will take to make 3D printed textiles viable in the industry. by Kony Chatterjee and Tushar K. Ghosh The advent of 3D printing (3DP) has drawn considerable interest from academia, industry and amateur hobbyists as a novel method of producing objects layer-by-layer (lbl) via a bottom-up manufacturing approach. This method of “additive” manufacturing (used …
August 10, 2020
New collaborations sparked by COVID-19 are set to support growth for the sector. by Seshadri Ramkumar The shortage of personnel protective equipment (PPE) has spearheaded creative efforts around the world, with researchers working to produce new PPE products in an effort to meet the needs fueled by the pandemic. 3D printing has also supported the …
July 27, 2020
How COVID-19 is driving the development of a more sustainable kind of PPE. by Debra Cobb From community masks and health workers’ kits, to hospital gowns, drapes and wraps, disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) is playing a critical role in our battle against COVID-19 infections. But what about the mountain of disposable PPE, which is …
July 13, 2020
Major brands have led initiatives to improve sustainability in the textile industry. by Marie O’Mahony The sports industry has become one of the leading drivers of sustainability in textiles, after having got off to a slow start initially. Designers, such as Stella McCartney with her longstanding relationship with global sports brand adidas®, have played an …
