Flying the “Paper Airplane”

January 1, 2017  |  Fabric Structures, Markets

Canvas Specialty, Inc. works through challenges to create a shade structure that is also art. The simplicity of the paper airplane has made it a popular toy for generations of kids (and adults), even in this age of high-tech entertainment. But while the shade structure installed recently in Los Ang…
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Textile, heal thyself

January 1, 2017  |  Projects

What if you accidentally spill a chemical on your shirt, causing a hole, and miraculously, the shirt repairs itself when you throw it in the wash? It’s not just the stuff of science fiction. Known as self-healing textiles, fabrics are being developed that can repair themselves as well as neutraliz…
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Developing friendlier fabrics

January 1, 2017  |  Features

As sustainability is increasingly important to growing numbers of consumers, fabric manufacturers are broadening their eco-friendly offerings, giving specialty fabricators plenty of green options. As a famous frog once lamented, it’s not easy being green. The same can be said for companies wanting…
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When to count income

January 1, 2017  |  Business

Get ready for new guidelines on ‘revenue recognition.’ Sometimes accounting rules and the tax law are logical and equitable; sometimes they aren’t. One question always seems to surface: When is a business’s revenue considered “income”? The time to claim income and deductions is dictated …
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Moving shade

January 1, 2017  |  Products

Oasis® Patio Shades Driven by Lutron® are motorized patio shades and retractable insect screens available for the home market. The high-end patio shades bring advanced control to outdoor spaces by controlling heat, UV rays, glare and insects. Oasis 2800 Patio Sun Shades are available in a range of…
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Blowin’ in the wind

January 1, 2017  |  Projects

While on several long trekking tours, Nils Ferber ran into one problem: His electronic equipment kept running out of batteries. The Zurich, Switzerland-based designer realized that there was no easy way to keep his devices powered up in the wilderness. He also recognized that this could be a real is…
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Stability at sea

January 1, 2017  |  Marine, Markets

Redesigned nylon para sea anchor provides unmatched strength and support for a new oil vessel. Fabric’s wide-ranging aquatic capabilities are often observed above water in the form of sails, for example, or inflatable and flexible boating structures. When put to work beneath the surface, dependenc…
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Fabric for health care

January 1, 2017  |  Products

Frankie from Mitchell Faux Leathers is a high-performance polyurethane upholstery fabric made with a proprietary manufacturing system. The resin platform is coated directly onto the textile, resulting in a thin sheet of polyurethane for scratch resistance, hydrolysis resistance, UV stability and che…
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Fire-resistant shadecloth

January 1, 2017  |  Products

The newly redeveloped FR Comshade™ is a fire-rated knitted HDPE shade fabric with a next generation FR additive that is environmentally safe and less aggressive against UV inhibitors than the original FR Comshade. Line includes seven colors—Aquamarine, Cappuccino, Midnight Green, Porcelain, Sand…
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Direct-to-fabric printing

January 1, 2017  |  Products

The TX300P-1800 roll-to-roll, direct-to-textile inkjet printer is 75 inches wide and engineered for direct-to-fabric applications. Capable of utilizing five types of textile-specific inks that can be direct printed on a variety of synthetic or natural fibers, the printer is suitable for creating sam…
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