TSYS Appoints Joia M. Johnson To Its Board Of Directors

COLUMBUS, Ga. — October 22, 2018 — TSYS announced today the election of Joia M. Johnson, chief administrative officer, general counsel and corporate secretary for Hanesbrands Inc., to its Board of Directors. Johnson was also appointed to the compensation committee of TSYS’ Board of Directors. Her election brings the number of TSYS directors to 13.

“It is a tremendous honor to announce that Joia has agreed to become the newest member of our board of directors,” said M. Troy Woods, chairman, president and CEO of TSYS. “She brings an impressive array of skills — from legal, retail and international to corporate social responsibility to name a few — that will be an asset to TSYS moving forward as we continue to grow and operate as one of the world’s leading payments companies.”

Johnson is the chief administrative officer, general counsel and corporate secretary for Hanesbrands, a socially responsible leading marketer of everyday basic innerwear and activewear apparel in the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia-Pacific. She is responsible for legal, human resources, corporate social responsibility, government/trade relations, real estate, facilities and corporate security functions globally. Johnson also serves on the board of directors of Crawford & Co. and has a wealth of experience as a board member for professional and nonprofit organizations in addition to her corporate board duties.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: TSYS®

Brand Standard Furnishings Announces New Vice President Of Sales & Marketing Ken Koneck

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — October 22, 2018 — Brand Standard Furnishings (BSF) is proud to announce the addition of Ken Koneck to its leadership team as vice president of sales and marketing, effective immediately.

The influential, hands-on executive brings to the case goods provider more than 15 years of experience in the textiles and hospitality industry. In this new role, Koneck will lead the strategic development of BSF across all channels, define the overall goals and contribute to sales and profitability.

Koneck has a proven track record in staffing, sales and hospitality. “I am honored to join the BSF team that has built a solid foundation over the last decade. BSF is perfectly positioned to help its clients aesthetically transform their business for a better customer experience and compete in a progressive marketplace,” stated Koneck.

In announcing Koneck’s hiring, BSF Founder David Codoluto explained how the move aligns with the organizations strategic goals for 2018: “We are focused on customer care. Our clients can look forward to our services knowing they have a partner in BSF. Ken brings a level of trust and experience our clients have come to expect from BSF.”

Prior to joining BSF, Koneck spent five years with Meadow Hospitality Lighting driving the sales and exceeding company goals year-over-year. And for 10 years, Koneck directed the marketing for the world’s largest supplier of decorative textiles to the hospitality industry, Valley Forge Fabrics.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: Brand Standard Furnishings (BSF)

PPG Appoints Vincent Robin As President, Asia Pacific Region, And Vice President, Automotive OEM Coatings, Asia Pacific

PITTSBURGH — October 19, 2018 — PPG today announced the appointment of Vincent Robin as president, Asia Pacific region, effective January 1, 2019, in addition to his current role as vice president, automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coatings, Asia Pacific. Robin will replace Mike Horton, current president, Asia Pacific region, and vice president, protective and marine coatings (PMC), who has announced his intent to retire, effective January 1.

Robin joined PPG in 1987 and has moved through positions of increasing responsibility in the automotive OEM business. He relocated to Shanghai in 2010 as vice president, automotive OEM coatings, Asia Pacific, and was instrumental in growing and strengthening the business in the region. More recently, Robin expanded his responsibilities to oversee global supply management; environment, health and safety; and corporate and government affairs for the Asia Pacific region, and was also appointed general manager, China, earlier this year.

Horton joined PPG in 1998 through the Orica acquisition. During his 20-year career with PPG, he has held various positions of increasing responsibility. After holding several positions in operations and general management in Australia and New Zealand, he relocated to Shanghai in 2005 as general manager, refinish, Asia Pacific, and was appointed president, Asia Pacific, in 2011, and vice president, PMC, Asia Pacific, in 2014.

During the past seven years as president, Asia Pacific region, Horton has been instrumental in driving initiatives to strengthen collaboration across strategic business units and functions and reducing complexity.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: PPG

UNTUCKIT Selects NewStore To Help Scale Rapidly Growing Brick And Mortar Presence In U.S. And Canada

BOSTON — October 22, 2018 — NewStore Inc. today announced that UNTUCKit is the latest customer to embrace its retail experience. Since the direct to consumer brand opened its first store in 2015, UNTUCKit has scaled its physical footprint tremendously. With clienteling, endless aisle, mobile checkout, and omnichannel fulfillment powered by NewStore, UNTUCK is optimizing its quickly growing business through omnichannel capabilities that scale.

“Our objective is to take the friction and frustration out of retail,” said Stephan Schambach, founder and CEO, NewStore. “UNTUCKit is among a group of digital native brands that are innovating quickly and overtaking traditional retailers in many ways. Often times retailers struggle in times of rapid expansion, but Chris Riccobono and Aaron Sanandres have made it a priority to introduce the most innovative technology in retail to ensure its core values are scalable.”

UNTUCKit has changed what it means to be effortlessly casual. Implementing NewStore allows the brand to deliver a similarly effortless store experience. The platform enables UNTUCKit store associates to connect meaningfully with customers through mobile and offer inventory visibility for real-time access, providing a top of the line digital experience within the stores. Through the NewStore platform, the brand is also able to provide customers with an array of modern fulfillment options, such as buy online pick up in store (BOPIS) and buy online return in store (BORIS). NewStore acts as the single point of sale (POS) system for UNTUCKit, while bringing endless aisle functionality into stores.

“We started UNTUCKit with the goal of redefining casual and comfortable apparel. As we experience rapid growth, especially continuing our international expansion, we’re in a transitional period where our business will greatly benefit from an omnichannel approach,” said Aaron Sanandres, co-founder and CEO, UNTUCKit. “What NewStore has built makes our store associates more productive and our stores more profitable. This partnership will help us scale rapidly, while providing an exceptional experience our customers expect and deserve.”

The NewStore Omnichannel Platform has been rolled out in 41 UNTUCKit stores — 40 in the U.S. and one in Canada.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: NewStore

Praxair Announces Satisfaction Of Final Conditions To Close Business Combination With Linde AG

DANBURY, Conn. — October 22, 2018 — Praxair Inc. today announced that the final closing conditions for the merger of equals between Praxair and Linde AG  were satisfied after the European Commission approved the buyer of Praxair’s divestment business in Europe and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provided merger clearance of the business combination in the United States.

The parties expect the transaction to close on October 31, 2018. Under the terms of an agreement with the FTC, neither Linde AG nor Praxair will integrate any of their commercial operations until certain U.S. based assets are divested.

The new Linde plc shares are expected to start trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “LIN”. Trading in shares of Praxair’s common stock is expected to be suspended on the NYSE as of close of business (New York time) on October 30, 2018, and Praxair’s common stock is expected to be delisted from the NYSE. Promptly following the closing, Praxair also intends to delist and deregister its three series of Euro-denominated notes, including its 1.50% Notes due 2020, 1.20% Notes due 2024 and 1.625% Notes due 2025, that are currently listed on the NYSE to suspend its reporting obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Linde plc, as the new holding company of the combined group, will file reports under the Exchange Act following closing. The company intends to apply for listing of the bonds on an alternate securities exchange.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: Praxair Inc.

Trevira Expands Its Joint Fair Booth For Heimtextil 2019

BOBINGEN, Germany — October 22, 2018 — Following the success of Trevira GmbH’s joint booth concept at Heimtextil 2018, the company will be expanding its plans next year. At the 2019 Heimtextil, due to take place from January 8-11 in Frankfurt, Trevira will present a new joint booth. At over 2000 square meters, the new booth in Hall 4.2 will be significantly larger, up from 1300 square meters in 2018, and next year will also see an increase in the number of major customers joining Trevira at Heimtextil, from 16 this year to 22 in 2019.

Trevira has expanded its fair booth concept for 2019. Together with 22 of its biggest customers, the manufacturer of high-quality, flame retardant polyester fibers will tell the story of the entire textile value chain. Starting with the basics — fiber production and yarn manufacture — the exhibition will then move on to show the coloring, weaving and warp and weft knitting stages, eventually taking the visitor right up to the textile editing. Meanwhile, Trevira’s customers will reveal their Trevira CS collections for home and contract textiles at individual stands, demonstrating their contribution to the value chain. Visitors will catch a glimpse of the complex and complicated world of textiles manufacturing, while also gaining an insight into how polyester fibres are transformed into attractive, functional fabrics conveying true visual and sensory appeal along with authentic value.

Trevira GmbH’s CEO, Klaus Holz said: “The overwhelmingly positive market response to our joint booth at Heimtextil 2018 showed us that we are moving in the right direction, and we will continue to build on this concept in 2019, working together with an even larger group of Trevira CS customers to create a shared exhibition space displaying the entire textile value chain.”

Trevira’s joint booth will be situated by the Messe Frankfurt exhibition “Interior. Architecture. Hospitality” and will feature a special gallery showcasing the newest trends in contract textiles. Here, visitors can find out more about innovative textiles and current colour trends on the home and contract market, something that will be of particular interest to interior designers, decorators and the design sector in general.

The idea, concept, themes and colour palette have been developed by Frankfurt trend forecasting agency stilbüro bora.herke.palmisano. An all-star trend forecasting panel made up of Sebastian Herkner of Studio Sebastian Herkner (Offenbach), Markus Hilzinger of FINE ROOMS (Berlin), Corinna Kretschmar-Joehnk of JOI Design (Hamburg) and Sylvia Leydecker of 100% interior (Cologne), worked together to come up with ideas and contributions in the areas of product development, hotel and catering, and work and healthcare environments. Each expert singled out certain Trevira CS fabrics to be spotlighted at the Trevira joint booth next year.

Head of Marketing, Anke Vollenbröker, said: “We are excited about our new exhibition, ‘Trends in Contract by Trevira CS’, which will be a special highlight for our visitors next year. Our trends gallery will be an impressive demonstration of the newest Trevira CS fabrics, showing that the extensive choice of cutting-edge designs is more than capable of satisfying the demands of new trends on the contract market. The jury was particularly impressed by the innovative standard of yarns manufactured from flame retardant Trevira fibres and filaments, which will also form part of the trends exhibition.”

The following customers will join Trevira at the Heimtextil booth in January to present their wide range of attractive, modern Trevira CS yarns and fabrics: Engelbert E. Stieger, FIDIVI Tessitura Vergnano, Gebrüder Colsman, Gebrüder Wylach, Georg and Otto Friedrich, Gerriets, Hoftex, JAB Josef Anstoetz, Jenny Fabrics, Lonfil, Mattes & Ammann, Mottura, Pugi, Spandauer Velours, SR Webatex with Getzner Textil, Swisstulle, Tessitura Mario Ghioldi, Torcitura Fibre Sintetiche, Torcitura Lei Tsu with Ilcat, VLNAP, Wagenfelder Spinnereien and Wintex.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: Trevira GmbH

Clean Dye Recycrom™ On Fast Track To Scaling

BIELLA, Italy — October 22, 2018 — In 2016, the Italian textile chemical company Officina+39 invented Recycrom™ — color powders made from 100% textile waste. Almost immediately, Recycrom was being rated as one of the biggest innovations in dyestuffs in the last 50 years. In 2017, the clean dye won the Keyhouse Hightex Award at Munich Fabric Start 2017, and was applied to the first of two capsule collections by Italian high-street retailer OVS. As interest in this start-up technology increases exponentially, Recycrom is now set for truly mass volumes.

Turning waste into colors

Recycrom is a full range of colored powders made by recycling textile fibers from used clothing and manufacturing waste. Through an innovative and patented process, these fibers are upcycled into a remarkably uniform and solid powder that can be used as a pigment dye for fabrics and garments made of cotton, wool, nylon or any natural and most artificial fibers and blends. Recycrom can also be applied using various methods: exhaustion dyeing, printing and spray, with coating now under development.

The colors come out with a washed-out and natural look — making it very on-trend. Brands can also collaborate with the inventors Officina+39 to make custom dyes from their own scraps and textile waste.

Upcycling meets scaling

After winning the Keyhouse Hightex Award at Munich Fabric Start 2017, Recycrom had the attention of the industry. Officina+39 began collaborating with Italian high-street retailer OVS, which has so far resulted in two capsule collections. Currently the company is talking to many other interested brands and retailers for a whole range of collaborations.

The story behind Recycrom’s development is featured in the newly released Book of Denim, Volume 2 (Amsterdam Publishing Int, 2018). Officina+39’s CEO Andrea Venier will also be a featured speaker, along with other supply chain disrupters, during the denim industry innovations summit Kingpins Transformers in Amsterdam on October 23, 2018.

Changing the game

Based in the traditional high-end textiles town of Biella, one of the most important textile regions in Italy, the textile chemical company was founded by Andrea’s father, Roberto Venier, in 1992. “The long-term goal for Officina+39’s R&D center was always to invent a game-changer — one that could impact the whole textiles industry,” says Andrea. “And in the end, we found our inspiration very close to home.”

With its long tradition in textiles, Biella also has a long tradition in recycling. “One day I was visiting an old friend, Simone Gaslini, who has a spinning unit for regenerated yarn. He was showing me how he selected and sorted scraps and I suddenly noticed some powder coming from his machines,” recalls Andrea. “I took some and discovered that I could use this powder as a pigment, but a very poor one due to all the inconsistencies.”

Hence, the Officina+39 R&D team set out to make a perfectly uniform solid powder — a huge challenge due to the famously stretchy nature of textiles. Eighteen months later, they came up with an eight-step process involving various machines that could transform fibers into powder. Result: Recycrom.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: Officina+39

12 Composites Innovators To Receive A JEC Innovation Award In Seoul In November

SEOUL — October 22, 2018 — Twelve companies from eight different countries will receive a JEC Innovation Award at JEC Asia 2018. Asia-Pacific is an innovative region that sets the tone for all other regions of the globe. Once again, the JEC Innovation Awards highlight how composites bring solutions considering the new challenges in terms of efficiency, sustainability and life-cycle analysis.

This year, JEC Group awards innovations in the following categories: aerospace (structural and tooling), automotive, commercial vehicles, e-mobility, marine, railway, sports & leisure, infrastructure & civil engineering, industrial equipment, sustainability and additive manufacturing.

The ceremony will take place on Thursday November 15, 2018 at the COEX Center of Seoul (South Korea). Ida DAUSSY (Seo Hye-na), will host the ceremony in front of officials, manufacturers, scientists and composites professionals.

Jec Asia Innovation Awards: The 12 Winners

  • AEROSPACE – STRUCTURAL – CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (India) Innovative skin-ribs cocured engine bay door
  • AEROSPACE – TOOLING – Ascent Aerospace – Coast Composites (USA) HyVarC® Hybrid Invar / Composite Layup Molds
  • AUTOMOTIVE – Action Composites (China) Mass production CFRP Stabilizers and Droplinks
  • COMMERCIAL VEHICLES – Kolon Industries (South Korea) Smart Hybrid Composite Leaf Spring for Vehicles
  • E-MOBILITY – Daimler AG (Germany) Vehicle Integrated Inductive Charging
  • MARINE – Loiretech (France) FABHELI : Composite Propeller
  • RAILWAY – Saertex GmbH & Co (Germany) Breakthrough in railways: the renovation of the ICE
  • SPORTS & LEISURE – DYETEC Institute (Korea Dyeing and Finishing Technology Institute) (South Korea)
Innovative CFRP manufacturing method for lightweight and high stiffness drone structures using graphene oxide (GO)
  • INFRASTRUCTURE & CIVIL ENGINEERING – Centre for Future Materials (Australia) Easy fit and self-locking composite jacket
  • INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT – Composite Technology Center Stade – An Airbus Company (Germany) High-Performance Lightweight Robot Gripper System
  • SUSTAINABILITY – Premium Aerotec GmbH (Germany) Recycling AFP residual tape with Patch Placement
  • ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING – e-Xstream Engineering (Luxembourg) Digimat for Additive Manufacturing

Categories:

Category: AEROSPACE – STRUCTURAL


Winner: CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (India)

Partner: Aeronautical Development Agency (India)

Name of Product or Process: Innovative skin-ribs cocured engine bay door

Description: Most of the composite structures for aircraft are made of carbon-epoxy composites, which can withstand a maximum service temperature of 130°C. As a consequence, carbon-epoxy materials cannot be used in hot zones like engine vicinity areas. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and CSIR-NAL took up the challenge of developing high temperature resistant composites for use in hot zones of light combat aircraft, which would result in significant weight and cost savings, as well as a considerable reduction in the meantime between failures (MTBF) due to thermal ageing.

The first task was to choose a material system with a service temperature of about ~ 200°C. During the material selection process, it was found that BMI resins are a relatively young class of thermosetting polymers. Hence, a carbon-BMI prepreg was selected due to a number of unique features including excellent physical property retention at elevated temperatures and in wet environments.

It was realized that weight savings and performance can be maximized using co-curing technology. This results in a large reduction of fabrication cycle times, costs and weight. Co-cured structures have fewer fasteners, which results in shorter assembly cycle times and also reduces sealing issues.

A prototype engine bay door assembly was built and tested at 180°C for flight certification. The engine bay door consists of an inner skin and co-cured outer skin assembly with eight transverse stiffeners. The stiffeners were designed with ‘J’ sections. The door size was 1.5 m length, 1 m width and 0.4 m overall depth. The co-cured door was developed using autoclave moulding. Two doors were installed in prototype aircraft and successfully flown.

Category: AEROSPACE – TOOLING


Winner: Ascent Aerospace – Coast Composites (USA)

Name of Product or Process: HyVarC® Hybrid Invar / Composite Layup Molds

Description: HyVarC® is a patent-pending hybrid InVar and carbon fibre composite layup mould. HyVarC layup tooling offers a high-precision, lightweight, short lead time solution for prototype and development applications.

HyVarC combines a thin Invar backup structure and facesheet with a bonded, high-temperature carbon fiber composite working surface. The resulting tool is 50% lighter than a traditional Invar layup mold and has a 20% shorter lead-time compared to a traditional composite tooling solution.

The tool’s unique manufacturing process eliminates the need for a master mould, typically required for composite tooling. The thin Invar backup structure and facesheet are part of the final product and serve as the interim master for the composite working surface. This saves the time and cost of creating a second backup structure of composite. HyVarC’s thinner Invar structure requires less time to weld than the standard Invar thickness used for metallic tooling and eliminates the need for an annealing cycle.

The machined composite working surface offers better dimensional accuracy than net-mould composite tooling, while the Invar facesheet provides vacuum integrity and durability. Although machining operations on composite surfaces will lead to micro-cracks over time in the high- temperature, oxidative environment of an autoclave, a part fabricated on a HyVarC mold is bagged to the Invar facesheet. Vacuum reliability is not dependent on the composite surface and does not degrade with age or thermal cycling.

Finally, the composite working surface is easily re-machined to support modifications for rapid prototyping. Additional composite layers can be added and machined to accommodate design changes and feature additions. More significant changes can be accomplished by burning off the composite working surface and starting anew, with no change to the Invar structure.

Category: AUTOMOTIVE


Winner: Action Composites (China)

Partners:
Porsche AG (Germany)
, c-m-p GmbH (Germany), 
KLK Motorsport GmbH (Germany), IAB GmbH (Germany), FLURO-Gelenklager GmbH (Germany), and Zund Thailand (Thailand)

Name of Product or Process: Mass production of CFRP Stabilizers and Droplinks

Description: For the first time in a serial-produced car, the stabilizers on the front and rear axles are made of carbon, as well as their coupling rods – all with outstanding performance.

The weight reduction reaches more than 55% compared to the steel version.

With the new high-speed hollow prepreg compression molding process, the cycle time is less than 6 minutes, resulting in the opportunity to produce 220 parts per day and 70,000 parts per year.

Category: COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

Winner: Kolon Industries (South Korea)

Partners:
 Hyundai Motor Group (South Korea), SK Chemicals (South Korea)

Name of Product or Process: Smart Hybrid Composite Leaf Spring for Vehicles

Description: Leaf springs are mainly used in suspension systems for commercial vehicles and SUVs. They have to sustain various load conditions, such as longitudinal and lateral loads, brake torque, etc. This innovation can achieve almost 50% weight reduction and 5 times greater durability through the introduction of a tailored material, design optimization and innovative manufacturing processes.

A new epoxy resin system combining fast curing and high toughness was designed for the thick composite sections (>100mm), offering excellent mechanical performance. In this development, the following technical challenges were solved regarding two environmental factors (temperature and hot-wet exposure): (a) enhancing the basic understanding of degradation behaviour, (b) assessing the environmental effects on material properties and (c) developing the design allowables, which are statistically-based material properties derived from test data.

The durability-based material properties were then considered to set up the guidelines for the design and development of a composite leaf spring together with the environmental compensation factors. The compact design can save approximately 50% weight compared to a conventional multi-leaf spring. It also offers improved NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) behaviour and fatigue durability. To optimize the cure cycle and minimize distortion in the thick composite (>100mm), both cure kinetics and chemo-rheological model parameters were implemented in the software. This made it possible to predict and find adequate curing conditions.

Damage tolerance is the attribute of a structure that can retain a required structural strength or stiffness after accidental or discrete damage. FE-based multi-scale and progressive failure analysis was used to predict the residual fatigue life and to assess the effect of a damage event on the performance of the composite leaf spring.

Category: E-MOBILITY


Winner: Daimler AG (Germany)

Partner: Quadrant Plastic Composites AG (Switzerland)

Name of Product or Process: Vehicle Integrated Inductive Charging

Description: The most important component for vehicle integration of an inductive charging unit is the glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) holder, which must meet the demanding package requirements while ensuring the charging function and safety. The structural function is ensured by oriented glass fibre reinforcements and ribs formed during the compression molding process that provide protection against mechanical stress.

In addition, glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene has a very good crack stopping function, which can prevent subsequent severe damages after previous minor injuries of the surface. Due to simple processing by compression molding, the inserts can be placed either in “one-shot” in the tool or during the downstream process afterwards. All the inserts and associated screws are selected considering corrosion protection and low electromagnetic interference requirements (e.g. materials such as stainless steel and aluminium).

Inductive charging units are mounted below the integral support frame of the vehicle. This results in high demands on component protection, magnetic field control, cooling and assembly/service requirements. A novel holder system had to be developed for the integration of the vehicle coil. The highly efficient GFRP holder is made of a combination of compression-molded glass fibre and glass mat-reinforced polypropylene that can be manufactured to net shape in a one-shot process that makes it completely automated. The holder is assembled together with a 1-mm-thick aluminium shielding plate with attached cooling fins. The connection is ensured by a soft adhesive layer, which also minimizes vibration and seals against penetration of corrosive substances.

By using cost-effective materials such as glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene and aluminium sheet material in combination with low-complexity tools, attractive economical concepts are feasible for vehicle integration, even for small or medium volumes.

Category: MARINE

Winner: Loiretech (France)

Partners:
 DGA (France), Mecafrance (France), Naval Group (France)

Name of Product or Process: FABHELI: Composite Propeller

Description: The FABHELI collaborative project, funded by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) and supported by Loiretech together with its partners Mecafrance and Naval Group, aimed to develop and produce, on an industrial scale, a propeller with a reduced environmental footprint and lower energy consumption (around 15% lower).

The project started in April 2016 with a digitization and calculation phase conducted by Mecafrance for the mechanical part and Naval Group for the hydrodynamic part, in order to dimension the carbon fibre composite propeller (twice as light as its metallic counterpart). The goal was to meet highly demanding specifications. Indeed, the propeller undergoes significant mechanical constraints in use, so that it was necessary to develop innovative concepts, production technologies and surface treatments to support them.

AML replaced the metal propeller on the ship with the composite propeller. The sea trial conducted in March 2018 put a strain on this new propeller: many manoeuvres at the ship’s maximum power made it possible to validate the intrinsic qualities of the composite propeller with the support of the Bureau Veritas certification agency. At the end of this operation, the propeller had a very suitable appearance so that a continuation of the project is now considered to optimize the functional and manufacturing process and then engage in series production, which is the stated objective of Loiretech and Mecafrance.

Category: RAILWAY

Winner: Saertex GmbH & Co (Germany)

Partners:
 Forster System-Montage-Technik GmbH (Germany), Alan Harper Composites (UK)

Name of Product or Process: Breakthrough in railways: renovation of the ICE

Description: The ICE is the prestigious fastest train of the German railways fleet. The company presented the new Version 4 last year. There are over 66 Version of 3 trains still in use as the main passenger railway transportation system in Germany. This fleet was introduced in the year 2000 and its passengers wagons are now being renovated.

In order to meet modern comfort standards, the interior will be upgraded including, for instance, the passengers entertainment and air conditioning systems. The additional weight for the new equipment had to be compensated by sophisticated lightweight solutions. With this development, a lightweight flooring system was created to keep the weight input at a minimum. Importantly, the novel system needs to comply with the EN 45545-2 fire safety regulations that are valid from 2018 on.

The entire floor system, with an average panel size of 2400 x 1200 mm, will be renewed to replace heavy plywood with lightweight GFRP panels based on SAERTEX LEO® materials. This non-crimp fabric-based material system with integrated coating made it possible to manufacture all the sandwich panels in a vacuum infusion process using vinylester resin.

Importantly, the production process incorporates reusable silicon membrane technologies from Alan Harper Composites. This technique was implemented and adjusted by SMT to allow an enhanced process with increased output, to gain higher reproducibility and quality value, but also to save material costs. This resulted in the competitive production of high-end composites with minimum material waste. The use of this composite material inside the ICE3’s new floor achieved the highest fire safety standards, 98% less flame progress, 57x less smoke generation and 12x higher tensile strength compared to the HLU lay-up solutions that were in competition.

Category: SPORTS & LEISURE


Winner: DYETEC Institute (Korea Dyeing and Finishing Technology Institute) (South Korea)

Partners: 
Standard Graphene (South Korea), T4L Co., Ltd. (South Korea), 
AMRC (UK & South Korea), 
Shin-A T&C (South Korea)

Name of Product or Process: Innovative CFRP manufacturing method for lightweight, high stiffness drone structures using graphene oxide (GO)

Description: The existing CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic) drone was brittle at low temperatures and the many CFRP parts were damaged in the event of a collision, resulting in breakage.

When bisphenol F epoxy resin with tetra-functional resin and GO (graphene oxide) was applied to the CFRP materials, mechanical properties such as impact strength, tensile strength, and fracture toughness were improved by over 20%. Bisphenol A epoxy resin exhibits higher mechanical properties than bisphenol F epoxy resin. The mechanical properties of bisphenol F epoxy resin were improved by over 20% using only 0.1 wt% GO (standard graphene (SG), GO-V50, Korea).

The mechanical properties of high-concentration GO added CFRP decreased due to the high volume fraction of GO in the epoxy resin. The mechanical properties of 0.1 wt% GO added CFRP were improved and the optimized GO weight fraction was found for making nanocomposites with a high fracture toughness.

Category: INFRASTRUCTURE & CIVIL ENGINEERING

Winner: Centre for Future Materials (Australia)

Partners: 
Joinlox Pty Ltd. (Australia)

Name of Product or Process: Easy fit and self-locking composite jacket

Description: A three-year collaborative development project between Joinlox and USQ resulted in the development and commercialisation of a new type of composite pile repair system made of a prefabricated fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) jacket with an innovative joining system for infrastructure rehabilitation.

Compared to traditional composite repair systems, which are directly wrapped around the damaged structure and require a lot of site preparation, this technology is quick to install due to its easy-fit and self-locking mechanical joining system. The novel joining system comprises two rows of interlocking teeth that can easily fit into each other like a zipper, and a locking key to provide continuity of the composite repair system. The design of the innovative joint mimics the way a clam shell closes its hundreds of small filaments together – with precise ease and strength.

The prefabricated jacket is manufactured from E-glass fibers and vinyl ester resin using the filament winding method, while the joint (teeth and locking key) is made of pultruded fiber-reinforced vinyl ester resin. This repair system works by wrapping the composite jacket around the damaged pile, aligning the interlocking teeth together, and placing the locking key vertically along the seam to lock the jacket providing the structural continuity.

This simple assembly process can be carried out underwater or alternatively above waterline. The complete assembly is then lowered in the water up to the required depth, and the annulus between the jacket and the pile is filled with water-displacing grout producing a cylindrical confinement. Once installed, the jacket remains in place to protect and rehabilitate the pile and becomes an impermeable barrier to oxygen and water, stopping anything from getting into the pile.

Category: INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT

Winner: Composite Technology Center Stade – An Airbus Company (Germany)

Partners:
 Airbus Operations GmbH (Germany)
, Laboratory for Manufacturing Technology, Helmut Schmidt University of Hamburg (Germany),  Audi AG (Germany) 
Volkswagen AG (Germany)

Name of Product or Process: High-Performance Lightweight Robot Gripper System

Description: During the five past years, the partners developed a high- performance lightweight robot gripper and assembly system made of CFRP as a modular production system for flexible use in the automotive and aviation industries. Actually, the new system should replace today’s Euro-Greifer-Tooling/EGT system to save weight. The EGT system is an existing industrial standard widely used for industrial robot applications in the automotive industry. It consists of three types of load-carrying aluminium profiles and various metallic connecting elements.

The new lightweight gripper system focuses on two lightweight levels. The so-called “Lightweight- Gripper-System-Level 1” consists of the conventional three EGT profiles made of aluminium in combination with carbon fiber-reinforced SMC elements including various connectors and two extremely high-loaded robot flange plates to achieve 15-25% weight reductions of the robot gripper depending on the arrangement of the total gripper. In contrast, the “Lightweight-Gripper-System- Level 2” is a completely new modular system that achieves 40-60% weight reductions depending on the gripper’s arrangement.

It is the first modular, high-performance and cost-efficient CFRP production system, which will be used as a future industrial standard in the automotive and aviation industries. It fulfills all the requirements of today’s EGT system related to mechanical performance, tolerances, flexibility, variability, robustness, adjustability and handling combined with up to 60% weight reduction, cost efficiency and higher stiffness. Hence, the second lightweight level consists of a complex pultruded CFRP “X-profile” with a multi-layer structure, a multi-oriented CFRP tube and various carbon fiber SMC connecting elements including robot flange plates with metallic inserts.

All the system kit elements are based on vinyl ester resin to achieve a good compromise between lightweight performance, cost efficiency and processability.

Category: SUSTAINABILITY

Winner: Premium Aerotec GmbH (Germany)

Partner: Cevotec GmbH (Germany)

Name of Product or Process: Recycling AFP residual tape with Patch Placement

Description: Automated fiber placement (AFP) processes produce a lot of uncured prepreg tape material scrap because all reels of tape are simultaneously changed as soon as the tape left on one reel is not enough to place the next layer of the laminate. With large AFP systems that process up to 32 reels in parallel, manufacturers suffer from high scrap rates of ~10%.

Individual reels have up to 200 metres of material left when they are exchanged. This increases the overall cost significantly. This is the reason why Premium Aerotec teamed up with Cevotec to use their Fibre Patch Placement (FPP) technology to process “left-over” AFP tape. This effectively improves material utilization in the AFP process and reduces the overall cost, as >90% of the residual tape can be used for parts or repair patches for which new fibre material would be needed otherwise. In addition, the uncured prepreg material is otherwise disposed of at high cost.

This innovation effectively “recycles” the left-over AFP tape. To enable this, Cevotec successfully adjusted their FPP system to work with 1⁄2 inch-wide thermoset prepreg tape.
But the innovation does not stop here. Premium Aerotec had a specific part in mind to be built with FPP: a pressure cap with a complex, double-curved shape and a circumferential flange for rivets – so complex that regular fabrics cannot be draped to achieve the desired geometry. In the past, Premium Aerotec examined different materials and processes to build this pressure cap, all of which resulted in high cost and a heavy part.

Cevotec was able to design and manufacture the part with their FPP technology, using residual AFP tape provided by Premium Aerotec. The part’s recurring costs were reduced by 75% and the weight by 70%. The cost reduction considers the full price of the AFP material – considering that the material would have been scrapped and therefore should have a cost of zero, the cost reduction is even greater, equalling 88%.

Category: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Winner: e-Xstream Engineering (Luxembourg)

Name of Product or Process: Digimat for Additive Manufacturing

Description: Over the last three years, additive manufacturing (AM) of metals and polymers has been growing at an impressive 33% CAGR. AM enables the manufacture of very complex shapes and helps achieve lightweight designs and functional integration thanks to the combined benefits of optimal topology, function integration and the use of optimal materials.

This is particularly true for plastics and composites as the AM industry (i.e. material suppliers and printer OEMs) is able to offer:

  • A larger portfolio of high-performance materials;
  • Bigger, faster and less expensive printers;
  • The design and analysis tools needed to increase confidence in the ability to “print right the first 
time”;
  • Minimized warpage and controlled shapes;
  • Minimized part-to-part variability;
  • Prediction of the short- and long-term behaviour of the printed part.

To help the AM industry transition from prototyping to actual manufacturing of plastic and composite parts, the material modelling company e-Xstream set-up an ecosystem of relevant partners. A group of material suppliers (including Solvay Engineering Plastics and Solvay Specialty Polymers), printer OEMs (including Stratasys), end-users (auto and aero) and R&D institutes are joining forces to offer the industry a holistic modelling solution for additive manufacturing.

  • Materials: e-Xstream is extending its material engineering tools (Digimat-MF & Digimat-FE) to engineer advanced composite materials specifically for additive manufacturing. Material models can then be promoted and exchanged via the material exchange platform Digimat-MX.
  • Process: e-Xstream is developing a new software solution, Digimat-AM, 100% dedicated to process modelling of FDM and SLS for reinforced materials.
  • Part performance: e-Xstream is extending its Digimat structural analysis solution to enable product designers to simulate the printed part performance (stiffness, strength,…) as a function of the material and printing process parameters such as tool or sintering laser path.

Posted October 22, 2018

Source: JEC Group

Apparel And Textile Sourcing Show Announces Major Expansion For 2019 As Industry Sees Resurgence

Miami — October 17, 2018 — Following the success of its inaugural show this past spring, Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami (ATSM) has announced its return to Miami in 2019, double in size and bringing thousands of out-of-state and international visitors to the Magic City.

Produced by JP Communications Inc., ATSM 2019 will take place May 20-22 at the Mana Wynwood Convention Center. The show — which has attracted the attention and support of manufacturers and industry partners across the globe — has received a $2 million investment infusion to support its growth from JP Communications and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel (CCCT), a textile and apparel trade agency.

The 2019 event — which presents three days of networking, seminars and fashion shows and connects the Southeastern United States, the Americas and the Caribbean to the production world of apparel, textile, and fashion — will host more than 300 international and domestic manufacturing companies exhibiting a wide range of products and process solutions in the field of manufacturing and sourcing services.

“We at ATSM are so grateful for the support of all our international partners, and our community and business partners in South Florida, each of whom has been instrumental in helping us make this show a success and with whom we look forward to growing,” said Jason Prescott, CEO of ATSM.

In addition to CCCT, international partners include Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) , Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), Wool and Woolens Export Promotion Council (WWEPC),  Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh (EPB), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Exporters Association (BGMEA), VESTEX Guatemala, Export and Investment Promotion Organization of El Salvador (PROESA) and PRO MEXICO, among many others.

Local supporters include Moishe Mana of Mana Wynwood, City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Miami Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Commissioner Dale Holness from Broward County, Commissioners Jose “Pepe” Diaz and Audrey M. Edmonson from Miami Dade County, Dr. Shanjie Li, Executive Chief Economist and CEO of Miami-based American Da Tang Group, as well as organizations such as the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development, the Port of Miami, the City of North Miami, Port Everglades, Florida East Coast Railway, the Council of International Fashion Designers, Fashion Group International, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Beacon Council, the City of North Miami, Enterprise Florida and Miami International University.

“The Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami Show will bring a large number of domestic and international industry decision makers to our community, promote Florida as a premier destination for the industry and stimulate the local economy,” said Manny Mencia, senior vice president of International Trade and Development for Enterprise Florida, which has committed its promotional support for 2019. “The apparel sector remains very important to Florida’s international economy. In 2017, nearly $8 billion in apparel trade flowed through Florida ports and airports.”

CCCT Chairman Cao Jiachang said the 2019 show will see participation from popular branded companies from across Asia in addition to a wide range of suppliers and products. “These are all highly successful, leading apparel brands in China, looking for U.S. partners to represent them in America and help grow their brands globally,” he explained.

Prescott added that “this is an unprecedented opportunity for buyers in the U.S. and Latin America to source and negotiate licensing rights with these never-before-seen innovative brands.”

“Thousands of top buyers from more than 40 countries are expected to attend ATSM 2019 to source, connect and develop lasting relationships with qualified international and domestic suppliers,” he said, citing as examples ATSM notable buyers from Kate Spade, HSN, Perry Ellis, Zara, Gap Inc., Chico’s, Macy’s, Disney, Zumba, Fountainbleau, Hard Rock, Royal Caribbean, Levi’s and Westgate Resorts.

ATSM 2019 highlights include:

  • Conference and Educational Sessions featuring industry experts who will cover fashion trends, new technology applications such as AI and 3D printing, sourcing tips, sustainability, eCommerce strategy, international trade policy, marketing techniques and much more.
  • A Special runway presentation showcasing local up-and-coming fashion talent, established South Florida designers and what’s hot from the exhibition floor.
  • Matchmaking Services provided by TopTenWholsale.com and Manufacturer.com to help connect interested buyers with suppliers, many of whom accept small orders.
  • New Sourcing Markets Pavilion displaying more than 100 unique products from emerging markets including Inner Mongolia, East Africa, India, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan and more.
  • LATAM Markets Pavilion featuring hundreds of unique products from emerging markets in Latin America, including Mexico, Columbia, Peru and Honduras.
  • Streetwear Pavilion showcasing a curated collection of streetwear — a dominating industry trend that has taken over the men’s market — with brands such as Lil Wayne’s Young Money and Trukfit collections.
  • Fabric & Trim Section presenting a large selection of all that’s trending in fabrics and trims.
  • Swim & Resort Section, a brand new area showing the latest active wear, athleisure, resort and swimwear.

Categories will include finished apparel for men, women and children that range from leisure, formal, denim, active, swim, intimates and performance. Also featured will be homewares and linens, hardware and textiles that include cotton, knits, yarns, leather, synthetic and blends.

The one-of-a-kind show brings together inspirational leaders and respected industry experts from the apparel, manufacturing, retail and affiliated business industries to educate, network and share market intelligence, discuss pressing topics and engage in conversations that energize the flow of global commerce.

The Apparel Textile Sourcing Miami show is free to attend for those who pre-register athttp://www.appareltextilesourcing.com.

Posted October 19, 2018

Source: Apparel Textile Sourcing

 

October 2018: Textile Activity At A Glance

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