LANSING, Mich. — January 20, 2020 — XG Sciences Inc., designer and manufacturer of graphene nanoplatelets and advanced materials containing graphene nanoplatelets, announces the innovative use of XG Sciences’ graphene in Grays’ field hockey sticks. For over 160 years Grays of Cambridge Ltd. has been on the forefront of creating superior sports equipment and has continued that path by strategically incorporating graphene into their GR hockey sticks to elevate player performance.
First isolated and characterized in 2004, graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms configured in an atomic-scale honeycomb lattice. Among many noted properties, monolayer graphene is harder than diamonds, lighter than steel but significantly stronger, and conducts electricity better than copper. Graphene nanoplatelets are particles consisting of multiple layers of graphene. Graphene nanoplatelets have unique capabilities for energy storage, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, barrier properties, lubricity and the ability to impart physical property improvements when incorporated into plastics, metals or other matrices.
“Adding graphene into our durable GX composite matrix enabled us to forge the GR Collection to deliver exceptional feel, power and playability,” said James Bunday, range development lead, Grays Hockey. “The feedback we received after launching the GR Collection was tremendous because the graphene-enhanced technology strengthens the hockey sticks and helps players reach great all-around performance.”
When it comes to field hockey, the most important piece of equipment is a player’s stick. Athletes need their stick to be light weight while running, provide superior ball control when performing specialized shots and have great power to deliver the game winning goal. With a graphene-enhanced field hockey stick two unique things happen, energy is more efficiently transferred, and more shock is absorbed giving the player a better feel and response.
“XG Sciences is helping to redefine the sporting goods industry by boosting player performance with graphene-enhanced equipment,” said Philip Rose, CEO, XG Sciences. “In the sporting goods space, XG formulations have also been in full production in Callaway’s graphene-enhanced golf balls improving player performance by delivering better ball speed, control and distance.”
SINGAPORE — January 20, 2020 — Huntsman Textile Effects will be featuring its award-winning coloration technology and HIGH IQ® intelligent effects at the upcoming 2020 OutDoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver, Colo.
As a producer of innovative and environmentally sustainable textile solutions, Huntsman Textile Effects offers mills and brands a comprehensive suite of high performance products that meet the fast-changing market needs. With its wealth of textile industry knowledge and experience, Huntsman Textile Effects is the preferred partner to help mills around the world achieve greater productivity and efficiency.
Huntsman’s featured products:
Unparalleled PFC free solutions
Huntsman Textile Effects’ PFC free solutions including extensive PHOBOTEX® RSY non-fluorinated durable water repellents and Teflon EcoElite™ renewable sourced water repellents from its long-term alliance with Chemours. They are a perfect combination of excellent water repellency with extremely high washing resistance and meet the stringent requirements of the Huntsman Textile Effects HIGH IQ Repel performance assurance scheme. The HIGH IQ Repel program is designed to help mills, brands and retailers meet global demand for eco-friendly apparel with rain and stain protection. Combining innovative durable water repellent finishes with unparalleled technical expertise, the HIGH IQ Repel program provides durable eco-friendly and sustainable protection for every performance need: everyday, outdoor and extreme adventures.
Huntsman Textile Effects’ HIGH IQ assurance program includes a comprehensive range of products from cutting edge moisture management technology to UV protection. Backed by the industry’s leading range of innovative, eco-friendly intelligent textile effects, fabrics treated with our intelligent effects are sustainable textile products that deliver the performance and benefits consumers expect of high-quality brands.
Award-winning innovative dyes
Offering textile Dyes for every application method and fibre type, Huntsman Textile Effects is proud to share the award wining AVITERA® SE dyes which uses ground-breaking technology to reduce water and energy consumption by up to 50% while increasing productivity through shorter production time. Our TERASIL® W/WW dyes are a robust and high performance washfast dye range for polyester. It achieves right-first-time performance and is bluesign® approved and suitable for STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified textile products. For polyamide/elastane fabrics, ERIOFAST® dyes are the perfect solution for sportswear, swimwear and lingerie garments. These unique acid reactive dyes specially developed for dying deep intensive shades with the highest wet-fastness properties ensure excellent color blocking even on challenging microfibers.
State-of-the-art sustainable inks
Digital inks solutions include the range of NOVACRON® ADVANCE reactive inks that lets you achieve remarkable coloristic performance and shade intensity with superior fixation and fastness results. Our range of ERIOFAST VISTA inks is a unique sustainable digital printing solution for polyester-cotton blends which uses a simple urea-free system to outperform the best alternative solutions in terms of brilliancy, gamut, color depth and fabric handle at reduced energy consumption and emissions. Easier and more efficient to use, these digital ink ranges require minimal maintenance and results in greater saving while meeting stringent industry standards.
Visit Huntsman Textile Effects at the OutDoor Retailer Snow Show at stand 55059-UL.
AVITERA®, ERIOFAST®, HIGH IQ®, NOVACRON®, PHOBOTEX® and TERASIL® are registered trademarks of Huntsman Corporation or an affiliate thereof in one or more, but not all, countries.
Teflon® and Teflon EcoElite™ are trademarks of The Chemours Company FC LLC.
It was in 1971 that the first microprocessor was introduced by Intel, and also that the first and perhaps now most well-known environmental campaigner, Greenpeace, was founded.
As such, a direct line can be charted from that year to today’s automated textile manufacturing machinery concepts, as well as the drive to develop more increasingly resource-efficient processes.
All of the recent innovations which have been introduced to the market by A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, for example, are being powered by the possibilities of Industry 4.0 and developed in response to the market demand for more sustainable production.
They include the new ‘digital twinning’ capability introduced in 2019 for all Monforts machines, with advanced sensor technologies which make it possible to access comprehensive technical machine data from any location using the company’s Smart Support and Smart Check apps. In addition, the digital twin system provides information on individual wear parts, such as, for example, converters or gears.
These latest developments have been very favorably received by Monforts customers, especially in Europe.
50th Anniversary
The very first Heimtextil — the leading trade fair for the home textiles market — was also held in Frankfurt in January 1971 and Monforts customers Bierbaum Group and Konrad Hornschuch AG are amongst the German companies who were there from the very start and have attended every annual show since.
Bierbaum Group’s Heimtextil 2020 stand. The company has exhibited at every edition of the show since 1971.
Bierbaum Group, based in Borken, is the company behind the well-known Irisette bedding brand and is celebrating its own 125th anniversary in 2020. It has also introduced products bearing the German government’s new Grüner Knopf textile seal of approval for sustainable production.
As a specialist in man-made leathers for home surfaces, as well as vehicle interiors, Konrad Hornschuch AG, of Weissbach, has been a member of the 44-billion-euro automotive giant Continental AG since 2016.
Representatives from both companies received memorial trophies at a special presentation held on January 7 during the 50th anniversary Heimtextil show.
The home textiles market remains very strong in Germany, with sales amounting to some 9.6 billion euros in 2019, according to analyst IFH Cologne.
Global Growth
The first Heimtextil in 1971 was a significant success, attracting 679 exhibitors from 26 countries.
This year’s show, however, attracted a total of 2,952 exhibitors from 66 countries, reflecting not only the growth of the home textiles industry, but also the globalization which has taken place over the last half century.
Monforts now has customers for its advanced finishing technologies around the world, with home textile customers from India and Pakistan being particularly well represented at Heimtextil 2020.
The latest collections of Welspun India’s Christy England brand are inspired by the gardens of British stately homes.
Among stand outs from Indian companies at this year’s show was the 2020 collection of Welspun India’s famous Christy England brand, inspired by botanical studies of the gardens of British stately homes. Welspun towels meanwhile benefit from the company’s HygroCotton hollow core yarn technology, produced by a proprietary spinning method which ensures they become softer, fluffier and more absorbent after every wash.
An equally ground-breaking new technology is being introduced by Trident Group, which is one of India’s largest vertically-integrated home textiles manufacturers and two years ago installed five complete Monforts finishing ranges for its new linen department.
Trident’s towel collections benefit from high breathability and absorbency as a result of the company’s patented Air Rich yarn technology.
Trident’s patented Air Rich yarns feature pores throughout their cross sections for high breathability and absorbency, as well as rapid drying.
Monforts home textile customers from Pakistan stressed the resource efficiency of their processes and products as a result of investments in advanced technology, and during the show the ‘Sustainable Pakistan’ initiative was announced.
Supported by GIZ, the German Society for International Cooperation, the initiative aims to reshape global perceptions of Pakistan’s manufacturers and their innovations. So far, twenty producers have been carefully chosen to be presented on this global platform and will help rebrand Pakistan’s textile industry at the Heimtextil exhibitions going forward.
Heimtextil’s organizer Messe Frankfurt also announced its own new alliance with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, in order to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Micoprocessors within Monforts switch cabinets provide today’s Montex stenters with superb flexibility and control.
Constancy
Many things have changed since 1971 and home interiors are certainly no longer predominantly orange and brown – and perhaps unlikely to ever become so again.
It’s clear, however, that there has been a constancy in the push to consistently improve textile technologies, processes and products that may have originated in Europe, but have subsequently spread around the world.
Monforts Montex stenter installation at Trident in India.
And the significance of both microprocessors and sustainability in 2020 could only have been guessed at back in 1971.
Design of air taxi (anonymized) with landing gear made of carbon fiber based composites
WIESBADEN, Germany — January 20, 2020 — SGL Carbon will begin serial production of landing gear made from braided carbon fiber material early this year. The landing skids will be installed in around 500 air taxis worldwide over the next two years.
The air taxis will be powered by several electric motors. To optimize the range of the taxis, every single gram counts. Measuring about two meters in length and 1.5 meters in width, the ultra-light landing skid will weigh less than three kilograms, making it about 15 percent lighter than a similar component made from aluminum. This increases the potential flight time capacity of the air taxi which is a key differentiator for the air taxi operator.
“With with our landing gear we help to shape this very new, promising application of manned, autonomous civil aviation. This involvement also demonstrates our wide range of services. From engineering, to prototype manufacture, to serial production with our own materials — all of our competences along the entire value chain made a contribution to the project,” emphasized Dr. Andreas Erber, head of the Aerospace segment of the Composites – Fibers & Materials business unit at SGL Carbon.
The landing gear was developed in close collaboration between customer experts and specialists from SGL Carbon. The carbon fibers for the component are produced at the SGL Carbon plant in Muir of Ord, Scotland. The final part is being manufactured at the SGL Carbon site in Innkreis, Austria.
BRIXEN, Italy — January 20, 2020 — Durst, manufacturer of advanced digital printing and production technologies, has restructured its segment for industrial textile printing. The new segment manager, Dr. Stefan Kappaun, has responsibility for the strategic direction in home textiles, clothing and accessories. Dr. Kappaun also will be the connecting link to the Large Format Segment, which takes over soft signage and fabrics in the portfolio.
Dr. Kappaun is a member of Durst Group’s executive team and heads the ink business for all segments as executive vice president Inks & Fluids. A technical chemist with a focus on polymer science and a trained business economist, he is an expert in materials science and the development and marketing of ink systems for digital inkjet printing.
This know-how is particularly important within industrial textile printing, because, in contrast to other industries, different materials, pre- and post-treatments as well as large-scale process influences, represent a daily challenge in digital textile production. At the same time, digital textile printing is one of the largest growth markets for inkjet technologies. It is a sector being targeted by advertising media and large format providers in addition to traditional textile producers. All have different textile experiences, but are always looking for new applications and business opportunities.
With the Alpha Series, Durst offers industrial printing systems with water-based reactive, pigment and disperse inks as well as with the pixel-to-output strategy end-to-end software solutions for efficient and cost-transparent digital textile printing.
“The digital textile printing market is fragmented in itself and we see different speeds and developments worldwide,” Dr. Kappaun said. “While new, non-industry service providers often already have digital know-how but less textile experience, the traditional manufacturers are masters of textile finishing, but not all analog processing steps can be transferred directly to digital textile printing. Durst has a comprehensive ecosystem to serve the different requirements and to support customers in the digital transformation. Our printing systems are designed for industrial productivity, but also offer profitability from the very first meter. The prerequisite for this is mastery of the pre-treatment and post-treatment steps as well as the digital workflow, in which Durst focuses on the consulting and training services in the new Customer Experience Center at the Durst headquarters in Brixen.”
Dr. Kappaun succeeds Martin Winkler in his expanded role as segment manager Textile Printing, who will take on the role of global sales manager Textile Printing in the future. The Textile Printing Team will also be supplemented by the experienced service technician Martin Oberparleitner, as the new junior product manager Textile Printing. New sales and service structures are also being implemented in the core markets.
KELHEIM, Germany — January 20, 2020 — Kelheim’s premium tampon fiber Galaxy® has proven effective in sanitary pads: It can substitute up to 70 percent of the synthetics in ADL (Acquisition-Distribution-Layers) in feminine hygiene pads. The amount of feminine hygiene waste is enormous — and often the time it takes for these products to degrade is hundreds of years longer than the lifespan of the woman who used it, because the synthetic components are not bio-degradable. Changing consumer behavior drives the need for environmentally friendly yet safe alternatives.
The viscose hygiene fibers from Kelheim offer significant ecologic advantages: they are made from cellulose, which means they are based on renewable wood and they are fully biodegradable.
These fibers are manufactured exclusively in Germany, in one of the most environmentally friendly plants worldwide.
Galaxy in sanitary pads offers not only a benefit for the environment. Due to its excellent wicking and absorption capacity it conducts liquids quickly and efficiently away from the body and leaves a pleasant feeling on the skin — in other words, it does exactly what the ADL layer is made for. In addition, Galaxy helps to distribute the liquid evenly in the absorbent core enhancing so the overall performance of the pad.
In comparison to other sustainable and conventional (synthetic) materials Galaxy® excels by:
faster acquisition;
lower rewetting; and
enhanced distribution.
“Plastic must disappear from these single-use products. The substitution of single synthetic components in sanitary pads is the first step”, said Dominik Mayer from the Bavarian fibre expert’s R&D team. “Down the road we want to offer a completely bio-based solution for sanitary pads and for various other hygiene applications.
Our advantage — besides the functionality of our patented Galaxy fiber: Kelheim Fibres has been a renowned partner of the hygiene industry for decades; our production fulfills highest hygiene requirements. We offer our customers fibers that are ideally suited for the specific needs of their products and their processes.”
GREENSBORO, N.C. — January 20, 2020 — Unifi Inc., innovators in recycled and synthetic yarns, will introduce a new product and further product expansion to the marketplace at this year’s Outdoor + Snow Show in Denver. The new additions, consistent with meeting sustainability and performance demands, include REPREVE® cationic-dyeable polyester and expanded Repreve Our Ocean™ offerings.
REPREVE Cationic-Dyeable Polyester
Unifi has long produced quality offerings to meet the demand for heather yarns that create an exciting aesthetic appeal. Combining sustainability and innovation now allows for a revolution in the heather market. Repreve cationic-dyeable delivers 100-percent Repreve heathers and solids to the market. Offering deeper and brighter colors, as well as improved colorfastness, it can be used in a variety of constructions and across all market segments, from woven to knit to warp knit. The dyeing of these yarns may offer energy savings as compared to some traditional disperse-dyed polyester by utilizing lower temperatures.
“We’ve worked diligently to develop a 100-percent Repreve replacement for virgin cationic-dyeable fibers that is globally available,” said Meredith Boyd, senior vice president of Global Innovation for Unifi. “The popularity of heathers in apparel is bigger than ever, and this new global product offering is a great example of how Unifi continues to offer innovative products that meet the aesthetic, performance and sustainability demands of consumers.”
REPREVE Our Ocean
Unifi continues to see strong interest in Repreve Our Ocean offerings since launch, as more customers are serious about reducing ocean plastic waste. Repreve Our Ocean is made with plastics collected within 50km of waterways or coastal areas in developing countries or regions.
“People around the globe are asking, ‘how can we save our oceans from plastic pollution?’ We listened and carefully designed meaningful processes to address this problem directly,” said Jay Hertwig, Unifi’s Senior Vice President of Global Brand Sales. “We’re finding swimwear brands are particularly interested in Repreve Our Ocean, and we’re proud to provide a textile solution to help protect this critical ecosystem.”
To learn more about these and other products offered by Unifi, visit booth 54081-UL at the Outdoor + Snow Show in Denver, January 29-31, 2020.
WILMINGTON, Del. — January 17, 2020 — The LYCRA Co., a global developer of innovative solutions for the textile, apparel and personal care industries, is marking its first anniversary as a stand-alone subsidiary of the Ruyi Group on January 31.
In 2020, The Lycra Co. is operating at full strength across all facets of the organization and sharpening its focus to create value through strategic investments in science and technology as innovation is a key enabler to the company’s future success. The company is also actively exploring potential synergies with Ruyi, its majority shareholder, which include leveraging its spandex capacity and fully integrated value chain.
“Ruyi has been a strong partner that understood the challenges we faced as a new business, including the impact global economic trends had on our business performance,” said Dave Trerotola, CEO of The Lycra Co. “This transition year also gave us plenty of wins as we built a strong foundation for future growth by continuing our heritage of investing in innovation.”
The Lycra Co. recently opened a new state-of-the-art research and development lab in Foshan, China, and launched several exciting new solutions designed to add value to collections and meet consumer needs for lasting comfort and performance.
The company expanded its EcoMade portfolio of sustainable products, broke new ground with its first print technology offering, and is ready to revolutionize apparel fit again with a new fiber that stretches to fit more body shapes within a size range. Products launched include:
LYCRA® EcoMade fiber is the company’s first branded spandex that offers the same performance as the original LYCRA® fiber, but is made with pre-consumer recycled content.
Lycra FitSense™ technology is a revolutionary water-based dispersion that is screen-printed onto garments to deliver lightweight, targeted support.
Lycra MyFit™ fiber creates apparel with greater shape tolerance to offer consumers a customized fit experience.
Lycra HyFit® T859 fiber for personal care products is a new formulation that enables customers to have more run time per package. This results in improved uptime and reduced elastic consumption, as well as lower distribution and warehousing costs. It also helps customers meet sustainability goals.
Marketing highlights include many successful co-brand collaborations with esteemed brands and retailers, a robust global trade advertising program, and a 360-degree integrated marketing program to increase brand awareness and drive preference for LYCRA® fiber in China.
Looking ahead, The Lycra Co. has a robust innovation pipeline full of new and improved products to help it win in the marketplace. The company has also reaffirmed its commitment to its sustainability platform, Planet Agenda, which touches every aspect of the business from corporate responsibility and manufacturing excellence to product sustainability.
Customers can also expect The Lycra Co. to continue its principle-based approach to business, with its unwavering commitment to ethics and compliance.
“I’m really proud of everything we accomplished in our first year,” Trerotola concluded. “We’re very excited to be part of the Ruyi family and look forward to its ongoing support as we continue to transform our business and the apparel and personal care industries.”
BARNSLEY, England — January 17, 2020 — MagnaColours®, manufacturer of water-based screen-printing inks, is launching a new water-based transfer printing range at Impressions Expo in Long Beach, Calif.
MagnaTrans™, is a brand-new range of water-based inks, migration blocker, adhesives, fixer and films.
The new MagnaTrans inks have been designed for use on the most demanding fabrics, offering a high stretch finish, soft handle and exceptional performance. MagnaTrans water-based inks are suitable for both traditionally screen-printed transfers, or for use with digital transfer printing systems. Base inks are available in white, neutral and black. Pantone and fluorescent premixes will also be available soon. Eco-Pigments can be used with MagnaTrans base inks to mix color shades as required.
The MagnaTrans range also includes a transfer dye migration blocker, printable and sprinkle adhesives for 60°C washfastness, as well as a range of transfer films including hot and cold peel for matt and gloss finishes.
A collection of special effect MagnaTrans inks have also been developed. Metallic silver, two-tone effects, reflective, UV reactive and glow in the dark inks allow printers and designers to create unique and innovative designs for garments or printing locations where transfer application is required.
Helen Parry, managing director at MagnaColours, said: “MagnaColours is constantly developing innovative products to meet the demands of the fashion and screen-printing industry. Our experience in water-based screen inks has enabled us to adapt the same technology to heat transfer printing, bringing a more cost-effective way of decorating a garment to the industry. With these new inks, printers can achieve the same incredible high stretch designs with heat transfers as they can with our conventional screen-printing inks, whilst enjoying the same benefits of having an environmentally friendly solution.”
Developed in house at MagnaLab, the new MagnaTrans range sits alongside MagnaPrint, MagnaColours’ extensive collection of water-based screen-printing inks.
The new MagnaTrans range from MagnaColours will be available from February.
IRVINE, Calif. — January 16, 2020 — The Overwatch League™ today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration with designer and streetwear powerhouse, Jeff Staple, to reimagine, design, and create an authentic player kit for esports. The new kits, designed in concert with Overwatch League player feedback for a look and feel that’s unique to both traditional sports and esports, feature elevated fabrics, premium graphic applications, new side gussets for adjustable comfort, and a fit that is cut and sewn to increase quality and wearability while gaming. Each of the 20 Overwatch League teams will have their own unique home and away kits during the 2020 season, which launches on February 8.
Staple worked with Overwatch League players throughout the design process to ensure the kits are a comfortable, functional uniform for competition, while also maintaining Staple’s signature aesthetic. The new kits utilize elevated pin-dot mesh fabric to create lightweight and breathable jerseys to balance and regulate players’ temperature for maximum comfort. The full kit will include a short-sleeve jersey, long-sleeve jersey, jacket, compression sleeve, hat, and beanie for each of the league’s 20 teams.
“This first-of-its-kind collaboration is a great reflection of esports’ evolution into a true lifestyle. This is not just a win for the Overwatch League and our fans, but for esports as an industry,” said Daniel Cherry, chief marketing officer at Activision Blizzard Esports. “We’re incredibly excited to be working with our friend and streetwear legend Jeff Staple on these team kits. Our players’ close partnership with Jeff can be seen and felt in the considered design elements included in the apparel. We cannot wait to see this gear worn on the streets of each of our Overwatch League team cities this season.”
“I have been observing esports for years and am a huge fan of what Overwatch League has been able to accomplish, so when they asked me to design their new kits, I was stoked,” Staple said. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring the best of the esports and streetwear worlds together to create something totally unique & ground-breaking. The kits are not only specifically engineered to perform to players’ specifications, but they’re also designed to look great outside the arena.”
Staple has been in the industry for over two decades and has partnered with many top brands in the design, lifestyle, and entertainment space. Featuring his world-renowned Staple Pigeon, his unique style brings a new edge to each team brand.
Fans will be able to pre-order the new OWL X STAPLE jerseys beginning on January 28 on shop.overwatchleague.com.
