The “magic” of carbon fiber

January 6, 2017  |  My Take

I read up on carbon fiber basics to write this, even though I’ve been covering carbon fiber, its uses and products, for several years. I still don’t quite understand why it’s so strong and lightweight, but I suppose that’s a little like asking why the sky is blue. There is an explanation, bu…
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Making medical miracles

December 9, 2016  |  My Take

When you think about it, it’s so logical. Of course the textiles industry would be a critical participant in responding to the needs of modern medicine. High performance textiles are everywhere in this environment, from the scrubs and lab coats worn by every health care provider to privacy curtain…
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The textile testing challenge

November 4, 2016  |  My Take

Standards for textiles are a good thing. People would agree, generally, that this is true. But this is not really a yes-or-no question, either. Establishing standards that fit today’s materials and end products – and staying on top of all the performance capabilities possible – is a relentless…
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Naturally brilliant

October 7, 2016  |  My Take

If nature has figured out a pretty good way to do something, it would make sense to try and copy it, right? Lizards that change color for camouflage … moisture that beads up and rolls right off a lotus leaf … the aerodynamics of a humpback whale, pirouetting under water … tree frogs that climb…
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Priorities change

September 9, 2016  |  My Take

I am writing this while visiting at an army installation; I’ve visited others, as well. I didn’t grow up around the military, so it’s all a little new to me, and it’s impressive. I don’t get to see the inner workings of the Army, but I’ve met quite a few soldiers and I’ve learned a &he…
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Small scale, big ideas

August 5, 2016  |  My Take

The Minnesota Vikings football team now has a new $1 billion stadium that boasts the largest transparent ethylene-tetraflouroethylene (ETFE) roof in the nation. This relatively new structural fabric doesn’t degrade under UV light, atmospheric pollution or extreme temperatures. It’s expected to l…
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Not an oxymoron

July 8, 2016  |  My Take

Here’s a conversation about protective textiles with someone not in the business. I say, “I’m writing a short piece that has to do with protective textiles.” “Protective textiles. Sounds like an oxymoron.” He smiles. “You’ve heard of raincoats, perhaps? Awnings? Insect netting?&#8221…
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Testing…testing…

June 10, 2016  |  My Take

This month our featured articles are about standards and testing to those standards. This is a big topic. No, it’s huge. There are so many ways to approach this—and so many individual performance requirements—that we could easily have dozens of articles, each one covering a different requireme…
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The movement of continents

May 6, 2016  |  My Take

Have you noticed how many people are wearing Fitbits? Have you noticed, too, how they are not all plain black anymore? How attractive they are, or are not, has nothing to do with the product’s function, but it has quite a bit to do with who will wear them, and that means commercial success—or no…
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Best timing of a news release ever

April 8, 2016  |  My Take

By now, I would suppose that all you have to say to those in the textile industry is “$317 million” and they’ll know what you’re talking about. Last Friday the U.S. Dept. of Defense and MIT announced a consortium including academia, industry and government established to research and manufac…
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