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Covering climate change

July 1, 2021  |  Features

Broiling summers, harsh winters, drought, fires, hurricanes—climate change is making life harder, more fraught and dangerous for people across the globe. While political leaders and governments argue over policies and regulations, the specialty fabrics industry is stepping up to devise products to…
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Equipment that makes a difference

July 1, 2021  |  Features, Markets

Countless decisions go into the daily operation of a business, some big, some small, but all part of determining how successful a company is going to be. The decision to purchase equipment is usually one of the bigger decisions—and it also can make the biggest difference. Equipment purchases can h…
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Donato Fraioli continues ASATI’s tradition of innovation

June 1, 2021  |  Features, Perspective

The news headlines were alarming. Just before Christmas 2003, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that a case of deadly mad cow disease had been reported in Washington state. Halfway across the country, animal disease scientists working in Ames, Iowa, faced a double whammy. Not only were t…
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Rethinking equipment purchasing strategies

June 1, 2021  |  Features

Of all the adages that could be applied to the past year, “Necessity is the mother of invention” may be the most appropriate for the fabrication business. Fabricators, and the equipment manufacturers that supply them, learned more about pivoting than they probably ever wanted to know. The conven…
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Up against a wall

June 1, 2021  |  Features

Wallpaper has been around for centuries—since the 16th century to be exact. In its earliest iterations, wallpaper was printed on paper in monochrome black ink, and color soon followed with the introduction of polychrome block printing. Eventually, in the late 1960s/early 1970s, vinyl wallpaper too…
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The balancing act of textile treatments

June 1, 2021  |  Features

Fueled by consumer demand, textile treatments are evolving to provide an ever-growing array of performance benefits. This development has also driven the need to pay close attention to regulations and environmental considerations. COVID-19 has, not surprisingly, escalated interest in antimicrobial t…
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Karl Deardorff’s smart moves with SLO Sail and Canvas

May 1, 2021  |  Features, Perspective

At age 19, Karl Deardorff bought a sewing machine from Leo Robbins, his first sailing instructor. “I wanted to be able to fix and alter my own sails,” he says. The machine went with Deardorff to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he was also on the sailing team.
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Putting the art in fabric architecture

May 1, 2021  |  Features

James Wines is known as a provocative artist who creates building-sized installations that some would say are more architecture than art. Indeed, he wrote a book about the fusion of these two artistic expressions called De-architecture, where he insisted that “buildings don’t need a defensive ra…
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Bringing digital printing in-house

May 1, 2021  |  Features

Standing out from the crowd has become more important than ever for businesses of all stripes, and many turn to vibrant, riveting digital graphics to get their messages across.
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2021 Specialty Fabrics Showcase, Part 2

May 1, 2021  |  Features, Specialty Fabrics Showcase

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.
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