Insulating fabric, or polar bear pelt?

May 1, 2018  |  Projects

Polar bears have a thick pelt that keeps them warm in the arctic environment even when temperatures average -40°F during the winter months. Scientists at China’s Zhejiang University College of Chemical and Biological Engineering studied the microstructure and thermal insulation qualities of the p…
Strategies for keeping busy year-round

May 1, 2018  |  Features

Roller coasters belong in amusement parks, not on the balance sheet; yet for many specialty fabricator businesses susceptible to seasonal ups and downs, it may sometimes seem as if the operation is being taken for exactly that kind of ride. Not every business is prone to periodic slowdowns in work. …
Developing NASA’s next-generation spacesuit

May 1, 2018  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Human space exploration is one of the most ambitious and exciting endeavors upon which we’ve ever embarked, and it has always been an integral part of the U.S. space program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) sent our first astronaut, Alan Shepard, on a suborbital flight in …
The cycles of time, sculpted in fiber

May 1, 2018  |  Projects

Madrid’s historic Plaza Mayor, a popular gathering place and tourist destination, celebrated its 400th anniversary in February 2018. In honor of the occasion, the city of Madrid, Spain, commissioned an original sculpture by American artist Janet Echelman. Known for colorful large-scale fiber sculp…
Patient-friendly hospital gowns

May 1, 2018  |  Projects

With advancements in modern medicine, the one thing that has remained the same for decades is the awkward, open-back hospital gown. The company Care+Wear, founded in 2014 to design fashionable and functional clothing and accessories for people undergoing medical treatment, decided it was time for a …