TEXTILES.ORG
by Seshadri Ramkumar, Ph.D
NETInc, a nonwovens technical conference, was developed by engineers and technologists and has nonwovens professionals from around the world attending each year. This year the Nonwovens Engineers and Technologists (NET) division of TAPPI will be showcasing new developments in the field at the forthcoming NETInc 2019 conference to be held May 5–8, in conjunction with the paper conference (PaperCon 2019) in Indianapolis, Ind.
Larry Montague, president of TAPPI, said, “this year’s event will showcase best practices for now, and ideas for the future to drive the industry forward.”
The nonwoven conference will begin with keynote presentations. Andrew Aho, vice-president of new business development, Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), will provide insights on the U.S. advanced textiles market and outlook for the future. Amit Kapoor, president and CEO of First Line Technology, will focus his talk on pathways for the commercialization of nonwovens. The company transitioned FiberTect nonwoven wipes into defense markets.
With heightened awareness concerning plastic contamination, papers on bio-based oil absorbing nonwovens, antibacterial cotton products and developments in nanocellulose research will be presented. The conference has attracted a good mix of papers from industry and academia on varied themes such as innovative filter media, foam finishing and biodegradable wool felts.
Gaurav Pranami, vice president of research and development at Imbed Biosciences, said, “With 22 talks on the latest R&D in the field of nonwovens from industry and academia and national and international participants, NETInc 2019 is the conference to attend.”
Seshadri Ramkumar, PhD, is a professor in the Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory, Texas Tech University, Lubbock.