TEXTILES.ORG
Lifelike labels
June 1st, 2018
Franz Barta’s Digital Fusion heat transfer labels allow for full photographic quality, randomized QR codes for variable information that open a world of design possibilities. The labels are applied directly to almost any substrate in a matter of a few seconds, making them a cost-effective and efficient solution for permanent branding and safety instructions. Once […]
Success: customer-centric innovation
June 1st, 2018
If your business proposition is innovative, your ultimate goal has to be ‘The customer always thinks that WE are right.’ ~Richard Branson Back in February 1997, before my editorial advent at IFAI, the Industrial Fabric Products Review cover was graced with a simple shot of a computer, in ominous dark purple and glowing green […]
How to use the H-2B program to hire legal temporary guest workers
June 1st, 2018
For tent and event rental companies, the busy season not only brings the promise of more work, it also ups the need for more workers, a worry for businesses facing potential labor shortages. In response, some U.S. businesses turn to the H-2B program, hoping to fill their seasonal needs by employing legal temporary immigrant labor, […]
Service Thread believes that business success and community success go hand in hand
June 1st, 2018
When it comes to serving the community, no need is too great or too small for Service Thread, a Laurinburg, N.C.-based designer and developer of engineered yarns and sewing threads. “We usually try to participate in everything,” says Hope Dohogn, human resources manager. “It’s very rare that we would say no.” Whether that need is […]
Textile sculptures detail beauty and fragility
June 1st, 2018
Textile artist Jannick Deslauriers takes delicate fabrics and creates detailed sculptures of objects that seem to be lost in time, broken and decaying. Her work evokes a sense of the ephemeral nature of commonplace items that we assume are solid and unchanging—telephone poles, an apartment building or a piano, for example. The Montreal-based artist’s recent […]
Tougher hardware
June 1st, 2018
Loxx® Fasteners are durable, self-locking quick-release fasteners that are precision-engineered from brass and stainless steel. Versatile and reliable in the harshest environments, the fasteners are appropriate for marine, architectural, cover and tarp, and industrial fastening applications. They are easy to install by simply punching a hole and screwing on the mating washer. There is no […]
Efficient cutting
June 1st, 2018
With a number of options and configurations available, the CTL Series of automatic cut-to-length machines available from Sewn Products Equipment can fully automate the panel cutting process. The machines transform a typically slow and inefficient manual process, and make the material preparation easy and accurate without the need for operators to walk continuously up and […]
Redefining textiles
June 1st, 2018
New materials and manufacturing processes give the word “textile” new meaning. Textile technology is undergoing a revolution, with innovative structures, raw materials and manufacturing platforms creating new fabrics that defy old-school definitions. Introductory textile science classes teach that textiles are materials that can be woven, knit, crocheted, knotted or felted from yarns spun from cellulose, […]
Selling shade, comfort, health and weather protection-in style
June 1st, 2018
Who could have predicted, even 10 years ago, that Amazon would have driven shade and awning companies, let alone everyday retail stores, into changing their operations to meet the demand for overnight response rates? Yet today, more than we’d like to believe, sales behemoths like the online portal Amazon and similar services have taught consumers […]
Polymer mat destroys water pollutants
June 1st, 2018
It’s called bait, hook and destroy, a process that removes pollutants from water. While it sounds dramatic, the process is achieved using a polymer mat that can target harmful contaminants and fish them out. Developed by scientists at the Rice University-led Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center, the mat employs titanium dioxide, a common material used […]