Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Produces First Roll Of Pure Dragon Silk Fabric For U.S. Army

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— June 21, 2018 —  Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc., a developer of spider silk based fibers, announced today that it has just finished the production of its first roll of pure Dragon Silk fabric, marking the first time that the company’s proprietary recombinant spider silk fibers were used to create a 100-percent pure woven silk fabric.

The company is now preparing to assemble the Dragon Silk material into finalized ballistic shoot packs, per the U.S. Army specifications. This material is destined for ballistic performance testing, under the company’s contract with the U.S. Army, to evaluate its potential for protective apparel applications.

“Dragon Silk, which started as a simple idea in the lab for a better performing silk, is now on the verge of demonstrating its capability to provide lifesaving performance blended with high flexibility and user comfort,” said Jon Rice COO. “What a proud moment for the company and all of our employees, as we prepare to process this first roll of Dragon Silk fabric into test samples for the U.S. Army and to assess its ability to assist in protecting the brave men and women of our armed forces, who dedicate themselves to protecting all of us.”

The company previously developed sample products, in pure and blended knit configurations using its Monster Silk materials, including shirts and gloves. Today’s announcement marks the first time the company’s newer and stronger Dragon Silk will be transitioned into an end product.

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

Far Bank Enterprises Acquires Fly Water Travel

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. — June 21, 2018 —  Far Bank Enterprises Inc., the parent company of Sage Fly Fishing, Redington, and RIO Products, today announced the acquisition of Ashland, Ore.-based Fly Water Travel, a premier travel company dedicated to arranging trips to the world’s finest fishing destinations.

The acquisition expands Far Bank’s portfolio to create a full-service, all-inclusive experience for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts who are passionate about fly fishing.

“We are thrilled to welcome Fly Water Travel to the Far Bank family,” said Larry Barrett, CEO of Far Bank. “We have admired Fly Water Travel for many years, and have great respect for the team’s focus on high-quality customer service and industry-leading expertise.”

All Fly Water Travel employees have been extended employment offers by Far Bank. The company has no immediate plans to move Fly Water Travel’s headquarters from Ashland.

Fly Water Travel co-owners Brian Geis and Ken Morrish will take on new leadership roles at Far Bank Enterprises. Geis joins the Far Bank team as Director of Travel Operations, while Morrish will hold the position of Director of Travel Sales.

“This partnership will combine elite travel-planning services and gear outfitting within a single company, allowing us to provide fly anglers and outdoor enthusiasts greater opportunities and more memorable experiences,” said Geis. “It’s all about the experience,” added Morrish. “We now have a full-service suite of products and offerings to enhance the joy of fly fishing for all our customers.”

“Customers are the center of everything we do,” Barrett said. “Fly Water Travel perfectly complements our portfolio of brands, and we’re now positioned to be even more customer-focused, providing an enhanced experience at every touch-point during a fly fishing adventure. We love fly fishing, and we’re excited to share that love with even more people.”

Far Bank Enterprises Inc., is a holding company that has as its subsidiaries Sage Fly Fishing, Redington, and RIO Products. Through these subsidiaries, Far Bank is engaged in the manufacture and sale of fine fly fishing rods, reels, waders, fly lines, leaders, tippet material, and apparel. Far Bank is wholly-owned by the Joshua Green Cor., an investment firm based in Seattle, Wash.

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  Far Bank Enterprises

AllergyStore.com Launches Skinnies Seamless Skinwear In North America

CHICAGO — June 21, 2018 —  Skinnies are a range of therapeutic clothing products that help aid recovery from eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions, now available from AllergyStore.com. Our garments are completely seamless, utilizing technologically advanced yarns that are designed to be anti-irritant and have recently been granted the National Eczema Association Seal of Approval.

Skinnies are high quality, durable garments for every day and wear and tear, with a combination of color, style and comfort, as well as a serious medical purpose.

“What makes Skinnies unique is the way we manufacture our garments completely seamlessly. This is especially important when trying to manage temperature regulation.  By removing the seams, you are removing points of weakness and inflexibility.  It is these points of inflexibility that can move against the skin rather than with it, creating friction and heat leading to sweat and further irritation to the skin.” David Marsden, founder, Skinnies UK.

Furthermore, the inflexibility of seams creates points of weakness that can lead to a reduced lifespan of the garment as a result of poor fit, overstretching or the abrasion of continued machine washing.

Skinnies garments also incorporate 360° stretch, which means our garments will move in harmony with your skin and not against it, offering significant improvement in comfort and temperature regulation.

Seamlessness + 360° Stretch = A powerful and technologically advanced clothing system to support the management of serious skin conditions and wounds.

In summary, Skinnies garments have:

  • Seam-free technology – no more friction, less bulky and freedom to move;
  • Better body fit – more comfortable, extremely soft and wearable;
  • Different colors – making them more fashionable and less clinical;
  • Been tested to withstand more than 50 washes for real durability;
  • Sanitized antimicrobial treatment, on silk garments only;
  • No silver used in our silk garments;
  • Greater product range available than our competitors; and
  • The ability to be machine washed and tumble dried.

Skinnies are distributed in North America solely by Allergystore.com and its authorized resellers.

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  AllergyStore.com

Uster Technologies Launches The New USTER® TENSOJET 5

USTER, Switzerland — June 21, 2018 —  Yarn producers today know that both quality and performance are essential if they are to meet the continually-rising demands of their customers in the weaving and knitting mills. Yarns must have the look, feel and functionality to satisfy these requirements. With the launch of the USTER® TENSOJET 5, the concept of tensile testing is extended to provide a total package: precise measurement of a yarn’s strength, combined with reliable protection against quality claims based on accurate forecasts of performance in later processes.

A priority for any yarn is the ability to withstand downstream processes — without causing stoppages or affecting production efficiency. Whatever the fabric application, it is high-speed weaving and knitting which exert the greatest stress and strain forces on the yarn. So its strength and elongation properties must be suitable for the fabric-making process, as well as for the ultimate end-use.

Minimum strength and elongation properties are needed to prevent a yarn breaking or being damaged in downstream operations, as well as avoiding blemish on end-products in weaving. So accurate tensile-strength values are important, particularly for warp yarns, which are placed under tremendous stress.

USTER is committed to meeting the industry’s need for increasingly effective and accurate tensile testing. For decades, Uster laboratory instruments have set the global standards for strength and elongation measurement of staple, as well as filament, yarns. In 2018, a new generation has been launched.  The Uster TENSORAPID 5, the ‘go-to’ tensile tester providing precise data, was introduced in March. Now, the most powerful and comprehensive tensile tester ever is introduced: the Uster Tensojet 5 can operate at speeds of 400 meters per minute and integrates with the Total Testing Center to deliver a new range of overall benefits to both quality assurance and profitability for yarn manufacturers.

Weavability and profitability

The high speed of 400 m/min actually simulates the dynamic stress on the yarn during weaving, and this makes the Uster Tensojet 5 a unique tensile measuring system. It is the standard for prediction of Weavability by giving an accurate forecast of yarn behavior in subsequent processing, especially on high-performance weaving machinery. Fewer weak places in the yarn mean higher efficiency on downstream machines. The prediction of weavability increases economic efficiency, as well as weaving quality and profit margins.

The Uster Tensojet 5 performs 30,000 tests per hour, producing accurate data through this extensive and rapid measurement. Utilizing this great volume of data is what makes it possible for the system to predict weak places in the yarn. This important forecasting function would otherwise be difficult or impossible to achieve — and is way beyond the capability of other conventional testers. Graphic tools such as scatter plots show all significant information at a glance. Seamless correlation with Uster STATISTICS benchmarks makes Uster’s weavability System an essential instrument to minimize claims and to drive producers towards higher profitability.

Total Testing Center: the claim-free system

Ultimate process control comes with the connection to Uster TESTER 6. The integration of results with Uster Tester 6 allows users to profit from intelligent alarms through the Total Testing Center. Smart reports integrate results from both evenness and tensile tests, providing an overview of the quality being produced. Data analysis through connected laboratory instruments allows fast decision-making by the mill, to guarantee customer satisfaction with the yarns being delivered. The Total Testing Center thus aims to provide a ‘claim-free’ system for yarn producers.

Only through the Total Testing Center is it possible to obtain clear visualizations of weaving performance. This is provided in the form of objective grades, predicted by a combination of strength testing parameters from Uster Tensojet 5 and yarn quality parameters from Uster QUANTUM 3 yarn clearers — then collated and interpreted by the Total Testing Center. The weaving performance information is ranked on a scale from one to five Qs (grades) to allow spinners to identify batches with a high risk of yarn breaks during weaving – and to avoid complaints to a large extent.

The total package of major advantages means Uster Tensojet 5 is acknowledged not only as the industry’s ultimate tensile tester, but also as a key element in a the growth of a spinning mill’s profitability.

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  Uster Technologies

Clariant Breaks Ground On Joint Venture Production Site In Cangzhou, China

SHANGHAI — June 21, 2018 —  Clariant and Beijing Tiangang Auxiliary Co. Ltd. (Tiangang), today conducted a groundbreaking ceremony in Cangzhou, China, just over 200 kilometers south of Beijing. The ceremony marked the start of the construction of a world-class production facility for stabilizers for plastics and textiles that will form the heart of the joint venture between both parties. The event was marked by a special event with representatives from both companies, as well as local officials.

The joint venture between Clariant and Tiangang was established in September 2017, and combines the technology and production knowledge of both companies to provide even better process and light stabilizers for various growing industries in China, including automotive and textiles. China is a key market for Clariant high-end process and light stabilizers, which include the state-of-the-art Nylostab® S-EED® chemistry — invented by the company — a unique multifunctional hindered amine light stabilizer, or HALS. Tiangang, which was founded in 1991, is already an important manufacturer of light stabilizers and UV absorbers, with two plants in China backward integrated with production of key intermediates.

During the ceremony, Clariant Global Business Unit Head of Additives Stephan Lynen, said: “This new facility enables the successful implementation of our joint venture, and we are excited about the improved proximity to customers and raw material suppliers.”

Gang Liu, deputy general manager, Tiangang announced: “We look forward to the facility coming on-stream in the first half of 2019 and start serving the growing demand for high-end additives solutions in Asia even faster. The Cangzhou National Coastal-Port Economy & Technology Development Zone is an ideal production base for additives, with very good access to necessary raw materials and other support.”

The ground-breaking took place just one day after Clariant officially opened wholly-owned plants for Ceridust® micronized waxes and AddWorks® synergistic additive solutions in Zhenjiang, 1250 km further south. Lynen added that: “Clariant is committed to sustainable growth in China and therefore continues to invest across the country to increase its local production capability and competitiveness. I am proud to announce these two instances of the Business Unit Additives making progress on this expansion strategy in such short succession and look forward to leveraging this new capacity towards achieving sales growth supported by new and sustainable developments.”

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  Clariant

Milliken Specialty Interiors Hosts Sustainable Furnishings Council Presentation On Materiality At Showtime

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — June 21, 2018 —  Global innovation company with textile, specialty chemical and floor covering manufacturing expertise, Milliken & Company’s Specialty Interiors business, hosted a presentation by Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) Executive Director Susan Inglis at its newly-opened High Point showroom at Showtime.  The presentation provided an overview of the material choices in home furnishings that are most critical for sustaining a healthy future.

Supported by extensive consumer research conducted by SFC, Inglis offered insight into consumer preference for sustainable options and how these preferences have changed in the last five years. Focusing heavily on materiality — what products are made of, how they are sourced and chemicals of concern, the presentation also offered guidance on how to choose and develop more environmentally-friendly materials and products.

“Milliken has always known that materials matter,” said Milliken Specialty Interiors Marketing Manager LeAnne Flack. “People don’t just want to feel good in their spaces, but also about their spaces, and, thanks to recent industry efforts, there is no need to compromise. Fabric collections like our eco-elegant Breathe by Milliken™ provide the protection and durability consumers demand in a beautiful and much more sustainable way.”

With a global corporate environmental policy dating back to 1990, Milliken has won numerous awards for its sustainable and ethical business practices.  Milliken has a long-held, holistic approach to sustainability including the strategic sourcing of raw materials and Milliken-led advances in human-centered chemistry to meet and exceed the needs of consumers. The company joined the Sustainable Furnishings Council earlier this year.

“Because educated consumers care deeply about what goes into their homes and how their choices impact the world around them, there is an unprecedented focus on materiality in today’s furnishings business,” said Inglis. “Milliken has been a pioneer in sustainable manufacturing and product development, and all of us at the Sustainable Furnishings Council are proud to partner with this esteemed company to advance this important cause.”

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  Milliken Specialty Interiors

Pantone Introduces Polyester Standards, Expanding Its Fashion, Home + Interiors Color Management System

CARLSTADT, N.J. — June 21, 2018 —  Pantone LLC, provider of professional color standards for the design industry, today introduces polyester standards ideal for athleisure, footwear, swimwear, sleepwear and the home and fashion accessories markets, as an addition to its Fashion, Home + Interiors System. Dyed on 100-percent warp knit polyester, these products can be effectively used for color management in polyester, poly-blends and other synthetic materials. The new Pantone Polyester Swatch Set is composed of 203 new colors, ranging from timeless neutrals to eye-popping neons, that are not available in the existing cotton library and cannot be reproduced in cotton with the same degree of clarity or intensity.

“In today’s culture where color plays an important part in our visual identity, we see an increasing desire for more saturated colors that help us stand out; colors beyond those formulated for natural fibers; colors whose appearance displays greater hue intensity, said Laurie Pressman, vice president, Pantone Color Institute. “Our new polyester offering addresses this demand for a deeper level of coloration, resulting in a comprehensive mix of colors relevant across design industries including all fashion- and lifestyle-driven markets, as well as home furnishings.”

Intended to complement the existing Fashion, Home + Interiors system, the polyester standards are available in three formats that will be familiar to fashion and home designers as their essential tools for inspiration and color management, while affording the assurance in consistency that Pantone provides:

  • Polyester Swatch Set: a convenient storage case for all 203 colors in new 2×2” removable swatches for color selection and palette development;
  • Polyester Swatch Cards: individual colors in 4”x4” swatches that unfold to 4”x8” for optimal color visualization, specification and instrumental evaluation; and
  • Polyester Spectral Data: exact dye recipes for each color to help expedite achieving color intent in production.

“We recognize that designers working in synthetic materials face increased color management challenges due to the inability to achieve more vibrant and saturated colors in these materials compared to traditional cotton standards,” said Adrián Fernández, vice president and general manager of Pantone. “The addition of standards specifically for polyester materials is intended to satisfy this gap in the market, combining our technical expertise with the color intelligence of the Pantone Color Institute, to offer our globally-renowned methods of standardization to rapidly growing segments.”

Beginning today, the Polyester Swatch Set is available worldwide, with Swatch Cards and Spectral Data to follow this year.

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  PANTONE®

Groz-Beckert Reports Highly Successful Techtextil North America And Texprocess Americas

ALBSTADT, Germany/ATLANTA — June 21, 2018 —  In Atlanta from May 22-24, 2018, the Texprocess Americas and Techtextil North America trade fairs were held at the exhibition site of the Georgia World Congress Center. Groz-Beckert was represented with its product sectors Sewing, Felting and Carding and welcomed around 500 guests at its booth.

For Groz-Beckert this years’ exhibition was very successful with an increased visitor number compared to 2016. One reason was that the fairs did not overlap with the IDEA as in 2016. Furthermore, the automation and filtration sector are becoming more and more important, which attracted more visitors than in the years before. With a two-thirds majority, visitors at Groz-Beckert’s booth were mainly from the US but also more guests came from Central and South America than in 2016.

Groz-Beckert presented the product sectors Sewing, Felting and Carding to its visitors. The product sector Sewing focused on the online Customer Portal, where the customers have access to an online product catalog, information on products and services available 24/7 as well as live information on the active product range. Furthermore, the trolley Quality Management INH (Ideal Needle Handling) with major benefits such as problem-free and timesaving handling of broken and damaged sewing machine needles was presented. The INH process provides a uniform procedure to satisfy the different guidelines of brand owners, helping to reach the targets of environmentally appropriate handling and increase productivity.

The product sector Felting presented its latest innovation “dur”. A patented manufacturing process in combination with a new base material is the foundation for an increase in service life of up to 30 percent and improved corrosion resistance.

Groz-Beckert’s product sector, Carding, focused on the aspects of increased performance and raw material savings: The high-performance worker and doffer wires SiroLock® and EvoStep®. A unique exhibit with 3D models brought the special card clothing series to life for visitors.

For Groz-Beckert the Texprocess Americas und Techtextil North America 2018, were the most successful textile shows in Atlanta so far.

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  Groz-Beckert

Beaulieu International Group Reduces Carbon Dioxide Emissions By 300 Metric Tons Thanks To Its Sustainable Container Transport Program

WAREGEM, Belgium — June 21, 2018 —  Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.) today announced the results of its global multimodal logistics platform which uses waterway transport to reduce its dependency on truck transport. This successful program reduced the company’s container transport-related CO2 emissions by 36 percent in 2017 and is scheduled to achieve a further 55-percent reduction in the coming years.

Since the start of the program in 2015, it has grown substantially and now 60 percent of B.I.G.’s output by container is transported via barges starting at the River Terminal Wielsbeke (RTW). The RTW acts as B.I.G.’s global inland hub, connecting the company to major shipping routes and destinations around the world via the Port of Antwerp. The container transport organisation has been set up in close cooperation with RTW operator Delcatrans, who provides barge transport services, and Manuport Logistics, who acts as 4 PL (Fourth Party Logistics) partner for B.I.G..

Previously all container cargo went by truck to the Port of Antwerp, a distance of 90 kiloemeters. By changing to water transport, journey times have become more reliable as traffic congestion doesn’t have to be factored in; there are fewer trucks on the roads reducing traffic for other road users; and the company’s CO2 emissions have fallen. In 2017 the company shipped 3,000 containers via combined road + barge transport, reducing CO2 emissions by 300 metric tons, compared with pure road transport.

“B.I.G. is committed to providing efficient and sustainable transport solutions,” explains Isabelle Vandamme, Group Supply Chain & Procurement Director, B.I.G.. “That’s why barge transport from RTW to the Port of Antwerp is so important for B.I.G. and will continue to be so in the coming years. In fact, our target is to increase barge use by 10 percent this year and barge capacity is planned to increase from 60 to 90 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) in the coming years.”

The advantages of shipping by barge in facts and figures:

  • Comparison of average CO2 emissions per tonne/km: road transport 62gCO2/tonne-km, versus intermodal road/barge 34gCO2/tonne-km.
  • Beaulieu International Group transported 3,000 containers via RTW. This is 60 percent of all containers from the 12 Belgian B.I.G. entities.
  • RTW handled 15,000 TEU via barge in 2017. 5,100 TEU from B.I.G. – more than a third of the RTW’s volume.
  • With more than 72 million metric tons, a record volume of goods was transported on the Flemish waterways in 2017. This is an increase of 6.5 percent on the previous year. In terms of containers, a new top performance was achieved with 832,000 TEUs – an increase of 11.5 percent on 2016.

“Even though this sustainability programme is primarily the responsibility of our transport and logistics departments,” explained Luc Speecke, COO. “We believe its success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our entire organization, and this philosophy carries through to the other sustainability programs that we are currently investigating and testing. If these programs prove to be as successful as we expect, we will shortly roll them out across the entire company.”

Posted June 21, 2018

Source:  Beaulieu International Group

Italy To Host ITMA 2023

BRUSSELS — June 21, 2018 — CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, today announced that ITMA will return to Milan, Italy, for its 19th edition. ITMA 2023 will be held at the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition center June 8-14, 2023.

The decision to host ITMA 2023 in Milan was taken at the CEMATEX General Assembly held recently. Fritz P Mayer, president of CEMATEX, explained: “We received very positive feedback from ITMA 2015 exhibitors and visitors. Milan has excellent infrastructure for holding large-scale exhibitions like ITMA, which grosses over 200,000 square meters and attracts a global audience. It offers an extensive range of hospitality services and air connections to all parts of the world. Italy also has a large textile machinery and textile making industry.”

Alessandro Zucchi, president of ACIMIT, the association of Italian textile machinery manufacturers, said: “We are very pleased that Milan has been selected to host ITMA 2023. We will work hard with all parties, including government agencies and local partners to ensure another successful show.”

Fiera Milano, which also hosted ITMA 2015, beat two other short-listed bidders out of an initial list of 9 venues. “It is a great satisfaction for us to have brought the top international exhibition of machinery and technology for textiles and clothing back to Italy,” said Fabrizio Curci, CEO, Fiera Milano. “The trust the organizers have placed in us is an acknowledgement of the professional approach and quality services Fiera Milano is able to guarantee for international events hosted here.”

ITMA — the world’s largest textile and garment technology exhibition — has been held every four years since 1951. The next exhibition will be held from 20 to 26 June 2019 at Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via venue, Spain.

Space at ITMA 2019 has sold out and new applicants are being put on a waiting list. The exhibition has attracted over 1,600 exhibitors to showcase their latest technologies and sustainable solutions for the entire textile and garment manufacturing value chain, as well as fibres, yarns and fabrics. Visit www.itma.com for more information.

Posted June 21, 2018

Source: CEMATEX and ITMA Services

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