Smart textiles for protective gear

April 1, 2013  |  Industry News

A new book, Smart Textiles for Protection, outlines how materials that sense and react to environmental conditions are being integrated into personal protective clothing—and examines a wide range of end-use protective applications. The book explores material types, surface treatments, nanofibers, …
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Tackling heavy-duty projects

March 1, 2013  |  Industry News

IAA award-winning safety and protective projects tackle unique challenges and succeed Imagine a 41,000-ton U.S. Navy vessel traveling at seven knots in choppy three-meter-high seas. It is carrying a heavy load of vehicles and container freight. Because of an emergency, the vehicles and containers ne…
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Tragedy leads to production of bulletproof vests for children

February 1, 2013  |  Industry News

A Colombian maker of bulletproof clothing, Miguel Caballero Ltd., Bogota, Colombia, shipped its first U.S. order of 24 ballistic protection vests for children in January, following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. CEO Caballero once resisted manufacturing vests for…
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Hohenstein Institute offers protective glove testing and certification

February 1, 2013  |  Industry News

Protective gloves are important. For work in cold stores, on steel works, a building site or in a laboratory, people depend on perfectly fitting gloves to protect their hands. The Hohenstein Institute can now offer testing and certification of gloves in accordance with seven DIN standards. Some of t…
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Teijin receives Grand Award at nano tech 2013

February 1, 2013  |  Industry News

Teijin Limited announced that it received a Grand Award at the nano tech 2013 International Nanotechnology Exhibition and Conference, which took place at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. Teijin presented advanced nano materials, including polyester, aramid and carbon nanofiber…
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EU issues new rule on biocides

December 1, 2012  |  Industry News

Substances that act to reduce or eliminate bacteria, viruses or mold—and products treated with such biocides—will be subject to a new European Union (EU) regulation (528/2012) that takes effect on Sept. 1, 2013. The new regulation focuses on improving the safety of consumer products by controlli…
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From building to body: Current research into interactive and technical textiles

December 1, 2012  |  Industry News

Highlights from the educational sessions at IFAI Expo 2012 in Boston “Health and well-being in the personal and built environments” was presented by session moderator Marie O’Mahony, professor of advance fashion and textiles, OCAD University, Toronto, Ont., Canada. New fibers such as “memory…
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UCR scientists look to shrimp’s club arm for materials and design

November 1, 2012  |  Industry News

A four-inch tropical mantis shrimp with a power-packed punching arm is the newest darling of material scientists at the Bourns College of Engineering, University of California–Riverside. The shrimp, or stomatopod, has a bright orange fist-like club that accelerates faster under water than a 22-cal…
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New uses for silkworm cocoons

August 1, 2012  |  Industry News

Silkworm cocoons, which are extremely light, tough and plentiful, are “ideal for the development of bio-inspired composite materials,” according to Oxford University researchers David Porter and Fujia Chen. Potential applications for cocoon-based materials are protective armor and fabricated car…
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Nano-silver as antimicrobial: Is it safe?

June 1, 2012  |  Industry News

The Hohenstein Institute is part of the E.U.-based public research project “UMSICHT” (circumspection), and is developing scientific data to measure the impacts of nano-silver technology. Many unanswered questions exist concerning the behavior of nano-silver particles throughout the life cycle of…
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