Epson America Inc., Carson Calif., recently opened the Epson Technology Center at its headquarters. The center showcases Epson’s printing solutions and applications — including the full Epson wide-format printing portfolio of dye-sublimation, signage, photography and direct-to-garment (DTG) printing solutions — and offers a hands-on experience for customers and dealers.
“We know that purchasing new imaging hardware is a major investment, and this Technology Center will allow customers to experience our latest technologies using their own files, helping them to make a more informed purchase, said Andreas Goehring, director, Professional Imaging.
In other news, Epson has launched a Direct-to-Garment (DTG) pretreatment solution for polyester garments that may be used with its SureColor® F2000 and F2100 printers. The solution is OEKO-TEX ECO PASSPORT certified, and has been optimized for use with Epson UltraChrome® DG inks.
“To date, the direct-to-garment industry has been limited to printing on 100-percent cotton or cotton-polyester blends,” said Timothy Check, senior product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America Inc. “This new polyester pretreatment solution will open opportunities for direct-to-garment printing and customization for new industries, as well as open doors to on-site garment customization at sporting events — everything from neighborhood runs to national triathlons.”
Switzerland-based HeiQ reports it is expanding its partnership with Patagonia, Ventura, Calif. The outdoor clothing brand will offer HeiQ Fresh tech odor control technology in its Fall 2019 collection. The HeiQ Fresh Tech family of products includes odor-preventing and odor-absorbing textile technologies that maintain effectiveness after prolonged use and frequent washings, according to HeiQ.
“While we were happy with our previous odor control solution, we were able to develop a better solution as part of our R&D Partnership with HeiQ. We are always looking to improve quality of our products, and HeiQ Fresh Tech will help us meet our consumers demands.” said Matt Dwyer, director of material innovation and development, Patagonia.
Atlanta-based SoftWear Automation has released the next generation LOWRY SEWBOT® to the sewing industry. The company reports that improved vision technologies — that now recognize material shape, size, fabric, style and sewing requirements — have allowed major advances in its Sewbot technology. Material distortion may be noted in real time, allowing for dynamic adjustments that do not require programming and results in high-quality products every time.
The new Lowry features an upgraded industrial-grade steel base frame, which allows for 24/7 operation and can withstand the sometimes rough environment of a factory floor. According to the company, the sewbot also can undertake simultaneous operations such as automated loading, flaw detection, sewing, seaming, cutting, labeling and restacking using a simple control touch panel. The ease of use means one operator can manage up to six Lowrys at one time.
Construction methods that are supported by the new-generation Lowry include serging, overedging, hot seal cutting, lockstitch, chainstitch, side seaming, piping; binding, label attaching, overlock, heat transfer, bonding, end cuts, seaming/finishing, variable sewing speeds, and variable thread types/thicknesses.
Latham, N.Y.-based PrimaLoft Inc. recently introduced PrimaLoft® Bio, a man-made insulation product made using 100-percent biodegradable fibers. According to the company, the product — which was four years of research and development in the making — is the only such product on the market; and offers the same performance characteristics, look and feel as other insulating products. Accelerated test conditions simulated a landfill environment according to ASTM test method D5511, showed that PrimaLoft Bio fibers reached near complete biodegradation in 394 days.
“With PrimaLoft Bio, PrimaLoft is leading the charge by redefining what sustainability really means,” said Mike Joyce, president and CEO of PrimaLoft. “Recycling is a good start but, we are intent on providing a better answer to the environmental issues facing our industry … This technology, the most significant global technology launch in the company’s history, provides a solution at the material level, which was key for our vision.”
ROCHESTER, N.Y./TULSA, Okla. — November 14, 2018 — Building on its introduction of KODALUX Light Control Technology, Kodak announced the availability of Kodalux Blackout Fabric Coating/Flame Retardant (FR) for drapery fabric.
Leveraging Kodak’s deep expertise in materials science, Kodalux is a new class of light control materials which can be coated on fabrics for use in the management of light, delivering 100-percent blackout.
Fabricut Inc., one of the world’s largest distributors of decorative fabrics, is pleased to offer customers the ability to incorporate Kodalux Technology for blackout on its Fabricut Contract line of fabrics.
“I was excited about Kodalux Technology from the minute I heard about it,” said Julia Dalton, Senior Stylist, Fabricut Contract. “It finally allows us to offer our customers the option to have any FR drapery item in our line coated with Kodalux Blackout Fabric Coating. Previously designers had to start with the blackout fabric and make it fit their design. Now they don’t have to.”
“With the Kodalux Product, we are able to offer a simpler FR blackout solution, eliminating the needs for a separate liner, while still maintaining the hand and drape of decorative woven fabrics,” said Tom Cavanagh, chief customer officer, Kodak. “Drawing from Kodak’s rich history of color science, we offer customers the ability to tint our Kodalux Blackout Fabric Coating to complement their fabric color. Kodak is pleased to be working with Fabricut to launch this differentiated product to the market.”
In addition to woven drapery fabrics, Kodalux Blackout Fabric Coating can be coated on prepared-for-print (PFP) fabrics for exhibition signage or window treatments which are printed by either direct or indirect dye sublimation.
“Other competitive solutions are bonded to the fabric, so they are stiff and don’t feel like a drapery product anymore,” said Dalton. “For Fabricut Contract, quality is important, and we take our relationships with suppliers very seriously. With Kodak, we can offer our customers a quality blackout product manufactured domestically with quick turnaround. The color matching capability of Kodalux Technology gives designers extra freedom to add to their design concept while maintaining a luxurious fabric feel.”
NC State researchers have created fashionable clothing that can be used for exercise as well as capturing vital body measurements.
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In 2017, an estimated 1.66 billion people worldwide purchased goods online. During the same year, between 20 and 50 percent of online clothing sales were returned — a majority because of poor fit (Cheng, 2015; Pulga, 2015). Researchers at the Wilson College of Textiles at NC State University, Raleigh, N.C., have developed a solution to the waste and cost of these returns: Prime Fit is a proprietary mobile app and garment system that offers an inexpensive way for consumers to obtain accurate body measurements in the privacy of their own home (patent number US2018/046248).
The system could be revolutionary for online shoppers, e-commerce clothing companies and even fitness and wellness applications. The mobile app, in development at NC State, obtains measurements from 2D images that have been taken with a cell phone or digital camera while the user wears a special Prime Fit measuring garment. The software gathers basic demographic information, such as age, height, weight, gender and ethnicity, as well as front and side pictures of the body while wearing the measurement garment. The output results in 2D measurements that will provide accurate dimensions that can help consumers identify their “size” for clothing purchase. Most of the sizing that is available for a product online is quite simplistic and usually includes bust, waist, hip, inseam length, and potentially back length. These measurements define the size and shape of the consumers bodies, rather than the measurement of the garment at the specific location. On the other side, most consumers do NOT know their own body measurements in order to determine the correct size.
What is especially frustrating to consumers is that sizing often changes according to manufacturer and sometime country of origin. A consumer may think that they wear a size 6 in jeans, but find that in the more expensive products they can actually wear a size 4 and in a product from mass retailers, they might actually need an 8. The products may all be created with the same group of measures for the bodies that they are made for, but just identified as different size numbers. This is where the term “vanity sizing” comes from.
What is really important is the combination of measurements used to determine the size connotation — 2, 4, 6 or S, M, L — rather than the size itself.
Most products sold at retail in brick-and-mortar stores have no background measurement information available to define the sizes. The consumer just has to try on many pairs to figure out which fits best. And when they run out of time, patience, or will power, they select the best of the worst.
For online sales, consumers actually need to find the sizing chart that relates to the product to try to figure out the most correct size. When they find the sizing system, they will find a group of bust, waist, hip, and inseam measurements the manufacturer used to define a specific size. Unfortunately, since much of the product sold online has been designed and assigned a size in China, the sizing is actually relative to the smaller Chinese body. The normal size medium consumer may actually have measurements that define an extra-large product that was created in China. This difference is really difficult to believe, so consumers often buy their regular size and then a second garment one size larger. This means they planned to return one garment anyway, and then often have to return the other as well because they didn’t have their own correct body measurements to start with.
NC State researchers wanted to find a way to make it easy and fun for people to monitor their body measurements using a simple system that provides very accurate results. All consumers have body changes that occur over time that they may be totally unaware of. These changes can have a significant impact on the size of clothing needed. While some garments might not be impacted by small body changes — like T-shirts, for example — there are many other situations where personalized fit is highly desirable — such as for wedding gowns, tailored suits, evening wear and jeans. There clearly is a need for a garment system that could be used by customers to measure themselves accurately, easily, and cost- effectively and track this data.
Collecting Body Measurements
Researchers have been working to develop better ways to collect body measurements for decades. Traditionally, measurements have been collected manually using tape measures, anthropometers, and calipers. Unfortunately, the average person is really bad at taking their own body measurements. It is also very time consuming. A more accurate and speedy method of measuring bodies is by using 3D whole-body scanners. While this technology is quite amazing with the wealth of information that it can provide, it is fairly expensive and not widely available to most apparel shoppers. In addition, the technology requires the user to be scanned in their underwear in order to obtain the most accurate measurements. Many consumers are uncomfortable with the idea of images being captured of them in their underwear and do not want pictures of themselves circulating on the internet. They especially don’t want pictures of their children out on the web.
New developments with handheld scanners have brought interest in their potential for use in measuring bodies, however, these scanners also can only measure what they “see” and must compensate for the clothing being worn. The garments worn during scanning affect the measurement outcome in significant ways.
Technology is central to how millennials and the new I Generation — born since 1995 — operate in the world. Digital devices control their world and are their primary means of communication, almost entirely online, using their phones for everything. Retailers have also become more focused on the surge in mobile transactions. Since almost everyone has a cellphone that they use all of the time, using a cellphone as the body measurement device is convenient. However, since the RGB camera on a cellphone is no better at seeing through clothing than any other device in the marketplace, the reliability of the result depends heavily on the garment worn by the user. So, NC State researchers designed a garment that could aid in measurement extraction, provide appropriate privacy, and be something a user might actually want to wear to work out.
Recently, 2D images — photographs — have become more popular as a means for obtaining body information because the method is low cost, pictures can provide reasonable results and image analyzing application programming interfaces (APIs) have become more powerful and accessible. The cellphone cameras can’t obtain as much information as the 3D whole body scanners when only a few images are taken. However, the information collected from these 2D images can be used to determine unknown information using statistical prediction models and machine learning. These opportunities have yet to be fully commercialized.
There are many limiting factures when using 2D images for body measurements. One of the limitations is the surrounding space that is difficult to subtract out and away from the image of the body. Privacy remains a concern, as well. To help solve these issues, garment apparatuses have been designed and tested. These apparatuses can protect a customer’s privacy and make it easier to identify body measurements and the appropriate locations.
With 2D images taken using a garment apparatus, data mining and image processing techniques are much easier. This body measurement system can be used by customers to monitor their own measurements. User interviews and support statements suggest that it would be valuable and feasible to develop a body measuring system that customers could use whenever and wherever they want to get more accurate body measurements than they would be likely to obtain using a measuring tape on their own.
Figure 1a: A schematic showing the body measurement system.
Research
NC State’s research focused on creating a fast, personal apparatus; system; and method for obtaining body dimensions extracted from 2D images captured by a user. Subjects wore the garment apparatus while having a 2D picture taken from the front and the side of the body. Computer vision technology was used to extract key body dimensions at primary locations based on the design of the garment. These dimensions were further used to predict additional body information. A huge, 3D anthropometric body database was used to train the prediction models using machine-learning algorithms. A schematic of the system is illustrated in Figure 1a. A prototype of the apparatus is shown in Figure 1b.
Figure 1b: Prototype of the apparatus designed by the NC State research team.
The primary purpose of measurement system was to develop a way to obtain measurements that are accurate within the tolerance generally acceptable for clothing sizing while making the garment both practical and aesthetically pleasing. The garments have been designed with markings at specific locations to align with characteristic body features and coded with different colors so the measurement system can recognize where to measure from the 2D images. Camouflage patterns are applied in each color block to make the design less monotonous while ensuring the accuracy of measurements.
The garments that have been developed can be kept, shared, returned or even worn as regular sports clothing. In e-retail, these garments can be shipped in the same box as a regular order. They can be used by a friend or family member and for all ages and populations with slight adjustments in size ranges. Once the garment pictures are taken, the consumer can use the data to shop for clothing at any website. If willing, the consumer can share with retailers to aid in better selection for future purposes.
Advantages of this system include:
accurate measurement results can be achieved within the general production tolerances of most apparel products;
data is obtained in an automatic format with better accuracy than manual body measurements taken by untrained consumers;
privacy concerns can be reduced by not using partially undressed pictures over the internet;
digital data is obtained in a format to facilitate size prediction in e- commerce transactions;
potential reduction in returned merchandise due to sizing issues; and
no need for specialized facilities or expensive equipment, such as 3D scanners, to take body measurements.
The garments are made using a 83-percent polyester/17-percent elastane four-way stretch fabric and the patterns are printed using digital printing technology. These garments are not only essential to the success of the software, they also can be used for active apparel.
Future Developments
The measurement system developed at NC State is an efficient and cost-effective way to measure a body. Because most clothing shoppers have access to cellphones that can take pictures, it costs almost nothing for them to use the system. In an optimal situation, most of the cost could be borne by the garment manufacturers with the end result increased sales and substantially fewer returns because of fit issues. Most smart phones have internet access, which offers further opportunities regarding using the body information. Customers can access their up-to-date body measurements at anytime and anywhere. The body measurements collected through the system could be used to select garment sizes, create online 3D avatars, customize clothing patterns, and track customer’s fitness. The new system solves issues related to existing systems such as the high cost of 3D whole-body scanning technology, the measurement extraction dilemma of handheld scanners, and the low-quality results from manual measuring techniques. Overall, the developed body measuring system is innovative and important for the apparel industry, but also has the potential for the health industry.
Editor’s Note: The Prime Fit Team — comprised of Dr. Andre West; Dr. Cynthia Istook, Cornelson Family Distinguished Professor of Textile and Apparel Design; and students Hawes Collier, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Jiayin Li, Textile Technology Management; and Sibei Xia, Textile Technology Management — all contributed to this article. For more information about the research, contact Dr. Andre West at 919-515-6650; ajwest2@ncsu.edu; or visit theprimefit.com and http://www.3dbody.tech/cap/papers/2018/18126xia.pdf
Fashion retailer C&A recently introduced the world’s first Cradle to Cradle Certified™ GOLD pair of jeans.
C&A is leveraging a global network to create fashion with a positive impact.
By Jay Bolus
What does it take to make the world’s most sustainable denim jeans? And, more broadly, what does it mean to be sustainable and how is sustainability measured? The textile and apparel industry can have an enormous effect on the environment, as well as on the people that make and wear the final garments. With an increasing number of organizations and individuals developing innovative products, processes and ingredients, there are many members along the value chain not only minimizing harm but also doing more good.
Recently, C&A, an international fashion retail clothing chain, released the world’s first Cradle to Cradle Certified™ GOLD denim jeans. Cradle to Cradle is a science-based quality certification that “acknowledges continuous improvement and innovation of products and processes towards the goal of being not just ‘less bad’ but also ‘more good’ for people and the planet.” The certification program is based on Charlottesville, Va.-based MBDC LLC’s Cradle to Cradle® framework and methodology. Certification is awarded at five levels — BASIC, BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD AND PLATINUM — with each level imposing a more rigorous set of requirements. The lowest score in any quality category establishes the product’s overall score. The jeans innovation posed both a material and design challenge that required designers to be open-minded and flexible in the way they utilize materials.
The Cradle to Cradle Certified GOLD jeans were achieved through C&A’s close collaboration with Fashion for Good — an initiative connecting brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organizations, innovators and funders to work together in a shared ambition to make the fashion industry a force for good — architect and sustainable development leader William McDonough, Cradle to Cradle Certified™ assessors MBDC, Spain-based consultancy service Eco Intelligent Growth S.L. (EIG), and the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a non-profit organization that administers the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard. The release of C&A’s jeans came on the heels of the first ever Cradle to Cradle Certified GOLD, fully compostable T-shirt collection launched in 2017. The denim jeans provide an example of ways to collaborate within industry to split the materials into biological and technical nutrients to create a closed-loop system of design.
Over the past year, C&A inspired collaboration among various manufacturers and suppliers to evaluate and improve the denim garment with regards to human and environmental health, recyclability and biodegradability, renewable energy use and carbon management, water stewardship and social fairness. MBDC provided the counsel of the jeans to C&A during the Cradle to Cradle certification process.
In terms of material and chemical optimization, many denim garments are mixes of biological and technical nutrients — materials designed to flow optimally in nature’s nutrient cycles or circulate in a perpetual cycle of production, recovery and manufacture — which could be called a monstrous hybrid in Cradle to Cradle Design™ language. This presents a challenge — creating a garment that has the same performance as traditional models, but doing so in a way that is either 100-percent technical or 100-percent biological to allow them to return to their respective cycles at end of use. Another option, which was adopted for the jeans, is to make them easily separable so the biological and technical nutrients can return to their respective cycles.
All the components in the jeans were made to be easily separable so the biological and technical nutrients can return to their respective cycles.
Embracing Opportunity Through Collaboration
Creating such a complex product presented several logistical challenges that came to be seen as opportunities. The diversity of the supply chain posed an opportunity as textile manufacturers rely on yarns, dyes and auxiliaries, each of which can have multiple suppliers, requiring cooperation from several key players beyond C&A and its mills in the certification process. MBDC worked to bring these companies together in collaborative advantage.
By leveraging the strengths of different players, the team worked together to champion a sustainable and innovative product. EIG focused on working with European suppliers. EPEA Switzerland, another accredited Cradle to Cradle Certified assessor led by Albin Kälin, shared information for the fiber that provided the garment’s stretch.
Typically, this stretchy material in textiles has been spandex, which is a copolymer known for its elasticity and comfort. These materials present considerable challenges from a Cradle to Cradle Design standpoint as they are petro-based, do not biodegrade and are not recyclable at end of use. However, EPEA Switzerland had previously collaborated with a company that produces a spandex-like fiber in a slightly different way. While not completely biodegradable, the material is compatible with biological systems. These spandex-like fibers can biodegrade, although at a considerably slower rate than the cotton, but can also later be recaptured for future use. When combined with the fiber, cotton is still compostable without having any negative impact on the microorganisms in the compost.
In the future, this process can become more transparent and streamlined as spandex fiber manufacturers are encouraged to share their formulas, enabling more collaboration within the supply chain. The company that created this new fiber not only designed a unique way of making a stretchy fiber biocompatible, but also was open and transparent with its formulas. Because the ingredients and formulas of every element are known, MBDC could fully and thoroughly assess the garment for material health.
C&A collaborated with multiple companies to develop the jeans and create a closed-loop system of design.
Embodying The Five Goods
Beyond material health, the denim jean garments embody The Five Goods — Good Materials, Good Economy, Good Energy, Good Water, Good Lives — described by McDonough. C&A, while embracing the entire Five Goods, particularly focused on Good Materials.
Everyone involved had the goal of achieving GOLD level certification — particularly in the material health category. Unlike many other elements of manufacturing, materials and toxicity are not optimizable — once a toxic material is released, it is virtually impossible to get it back. From the beginning, the jeans were designed with chemicals and materials safe for humans and environmental systems.
For Good Economy, also known as Circular Economy, despite combined biological and technical materials — the rivets are still metal and the zipper is still comprised of a synthetic material — the multiple components are easily separable so biological materials can return to biological systems and technical materials can return to technical systems.
From the Good Energy perspective, everything is renewably powered at the mills, so each garment is manufactured using 100-percent renewable energy.
Good Water is achieved through the mills’ closed-loop water system and keeping the dyeing process within the mills. In the modern textile industry, dyeing can be one of the most challenging processes for water quality, but utilizing a closed-loop water system means the water is being perpetually recycled. The only water that leaves the system does so through evaporation, so new water does need to be added occasionally, but there is no effluent and therefore no concern about contaminating local water systems or groundwater.
The mills chosen were specifically selected for their emphasis on social fairness and paying above living wage to all their employees, which is required for certification in the fifth category of social fairness. A strong score for Good Lives also was achieved through C&A’s social programs, including global partnerships with Save the Children and C&A Foundation and its own Inspiring Women campaign. The partnership with Fashion For Good, an open-source initiative that supports the transformation of apparel culture toward a circular economy, also contributed to this aspect.
Sharing The Tools
During the certification process, Fashion for Good created a toolkit, Developing Cradle to Cradle Certified Jeans to accompany the garment’s release. The toolkit includes concrete solutions on how manufacturers can approach complex products and projects such as jeans to reach product certification at the GOLD level. Also accompanying the jeans’ launch was Fashion for Good’s Assessed Materials Almanac, which showcases materials and ingredients currently assessed for Cradle to Cradle Material Health available for use in the fashion industry.
C&A, at the beginning of the project, made the decision to be as transparent as they could throughout the entire process so that others could learn from its work and draw inspiration from the journey. By being completely open, other manufacturers can connect with like-minded suppliers and potentially model their products after these garments.
By launching the first fully Cradle to Cradle Certified denim jeans, C&A is not only empowering customers to choose popular apparel that is good for the world, but also encouraging other companies to follow their lead. This dedication to setting the fashion standard to one that puts human and environmental health first takes an inspiring step to increase economic, social and ecological benefits based on quality, not just quantity, to point the way to a thriving circular economy.
To really change an industry, suppliers and manufacturers must be more transparent moving forward. That is really what C&A wanted to do with this project and that’s what Fashion for Good is all about — changing an entire industry. The hope for the project, among all the collaborators, is that it will become a model for, “it exists; therefore, it is possible.” C&A has created fast fashion items in a circular, Cradle to Cradle Design way, so almost anything should be possible.
Editor’s Note: Jay Bolus is president of MBDC, advisors in material health, product design, and the Cradle to Cradle Design Framework.
DuPont’s Nomex® heat- and flame-resistant fiber is used in coveralls to protect workers in environments where electrical arcs are a possibility, among other end uses.
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What if?” It is the question where innovation begins, and few companies have asked it as often and answered it as well as DuPont™ and FilSpec USA.
Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Safety & Construction — now a business unit of DowDuPont’s Specialty Products division — is a global leader in products and solutions that protect what matters — people, structures and the environment. The company enables its customers to win through unique capabilities, global scale, and iconic brands including Kevlar® and Nomex®; and has a century-long track record of innovation matched by few companies in the world.
Two of DuPont’s most iconic innovations, Kevlar and Nomex, date back to the 1960s. “Sometimes it is hard to think of something that has been around for 50 years or more as innovative, but that remains the case for both of these,” said Reiyao Zhu, DuPont Nomex technical guardian. Thanks to DuPont’s active commitment to continuous improvement for both products, “Nomex and Kevlar are still the very best for their intended applications,” she said
Nomex is a heat- and flame-resistant fiber that can react during an emergency. When the fiber is exposed to extreme heat, it undergoes a special reaction and captures more energy in the fabric, gaining valuable extra seconds of time to protect the wearer from heat transfer. From protecting people drilling underground to those rocketing into space, Nomex has numerous applications. Perhaps the best-known applications are in turn-out gear for firefighters.
Confidence in the ability of Nomex to provide thermal protection gives firefighters the assurance they need to be more effective, according to a DuPont case study. “Once you are in there and you see nothing but fire, if you start questioning your suit, you are going to start questioning your ability to do the job,” said a Philadelphia firefighter.
The properties of Nomex also protect workers in environments where flash fires are a possibility. “Nomex is used in coveralls to protect these workers,” Zhu said. “It is also used in situations where electrical arcs are a hazard, such as with electricians.”
Confidence in the ability of Nomex to provide thermal protection provides firefighters with the assurance they need to be more effective.
While Nomex is known for thermal protection, Kevlar is renowned for toughness and ballistic-resistance. Originally developed for use in automobile tires, Kevlar has since become famous for bullet-resistant vests used by SWAT teams and officers engaged in high-risk law-enforcement activities. The living proof of its effectiveness is the more than 3,100 members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police/DuPont Kevlar Survivors Club® who survived potentially fatal or disabling injuries by wearing protective vests.
Always looking to make sure even more police officers go home safely to their families, DuPont frequently conducts tests to determine the capabilities of certain Kevlar weaves and constructions to absorb, contain and deflect energies from the high-velocity impact of bullets and projectiles to make the product better. Depending upon the risk inherent in their assignments, law enforcement officers can choose among Kevlar constructions that can stop small-caliber bullets up to .44 caliber and higher.
“A lot of people know about the law enforcement applications for Kevlar,” Zhu said, “but Kevlar is used in many other applications as well.” One of the more popular applications is for gloves that protect the hands of automotive workers, glass handlers, oil and gas drillers, welders, machine operators or others who have jobs that require hand protection, she said. Other applications range from tire sealant, to footwear and electronics cables.
With both Nomex and Kevlar, fiber and fabric construction are critical, Zhu said. What works as a fire retardant might not be as effective for arc protection. And for Kevlar, a vest designed to stop a bullet might not be as effective for a knife, and vice versa.
AFFOA: Advancing Manufacturing
A company-wide commitment to innovation is one reason why DuPont is a partner in the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), a non-profit institute founded in 2016 as part of the U.S. government’s National Network of Manufacturing Innovation initiative to promote advanced manufacturing.
Seeded with $320 million in public and private funding commitments, AFFOA is headquartered in Cambridge near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Its mission is to enable a manufacturing-based revolution — the transformation of traditional fibers, yarns, and textiles into highly sophisticated integrated and networked devices and systems — by leveraging the geographic distribution of the domestic fiber and textile industry, academic research centers, and consumer product companies to weave a nationwide network of Industrial Members, Fabric Innovation Network (FIN) Partners, Startup Incubators and University Hubs.
“This unique partnership has the potential to create a whole new industry, based on breakthroughs in fiber materials and manufacturing,” AFFOA CEO Yoel Fink said. “The new fibers and the fabrics coming from AFFOA will have the ability to see, hear, and sense their surroundings; communicate; store and convert energy; monitor health; control temperature; and change their color.”
Specialty yarn spinner FilSpec USA recently joined AFFOA as a FIN member. The company was created in 2017 when Sherbrooke, Quebec-based FilSpec Inc. purchased Richmond Specialty Yarns in Ellerbe, N.C. Specializing in research and development for innovative technical yarns used in high-performance textile industry applications, FilSpec’s yarns boast thermal management, cut and abrasion resistance, protection against flames and sparks, moisture resistance, antimicrobial protection, as well as other capabilities.
Quintal
“FilSpec is committed to serving the American market by providing innovative solutions, reliable operations and a level of quality that constitute the foundation of FilSpec’s identity,” said Dominique Quintal, vice president, sales and marketing.
“Originally, we became involved with Richmond Specialty Yarns on a commission basis, and in 2009, FilSpec became the controlling shareholder in the company,” he said. “We completed the purchase of Richmond in 2017. With what is now FilSpec USA, we can take advantage of U.S. trade agreements to enable us to sell a range of specialty products. We are now spinning yarn in the United States and selling to Mexico for applications that will be used in Mexico. Same thing for Central American countries as part of CAFTA. As for innovation, it is not something we are doing because it is trendy. It is in our DNA, and it is what we will continue to do.”
The world has moved on for the textile industry Quintal said. What once worked will likely not ever work again. “In our business, we cannot cling to the past. Even if we did not have competition from those low-cost countries, we would still be operating with the same mindset, of being innovative and coming up with new products for new applications. And we want to work with partners, suppliers and customers that share the same vision.
“Innovation means constant reinvention,” Quintal said. “We usually don’t expect a product to last more than five years. Eventually, almost no matter what you produce, the only way you are going to continue to be profitable is to reduce cost. And then you are back in the battle with low-cost countries. Instead, you have to come up with new products for new applications and keep doing it over and over.”
“We have learned that we must innovate to survive,” he continued. “We didn’t have a choice. The only way forward for us was to specialize in yarns for high-value technical fabrics.”
Quintal foresees a continued period of growth for innovative North American companies. “We have the knowledge and we have the expertise, that is our biggest advantage over textile companies from other parts of the world.”
TELFORD, Pa. — November 14, 2018 — Secant Group is proud to announce that it has reached another milestone in its lengthy company history. November 2018 marks the 75th anniversary of the company. Its rich heritage of innovation began with engineering textile structures back in the mid-1940s. Prodesco, a legacy company, had a long history of developing technical materials for space exploration, including supporting some of the earliest moon missions. Today, the company’s antenna mesh is deployed on several commercial and U.S. government satellite missions enabling the observation of the earth’s ecosystem; high-speed broadband connectivity on land, sea, and in the air; and a variety of classified information gathering satellite operations.
As pioneers in early implantable medical fabric structures, Secant Group developed some of the first vascular grafts and resorbable mesh materials still in use today. It continues to advance the science of biomaterials with critical components for transcatheter heart valves and engineered novel braided components for neurovascular flow diversion.
This same tradition of innovation continues today. In the medical arena, Secant is bridging the technologies of traditional biomedical textiles with regenerative medicine to create high-performance materials that help medical technology to improve the quality of life. To further support its customers, Secant Group expanded by creating a sister company, SanaVIta Medical, to provide contract manufacturing and medical device finishing services to help streamline the supply chain.
In industrial markets, Secant is actively driving the next generation of innovative custom-engineered textiles and material solutions to impact industries ranging from energy to space.
Jeff Robertson, president of the Secant Group, explains that the company’s success is the result of long-lasting customer partnerships. “We are grateful that our customers trust us to help them bring advanced technologies and better products to market,” Robertson said. “Their demands and challenges have pushed us to explore new advanced biomaterials and innovative engineering concepts from polymers to extrusion to textile structures. Our success story would be incomplete without the partnerships we have developed with our customers.”
Tolland, Conn.-based Gerber Technology reports it has partnered with Toronto-based ExactFlat to expand the power of 3D for AccuMark® users in furniture, transportation and technical textiles production. Using ExactFlat, 3D files may be transferred to production patterns that are ready for nesting and cutting. The ExactFlat 3D to 2D Flattening add-on is available through Gerber sales channels.
“ExactFlat technology has been the leading 3D to 2D flattening solution for more than a decade,” said said Mark Jewell, founder and CTO, ExactFlat. “The tools are fast, simple-to-use and can produce perfect 2D pattern from any 3D CAD file in a matter of minutes.”
