In the Industry Archives

Research in hemp as a textile alternative grows

November 27, 2023 | In the Industry

At this year’s Emerging Textiles Conference, Dr. Andre West presented a compelling argument for the future potential of hemp as a sustainable alternative for industrial textiles, which he believes is at a watershed moment. Dr West is director of the Zeis Textiles Extension, North Carolina State Un…

Smart textiles in automotives

November 13, 2023 | In the Industry

Many of the developments in smart textiles are focused on the fiber and textile structure. However, there is a growing opportunity for the use of textiles within flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) that is of interest to the automotive sector, in particular.

Light capture with a twist

November 13, 2023 | In the Industry

Conferences aim to inform and surprise delegates, so in inviting Dr. Mridula Nair from Kodak as this year’s Emerging Technologies Conference plenary speaker, curiosity was undoubtedly aroused—Kodak and textiles! Nair is a research fellow and distinguished inventor at Kodak, serving as senior pri…

NASA partners with Prada for new spacesuits

October 23, 2023 | In the Industry

Prada will design and produce NASA’s lunar spacesuits for the Artemis III mission planned for 2025; this will also be the first lunar mission to place a woman on the Moon. In collaboration with Axiom Space, the architect of the world’s first commercial space station, the Axiom Extravehicula…

UCSB Materials Research Lab receives NSF funding

October 23, 2023 | In the Industry

In a funding renewal, the University of Santa Barbara’s Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) has received its seventh consecutive major grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to operate as an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). A top materials research facility,…

AFFOA launches a “product accelerator” program

October 9, 2023 | In the Industry

The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) has introduced its Product Accelerator for Functional Fabrics (PAFF) program, available to AFFOA’s Fabric Innovation Network Members. The program is designed to help U.S. companies close the gap(s) in their advanced functional fabric product and …

Growth expected in the fire-resistant fabric market

September 25, 2023 | In the Industry

According to Research and Markets, the global fire-resistant fabrics market is poised for substantial growth, projected to increase from $3.5 billion in 2023 to $4.9 billion by 2028, reflecting a CAGR of 6.6 percent.

Newtex announces acquisition of Gentex Corp.’s Industrial Textile Division

August 28, 2023 | In the Industry

Newtex Industries Inc., a manufacturer of high performance textiles and fabricated textile systems for thermal management and fire protection, has announced its acquisition of the Industrial Textile Division of Gentex Corp. This acquisition includes Gentex’s Dual-Mirror® and FlexIR® brands of …

Bally Ribbon Mills recognized with NASA award

August 14, 2023 | In the Industry

Bally Ribbon Mills has developed a 3D Orthogonally woven 3DMAT Quartz Material for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) compression pads. Developed through their partnership with NASA, it has been named the 2023 NASA Government Invention of the Year. The award demonstrates NASA Ames Research…

Partnership to yield advanced AI-enabled circular knitting