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Sympatex partners with outdoor clothing
December 29th, 2017
Sympatex Technologies will launch the 2018–2019 winter season with new partnerships in the areas of ski, snowboard and freestyle. Brands such as Chiemsee, Rossignol, Billabong, DC Shoes, Pyrenex, Tierra, and Woods will use the Sympatex membrane, which the company reports is 100 percent recyclable and climate-neutral. “At the end of 2016, we started to establish […]
Coats acquires Patrick Yarn Mill
December 28th, 2017
Thread manufacturer Coats reports that the company has expanded its high technology and engineered performance portfolios with the acquisition of Patrick Yarn Mill. Patrick Yarn Mill specializes in cut-resistant, heat-resistant and filtration yarns. Under its EarthSpun trademark, the North Carolina mill produces yarns from recycled fibers. Patric Yarn also uses energy from its solar installation […]
Narrow fabrics industry faces a shortage of people who “get it”
December 22nd, 2017
According to textile engineer Connie Huffa, the last year she taught at Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science (1998), less than 5 percent of the students were studying textiles and the following year the college changed its name to Philadelphia University. This year, the school merged with Thomas Jefferson University, which focuses on health sciences. […]
Bolt Threads releases second commercial product
December 21st, 2017
Bioengineering start-up Bolt Threads has released its second commercially available product using its protein-based, man-made spider silk, “Microsilk.” The company acquired Best Made Co. last July and collaborated to produce a limited edition of the Best Made Microsilk Cap of Courage, which quickly sold out 100 units, each priced at $198. The companies relied on […]
NASA’s BEAM textile module will stay on the ISS
December 20th, 2017
NASA has decided to keep the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on the International Space Station (ISS). The textile module will stay attached to the ISS through 2020, or possibly longer. The ISS crew’s studies have shown that soft materials can perform as well as rigid ones for habitation volumes and that BEAM has performed […]
New technology, new standard
December 20th, 2017
IPC committee seeks comments on e-textiles industry standard. In July 2017, IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) hosted the first web meeting of the IPC E-textiles Materials Subcommittee. Formed by volunteers from the e-textiles community, they had approached IPC with interest in developing industry standards for e-textiles. IPC was chosen because it is a developer of […]
Entrepreneurs sought for advanced textiles program
December 20th, 2017
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) has partnered with MIT Venture Mentoring Service to launch a year-long pre-commercial, part-time program for entrepreneurs with a passion for commercializing important innovations in the advanced fabrics space domestically. The project is now seeking applicants for its Advanced Fabric Entrepreneurship Program (AFEP). People who have an idea for an […]
A global concern
December 20th, 2017
Supplier compliance is a complex issue for sustainable textile companies. The issue of compliance can be complicated for textile companies, which have to comply with various regulatory and voluntary company standards for product safety and restriction of substances. In the U.S., for example, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) contains provisions that aim to […]
Deakin U. develops super-capacitor fibers
December 20th, 2017
Supercapacitor fibers that can serve as a power source for wearable technologies have been developed recently by a team of scientists from Deakin University, Australia. The researchers have spun two-dimensional “MXene,” into fibrous strands, which can, according to researcher Shayan Seyedin, provide an alternative to bulky batteries for charging gadgets. The scientists from the Institute […]
LifeVest defibrillator technology in development
December 19th, 2017
Two companies have started an exclusive multi-year partnership to develop technologies for the Zoll LifeVest wearable defibrillator, according to a report in Technical Textiles. Zoll Medical Corp. is an Asahi Kasei Group company that manufactures medical devices and related software solutions. Myant is a manufacturer melding technology and soft electronics with textiles and advancing human […]