Textiles in the defense industry

October 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

A synergistic relationship exists between defense agencies and the textile industry. Small-to-medium enterprises enjoy support from the defense sector through funding mechanisms such as the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Federal agencies, includi…
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Textiles’ role in alternative energy

September 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the amount of renewable capacity added to energy systems around the world grew by 50% in 2023, reaching almost 510 gigawatts (GW), with solar/photovoltaic accounting for three-quarters of additions worldwide.
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Thermal control in wearable technology

August 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

The textile-heated garment industry is revolutionizing how we stay warm. Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), the organization I work for, is at the forefront of developments in the types of heat sources used, particularly how they are controlled for optimal comfort and efficiency.
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WCO trade law affects textiles with plastic treatments

July 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Recent trade law clarifications could mean lower tariff rates, and other effects, for laminated textiles and goods made from them.
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Printed, flexible electionics for e-textiles

June 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Can printed electronics (PE) and flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) offer to e-textiles a means to overcome the design, manufacturing and sustainability challenges facing the industry? The Large-Area, Organic & Printed Electronics Convention (LOPEC), an annual conference and trade show, recently …
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AI’s potential in saving manufacturers time and money

May 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has gained global prominence since serious discussions on this subject surfaced at the 2017 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Following the 1990s’ information technology (IT) revolution, we now have arrived at the point of harnessing the power of machine inte…
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Looking back, looking ahead: Textile industry trends

April 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

A political, economic, social, technology (PEST) analysis on the smart and advanced textile industry for 2023 would likely show that “P” dominated, as politics has affected all sectors. But that is not to diminish the important developments that have taken place in the industry, in some cases be…
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Smart fabrics testing and standards under development

March 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Smart textiles that use specialized polymers, chemical additives or electronics to react with their environment are changing textile technology in the 21st century. E-textiles or “wearables” have been particularly promising due to their ability to monitor and communicate data to provide sensory …
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Textiles in protection from bioagents, chemical warfare

February 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

The medical and military industries are both in need of fabrics that offer protection against biological threats in health care environments and, for warfighters, the threat posed by chemical warfare. The challenges faced are complex; protection against multiple agents could be needed, and the agent…
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ATA’s Emerging Technologies Conference focuses on the future

January 1, 2024  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

The Emerging Technologies Conference, part of Advanced Textiles Expo 2023 in Orlando, Fla., revealed the diversity in advanced textiles markets and applications and tackled big questions that need answers to move markets into the future that many envision. As much as it appears that exciting new fun…
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