Marine fabrication community steps up to make PPE

June 1, 2020  |  Swatches

As the new normal for businesses around the U.S. became fabricating personal protective equipment, the marine fabrication community stepped up. Carl Pellegrini, owner of SeaCanvas, Egg Harbor Township, N.J., spent several weeks this spring making and donating face shields to 10 local police and fire…
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Automation advantages

June 1, 2020  |  Features

Adding automation can prove challenging, with costs to consider, processes to change and nervous employees to reckon with. Still, fabricators who have taken the leap say there’s no other way to go.  by Pamela Mills-Senn When Darren Arthur, owner of Nautilux Custom Canvas LLC in Hazlet, N.J., …
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Protecting structures with fabric

June 1, 2020  |  Features

When it comes to protecting structures  from the elements, fabric has it covered. by Jeff Moravec Fabric serves an unending variety of needs, but sometimes overlookedis its role in protecting us from the dangers of our natural world. Here’s a snapshot of several companies and their products t…
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Performance upholstery fabrics meet myriad consumer demands

June 1, 2020  |  Features

High-performing upholstery fabrics offer more features than ever, without sacrificing style and comfort.  by Maura Keller Consumers don’t want to choose between beauty and durability, nor do they want to sacrifice performance for sustainability, according to LeAnne Flack, marketing manager fo…
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Temporary structures for sanitizing and containing

June 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented—and speedy—innovations. Multinational company Stretch Marquees and Fabric Structures spent the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic repurposing existing products and creating new ones to meet the needs of the global health crisis. The results include a d…
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Protective fabric mesh surrounds a landmark tower

June 1, 2020  |  Markets

A fabric-clad tower in southern Germany brings technicians, elevator experts and the public together in one spectacular vertical setting. By Bruce N. Wright, FAIA Paris’s Eiffel Tower, London’s Big Ben, China’s Three Pagodas, Iraq’s spiral minaret: Over time, all became more than just their …
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Antiviral treatment for face masks

June 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Swiss textile innovation company HeiQ mobilized quickly to fight the dire coronavirus threat, introducing HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile technology that is proven to be effective against COVID-19 in face mask testing. The idea behind the HeiQ technology is to mitigate t…
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Sustainability and value: Biomaterials and biomimetics become green alternatives

June 1, 2020  |  Advanced Textiles

by Glenna B. Musante Textile and outdoor gear communities are looking for ways to limit the use of petroleum products. To achieve this goal, apparel and gear brands, as well as ingredient manufacturers within the textile industry supply chain, are beginning to replace or augment plastics and polyest…
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Kevin Greenwood and Stage Tops USA cover lives events around the globe

June 1, 2020  |  Features, Perspective

by Jill C. Lafferty “Everything is visual today,” says Kevin Greenwood, owner/CEO of Stage Tops USA, a Manchester, Tenn.-based company that manufactures and installs roof skins, wind walls, stage scrims and other fabric projects for major live events around the world. “[My clients] want to be …
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Expo unveiled: HGTV stars do well by doing good

June 1, 2020  |  Expo News

by Rebecca Post When daughter-mother team Mina Starsiak Hawk and Karen E Laine rehabilitated their first house in 2007, they began a journey that morphed into a successful business and a binge-worthy series on HGTV. Their business, Two Chicks and a Hammer Inc., and their TV show, “Good Bones,” t…
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