February 27, 2015
Generation II Soldier Plate Carrier System armor maximizes mobility. The U.S. Army selected a new body armor system, the Generation II Soldier Plate Carrier System (SPCS), to provide ballistic protection to soldiers operating in harm’s way. The SPCS, designed by Point Blank Enterprises, incorporates Dyneema Force Multiplier Technology to achieve proven ballistic protection and weight …
February 26, 2015
National college tour raises awareness about entrepreneurship possibilities. The Millennial Entrepreneurs Road Show, organized by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), begins today at the Atlanta University Center in Atlanta, Ga. The show is a national tour of Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) to engage students and raise awareness about the possibilities of entrepreneurship, expose them …
Matt Bartlett hired as regional manager for Canada. Matt Bartlett has joined Mutoh America Inc., Phoenix, Ariz., as regional manager for Canada, bringing more than 20 years of experience in the wide-format industry. His main responsibilities include growing sales and brand awareness throughout the Canadian market, as well as developing and cultivating relationships with the …
February 18, 2015
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February 16, 2015
More than $25 billion will be spent on wearable technology in 2025. Where are wearable technologies going? Wherever the smart materials will lead, according to Dr. Peter Harrop, chair of IDTechEx, in an analysis released in December 2014 called “Wearable Technology Materials 2015–2025.” Harrop’s projection is that in 2025 more than $25 billion will be …
February 13, 2015
Hygienically Clean Advisory Board introduces new testing protocols for Hygienically Clean Certification. New protocols introduced by the Hygienically Clean Advisory Board for its Hygienically Clean Certification have been reviewed by a third party, independent epidemiologist, and are designed to better ensure quantifiable hygienic outcomes for healthcare linens. The independent certification program was developed by the …
February 12, 2015
Meets increasing demand for SEG fabric graphics To meet the increasing demand for silicone edge graphics (SEG) fabric graphics, North America Display Corp. (NA Display) has purchased an Impulsa sewing system. This will also help the company meet the growing demand for light box graphics, fabric frames and trade show and point-of-purchase displays. A producer …
Vanessa Patino is new VP of operations Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Valley Forge Fabrics announced the appointment of Vanesa Patino as vice president of operations. Patino has 20 years of experience in strategic senior management roles and proven leadership in managing operations, process improvement, financial planning, business development and commercial management initiatives. Diana Dobin, president of …
February 11, 2015
Recognized for exceptional success in business management and technical capabilities. Chukoh Chemical Industries Ltd. was recently awarded the Grand Prize category of the annual Good Company Award sponsored by the Medium and Small Business Research Institute of Japan. The Good Company award recognizes excellence displayed by medium- and small-sized businesses in Japan, and is presented …
February 10, 2015
New institute to strengthen U.S. leadership in advanced composite materials. When U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden announced the creation of a $250 million manufacturing innovation hub in Tennessee, the backdrop could not have been more appropriate to the message. In January the president visited Techmer PM LLC, a Clinton, Tenn., family-owned …
February 9, 2015
OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 updates take effect April 1. Test criteria for OEKO-TEX Standard 100 product certification in 2015 have been updated and will take effect on April 1. The International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile Ecology (OEKO-TEX) researches global regulations that call for reduction or elimination of toxic or harmful …
February 6, 2015
First real-life deployment of D-air®Ski tested by FIS athlete. In collaboration with the International Ski Federation (FIS), Italian retail firm Dainese S.p.A. developed the D-air Ski, a device designed to improve the safety of alpine ski racers, specifically in speed disciplines. The wearable device uses Dainese’s D-air technology, an intelligent protection system that detects dangerous …
February 5, 2015
Enables identification of ELS pima cultivars, distinguishing country of origin. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a “Methods for Genotyping Mature Cotton Fibers and Textiles” patent to Applied DNA Sciences Inc. (APDN) for its pimaTyping authentication of extra long staple (ELS) or pima cotton-based products. Unlike APDN’s fiberTyping® patent that identifies the genetic …
February 4, 2015
Roland printers used to produce wraps, graphics for racecars, transport vehicles, pit equipment. Leading NASCAR race team Richard Childress Racing (RCR) has renewed its partnership with Roland DGA Corp. through 2019. RCR uses Roland wide-format printers and printer/cutters to produce wraps and graphics for the organization’s racecars, transport vehicles, trailers and pit support equipment. The …
February 3, 2015
Fabric showcase submissions due Feb. 13. The Specialty Fabrics Review annual Fabric Showcase, scheduled for the April and May 2015 issues, will focus reader attention on the special benefits and advantages of the new fabrics available to them from industry suppliers. This is an opportunity for all fabric manufacturers and distributors to get the word …
Agility Recovery and SBA to host free webinar Feb. 10. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will partner with Agility Recovery to provide tips on creating a crisis communications plan using social media. The free webinar will be held Feb. 10 from 2-3 p.m. EST. From snow storms to a power outage or in-house crisis, …
February 1, 2015
Case studies highlight marine mattress applications. Marine mattresses are rock-filled containers constructed with advanced UV-stabilized co-polymer geogrid materials. Geogrid panels are laced together to form mattress-shaped baskets that are filled with small stones similar to the construction of gabions. They can also be filled with recycled concrete aggregate to form an effective protective layer against …
The 2015 AATCC Technical Manual is now available, featuring two new test methods, 10 significantly revised methods, and nine editorially revised methods. Published each January, the manual contains close to 150 test methods and evaluation procedures used worldwide to evaluate and characterize fiber and textile materials. You can order it as a cloth-bound book or …
Based in the Greensboro area of North Carolina, Kevin Thomas is the new southern region sales representative for Futureguard Building Products, Auburn, Maine, offering more than 22 years of experience managing wholesale and retail sales in the exterior and interior shade control business. He also has extensive knowledge of building and home integration using Somfy …
The new versatile die and mold handling transporter from Air Technical Industries can rotate any heavy industrial item, such as a die, mold or a motor, 360 degrees. Equipped with four push-pull arms, the transporter is installed on polyurethane roller bearing wheels and can store, retrieve and transport the die lengthwise for easier maneuverability and …
Installing graphic wraps for motor vehicles is an art and a science, and businesses competing for work need to provide high quality wraps on quick timelines. Mutoh America Inc., a Phoenix, Ariz., manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers, joins vinyl film materials company Avery Dennison Corp., Glendale, Calif., in a road show that can give graphic …
Eugene “Pete” McConnell of Columbus, Ohio, passed away Jan. 3 at age 87. McConnell served two three-year terms as an active director (from 1983– 89) on IFAI’s board of directors. McConnell was owner/president of Capital City Awning in Columbus, Ohio, for more than 45 years. Capital City Awning has been an IFAI member since 1967.
Designtex and textile designer Nancy Giesberger have teamed up to develop Hardwear and Sportswear, the industry’s first extreme performance woven textiles developed specifically for indoor and outdoor stadium seating. The new upholsteries feature PVC-coated yarns that have been re-engineered to clear them of phthalates. An FDA-approved softening agent used in the production of children’s toys …
A joint project to develop a long-lasting regenerative patch for cardiac-repair applications will receive support from a program created by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to promote collaboration between the medical and industrial fields. Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Fukui Warp Knitting Co. Ltd., Fukui City, and Teijin Limited, Tokyo, are working together to …
Before your agent can sell for you, sell your company and your products to your agent. If you are a small or midsize company that sees opportunities in foreign markets, the first and in many ways the most important step will be to find an agent or representative who works in the part of the …
3M™ Controltac™ Print Film 40C is 3M’s first intermediate vinyl film to provide advanced repositionability with air release. Recommended for applications including signs, walls, windows, floors, partial vehicle wraps and trucks, it helps shops reduce excess inventory by replacing multiple rolls with just one film. In addition, its optimized print surface delivers high print quality …
New York City announced a $3.5 million investment in a new Manufacturing Innovation Hub located in Brooklyn in a 160,000-square-foot facility with research, design, development and manufacturing resources for emerging designers and apparel manufacturers. The hub will include a specialized sample-making factory; research and development center; design accelerator to create a pipeline of fashion and …
Some marine fabricators prefer to stay within their market. Others have branched out, or are exploring doing so. Ameritex Fabric Systems, headquartered in Bradenton, Fla., now provides golf cart enclosures, says Don Zirkelbach, company president. About two years ago, seeing a need for better golf cart enclosures, the company decided to go after this market. …
Specially designed for the textile industry, the TRU Surface robotic 3-D scanner allows its user to capture the true color, texture and glimmer of any surface. Eliminating the obstacles of 1-D photographs for 3-D products, textiles can now be seen as they respond to movement and light by the tilt of a smart phone or …
The Textile Protection and Comfort Center (T-PACC) at North Carolina State University’s (Raleigh) College of Textiles is inviting industry members to participate in its Consortium on Outdoor Materials Performance Ensembles, Testing and Evaluation, intending to establish an industry-based collaborative research consortium to study principles of human performance and comfort and the influence clothing provides to …
Recommended for spinning mills, the Uster® Jossi Fire Shield offers multi-sensor technology to detect every type of fire risk, right at the start of the mill process, and is able distinguish between dangerous heat sources and harmless electrostatic discharges, identifying hazardous situations before they cause problems. This ensures production is stopped only when necessary. For …
A study by consultants Frost & Sullivan of Mountain View, Calif., found the market for micro-encapsulated phase-change materials (MPCMs) earned $45.1 million in 2013 and estimates the market will reach $99 million in 2018. The study covers MPCMs incorporated in textile and mattress components such as fibers, yarns, fabrics, foams and gels, reporting that the …
Drytac® Backlit Film is a 7-mil front print matte polyester recommended for illuminating graphics and effectively displaying messages in commercial or educational settings. The high quality, distortion-free PET film effectively transmits light, dispersing it evenly and consistently across an image. Its brilliant white point yields high print quality on UV and latex printers and also …
Ameritex Fabric Systems, Bradenton, Fla., leased space in Rome City, Ind., two years ago, bringing its engineered canvas enclosures, tops and covers to pontoon and sport boat manufacturers in the upper Midwest. Ameritex will double its regional production space by moving the Rome City operations to a leased facility in Kendallville, Ind., and establishing a …
Vern Schaefer is what is known as an “early adopter,” trying new equipment as soon as it’s available. As he transitions company leadership to his daughter, he’s still setting trends. “I don’t believe in being locked into one way of doing things,” says Vernon Schaefer, MFC, CEO of Glawe Awnings & Tents, Fairborn, Ohio. “If …
Garmatex Technologies Inc., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and Diagnomics Inc., San Diego, Calif., have signed a five-year letter of intent to develop health care scrubs and linens, using Garmatex’s fabric treatment expertise and Diagnomics’ biotech testing and genome sequencing to produce the next generation of antimicrobial textiles that fight hospital-acquired infections. Diagnomics will make a significant …
By Sigrid Tornquist Q: You’ve been in the tent and awning industry a long time and have seen it fluctuate. What is your opinion of how the industry is doing now? A: I think as a whole the industry is pretty strong right now as compared to the last couple of years. I think the …
Sigmatex Ltd., Cheshire, England, makes carbon fiber textiles for composite materials in Rochdale, England; Shanghai, China; and Benicia, Calif. In its latest expansion, the company will invest $12 million in a 75,000-square-foot facility in Orangeburg County, S.C. The Matthews Industrial Park near Orangeburg has enough space for future company growth in the aerospace and automotive …
French-born Emmanuelle Moureaux fell in love with the “colors overflowing on the street” in the city of Tokyo, Japan, and established Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture and Design after moving to Tokyo in 1996. Her focus is a concept she calls “shikiri,” dividing or creating space with color, and her architectural, interior and display work radiate with …
The third generation has assumed leadership of family-owned Hoover Canvas Awnings, West Palm Beach, Fla. Matthew Carroll, son of James E. Carroll Jr., Hoover’s president and an IFAI Certified Master Fabric Craftsman, is taking over the company with plans to revitalize its image and scope. He has introduced a name change—Hoover Architectural Products—to call out …
According to Forbes magazine, more than $350 million has been invested in redevelopment in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and the promise of future growth enticed SAGE Hospitality into the area. SAGE undertook a major renovation of the Westin Cleveland Downtown hotel, which once hosted movie stars, politicians and presidents, to restore it to a four-star destination. …
Hollingsworth & Vose, Floyd, Va., sees the demand for its advanced filtration material rising in North America and, with a grant from the state of Virginia, will expand to a second location in Floyd. The Floyd Flex Building will house the company’s Technostat® filter media production line and has capacity to grow when H&V launches …
New technology makes sustainable fabric finishing possible. Before knowledge of elements, atoms, nanotechnology and environmental issues, alchemists sought to convert base metal to gold and silver. They believed this transmutation would happen through the magical use of a “Philosopher’s Stone.” Significantly, this ability would also transform the holders of the Stone with riches beyond their …
It is long, shallow and the only shade in sight. A&R Tarpaulins Inc., Fontana, Calif., installs shade cloth for many residential and commercial applications, but less frequently gets requests to shade industrial spaces, such as a 275-by-51-foot shade structure at a Walgreens distribution center truck bay located on a tree-free concrete surface in the Inland …
SKLZ, a pro-performance athletics product company based in San Diego, Calif., recently expanded its warm-up and recovery line to help elite athletes increase circulation, restore and maintain mobility and speed up recovery. Working with EXOS, a business providing expert training, nutrition and physical therapy plans for athletes, SKLZ tests products for proof-of-concept, authenticity, athlete benefit, …
Don’t let workplace stress undermine your operations. Fortunately, headline-making instances of deadly violence are a rare consequence of workplace stress. More often, it simmers just beneath the surface, eating away at morale, productivity and profits. And if you think that workplace stress doesn’t exist in your business, think again. “Emotional pain exists in every organization …
Wearing a space suit designed and manufactured by ILC Dover, Frederica, Del., Google executive Alan Eustace set new skydiving records Oct. 24 when he jumped from a helium-filled scientific balloon 135, 908 feet above Earth’s surface, breaking the sound barrier and hitting a top speed of 822 mph during his four-and-a-half-minute freefall above southern New …
Sympatex Technologies, Unterfohring, Germany, received the Future Materials Award 2014 for its Sympatex Phaseable® technology. Granted by the World Textile Information Network (WTiN), the award is juried by 20 experts from the industry, research and the media. Sympatex’s ecological laminate featuring the technology offers intelligent climate regulation by using a dynamic thermal insulation, and is …
Getting creative with textiles When most people walk into a retail store, they see an array of color-popping advertising displays. If shoppers take a closer look, they might notice these backlit displays are not made of film or some sort of vellum, but of a tightly woven, printed fabric. Eric Tischer, president of Randolph, N.J.-based …
The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) is the first collegiate athletics program to team up with Unifi Inc., Greensboro, N.C., on the Repreve® #TurnItGreen™ campaign to increase plastic recycling among students, faculty, fans and alumni. UNC’s exclusive multimedia rights holder, Learfield Sports’ Tar Heel Sport Properties, secured an agreement with Unifi to promote recycling …