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American Silk Mills unveils ASM Loft™
November 15th, 2019
Sparked by an industry need for affordable luxury, American Silk Mills, High Point, N.C., introduces ASM Loft™. This is the first product to be introduced with the company’s partnership with parent company, Sutlej Textiles and Industries Ltd. The collection benefits from the innovative designs of American Silk Mills and the efficient and skillful production of […]
HeiQ introduces Real Silk finish
March 29th, 2016
Swiss textile technology company HeiQ Materials AG has introduced its HeiQ Real Silk textile-finishing technology. HeiQ Real Silk replicates key properties of silk by applying a minute amount of the natural raw material to the surface of any fabric. HeiQ Real Silk transfers the characteristics and feel of silk to such other fabrics as polyamide, […]
Kraig Labs, Vietnam enter silk-production pact
June 30th, 2015
Lansing, Mich.-based spider-silk fabrics developer Kraig Biocraft Laboratories and central and regional governments in Vietnam have signed a memorandum of understanding outlining the creation and rearing of transgenic silkworms in Vietnam. According to the agreement, Kraig Labs and the Vietnamese will jointly develop a cooperative plan for the development and production of Kraig Labs transgenics […]
Bolt Threads to develop bacteria-based threads
June 19th, 2015
Emeryville, Calif.-based specialty fabrics startup Bolt Threads has received $32.3 million in Series B funding to back its development of bacteria-based threads for the apparel industry. Investors include Foundation Capital, Founders Fund, Formation 8 and Alafi Capital. Added to a previously undisclosed infusion of $7.7 million, the company has drawn some $40 million in backing. […]
3D printed fabric developers launch campaign
June 5th, 2015
A U.S. company has launched a campaign to fund development of a 3D printer capable of creating seamless garments from a user’s desktop. Calif.-based Electroloom claims the “world's first 3D fabric printer,” which uses an electrospinning process to convert liquid solutions into solid fibers, which are then deposited onto a 3D mold. The company says […]
Utah State will produce commercial quantities of spider silk
February 20th, 2015
Utah State officials have announce that the newly constructed Bioproducts Scale-Up Facility on the university’s Innovation Campus will enable synthetic spider silk to be produced in commercial quantities. Funding for the facility was provided by the Utah Science Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative. “Within this new, state-of-the-art facility, Utah State will begin the process of […]
Silkworms spin a colorful yarn
February 7th, 2014
Chemists in India have cut a step in the silk-dyeing process by developing an eco-friendly method that allows silkworms to spin fluorescent, colored silk: they feed the worms dyed mulberry leaves. The worms have been spinning white fibers since silk was first processed some 5,000 years ago in China; conventional coloring processes produces potentially harmful […]
New “Big Red” spider silks offer superior strength
June 28th, 2013
Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. has announced that researchers, working pursuant to Kraig's collaborative research program utilizing customized spider silk genetic engineering sequences, have succeeded in creating a new type of recombinant spider silk. The silk, which has an unusual red color, has been designated "Big Red" by the company. “Big Red is a composite fiber," […]
Spider silk sings in violin strings
March 1st, 2013
Spider silk, a sticky protein combination that creates flexible threads with the tensile strength of steel, is a natural substance fascinating to material scientists, who have investigated possible applications in everything from ballistic protection to medical devices. The problem is that spiders don’t spin commercial quantities of fiber. Silkworms do, and EntoGenetics Inc. (EGI), a […]
New uses for silkworm cocoons
August 1st, 2012
Silkworm cocoons, which are extremely light, tough and plentiful, are “ideal for the development of bio-inspired composite materials,” according to Oxford University researchers David Porter and Fujia Chen. Potential applications for cocoon-based materials are protective armor and fabricated car panels, especially in the booming car markets of China and India. Silkworm cocoons are sustainable, carbon […]