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Tough marine zip
December 1st, 2017
Sunbrella® Performance Zippers feature tape made using 100 percent Sunbrella fibers, giving them the inherent performance characteristics of all Sunbrella textiles—UV and fade resistance, mold and mildew resistance and bleach cleanability—while the specially-designed WX zipper teeth keep wind and water out. The line also features IDEAL Fastener Corporation’s patented QRX technology for quick release with […]
On the march
December 1st, 2017
For several years the U.S. military market has been characterized by base closures and troop drawdowns, which has had an admittedly dampening effect on the need for and spending on military textiles. The United States isn’t the only geographic market for these products, nor are these textiles limited to just our military; purchasers are found […]
Rugged thread
December 1st, 2017
Trivantage has introduced a new line of filament-bonded polyester sewing thread designed for vinyl, canvas and carpet applications. PremoBond features maximum durability, UV protection and colorfastness. With yarn that’s approximately 30 times stronger than the current industry standard, the thread is long-lasting, even in harsh weather conditions. PremoBond’s proprietary bonding blend and custom-formulated dyes ensure […]
Upscale upholstery
December 1st, 2017
WG Design Studio created two new vinyl-coated textile designs for Wolf-Gordon’s Performance Upholstery 02 collection. Barras is printed with a robust, weathered-linen look. Zig Zag fools the eye with faux stitching—complete with realistic shadows—for a convincing 3-D effect. Both are bleach-cleanable, heavy-duty materials with excellent ratings for abrasion resistance, colorfastness and coating adhesion—the ability for […]
Another dimension
December 1st, 2017
3-D narrow fabrics expand possibilities Under a Small Business Innovation Research grant for a project with the U.S. Air Force, Bally Ribbon Mills of Bally, Pa., developed a quad-axial loom. Through research and development in that process, the company learned a lot that it was able to apply to commercial items. “Now we are able […]
Protect and conserve potable water
December 1st, 2017
If you’ve had a glass of clean water today, you can likely thank a fabric-based product. Engineered fabrics, membranes and geosynthetics perform behind-the-scenes work to ensure that communities have access to adequate potable water and clean waterways. Creative fabric uses also hold promise in delivering clean water in emerging markets—a meteoric task considering that 783 […]
Exosuit normalizes walking for stroke patients
December 1st, 2017
About 80 percent of people who suffer a stroke lose functionality in a limb—a clinical phenomenon called hemiparesis. Even if those patients return to walking, normal gait can be affected. Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Boston University’s College of […]
Marketing to millennials
December 1st, 2017
Take two ideas and put them together to make one new idea. After all, what is a Snuggie but a mutation of a blanket and a robe? ~Jim Kukral For years now, I’ve been endearing myself in meetings with manufacturers by asking questions like: “So when will there be an awning that is delivered by […]
Fabric tester redux
December 1st, 2017
Due to renewed demand from retailers, SDL Atlas has re-introduced the Bean Bag Snag Tester, which is designed to determine the snagging and picking characteristics of fabrics by tumbling fabric pillows containing a weighted bean bag within two separate test cylinders provided with eight pinned bars, rotating at 20RPM for 100 revolutions. Provided with a […]
Smarter smart apparel
December 1st, 2017
DuPont™ Intexar™ smart clothing technology is a suite of premium and high-performing stretchable electronic inks and films that transform ordinary fabrics into smart garments that provide biometric data including heart rate, breathing rate, form awareness and muscle tension. Intexar is seamlessly embedded directly into fabric using standard apparel manufacturing processes to create thin, comfortable, form-fitting […]