Haggar Selects New Mexico High School Coach As 2019 Haggar Hall Of Fame Dad

DALLAS — June 11, 2019 — Haggar Clothing Co., the Official Gold Jacket Provider for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has named Tularosa, New Mexico, high school history teacher and football coach Richard Grace the national winner of its second annual Haggar Hall of Fame Dads contest. The winner of the contest, which honors America’s outstanding fathers and father figures, was announced June 10 by Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket, Terrell Davis, on Steve Harvey’s show, STEVE.

Grace, 52, works at Tularosa High School and was nominated by his daughter, Kaytlin Grace, who wrote in her winning nomination, “We always like to say my dad has two daughters and 50 sons. You see, my dad is a high school football coach.”

She continued, “My dad’s motto is ‘family first,’ and he truly means that. Our family has expanded because of his big heart. In 2018 my dad underwent heart surgery, and unfortunately, it was right in the middle of his football season. The only thing he was worried about was being away from his team. My dad is such a dedicated and loving father and coach, and that’s why I think he deserves this award –because he’s not only my and my sister’s Hall of Fame dad, but he is a Hall of Fame dad and coach to his team.”

Grace’s nomination was selected from among more than a thousand stories, photos and videos submitted by wives, children and other loved ones to www.haggarhofdad.com during the contest.

“We are truly inspired by the many stories we read about incredible dads like Coach Grace who are going above and beyond to uplift their families and give them everything they can,” said Haggar Sr. Vice President of Marketing Paul Okimoto. “We were all blown away that the first thing he thought of upon learning of his award on STEVE was how the prize money could buy new helmets for his team. He completely embodies the spirit of the Haggar Hall of Fame Dad contest, which was created to honor men like him who selflessly care for their families and communities.”

As the 2019 national Haggar Hall of Fame Dad, Grace will receive a grand prize VIP trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls in Canton, Ohio. Haggar also named 50 state winners, who each received a prize package that included a custom Haggar Hall of Fame Dad blazer. A complete list of state winners is available at www.haggarhofdad.com.

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: Haggar Clothing Co.

H.B. Fuller To Sell Surfactants, Thickeners And Dispersants Business To Tiarco, LLC For $71 Million

ST. PAUL, Minn. — June 11, 2019 — H.B. Fuller Co. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its surfactants, thickeners and dispersants business to Tiarco LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textile Rubber and Chemical Co. Inc., for $71 million. H.B. Fuller will use the net proceeds from the sale for debt reduction. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter.

“The business being sold is a non-strategic, non-adhesive business, which was purchased as part of the Royal acquisition,” said Jim Owens, president and CEO of H.B. Fuller. “Our focus is to shift our portfolio to more highly specified adhesive solutions, and the surfactants, thickeners and dispersants business is not part of our strategic vision. By divesting this business, we are able to continue to accelerate paying down debt, focus on our core, and better position this business for future growth under the ownership of Tiarco, which specializes in this market. We are pleased that our colleagues will join a strong, established team at Tiarco.”

H.B. Fuller’s surfactants, thickeners and dispersants business, based in Dalton, Ga., had fiscal year 2018 sales of approximately $25 million and EBITDA of approximately $8 million. Its brands are well recognized, and the products include thickeners used in carpet, floor coatings, adhesive and caulk formulations, as well as surfactants used in detergents, wetting agents, and foam boosters in beauty and healthcare products.

Also based in Dalton, Ga., privately owned Tiarco develops specialty chemicals for a growing number of latex, lubricant and water treatment additive applications.

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: H.B. Fuller Company

Eastman Launches Recycled Avra™ To Debut In Spring 2020 Performance Apparel

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — June 11, 2019 — Eastman Chemical Company announces Avra™ recycled performance fibers, transforming its existing performance fibers technology by producing with 100 percent post-consumer recycled PET material across the portfolio. This move underscores the company’s commitment to sustainability and moving towards a circular economy.

The new recycled Avra™ will offer the same quick drying times, wicking speeds and comfort as the brand’s previous virgin polyester product while helping reduce waste by upcycling post-consumer recycled PET bottles as feedstock for the fiber. This latest innovation from Avra™ will debut at the 2019 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver on June 18.

“The vision for the Eastman Textiles platform is that all innovation will be sustainable,” said Ruth Farrell, director of marketing for textiles at Eastman. “We are excited to be one of the first to offer high performance fibers made with 100 percent post-consumer recycled PET at a time when the activewear and outdoor industries are under pressure to move to a more circular way of operating. With Avra™ recycled performance fibers, we are giving a second life to plastic bottles and making sure they don’t end up littering our oceans or trails. Our customers can show their commitment to caring for the outdoors and contribute to a circular economy without sacrificing performance or comfort.”

Avra™ from Eastman is a family of performance fibers enabled by a proprietary spinning technology. The exceptional moisture and thermal management imparted by Avra™ fibers means fabrics dry quickly — up to 50 percent faster than conventional polyester fabrics — helping wearers stay more comfortable during demanding physical activities. The highly flexible Avra™ fibers create superior drape and remarkable softness, further enhancing comfort.

Summer Outdoor Retailer attendees and media can learn more about Avra™ recycled performance fibers at booth 5019-LL.

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: Eastman Chemical Company

Hexcel At Paris Air Show 2019: Le Bourget, 17 – 23 June

STAMFORD, Conn. — June 11, 2019 — At this year’s Paris Airshow [Le Bourget, June 17-23] Hexcel will promote a range of carbon fibers and composite materials used to manufacture high-performance weight- saving structures in civil aircraft, engines, helicopters, and space applications.

Visitors to the Hexcel stand will see an Integrated Wing Panel demonstrator and an I-beam, both made with HiTape® carbon fiber reinforcements. HiTape® dry carbon reinforcements were developed for the automated lay-up of preforms and to complement a new generation of HiFlowTM resin systems, producing high-quality aerospace structures using the resin infusion process. The reinforcements incorporate a toughening veil to enhance mechanical properties and meet the structural requirements for aerospace parts. The I-Beam was manufactured using C-RTM (Compression Resin Transfer Molding) and was injected with Hexcel’s RTM6 resin in a process taking less than five minutes.

Hexcel honeycomb saves weight and enhances stiffness in composite structures, and the company provides a range of engineered core solutions that enable highly contoured parts with precision profiling to be produced to exact customer specifications. A sample part made from aluminum FlexCore® that is CNC machined on both sides and formed and stabilized with both peel ply and flyaway layers of stabilization will be on display.

Another honeycomb innovation is Hexcel’s Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb that significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs.

Another Hexcel technology to benefit aircraft engines is HexShieldTM honeycomb which provides high- temperature resistance in nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential reuse of material after a fire.

With 50 years of experience behind its comprehensive range of high-strength, high-strain PAN-based carbon fibers, Hexcel continues to innovate and is introducing two new fibers to its portfolio. HexTow® HM50 combines high modulus and high tensile strength, making it ideal for commercial and defense aircraft and engines. HexTow® 85 was developed specifically to replace rayon-based carbon fiber for ablative applications.

Another area of expertise that uses HexTow® carbon fiber is additive manufacturing, where Hexcel uses PEKK ultrahigh performance polymers and HexAMTM technology to manufacture carbon reinforced 3D printed parts. This innovative process provides a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKKTM structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Later this year Hexcel will open a joint research and development laboratory in Les Avenières (Isère), France with Arkema to develop carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepreg tapes for aerospace, space and defense applications. A spool of thermoplastic prepreg tape will be on display on Hexcel’s stand to showcase this cost- effective technology that enables lightweight parts to be produced in faster production cycles for future generations of aircraft.

Hexcel’s stand is located next to Hexcel’s official distributor for aerospace products, Groupe Gazechim Composites. In 2018, Hexcel and Gazechim formed a joint venture, HexCut Services, to provide aerospace and defense customers with customized kitting services that include Hexcel’s innovative carbon fiber prepreg, fabrics and adhesives. Pre-cut kits save customers time and investment, reduce inventory and minimize material losses through scrap reduction.

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: Hexcel Corporation

Datacolor® Collaborates With Adobe To Launch New Innovative Solution For Textile Industry

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — June 11, 2019 — Datacolor®, a global innovator of color management technology, announced today a collaboration with Adobe to launch a set of innovative tools to help streamline the process of digitally designing prints for fabrics. The collaboration pairs Datacolor’s professional color lookup tool, ColorReaderPRO, with Adobe’s newest plugin for Adobe Photoshop: Adobe Textile Designer. The integration of ColorReaderPRO with Adobe Textile Designer software allows designers to measure color inspiration in the real world and transfer the data to Photoshop automatically via Bluetooth connection. The Adobe Textile Designer solution and ColorReaderPRO will debut at ITMA in Barcelona from June 20-26.

“Adobe Textile Designer was conceived to help streamline the print design process,” said Mike Scrutton, director of print technology and strategy for Adobe’s Print & Publishing Business Unit. “We are excited to incorporate the ColorReaderPro into the solution to simplify the process of capturing inspiration color for designers.”

Many designers use Photoshop when starting fabric designs, but with the introduction of Adobe Textile Designer, users can now build and preview repeating patterns, define separations, work with colorways and keep every element editable in Photoshop until a design is print ready. With this Adobe plugin, designers can use Datacolor ColorReaderPRO to measure any source of color inspiration and translate the color data directly to Photoshop.

“Adobe Photoshop has always been an indispensable tool for designers and brands, and the pairing of our ColorReaderPRO with Adobe Textile Designer opens the door for users to be more creative than ever before,” said Diane Geisler, Vice President of Marketing for Datacolor. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Adobe to help artists and designers streamline the process of designing prints for fabrics, while cutting costs, saving time and increasing overall efficiencies.”

The ColorReaderPRO works seamlessly with third-party color standard libraries, including Color Solutions International’s (CSI) ColorWall™, and brands’ color libraries. This integration offers tremendous time and cost savings in the textile design process by eliminating the need to manually search and match textile color samples with swatches or color codes.

“Finding the correct color can be an inefficient activity in the print design process that can lengthen the production cycle,” said Tim Williams, Marketing Manager, CSI. “Adobe Textile Designer paired with the ColorReaderPRO offers users an efficient means to create colorways, whether using CSI’s 3,700+ ColorWallTM or selecting from existing Custom colors in their own library.”

To learn more, visit ITMA Datacolor booth (UnderLink – C202) and Adobe booth (Hall 3 – A123a) at Fira de Barcelona, attend the Adobe Press conference on June 21 at 11 a.m. (CC1 area -Room 1.3), or visit http://www.colorreader.datacolor.com/textile

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: Datacolor®

Gerber Technology Makes a Huge Leap in 3D Technology for Pattern Designers with AccuMark® 12.1 Release

TOLLAND, Conn. — June 11, 2019 — Gerber Technology announces the release of AccuMark 3D version 12.1. The most trusted name in fashion software is empowering users to virtually visualize a design concept quickly. This enables them to make real-time design iterations, reduce their sampling time, and integrate the flow of data from design to manufacturing to get new styles to market faster than ever before. In fashion and apparel, 3D technology can be a game changing enabler as the demand to move from concept to production is accelerating faster than ever before to stay ahead of what is trending. While speed has become a new mantra, consumers are looking for experiences, personalized products and brands who strive to bring fashion to market fast but also in a sustainable and socially conscious way. “Our customers are embracing a new pace in the way they design, develop and produce fashion,” said Mary McFadden, Vice President of CAD Product Management at Gerber Technology. “We are leading the way, innovating rapidly, and launching key features like our newest AccuMark 3D that leverages our best in class Avametric simulation technology. With these innovations, our customers are finding AccuMark 3D can be trusted as a reliable fit tool as simulations expose pattern and fit errors that need to be fixed.”

Technology has become a key enabler in empowering leaders in the fashion and apparel industry to set trends and transform the entire process from creative conception through production and ultimately to the consumer purchase. “We implemented Gerber’s software solutions to help decrease cycle times and reduce our sample costs,” said Marta Bosch, Chief Operation Officer at Happypunt. “Our team has been pleased with the pace Gerber is responding with updates and new features to help us realize greater overall efficiency in our product development process.”

The recent release is a significant step forward in the AccuMark 3D platform. Users can trust that the 3D model they see on screen is actually production ready, not just a beautiful rendering. This makes pattern validation easier and faster than ever, adding 3D simulations within Gerber’s core AccuMark 2D pattern design software (PDS). In version 12.1, updates made in 2D are quickly visualized and tested with tension mapping in 3D to ensure the perfect fit and improve speed in the design process. Now pattern makers see production patterns in the same window as the 3D simulation, which ensures accuracy of the final product and increases efficiency in the overall product design and development workflow. Coupling 3D visualization with 2D patterns ensures the garment can be produced technically correct without any additional operation saving brands time and allowing them to deliver on their promise of high-quality garments in a more sustainable way.

The 3D simulations can also be exported as a shareable file that allows team members without AccuMark to view it in 3D. The file can be viewed within applications like Gerber’s YuniquePLM® where product teams can add comments and annotations. Recent updates also enable AccuMark to be launched from within YuniquePLM, improving collaboration and enabling quicker iterations on styles.

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: Gerber Technology

Milliken & Company To Acquire Polartec From Versa Capital Management

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — June 11, 2019 — Milliken & Company, a global diversified manufacturer with more than a century and a half of textile expertise, today announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Polartec LLC, a strong global brand known for its innovative performance textiles for outdoor and military apparel, from Versa Capital Management LLC. The acquisition is expected to close in June. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Andover, Mass., the Polartec brand carries a respected portfolio of fabric technologies for outdoor apparel, from performance-driven and consumer-focused textiles, to flame-resistant, workwear and military-grade fabrics.

The addition of the Polartec brand — particularly its outdoor and fleece textiles — rounds out Milliken’s comprehensive portfolio, allowing the company to deliver unprecedented access to a range of performance textiles for consumers, industrial workers and military personnel around the world.

“Polartec brings a wealth of new and respected outdoor textile expertise to complement Milliken’s strengths,” shared Halsey Cook, president and CEO of Milliken & Company. “The strategic acquisition broadens our textile capabilities with a product offering to now include fleece and soft-shell outerwear, among others, allowing us to grow in new and exciting spaces.”

“With more than 150 years of textile innovation, Milliken is the best possible ‘natural owner’ of a brand with Polartec’s pedigree. I look forward to supporting the integration,” said Polartec CEO Gary Smith. “I’m grateful to Versa Capital Management for their support in realizing Polartec’s full potential, and I’m extremely proud of the global Polartec team for their dedication and hard work that put the company in the position it is in today.”

“We look forward to growing Polartec’s strong brand at Milliken,” said Jeff Price, president of Milliken’s Performance and Protective Textiles Division. “Polartec expands our regional manufacturing reach and grows our technological expertise, enabling us to further deliver innovative performance textiles to the global market.”

“Milliken provides the perfect platform to ensure the continuation and acceleration of the success of the Polartec brand after years of complex and transformative business repositioning by Gary Smith and his team,” said Greg Segall, CEO of Versa and chairman of Polartec. “It has been a great collaboration with Gary and all of Polartec’s valued employees, and we are proud of all that has been accomplished during Versa’s ownership — notably the feat of reviving an American textile icon and powerful global brand into an enterprise equipped to succeed in today’s highly competitive markets. Milliken is the ideal long-term owner for Polartec, and we look forward to seeing the two companies achieve big things together.”

Versa acquired the assets of the former Malden Mills in 2007 through the then 101-year-old textile manufacturer’s third reorganization. Working with management, the business was transformed, renaming the company Polartec, reorienting it toward a technology- and innovation-led growth strategy, and revamping the company’s leadership, operations, manufacturing footprint and customer relationships.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

Versa and Polartec were advised by Lazard Middle Market and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Milliken & Company was represented by Jones Day LLP.

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: Milliken & Company

ITMF: Shipments Of New Textile Machinery Followed Various Trends In 2018

ZURICH — June 11, 2019 — Global shipments of new short-staple spindles and open-end rotors increased by +1.5 percent and +13 percent in 2018, respectively. The number of shipped draw-texturing spindles rose by +50 percent and deliveries of shuttle-less looms improved by +39 percent. Shipments of long-staple spindles, circular knitting machines, and electronic flat knitting machines decreased by -27 percent, -4 percent and -20 percent, respectively. In the finishing segment, the sum of machines shipped worldwide in the category “fabric continuous” and “fabric discontinuous” fell by -0.5 percent and -1.5 percent year-on-year, respectively.

These are the main results of the 41th annual International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics (ITMSS) just released by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF). The report covers six segments of textile machinery, namely spinning, draw-texturing, weaving, large circular knitting, flat knitting and finishing. A summary of the findings for each category is presented below. The 2018 survey has been compiled in cooperation with more than 200 textile machinery manufacturers representing a comprehensive measure of world production.

Spinning Machinery
The total number of shipped short-staple spindles increased by about 126,000 units to a level of 8.66 million. Shipments increased for the second consecutive year, but the global trend slowed down. Most of the new short-staple spindles (92 percent) were shipped to Asia & Oceania where delivery decreased by -2 percent. The most dynamic destinations recorded in 2018 were Korea, Rep, Turkey, Vietnam and Egypt with increases of +834 percent, +306 percent, +290 percent, +285 percent, respectively. The six largest investors in the short-staple segment were China, India, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.

Global shipments of long-staple (wool) spindles decreased from 165,000 in 2017 to nearly 120,000 in 2018. This effect was mainly driven by a drop in deliveries to Asia & Oceania (-48,000 units). This region remained the strongest destination for this type of machinery but deliveries to China and Iran dropped by -60 percent. The biggest investors were Turkey, Iran, China, Italy, and Vietnam.

Some 721,000 open-end rotors were shipped worldwide in 2018. This represents an 83,000-units increase compared to 2017. 91 percent of global shipments went to Asia & Oceania where the share to total deliveries improved by +20 percent to 658,000 rotors. However, China, the world’s largest investor in open-end rotors, increased its investments by +7 percent in 2018 while deliveries to Thailand, Malaysia, and Egypt rose by over 3 times.

Texturing Machinery
Global shipments of single heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyamide filaments) increased by +48 percent from nearly 15,500 in 2017 to 22,800 in 2018. With a share of 91 percent, Asia & Oceania was the strongest destination for single heater draw-texturing spindles. China and Japan were the main investors in this segment with a share of 68 percent and 11 percent of global deliveries, respectively.

In the category of double heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyester filaments) the positive trend continues and global shipments increased by +50 percent on an annual basis to about 490,000 spindles. Asia’s share of worldwide shipments grew to 93 percent. Thereby, China remained the largest investor accounting for 68 percent of global shipments.

Weaving Machinery
In 2018, worldwide shipments of shuttle-less looms increased by 39 percent to 133,500 units. Thereby, shipments of air-jet and water-jet looms increased by +21 percent to 32,750 and +91 percent to 69,240, respectively. The deliveries of rapier/projectile looms dropped by -5 percent to 31,560. The main destination for shuttleless looms in 2018 was Asia & Oceania with 93 percent of all worldwide deliveries. 92 percent of all water-jet looms, 83 percent of all rapier/projectile looms, and 99 percent of all Air-jet looms went to that region. The main investors were China and India in all three categories. Deliveries of weaving machines to the two countries reached 81 percent of total deliveries. Turkey and Bangladesh further played an important role in the rapier/projectile segment with a combined 18 percent of global shipments.

Circular & Flat Knitting Machinery
Global shipments of large circular knitting machines fell by 4 percent to 26,300 units in 2018. Asia & Oceania was also the world’s leading investor in this category with 85 percent of all new circular knitting machines shipped to the region. With 48 percent of worldwide deliveries, China was the largest investor. India and Vietnam ranked second and third with 2,680 and 1,440 units, respectively.

In 2018, the segment of electronic flat knitting machines decreased by -20 percent to around 160,000 machines. Asia & Oceania was the main destination for these machines with a share of 95 percent of world shipments. China remained the world’s largest investor. The country kept its global share of 86 percent of worldwide shipments despite a decrease in investments from 154,850 units to 122,550 units.

Finishing Machinery
In the segment of fabrics continuous, shipments of Washing (stand-alone), Singeing Line, Relax Dryers/Tumblers, Tenters, and Sanforizers/Compacters increased in 2018 by +58 percent, +20 percent, +9 percent, +3 percent, and +1 percent, respectively. Deliveries in the other sub-segments decreased. In the category “fabrics discontinuous”, shipments of Air-jet dyeing machines increased by +16 percent and deliveries of Overflow dyeing and Jigger dyeing/Beam dyeing machines fell by -7 percent and -19 percent respectively.

Posted June 11, 2019

Source: ITMF

Myant’s Made-In-Canada Textile Computing To Be Integrated Into Canadian Tire’s Brands, Including Helly Hansen, Dakota And Woods

TORONTO — May 24, 2019 — Retailer Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. (CTC) and Myant Inc., an innovator in Textile Computing™, are pleased to announce their partnership to introduce wearable computing and smart textiles to CTC’s family of leading retail brands.

Myant’s proprietary fiber-based innovations will be brought to consumers in Helly Hansen, Woods and Dakota products to keep Canadians safer, more comfortable, and ultimately, healthier. These solutions will use Myant’s SKIIN Textile Computing™ platform that integrates biometric sensors, heat generation technology and electroluminescence into everyday clothing. This partnership will introduce apparel and footwear that keeps customers warmer, lights up at night to keep them more visible, and connects with smart devices to record performance and health information from heart rate to blood oxygen levels.

By partnering with Myant, CTC furthers its commitment to provide customers with new and innovative products and solutions for everyday life, including pedestrian and cyclist safety at Canadian Tire, Dakota workwear at Mark’s, outdoor apparel from Helly Hansen and Woods, available at SportChek. The result is a significant step forward in developing next generation Connected Health, Connected Worker and Connected Home applications.

“Smart textiles will allow footwear and apparel to reach new heights in terms of safety, health and performance. CTC and our family of brands are committed to investing to bring these innovations to our customers around the world,” said Allan MacDonald, executive vice president, Retail, CTC.

“Myant’s long-term vision is to build a new platform for human-computer interaction that helps individuals manage and anticipate their health and wellness 24 hours a day, throughout their lives. Canadian Tire and its portfolio of retail banners is a natural partner in this endeavour given its central role in the lives of millions in Canada and beyond, from the hockey rink and the gym through to our homes and our clothing,” said Tony Chahine, CEO and founder, Myant Inc.

Posted June 10, 2019

Source: Canadian Tire Corp.

Eriez® Becomes Majority Shareholder Of FaultCurrent Ltd.

ERIE, Pa.— June 10, 2019 — Eriez® President and CEO Tim Shuttleworth announced that the company is now the majority shareholder of FaultCurrent Ltd. Based in the United Kingdom, FaultCurrent developed a unique passive magnetic fault current limiter called the pmFCL. Its innovative design uses permanent magnets at its core to provide a reliable, robust and energy efficient solution for electrical power grid reinforcement.

Shuttleworth says, “Making this investment in FaultCurrent Ltd. was a natural choice for Eriez as we are constantly developing and investing in breakthrough products that keep us on the cutting edge.”

The pmFCL protects utility electrical distribution networks from unanticipated power surges and new demands placed on aging and already overburdened electrical infrastructures from the connection of distributed energy sources. The patented technology behind this next generation fault current limiter has been achieved through a combination of magnetic engineering insights, including using ferrite permanent magnets to saturate a network of inductors.

The pmFCL provides additional fault current headroom, presenting a low impedance during normal “in service” current flows until an abnormal fault current instantaneously forces the device into a higher impedance state, and in doing so, allows time for the power system’s existing infrastructure to react to isolate the fault safely. Post fault, the pmFCL instantly recovers, ready to protect the network again.

Unlike other fault current limiters, pmFCL’s breakthrough design is truly “fit and forget” technology. This self-contained three phase unit is delivered to the site as a complete unit that is ready to go once placed on a concrete pad. The pmFCL requires no maintenance beyond simple inspection.

FaultCurrent  was incorporated in July 2012 to develop a new generation of fault current limiters based on pioneering research and development work carried out by Dr. Jeremy Hall at the Wolfson Centre for Magnetics at Cardiff University. Early stage funding was provided by Fusion IP, now incorporated into the IP Group. Eriez-Europe Chairman Andy Lewis says, “The project attracted attention — and subsequently grants — from the Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department of the UK government.”

Lewis explained: “Eriez Investments Ltd. has a majority shareholding position, having cumulatively invested a seven-figure sum in the past two years, with the IP Group and FaultCurrent Ltd. company directors and former directors holding the remaining shares.”

FaultCurrent’s board of directors is comprised of Andy Lewis, Martin Ansell, Dr. Jeremy Hall and Andy Cheer.

Posted June 10, 2019

Source: Eriez®

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