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Beer-resistant shoes debut in time for Oktoberfest
September 18th, 2017
Oktoberfest can be celebrated this year with a shoe from adidas that’s made especially to withstand spilled beer – and anything else that might land on them. “Prost” shoes are made of leather coated in DBP resin to make the shoes resistant to spills they could encounter among the festivals celebrants. The leather construction of […]
Trade deals and hurricanes
September 11th, 2017
It’s hard not to talk about hurricanes as I write this. Irma is churning its way up the length of Florida, Jose is hot on its heels and Texas residents are a long ways from recovering their lives after Harvey’s devastation. I'm also thinking of all the textile products that help protect people and property […]
OTEXA to feature U.S. textile companies at London event
September 11th, 2017
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has announced that military, security, and technical textiles from 14 U.S. textile and military apparel manufacturers companies will be featured in its sponsored sample booth at the upcoming Defense & Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2017, September 12-15, in London. “U.S. textile companies will showcase their premier state-of-the-art technology and products,” […]
‘Twistron’ yarns can harvest energy
September 11th, 2017
An international research team has developed high-tech yarns that generate electricity when they are stretched or twisted. The team is led by scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas and Hanyang University in South Korea and includes researchers from South Korea, Virginia Tech, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and China. They recently published their findings […]
USTR releases NAFTA negotiating objectives
September 11th, 2017
The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer recently released a summary of the negotiating objectives for the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Trump administration will seek an agreement that reduces the U.S. trade deficit and improves market access in Canada and Mexico for U.S. manufacturing, agriculture […]
Stanford develops a soft, expanding robot
September 11th, 2017
Mechanical engineers at Stanford University have created a robot inspired by organisms that cover distance by growing, such as vines, fungi and nerve cells. According to Stanford sources, the researchers’ aim is to establish a new approach to getting mobility from a mechanism. “It’s very, very different from the way that animals or people get […]
A new NAFTA?
September 11th, 2017
How trade deals currently in discussion could impact the textile industry As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump promised to improve U.S. trade deals, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since taking office and after threatening to withdraw the United States from NAFTA unless its terms were renegotiated, President Trump has cajoled Mexico and […]
Sustainability report on INSQIN waterborne PU
September 8th, 2017
A recent life-cycle assessment (LCA) suggests that Covestro’s INSQIN, which uses waterborne polyurethane (PU) for the manufacture of PU synthetic, is a more sustainable way to produce coated textiles than solvent-based technologies, according to information provided by the company. An independent third party conducted a review of the LCA study and results in accordance with […]
Transparent, halogen-free aqueous FR coating developed
September 7th, 2017
Three Japanese companies have collaborated to develop a new aqueous, transparent flame-retardant coating. Landex Coat Flame Retardant Clear is the joint project of Dainichi Giken Co. Ltd., Daimaru Kogyo Co. Ltd. and Teijin Ltd. The new product is a halogen-free acrylic coating that can be applied to the surfaces of timber, paper, fiber, rubber and plastic. Application […]
Floating Cloud is also a lamp
September 6th, 2017
Floating Cloud, a magnetically levitating ambient lamp, merges the levitation technology developed by Dutch company Crealev with the form and function of the Cloud product of Richard Clarkson Studio LLC, Brooklyn, N.Y. The result of the collaborative project is a lamp, constructed of PETG (Polyethylene terephthalate), polyester fiber, magnetic and electrical components, resembling a cloud hovering above […]