BV Investment Partners invests in C.F. Stinson
September 19th, 2016
BV Investment Partners, a middle-market private equity firm, has made a sizable investment in C.F. Stinson, a tech-enabled designer and marketer of textiles to the commercial interiors industry. BV is investing in partnership with Keith and Glenn Stinson, the third generation of family ownership. Central to its business and its success, Stinson leverages a patented, […]
Applications for durable nonwovens
September 19th, 2016
Nonwovens may be best known for their role in disposable products; but, with advances in technology, these engineered fabrics are reaching further into markets where traditional textiles have been used. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member and chief commercial officer at Sandler AG, offers examples from the German-based company’s portfolio: Transportation: interior and exterior absorbers, carrier materials […]
ASTM Intl. Award of Merit
September 16th, 2016
Patricia Annis, associate profession at the University of Georgia in Athens, received the prestigious ASTM International Award of Merit, the top annual award for individual contributions to standards development. Annis, an ASTM member since 1988, led the Committee on Textiles’ (D13) two largest subcommittees on Test Fabric Methods and Fabric Test Methods, Specific. In addition […]
Enhancing the “legitimacy” of portable structures
September 16th, 2016
The concept of a portable structure seems contrary to normal expectations. A building, after all, should be grounded with a solid footing and not move! Nevertheless, Aaron Betsky, architecture critic, curator and the dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Scottsdale, Ariz., argued in a recent online opinion piece that temporary structures should […]
ASTM fire-resistive standard proposed
September 15th, 2016
ASTM Intl. is looking for people with experience inspecting fire-resistive materials to help create a proposed new standard: WK54567 Practice for the On-Site Inspection of Installed Fire Resistive Materials. Spray-applied (SFRM) and intumescent (heat expanding) materials are used on structural steel and other components in schools, hospitals, homes, offices, petrochemical plants and other places where […]
Harlow Frederick Dodge
September 14th, 2016
Harlow Frederick Dodge has been named chief operating officer of Leigh Fibers Inc. and ICE Recycling, world leaders in reprocessed fibers and polymers headquartered in Wellford, S.C. He has spent 20 years with Georgia Pacific Corp., where he advanced from the shop floor to executive vice president of the Gypsum Division. Dodge’s extensive experience in […]
Key product areas in wearable technology
September 13th, 2016
It’s tough to resist the “gee whiz” factor inspired by wearable technologies and the potential to strike it big with the newest trendy gizmo. IDTechEx, an independent research and event firm based in Cambridge, U.K., recently released a report, “Wearable Technology 2016-2026,” that identifies wearable technology as a $30 billion market in 2016, with more […]
Talking textiles with Turkey
September 12th, 2016
Turkish researchers offer innovative textile solutions to many serious problems: form-fitting ambulance stretchers with antibacterial and protective properties, military uniforms with antimicrobial and weather-resistant protection, and hats fitted with small photovoltaic panels powering a camera and related sensors to help those suffering from visual impairment. What these innovators need is the capital to bring these […]
Dust mite protection
September 9th, 2016
Patients suffering from neurodermatitis, an inflammatory skin reaction most common among children, may be reacting to the same allergen that irritates people with respiratory issues—dust mite feces. Does a fabric labeled “house dust and dust mite barrier” protect people from both types of allergic reaction? Not necessarily, according to the Hohenstein Institute, Bönnigheim, Germany. Skin […]
Organic cotton production
September 8th, 2016
In 1993, Texas organic cotton farmers formed the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative (TOCMC) to develop new markets for the organically grown fiber. Over time the cooperative has survived floods, sandstorms, hailstorms and drought that destroyed as much as 70 percent of its crops in some years. Perseverance paid off, and in 2015, cooperative members […]