TEXTILES.ORG
New resting place for coated fabric waste
May 1st, 2011
A single industrial fabric mill or coating plant can generate 250 tons of trim waste each year, and savvy businesses send uncoated fabric trim to recyclers that turn it back into fiber and yarn. However, economical processes to separate fibers from coated fabrics (used for tents, waterproof clothing or billboards) aren’t available, so the final […]
Carpet recycler closing the loop
May 1st, 2011
Recycling statistics ticked upward when companies such as Interface Inc., Atlanta, Ga., developed technology to separate carpet yarn from backing and reuse both as raw material for new products. Now the modular flooring division of the company, InterfaceFLOR, Scherpenzeel, The Netherlands, plans to close the lifecycle loop with ReEntry 2.0, a process that recovers every […]
Introducing enzymes into PET textiles
May 1st, 2011
The University of Ghent, Belgium, will coordinate an effort partly funded by the European Union to introduce enzymes into PET textiles to give them special medical properties. The BIOTIC project (biotechnical functionalization of biopolymeric textile surfaces) will modify PET materials by altering the surface and incorporating biocatalysts into the fibers. The enzymes will catalyze reactions, […]
Write off 2011 equipment purchases
May 1st, 2011
Part of the federal stimulus bill, the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010, Section 179, may spur many businesses to replace aging equipment, software and even marketing exhibits right now. New purchases of business machinery between September 9, 2010, and December 31, 2011, can be depreciated 100 percent during the […]
FR protective clothing for food industry
May 1st, 2011
As food processing and packaging operations automate, “there are few places in the production facility where employees are not working in pretty close proximity to electrical equipment,” said Roger McKee, National Accounts executive and fire-retardant specialist for G&K Services. As more workers are exposed to electrical arc flash hazards, more are protected by National Fire […]
Comfortable PPE may be more error-free
May 1st, 2011
The Hohenstein Institute decided to find out how personal protective equipment worn in clean rooms affects the stress and mental focus of employees performing high-concentration tasks. Volunteer test subjects wearing various types of clean room clothing had to perform a challenging task requiring a great deal of concentration in a specially developed “Stressbox.” Following the […]
ASTM standard for needle puncture protection
May 1st, 2011
Hypodermic needles pose health and safety concerns for health professionals, law enforcement, sanitation workers and others who come into accidental contact with blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis C. ASTM has developed a new international standard, ASTM F2878—Test Method for Protective Clothing Material Resistance to Hypodermic Needle Puncture, to address the unique mechanics of […]
Sterling Tents & Awnings Inc. celebrates 100 years in business
May 1st, 2011
“Life is a series of events,” says Ronald Weiler, owner of Sterling Tents & Awnings Inc., Batavia, N.Y. Those events—from backyard weddings to corporate functions—have kept the successful tent rental and awning company in business for 100 years. The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce helped Sterling celebrate by naming it Business of the Year. “What […]
Kevlar® fiber facility planned for South Carolina
May 1st, 2011
DuPont will develop a $500 million Kevlar® fiber facility near Charleston, S.C., to supply the widely used protective fiber to U.S. military customers. The plant will be fully operational in early 2012 and is predicted to increase worldwide production of Kevlar by 25 percent. The aramid fiber is used in protective helmets, vests and vehicle […]
Raising the Minneapolis Metrodome roof (again)
May 1st, 2011
The Minnesota Vikings endured several disasters in 2010, not the least of which was the deflation of the roof of Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome after record-breaking snowfalls. Birdair Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., plans to restore the roof, replacing the structure’s current 10-acre roof with more than 700,000 square feet of […]