Sustainable infrastructure and construction textiles

June 1, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Infrastructure and construction textiles succeed with a focus on sustainable alternatives. By Seshadri Ramkumar and Marie O’Mahony  Today’s advanced textiles offer new forms for use in infrastructure projects and in building design and construction. These “hidden” textiles may be found in s…
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The protective textiles market

May 1, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Advanced textiles sector participants can benefit from strong growth predictions.  by Seshadri Ramkumar The protective textiles sector is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4 percent, according to a recent report by Leeds, U.K.-based WTiN Intelligence Service. Earlier estimates by other market s…
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Advice for understanding IP law

April 23, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Advice for innovators from innovators. by Janet Preus Editor’s note: Select entrepreneurs were asked to answer questions about intellectual property (IP) law and their experiences with it. Those interviewed are at various stages in their careers. Questions asked: What do you wish you had known ear…
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Providing comfortable high-tech clothing

April 1, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Comfort for the human body needs to be comprehensive. This complicates the technologies that are available to reach the ultimate goal of providing physiological, environmental and psychological comfort. A definition of technology that matches consumer expectations of clothing is a “feeling of reli…
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Advancing sustainability in textiles

March 1, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Textiles are part of a larger drive to protect and preserve resources for the future. Sustainability may be understood as a way to judiciously consume resources while leaving or even enhancing the availability of resources for future generations. The term “sustainability” has developed a powerfu…
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Advances in smart medical textiles

February 1, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

A series of novel developments in medical textiles see smart textiles coupled with smart design to deliver benefits to both patients and medical professionals. With the medical textile market predicted to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 4.23 percent during the period 2018–2022, the…
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Growing interest in using natural “smart” fibers

January 1, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Since the industrial revolution, textiles have transitioned from natural fibers of cotton, wool, silk and linen to textiles created from petroleum products and reconstituted wood pulp. Today’s synthetic fibers are stronger, cheaper to manufacture, and have proven easily adaptable to a wide range o…
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New smart fabrics and protective gear innovations keep first responders safer

December 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles

First responders—from firefighters to law enforcement to emergency medical services technicians—need to be ready to handle any situation they encounter, and they need the appropriate gear to respond quickly to emergencies. Responders draw on their experience to make sound decisions in the chaos …
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Early adopters affect product development

November 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

IoClothes describes itself as “A Community Fusing Tech & Textiles™” that exists to support those who innovate in the smart textile industry by providing information and helping them to establish the right connections to move forward. Managing director Ben Cooper says, “About 30–40 perc…
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Incorporating new materials into composites

October 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

In material science, strength alone is often found to have its limitations; a combination of hard and soft, rigid and flexible is an area of increasing interest for a wide range of applications from construction, to sports equipment, to protective apparel. Composites bring together two or more mater…
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