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$2.8 Million awarded for manufacturing innovation initiative
March 28th, 2022
Massachusetts’ Baker-Polito Administration has announced $2.8 million in new infrastructure grants, through the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2), to three growing manufacturers. Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy made the announcement during an event at 99Degrees Custom in Lawrence, a 375-employee manufacturer of tech-integrated apparel, which received one of the grants. Additional recipients were Soliyarn, a maker […]
Winners recognized in Microfiber Innovation Challenge
March 28th, 2022
Five innovations have won a total of $525,000 as a part of Conservation X Labs’ Microfiber Innovation Challenge for their ability to reduce or prevent microfiber pollution. Submissions were received from 19 countries for their solutions designed to prevent or reduce the shedding of microscopic fibers that pollute air and waterways. “These five winners each […]
New momentum for smart textiles
March 28th, 2022
Developed by Footfalls and Heartbeats, KiTT monitors joint movement in real time, providing useful data to athletes and physiotherapists. Photo: Footfalls & Heartbeats (UK) Ltd. The global market for smart textiles is expected to reach $3 billion by 2024, a positive outlook that draws on a 2021 smart fabrics industry report by Grand View Research. […]
Solar panels are made from plant waste
March 28th, 2022
Photo: James Dyson Foundation. An engineering student at Mapúa University in Manilla, Philippines, has found an innovative way to make a solar panel that functions even in cloudy weather. The product called “AuReus," made by Carvey Ehren Maigue, harvests the unseen ultraviolet (UV) light that comes through dense cloud coverage. According to Maigue, preliminary testing […]
Sustainability and fibrous substrates
March 28th, 2022
While sustainability efforts in the industry may have suffered over the past two years due to the pandemic, supply chain issues and the current crisis in Ukraine, we should not lose our focus on the importance of addressing climate change. A recent report from the Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change […]
International Achievement Awards submissions portal opens
March 23rd, 2022
Winner of the 2021 IAA Award of Excellence in the Tensile Structures < 600 square meters category, the PFEIFER Structures-designed Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal in Alameda, Calif. features a spectacular canopy. Photograph courtesy of PFEIFFER Structures For more than 75 years, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has recognized outstanding and innovative projects representing the latest accomplishments in […]
The end of petrochemical-based fabrics?
March 14th, 2022
HeiQ believes its AeoniQ is a game-changing cellulosic fiber. Photo: HeiQ. According to The Nature of Fashion, a 2021 report published by the Biomimicry Institute, over 60 percent of textile fibers are synthetics derived from petrochemicals. Petrochemical fibers, whether made from recycled or virgin feedstocks, will not biodegrade. In addition, the processes used to make these […]
What? No polyester pants suit?
March 14th, 2022
There are those of us for whom “polyester pants suit” conjures up images of the “leisure suit,” designed to offer men (and the women, at the time, who did the laundry) a practical alternative to The Suit. These suits refused to wrinkle, wore like iron and gave the wearer a casual air, without having to […]
New material is extremely stretchable—and tough
March 14th, 2022
Researchers at NC State have created an ionogel material that’s both highly stretchable and extremely tough. Photo: NC State. Researchers at North Carolina State University have made new materials that are not only extremely stretchable, they’re equally tough. The new materials fall under the broader category of ionogels—polymer networks, which contain salts that are liquid […]
Smart Fabrics Summit convenes in late March
March 14th, 2022
The Smart Fabrics Summit will be held at North Carolina State University (NC State) in Raleigh, N.C. The university’s Wilson College of Textiles is co-organizer of the event with the Industrial Fabrics Association International. This year’s Summit offers two days of educational sessions, product showcases and networking opportunities, March 28–29. Registration opens at 9:00 a.m. […]