Concrete Cloth applications may save lives

July 1, 2008  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets, Products, Tents

A pair of young British engineers were hoping for some design competition money when they began brainstorming new uses for concrete. In the end, their innovation—Concrete Cloth—may already be saving lives. Peter Brewin and William Crawford were studying for post-graduate degrees in London in 200…
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Strategies for compliance with building codes

July 1, 2008  |  Awnings & Canopies, Fabric Structures, Features, Graphics, Tents

It’s a story that’s becoming all too familiar: An awning company takes a job fabricating a simple entrance canopy. It’s the type of installation that this company has done hundreds of times before—but this time, that company is given a veritable laundry list of additional requirements. Provi…
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Fast Shelter provides inflatable structure in minutes

July 1, 2008  |  Projects, Tents

Despite rain, snow, sleet or hail, work needs to get done outdoors. Elite Detail Service in northern Illinois washed more than 200 vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show in below-freezing temperatures using a shelter that packs into a canvas duffle bag 30 inches in diameter. The Fast Shelter model 950xt …
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Color Selector allows users to preview products

July 1, 2008  |  Graphics, Products, Upholstery

The 2008 Color Selector from Avery Dennison, available at no charge to sign shops and digital printing facilities, allows users to see actual product samples, to help distinguish color selections, feel the quality of the vinyl and compare durability and gloss levels. This latest version includes fou…
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Design software allows remote, real-time communication

July 1, 2008  |  Products, Upholstery

3D Runway Designer 10 design software from OptiTex now incorporates remote collaboration tools, including an open chat room that allows production and image files in 2D and 3D to be sent between partners participating in the design process. The images can be modified using the new chalk tool, allowi…
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Molecular manipulation to change the textile industry

July 1, 2008  |  Advanced Textiles, Business, Features

Would you like to have shirts that don’t get dirty? What if the milk that spilled in your minivan never smelled? Wouldn’t it be convenient if the seats in your boat couldn’t mildew? And imagine the value of a surgical mask that actually kills germs, rather than simply preventing them from bein…
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Asbestos-like nanotubes may pose asbestos-like risks

July 1, 2008  |  Advanced Textiles, Industry News

Long, thin multi-walled carbon nanotubes that look like asbestos fibers may pose the same inhalation hazards as asbestos, according to new research published in Nature Nanotechnology in May. The findings conclude that cancer of the lung lining, mesothelioma, a disease associated with asbestos, can r…
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Lifesaving combat wear stops bleeding

July 1, 2008  |  Advanced Textiles, Products

Sixty percent of preventable deaths in military actions involve blood loss from arm and leg wounds, and Blackhawk! Products Group, Norfolk, Va., a manufacturer of tactical, military and law enforcement equipment, wants to change those statistics. Blackhawk, working with Dr. Keith Rose, a tactical me…
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Technology gives fabrics the power to act and react

July 1, 2008  |  Advanced Textiles, Business, Products

Adapting shoes to weather conditions Wet feet? Never again. German companies IQTEX and BASF have jointly developed a unique, intelligent system that adapts shoes to suit weather conditions. To make this possible, IQTEX has processed a special superabsorbing fleece from BASF into an innovative ventil…
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Internally illuminated banner systems for various applications

July 1, 2008  |  Awnings & Canopies, Graphics, Products

Using the platform Light Emitting Capacitor (LEC) technology from CeeLite Inc., Britten Inc. has introduced the first internally illuminated banner systems for both indoor and outdoor applications. BannerBright™ uses thin, flexible and lightweight LEC light source panels that can be used on flat o…
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