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Ocean plastic gill nets turning into shoes
May 1st, 2023
When shoe brand adidas made its first running shoe from upcycled plastic waste in 2015, it was just the beginning of its partnership with the environmental organization Parley for the Oceans. The collaboration has worked to intercept plastic waste on beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean, turning the waste into adidas x […]
Creating flexible underwater robots
May 1st, 2023
MIT researchers have devised an innovative approach to building deformable underwater robots using simple repeating substructures. Photo: The researchers via MIT Underwater structures that can change their shapes dynamically, similar to fish, can push through water much more efficiently than those with conventional rigid hulls. Constructing deformable devices that can change the curve of their […]
Shed Less fleece creates less microplastic in the laundry
May 1st, 2023
Polartec®, a Milliken & Co. brand, announced Polartec Shed Less Fleece, a new milestone in its effort to reduce textile fiber fragment shedding. Shed Less is a process that combines yarn construction, knitting, chemistry and manufacturing to reduce home laundry fiber fragment shedding by an average of 85%. The Shed Less process works by engineering […]
Fabrics heat and cool the wearer based on the environment
May 1st, 2023
Researchers at Shinshu University in Japan have developed a new method of integrating phase change materials (PCMs) within fabrics that could heat and cool the wearer depending on the environment. Occupations in many industries require workers to shift between vastly different temperatures as part of their work. Apart from making their work uncomfortable, such temperature […]
Medical implants show up on X-rays with radiopaque fibers
May 1st, 2023
One of the textile formation techniques that can utilize radiopaque fibers is low-density braiding. Photo: Cortland Biomedical Cortland Biomedical, a medical textiles product development company in Cortland, N.Y., has announced that it now has capabilities for processing radiopaque fibers. When these fibers are incorporated into diagnostic and interventional medical devices, they allow the devices to […]
Dyeing for change: Companies create pollution solutions
May 1st, 2023
Focused on plant, plant waste and bacterial-based dyestuff, Sodhani Biotech provides textile mills worldwide with a vast selection of commercially available and sustainable dyes. The company uses a biological process to fix pigment onto textiles. The plant-based dyes are suitable for cotton, wool, silk, polyester, nylon and other fibers. Compared to manufacturing synthetic dyes, the […]
In memoriam: Kevin Yonce
May 1st, 2023
Former Industrial Fabrics Association International (now ATA) Chairman Kevin Yonce passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home on April 29, 2023. Yonce was born January 24, 1970, in Urbana, Ill. He was a lifelong resident of Champaign-Urbana and a 1988 graduate of Urbana High School. Yonce is survived by his mother, Wanda, brother […]
George Smith grew Mahaffey through market diversification
May 1st, 2023
George Smith, vice president of operations for temporary structures for Sunbelt Rentals Inc. (and former president and CEO of Mahaffey USA), never intended to make a career out of the tent business. In the beginning, it was strictly a side gig. “I was working in garage door sales in Boston when my wife’s father suggested […]
2023 Specialty Fabrics Showcase, Part 2
May 1st, 2023
Awnings, tents, shade sails, marine upholstery, protective gear, furniture: Regardless of the end product, the fabric needs to perform in harsh conditions while looking good, keeping the planet green and fitting into a client’s budget. For our two-part annual showcase, we asked contributors to send us information about their latest high-performance textiles. We’ve organized the […]
Sports pavilion built at a school in France
May 1st, 2023
Lycée Michelet is located in Vanves, an old but storied suburb of Paris, on a piece of land it first occupied in 1871. The school (Lycée) is at the center of Vanves and within blocks of the Paris Convention Center and little more than a third of a mile from the Seine River. As with […]