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Seeing is believing
October 7th, 2015
Everybody wants to get noticed, but it’s more than just an ego thing. It’s a safety issue, as Shari Franklin Smith vividly demonstrated during an interactive IFAI Expo session on “The Science Behind Conspicuous Designs.” The technical service manager for the Personal Safety Division at 3M led attendees through a series of “tests” to disclose […]
One thing leads to another
October 7th, 2015
After the tsunami-triggered Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown in 2011, a Japanese aerospace company that had met representatives from California’s AR Tech during a trade mission to that country asked for help in a better technology to protect the hundreds of miles of cable running through the plant. Amir Massoudi, director of quality and engineering […]
The chain link
October 6th, 2015
Attending IFAI Expo, as well as serving as a moderator in the Advanced Textiles Program, Cheryl Gomes, project manager for the Core Research Facility at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, is working on a consortium under the label Fibers and Textiles Revolution. The goal is to create a sustainable supply chain in the textile industry […]
Impressive growth predicted for flexible, wearable electronics
October 6th, 2015
Dr. Guillaume Chansin told attendees at IFAI Advanced Textiles Conference in Anaheim, Calif., today that almost half of the wearable technology market is in North America and over half of that market is in the health and fitness segment. Dr. Chansin, a researcher with the British market research and consulting firm, IDTechEx, also said that […]
Keeping it tight
October 6th, 2015
Expo attendees could hardly be misled by the lengthy descriptor title “Influence of Inherently Super-Nonwetting Fiber and Fabric Designs Repellency and Resistance to Liquid Penetration." So attendees at Dr. Quoc Troung’s presentation clearly held expertise and specific interest in the finer points of fabric structure. The physical scientist at the U.S. Army Natick Solder Research, […]
Crypton’s superheroes
October 6th, 2015
Though this isn’t Comic Con, Hardy Sullivan called upon comic book-style superheroes in his expo presentation titled “Super Fabric Advancements Combat Arch Villains.” The vice president of research and development for Crypton Inc. described several of his company’s textile products with graphic representations as follows: “Splendor” represented Revl™ anti-graffiti vinyl, launched in March. “It has […]
Tips for communicating with textile testing labs
October 6th, 2015
Adam Varley, chief operating officer and technical director at Vartest Laboratories Inc., New York, N.Y., offers companies who submit textiles for testing the following tips for communicating with laboratories: Make the request clear. Are you asking for the tests you need or that your customer wants? Clearly mark samples, preferably permanently. Clearly identify the face of […]
Wrangler, Milliken launch flame-resistant jeans
October 5th, 2015
Greensboro, N.C.–based Wrangler® has announced the launch of its Wrangler Flame Resistant (FR) Advanced Comfort jeans, the newest extension of the brand’s performance apparel featuring four-way flex technology that allows the jeans to move with the wearer. Wrangler partnered with Westex by Milliken to engineer the new line. Specialty chemical developer Milliken’s Westex® Indigo denim […]
Schoeller-works, DutchSpirit launch sustainable workwear
October 2nd, 2015
Swiss textiles maker schoeller-works has teamed with DutchSpirit of the Netherlands to introduce Inspire, a 100 percent recyclable workwear line. Inspire textiles consist entirely of polyester fibers with a look and feel similar to cotton, but their manufacture requires less water, land and energy consumption. Additional qualities featured are Schoeller’s 3XDRY® finish, which repels water […]
NASA seeks students’ ideas for inflatable heat shield technology
October 1st, 2015
NASA has launched its Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge, offering students the chance to participate in the agency’s journey to Mars. NASA’s Game Changing Development Program (GCD), managed by the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C., and the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) are seeking innovative ideas for generating lift using […]