Applied DNA Sciences Pens Deal With WestPoint Home For CertainT Program

STONY BROOK, N.Y. — May 3, 2018 — Applied DNA Sciences Inc., has signed a multi-year license agreement with WestPoint Home LLC to provide  CertainT® platform services for its hospitality bedding and textile goods. Under the terms of the agreement, WestPoint Home has been granted the exclusive right to use Applied DNA’s CertainT platform for its collection of blended duvets, towels, sheets, pillow cases, bed skirts, shams, and decorative pillow products sold for hospitality in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Also under the agreement, WestPoint Home has been granted non-exclusive global CertainT platform rights for various hospitality opportunities. WestPoint Home will use Applied DNA’s CertainT platform from start to finish — assuring that any of its hospitality textile products using PET and recycled rPET contain the original source raw materials.

“Our partnership with Applied DNA adds to our already extensive assortment of environmentally sustainable products and processes,” commented Normand Savaria, president and CEO, WestPoint Home. “As leaders in supply chain transparency and accuracy we are excited to be adding the CertainT platform and technology to our product offerings”.

As part of the platform, Applied DNA’s molecular tags are embedded into the source materials that create polyester (PET) and recycled polyester (rPET) fiber — with no impact on fiber’s performance or quality. CertainT-tagged textiles can be forensically authenticated by detecting this molecular tag in both PET and rPET fiber — ensuring its authenticity and origin.

“The CertainT platform helps WestPoint Home produce innovative products utilizing an efficient and trusted traceability system with a fair return,” said Dr. James Hayward, president and CEO of Applied DNA. “Differentiating their brand throughout the hospitality industry through use of our CertainT trademark will confirm to the wide variety of clientele within this special market that the products comply with our supply chain platform and are verifiably made from recycled fibers.”

Posted May 3, 2018

Source: Applied DNA Sciences, Inc.

Gildan Activewear Reports 2018 First Quarter Results And Reaffirms Full Year Guidance

MONTREAL — May 2, 2018 — Gildan Activewear Inc. today announced its results for the first quarter ended April 1, 2018, and reaffirmed its full year guidance.

The company’s first quarter performance was largely in line with its expectations and the company is on track to attain its full year financial targets. As expected and consistent with the company’s guidance initiated on February 22, 2018, adjusted EPS was down in the quarter compared to the record level achieved in the first quarter last year. The company continued to see strong sales momentum in higher growth product areas such as fashion basics, as well as strong double digit sales growth in international markets, although as anticipated, temporary product availability constraints limited the company’s ability to fully capitalize on sales demand in the quarter. During the quarter, the company also successfully launched its full assortment of Gildan® branded men’s underwear on Amazon.

Results for the quarter were also impacted, as anticipated, by higher raw material and other input costs and planned investments in the areas of e-commerce and distribution. SG&A cost reductions resulting from the company’s organizational consolidation effected at the beginning of 2018 started to flow through in the quarter. The benefit from these cost reductions is expected to have a larger impact in the second half of the year. Free cash flow in the first quarter was better than the company anticipated.

Operating results

Net sales of $647.3 million in the first quarter ended April 1, 2018, were down 2.7% compared to the prior year reflecting a 3.2% increase in activewear sales and a 20.4% decline in the hosiery and underwear category. The increase in activewear sales was mainly due to higher net selling prices, including foreign exchange and favorable product-mix driven by double digit sales growth in the fashion basics category, including American Apparel®, Comfort Colors®, and our Gildan® Softstyle ring-spun offering. International sales in the first quarter were up 24%, reflecting strong growth momentum in all markets. The decline in the hosiery and underwear sales category was mainly due to the anticipated decline in unit sales volumes of socks at mass retailers which are shifting emphasis toward their own private label brands. In addition, lower sock sales reflected the impact of the non-recurrence of the initial roll-out of a licensed program to a large national chain retailer, which occurred in the first quarter of the prior year. Underwear point of sales (POS) continued to perform strongly in the quarter. According to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service, market share for Gildan® branded men’s underwear was 12.1% for the March quarter, up 140 basis points compared to the March quarter last year, reflecting in part the impact of expanded distribution in the e-commerce channel. POS growth of Gildan® men’s underwear outpaced the overall POS growth for men’s underwear for the total measured market per NPD.

Gross margin in the first quarter of 2018 totaled 27.2%, reflecting a 120 basis point decrease over the same period last year. The decline was mainly due to the anticipated impact of higher raw material and other input costs, partly offset by higher net selling prices, including foreign exchange and the positive impact of a richer product-mix.

SG&A expenses for the first quarter of 2018 amounted to $93.1 million, or 14.4% of sales, compared to $89.2 million, or 13.4% of sales, in the first quarter of 2017. The $3.9 million increase was primarily due to planned higher selling and distribution expenses related to the enhancement of the company’s e-commerce and distribution capabilities, partly offset by cost reductions resulting from the company’s recent organizational consolidation.

For the first quarter of 2018, the company generated operating income of $76.3 million and adjusted operating income of $82.7 million, down 18.0% and 17.0%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. Adjusted operating margin for the first quarter was 12.8% compared to 15.0% in the first quarter of 2017.

Net earnings for the three months ended April 1, 2018 amounted to $67.9 million, or $0.31 per share on a diluted basis, compared with net earnings of $83.5 million, or $0.36 per share on a diluted basis for the same period last year. Excluding the impact of after-tax restructuring and acquisition-related costs of $6.7 million in the quarter and
$6.6 million in the prior year quarter, Gildan reported adjusted net earnings of $74.6 million, or $0.34 per share on a diluted basis for the first quarter of 2018, down from $90.1 million, or $0.39 per share on a diluted basis in the same quarter last year. The 12.8% decrease in adjusted diluted EPS in the quarter was mainly driven by lower gross profit and higher SG&A expenses, partly offset by lower income tax expense and the benefit of a lower share count compared to the prior year.

The company consumed $40.0 million of free cash flow in the first quarter 2018 compared to free cash flow generation of $41.3 million in the same quarter last year. The decline was primarily due to higher working capital requirements, driven primarily by higher raw material costs, and lower earnings in the quarter, partly offset by lower capital expenditures. Capital expenditures of $22.4 million in the quarter were primarily for investments in textile capacity expansion, distribution, information technology, and sewing capacity. During the first quarter of 2018, the company repurchased 3,058,666 common shares at a total cost of approximately $89 million, pursuant to its normal course issuer bid (NCIB). The Company ended the first quarter of 2018 with net debt of $723.5 million and a leverage ratio of 1.3 times net debt to trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA.

Outlook

The company reaffirmed its full year 2018 financial guidance of adjusted diluted EPS in the range of $1.80 to $1.90 on projected net sales growth in the low to mid-single-digit range, adjusted EBITDA in the range of $595 to $620 million, and projected free cash flow of approximately $400 million for the year. The company continues to project capital expenditures of approximately $125 million for 2018.

Projected growth in adjusted diluted EPS for 2018 continues to reflect the projected impact of higher sales, anticipated cost reductions related to efficiency gains expected from the streamlining of the company’s sales and marketing infrastructure in connection with its organizational consolidation, and the benefit of a lower share count compared to the prior year. These positive factors are projected to be partly offset by higher raw material and other input costs, expenses related to e-commerce and distribution initiatives to support direct-to-consumer fulfillment capabilities, and slightly higher income tax expense. The company continues to assume an income tax rate of approximately 4% in 2018.

While the company is projecting sales growth in the second quarter of 2018, it continues to work to increase availability, particularly for certain higher-margin activewear products. Further, as previously stated, adjusted operating margin in the second quarter is expected to be down year-over-year due to anticipated higher raw material and other input costs, and planned increases in e-commerce and distribution investments, partly offset by anticipated cost reductions stemming from the company’s organizational consolidation. These cost reductions are expected to have a larger positive impact in the second half of the year and the company continues to expect SG&A as a percentage of sales in the third and fourth quarters of 2018 to improve in the range of 100 to 200 basis points on a year-over-year basis.

Declaration of quarterly dividend

The Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.112 per share, payable on June 11, 2018 to shareholders of record on May 17, 2018. This dividend is an “eligible dividend” for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) and any other applicable provincial legislation pertaining to eligible dividends.

Normal course issuer bid

On February 22, 2018, the company announced the renewal of a NCIB beginning February 27, 2018 and expiring February 26, 2019, to purchase for cancellation up to 10,960,391 common shares, representing approximately 5% of the company’s issued and outstanding common shares as of February 16, 2018.

During the three months ended April 1, 2018, the company repurchased for cancellation a total of 3,058,666 common shares under the NCIB for a total cost of $89.2 million, of which a total of 175,732 common shares were repurchased under the previous NCIB. Of the total cost of $89.2 million, $2.2 million was charged to share capital and $87.0 million was charged to retained earnings. Of the 3,058,666 common shares purchased for cancellation, the settlement of 229,778 common shares occurred post quarter-end, for which $6.7 million is recorded in accounts payable and accrued liabilities as at April 1, 2018. The company repurchased an additional 2,372,843 common shares under an automatic share purchase program during the remainder of the month of April 2018 at a total cost of $69.8 million.

Disclosure of outstanding share data

As at April 30, 2018, there were 214,013,806 common shares issued and outstanding along with 2,991,665 stock options and 102,567 dilutive restricted share units (Treasury RSUs) outstanding. Each stock option entitles the holder to purchase one common share at the end of the vesting period at a pre-determined option price. Each Treasury RSU entitles the holder to receive one common share from treasury at the end of the vesting period, without any monetary consideration being paid to the company. However, the vesting of at least 50% of each Treasury RSU grant is contingent on the achievement of performance conditions that are primarily based on the company’s average return on assets performance for the period as compared to the S&P/TSX Capped Consumer Discretionary Index, excluding income trusts, or as determined by the Board of Directors.

Posted May 3, 2018

Source: Gildan Activewear Inc.

American Subsidiary Of Lindauer DORNIER Turns 40
 — Four Decades Of First Class Service To The Textile And Plastics Industry

LINDAU, Germany— May 2, 2018 — More than 240 customers, almost 8,500 weaving machines delivered, one globalization-induced structural transformation and a worldwide economic crisis with epicenter in the United States — in its 40 years of existence, the American DORNIER Machinery Corp. (AmDO) has certainly seen both: high points and lows. And like so many American business success stories, it all started in a small street being a name that could not have been more symbolic.

“In 1978 when we moved into the 900-square-meter premises on Performance Road in Charlotte, North Carolina, there were nine of us,” recalled Hans Geiger. As president of the company, it was he who directed the fortunes of the U.S. branch of Lindauer Dornier GmbH for 23 years. Of course, weaving machines from the shores of Lake Constance were already operating in the United States. ”Local weavers, including textile magnates like the legendary Roger Milliken have produced clothing, furnishing fabrics and technical textiles on our machines.” But they only rose to the ranks of prime supplier for the North and South American territory with the foundation of American Dornier. Since then, AmDO employees commission the machines made in Lindau, Germany, convert and optimize them all over the continent. And customers from Canada to Argentina receive their spare parts from Charlotte — in emergencies within 24 hours.

In the 1980s, production of film for food packaging, video cassettes and photographic film started to boom, DORNIER shipping dozens of film stretching lines across the Atlantic. Ever since then, AmDO ensured regular servicing of the up to 2,600 roller bearing clips on these film stretching lines, which transport the film through these gigantic machines, which can be up to 150 meters (492 feet) long.

Restructuring and world economic crisis

Business in America is flourishing: In 1984 and again in 1998, AmDO is modernized and expanded — mechanical and electronic workshops are set up, training rooms for customers and a proving room for weaving tests as well. But as the 90s come to a close, the US textile industry is caught up in the tide of globalization. The production of clothing and household fabrics migrates wholesale to Asia. Existing textile manufacturers, including many weavers, and among them Dornier customers, found themselves in a fight for survival. “In the traditional textile producing states in the US, almost everyone knew someone who had lost their job in the textile industry”, said Peter Brust, who took over the helm at American Dornier in 2001. It was a challenging start, the AmDO executive vice president recalls: besides the economic consequences of globalization, at that time everyone also has to come to terms with the September 11 attacks.

In the wake of the weakened state of the US textile industry, difficult years follow for the respected machine builder’s subsidiary. To make up for declining sales, in 2004 AmDO with its focus on service and distribution took on the responsibility of supporting the entire American continent. Hope is also sustained in the form of technical fabrics made from carbon, glass, aramid and glass. Due to their outstanding technological quality, demand for the weaving machines from Dornier increased. In 2008, the textile industry felt the full force of the global economic crisis. “New investments fell to almost zero,” said Brust, who was working ceaselessly to keep AmDO employees in work and wages. “Many companies were forced to let people go, many European textile machine builders had to lay off their workers in America.” Dornier keeps its staff. “Job security was our number one priority,’ said Brust. Otherwise, they would not have been able to guarantee fast response times, first-class service and uninterrupted availability. It is a principle of the family company, established by its founder Peter Dornier: The employees are the key to technology leadership and commercial success.

Major reconstruction for stable recruitment

But before you can keep jobs safe, you have to fill the positions. “The shortage of new hires is a significant problem at the moment; we simply can’t find the people,” said AmDO executive vice president Brust. “At the same time, Charlotte is a boom town, albeit mainly for banks, insurers and service companies. There is practically no interest in working in a sector that has been labeled a ‘dead industry whose time is past,’ and ‘lacking innovation.'”

This is not accurate: Demand has seen a resurgence in the US since 2014. “A result of monetary and economic policy and low energy costs,” said Brust. He estimates that nowadays about 80 percent of Dornier weaving machines are in service producing technical fabrics such as airbags, high-tech sun protection fabrics, carbon and glass fabrics, filters and tire cord. High quality upholstery fabrics with value added properties are also made on Dornier weaving machines. The venerable technology of weaving arrived in the future long ago.

The only question is: How can you convince employees of the new generation that this is so? “Dual training programs are not comprehensive here as they are in Germany,” said Brust, who wants to introduce just such an “apprenticeship” with a local community college himself as a matter of urgency, to attract and train young technicians. The mother company in Lindau is also supporting efforts to create an environment for technical training at the Charlotte site. AmDO’s managing director is confident: “Our customers include many innovation drivers in their own business sectors which have created highly profitable markets for themselves; I have no concerns about the future.”

Posted May 3, 2018

Source: Lindauer DORNIER


MagnaColours® Looking Ahead To FESPA And Print Make Wear

BARNSLEY, England — May 3, 2018 — MagnaColours® is pleased to announce it will be attending FESPA Global Print Expo which will take place from May 15-18, 2018.  The event brings together leading brands, printers and manufacturers from throughout the digital and screen-printing industry.

At the show, Magna will be taking part in the Print Make Wear fashion textile feature, with live screen-printing demonstrations using its water-based, environmentally sensitive inks throughout the week.

Print Make Wear will allow collaborators from all corners of the industry the chance to see a live production environment, demonstrating each step in the screen and digital textile production process, from design and printing through to finished garment and accessories.

During the screen-printing demonstrations, Magna will be showcasing its new MagnaPrint® EDGE ink, developed to enable the printing of multicolored designs on to light or dark colored garments, whether wet or dry, without the need for numerous flash units in-between. A selection of Magna’s ever-expanding range of special effects inks will also be showcased on striking artwork by printmaker and designer Sanna Annuka, commissioned for the feature by FESPA.

Helen Parry, managing director, MagnaColours®, said: “The FESPA Global Print Expo is an exciting event, and we were delighted to be approached by FESPA to showcase our water-based inks at the Print Make Wear feature. The cutting-edge technology in printing will be on display, including our high-performance, PVC and formaldehyde free inks, recognising the advances of water-based inks for screen-printing in recent years.”

MagnaColours® will also continue to promote its new Make the Switch program, launched in 2018 and designed to help screen-printers to eliminate harmful, plastisol inks, and make the switch to using environmentally sensitive water-based products.

Posted May 3, 2018

Source: MagnaColours®

Clariant Debuted Additive Solutions, Launched AddWorks® At Chinaplas 2018

MUTTENZ, Switzerland — May 3, 2018 — Clariant introduced new additive solutions for plastics materials at Chinaplas 2018.

“Our innovations focus on higher performance at better convenience for a sustainable future,” said Stephan Lynen, head of Clariant BU Additives. “At Chinaplas 2018 we demonstrated our technical and market capabilities around the theme of e-mobility. The immense changes in mobility call for lighter, safer and smarter vehicles. We offer new additive solutions, such as AddWorks, and technical capabilities to respond to this demand. We are accompanying this with a series of investments such as new production facilities in China.”

Clariant’s new AddWorks solutions — AddWorksATR 146, AddWorks LXR 568 and AddWorks TFB 117 — are specifically aimed at improving performance and efficiency of plastics materials for compounders, polymer and fiber producers in China’s major plastics manufacturing segments. All three solutions are part of the globally available portfolio.

The full AddWorks portfolio consists of differentiated market-specific synergistic additive blends that streamline production processes and create value for customers while enhancing performance. Each solution is customized to specific market needs, underlined by broader considerations such as emission reduction, and less energy and resource usage.

Sustainability and performance for the world’s largest auto market

To support the significant investment in electric vehicles in China, Clariant launched two additive innovations that improve the lifetime of lightweight automotive parts and under-the-hood applications and reduce VOC emissions in an easy to use single solution.

AddWorks ATR 146 is a new low dosage, sulfur-free heat and light stabilizer for filled polypropylene (TPO) compounds used in interior applications. Its exceptional heat and light stability and long term color retention offers the automotive industry unmatched performance. It shows no surface cracking after 700 hours at 150°C, which enables dashboards, instrument panels, door panels and pillars to maintain their aesthetics longer than with traditional stabilizers. It also contributes to reducing blooming and VOC emissions, supporting the common effort to make automotive interiors healthier and odorless.

AddWorks LXR 568 is a high performance processing stabilizer that helps to prevent plastic resins, especially polyolefins, from degradation at high processing temperatures. For the automotive industry, this reduces the tendency of injection molded polypropylene interior car parts to turn brittle during heat exposure, enabling them to maintain a defect-free surface. It also has low migration and low fogging that support healthier in-cab environments.

AddWorks LXR 568 combines outstanding color and melt flow protection with good resistance to hydrolysis and high thermal stability. This makes it ideal for interior and under-the-hood powertrains and wider application areas such as packaging films. It is available in free-flowing pills and micro-pills which are easy and convenient to use.

Softer, stronger polyamide fibers for clothes, carpets and industrial applications.

Within the next three years, China is expected to account for 40% of the world’s nylon production and more than 30% of the nylon resin consumed globally. The new AddWorks TFB 117 offers a number of benefits to help stabilize and smoothen fiber production processes, protect color, and improve heat stability and mechanical properties of fibers. AddWorks TFB 117 ensures smooth spinnability with less filaments breakage, even at low processing temperatures and at high speed spinning up to 5,500 m/min.

Martin P. J. John, Head of BL Performance Additives at Clariant, comments: “AddWorks solutions are an ideal fit with China’s priority of achieving more sustainable production. They save time and reduce complexity along the production process, with easy to use formats that reduce health risk and chemical waste. Our new state-of-the-art production facility in Zhenjiang, China, which opens later this year, is dedicated to the manufacturing of AddWorks to deliver innovative solutions tailored to the needs of the market. Made for China in China.

In addition to AddWorks, Clariant presented Exolit® OP 1400, a highly stable non-halogenated flame retardant enhancing safety during the charging process. It also provides outstanding thermal stability for under the hood applications. Exolit OP 1400 has been awarded the Clariant EcoTain® label for outstanding sustainability and performance. Clariant also introduced two ranges of performance waxes that smoothen the production of automotive plastics for under the hood applications, Licowax®and Licocare® RBW. The recently launched Licocare RBW is a series of multi-purpose additives based on crude rice bran wax. They offer better shaping flexibility, better mechanical properties and enhanced surface finish, which results in a reduced rejection rate and a more effective dosage.

Posted May 3, 2018

Source: Clariant

Americhem To Showcase Engineered Compounds For The Medical Market At NPE2018

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — May 3, 2018 — Americhem — a designer and manufacturer of custom color masterbatch, functional additives, engineered compounds and performance technologies — will be displaying a selection of biocompatible (USP Class VI, ISO 10993) materials for medical device manufacturing in Booth S17031 at NPE2018, taking place from May 7-11 in Orlando, Florida.

Among the materials showcased will be Americhem’s proprietary line of medical compounds, ColorRx®, which features pre-selected biocompatible resins and medical/FDA-compliant pigments and additives. The line is produced under the company’s ISO 13485 manufacturing certificate and is available globally through certified Americhem facilities in the U.S. and Asia.

All of Americhem’s engineered materials for medical device manufacturing are developed in collaboration with customers to address functional and aesthetic needs while meeting all biocompatibility requirements. These materials are available as precolor or custom colored thermoplastic resin compounding, and short lead times.

Americhem’s medical breadth provides customers access to manufacturing and support resources on the global and local level, and the ability to expediently support the needs of both small- and large-volume customers. Continued investment in manufacturing capabilities and resources have enabled the company to continue growing and adding new product lines while maintaining the high level of service customers have come to expect.

“We work with our medical device customers from the outset to develop formulations for applications that are often very small scale, and we support them through the entire life cycle process,” explained Jim Figaniak, vice president and general manager, Americhem Engineered Compounds. “We work with our customers to compound a material of their choosing that meets their biocompatibility requirements. Medical device OEMs and processors choose us because of our extensive range of capabilities, longstanding expertise in precolor compounding, and industry-leading service levels. Fundamentally, it’s easy to do business with us.”

Posted May 3, 2018

Source: Americhem

Kornit Digital To Unveil New Direct-To-Garment Product And To Demonstrate End-To-End Digital Textile Production At Fespa Berlin

DUESSELDORF, Germany— May 3, 2018 — Kornit Digital, a producer of digital textile printing technology, has announced the unveiling of a new direct-to-garment product, alongside further details of its corporate presence at Fespa 2018 which will take place in Berlin, Germany, May 15-18.

Kornit’s exhibit (1.1 – A20) will be designed around two focus themes: in the direct-to-garment printing area, Kornit will demonstrate how the company’s HD technology expands digital printing’s competitiveness against screen printing, both in terms of cost per print and in terms of print quality. The key solution in this area will be the Kornit Avalanche HD. The system will be driven by the ColorGate Textile Production Server and will be connected to a web-to-print ordering workflow.

In the direct-to-fabric section of the booth, the company will show an end-to-end production workflow, based on the Kornit Allegro single-step printing system equipped with Neon inks. The setup will be complemented by a Zünd digital cutting system, and a sewing stage, producing finished pieces from the fully cured fabrics coming from the Allegro. The 3D visualization and CAD stage will be handled by Assyst GmbH and their Vidya product.

Omer Kulka, Kornit’s vice president of Marketing and Product Strategy, commented: “Fespa is one of the largest events for us this year, and we are pleased to be able to announce an array of innovative technologies and products. All our developments are geared towards making digital textile printing more competitive, profitable and straightforward. That way, we are giving garment decorators, textile producers and web-to-print players the tools that are required in today’s demanding markets. And the best thing is, at Fespa we are going to show them in a workflow setup which is representative of today’s actual production facilities.”

Kornit HD Technology: a step change in direct-to-garment competitiveness versus screen printing

The Avalanche HD6 is a high-productivity direct-to-garment printing system which is especially popular with online printers and global production networks. The Avalanche HD6 is equipped with Kornit’s HD print engine and NeoPigment™ Rapid ink, leading to significant reductions in ink consumption — and therefore cost per print. The Avalanche HD6 will reduce the ink consumption by approximately 45% compared to previous, non-recirculating versions of the Avalanche. Another major benefit of the HD technology is the refined hand feel and quality of the printed product.

ColorGATE Textile Production Server for Kornit (TPS): the professional approach to color control and accuracy

Responding to the industry demand for better color control and accuracy, Kornit partners with ColorGATE, a leading brand for industrial raster image processors (RIPs). The ColorGATE Textile Productionserver (TPS) has been tailored to the Kornit settings and added to the Kornit offering. This way Kornit users will gain both an outstanding print output and an optimized workflow experience. Besides a general improvement in print quality, applications include color matching between digital and screen printing and color consistency between repeat orders. Technical support and training will be delivered by Kornit, with the ColorGATE support available at the back end. After extensive development and testing, the ColorGATE TPS for Kornit will be released during Fespa.

Kornit Allegro with Neon inks: new applications for the unique single-step direct-to-fabric system

Kornit’s Allegro roll-to-roll digital textile printer is based on a unique concept. It uses Kornit’s NeoPigment printing technology that completely eliminates pre- and post-treatment processes for both natural and synthetic fabrics.

Unlike typical digital technologies, the Kornit Allegro offers an innovative solution that eliminates the need for multiple steps of pre-press and post press treatments, thereby saving on energy, water, space, and labor. The Allegro eliminates the entry barrier to the digital fabric printing market which is currently addressable only by manufacturers with industrial grade printing facilities.

During Fespa Berlin, Kornit will demonstrate the live production of tailor-made textile accessories. Visitors will be able to see the Allegro printing with Kornit’s new Neon inks. The new Pink and Yellow inks enable new applications with brighter colors and extended gamut, allowing Allegro users to penetrate new market segments and to increase system utilization. The new inks will be commercially available from Fespa onwards.

Posted May 3, 2018

Source: Kornit Digital

DOMO Chemicals’ Première at NPE 2018 Underlines Its Ambition In The U.S. Market

ORLANDO, Fla. — May 2, 2018 — For the first time, DOMO Chemicals, a Germany-based worldwide operating polyamide expert and material engineering company, will present at  NPE 2018, the plastics show which takes place in Orlando, May 7-11. DOMO shows its ambition on the US market, offering an extensive product portfolio.

Domo Chemicals, a global company forward looking in the U.S. market

Domo Chemicals showcases its capabilities in three business segments: Polymers, Engineering Plastics and Nylon Film. The strength of its full range offer on the U.S. market is its high and stable worldwide reputed product quality and expertise, its customized service, and its innovative drive.

Engineering Plastics

Domo Engineering Plastics US operates a production facility for engineered plastics compounds in Buford, Ga. Domo EP US is part of DOMO’s engineering plastics compounds production network with facilities in Germany, Italy, India and China. Domo’s local sales, customer service and technical service teams are dedicated to the NAFTA market, commercializing compounded engineering thermoplastics for automotive, oil and gas, sports & leisure, consumer goods and industrial applications. Products highlighted on the NPE are DOMAMID®, PA6 and PA66 based compounds developed for high fluidity, stiffness and aesthetic appeal, ECONAMID® PA6 and PA66 compounds, based on environmentally sustainable feedstock, offering a sustainable choice for many applications in a wide variety of markets and THERMEC™, compounds with enhanced performance at high temperatures.

Virgin polymers for all segments in the US plastics market

The DOMO Nylon & Intermediates division, based in Leuna, Germany, commercializes in the US its wide portfolio of PA 6 virgin resins with applications in engineering plastics, fibres & film extrusion. On the NPE 2018 new PA6 grades in all three segments are highlighted: DOMAMID H22, a new, ultra-low viscosity polyamide for the engineering plastics business, being a high-flow, easy processable virgin polymer, perfectly suited for highly filled compounds, and suitable for long glass fibres in regards to nearly all injection molding applications. DOMAMID H27 S05 targets the fiber business : a modified PA6 for BCF, which achieves 30% lower shrinkage during heat setting compared to average shrinkage in case of using standard PA6. For film extrusion, a new high viscosity range with DOMAMID H33, H36 and H40 is now available; either pure or in finished version (lubricated or lubricated and nucleated).

Domo Nylon Film

DOMO Nylon Film division (Cfp Flexible Packaging Spa, based in Cesano Maderno, Italy), is a specialist in high performing Nylon films (both be-axially oriented and cast non-oriented) for flexible packaging and other technical sectors, such as building insulation systems. The technical properties of FILMON® films enhance consumer products protection, extend their shelf life  and result in a more sustainable and profitable supply chain. With FILMON the most innovative packaging design solutions are possible in a range of applications including food, pharma, medical and other technical and industrial uses.

Posted May 2, 2018

Source: DOMO Chemicals GmbH

Colorado State University: ‘Infinitely’ Recyclable Polymer Shows Practical Properties Of Plastics

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — April 26, 2018 — The world fell in love with plastics because they’re cheap, convenient, lightweight and long-lasting. For these same reasons, plastics are now trashing the earth.

Colorado State University chemists have announced in the journal Science another major step toward waste-free, sustainable materials that could one day compete with conventional plastics. Led by Eugene Chen, professor in the Department of Chemistry, they have discovered a polymer with many of the same characteristics we enjoy in plastics, such as light weight, heat resistance, strength and durability. But the new polymer, unlike typical petroleum plastics, can be converted back to its original small-molecule state for complete chemical recyclability. This can be accomplished without the use of toxic chemicals or intensive lab procedures.

Polymers are a broad class of materials characterized by long chains of chemically bonded, repeating molecular units called monomers. Synthetic polymers today include plastics, as well as fibers, ceramics, rubbers, coatings, and many other commercial products.

Building on fundamental knowledge

The work builds on a previous generation of a chemically recyclable polymer Chen’s lab first demonstrated in 2015. Making the old version required extremely cold conditions that would have limited its industrial potential. The previous polymer also had low heat resistance and molecular weight, and, while plastic-like, was relatively soft.

But the fundamental knowledge gained from that study was invaluable, Chen said. It led to a design principle for developing future-generation polymers that not only are chemically recyclable, but also exhibit robust practical properties.

The new, much-improved polymer structure resolves the issues of the first-generation material. The monomer can be conveniently polymerized under environmentally friendly, industrially realistic conditions: solvent-free, at room temperature, with just a few minutes of reaction time and only a trace amount of catalyst. The resulting material has a high molecular weight, thermal stability and crystallinity, and mechanical properties that perform very much like a plastic. Most importantly, the polymer can be recycled back to its original, monomeric state under mild lab conditions, using a catalyst. Without need for further purification, the monomer can be re-polymerized, thus establishing what Chen calls a circular materials life cycle.

This piece of innovative chemistry has Chen and his colleagues excited for a future in which new, green plastics, rather than surviving in landfills and oceans for millions of years, can be simply placed in a reactor and, in chemical parlance, de-polymerized to recover their value – not possible for today’s petroleum plastics. Back at its chemical starting point, the material could be used over and over again – completely redefining what it means to “recycle.”

“The polymers can be chemically recycled and reused, in principle, infinitely,” Chen said.

Next steps

Chen stresses that the new polymer technology has only been demonstrated at the academic lab scale. There is still much work to be done to perfect the patent-pending monomer and polymer production processes he and colleagues have invented.

With the help of a seed grant from CSU Ventures, the chemists are optimizing their monomer synthesis process and developing new, even more cost-effective routes to such polymers. They’re also working on scalability issues on their monomer-polymer-monomer recycling setup, while further researching new chemical structures for even better recyclable materials.

“It would be our dream to see this chemically recyclable polymer technology materialize in the marketplace,” Chen said.

The paper’s first author is CSU research scientist Jian-Bo Zhu. Co-authors are graduate students Eli Watson and Jing Tang.

Posted May 2, 2018

Source: Colorado State University

LYCRA® Brand Celebrates 60 Years Of Innovations

WILMINGTON, Del. — May 2, 2018 — INVISTA, owner of LYCRA® brand, is celebrating the 60th anniversary of Lycra fiber, the original spandex fiber that revolutionized the fashion industry, with a donation to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr. Joseph C. Shivers, a DuPont chemist, invented today’s best-known branded fiber in the world back in 1958, and forever changed clothes and the way we wear them.

Sixty years later, Dr. Shivers is being recognized for his invention by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, where he will be posthumously inducted into the Class of 2018. The gala ceremony will take place in Washington on May 3.

“This is an exciting year for the Lycra brand as we pause to look back at how far we’ve come and look forward towards a bright future filled with innovative products designed to improve fabric performance,” said Dave Trerotola, president, Invista Apparel. “Throughout 2018, we will be developing engaging content for our media channels that celebrates our brand’s rich heritage.”

Originally invented to replace rubber threads that caused ladies’ foundation garments to lose their shape and fit over time, and made them hot and uncomfortable to wear, Lycra fiber outperformed the natural fiber it replaced by adding lasting comfort, fit and the ability to move freely.

It quickly became apparent that Lycra fiber had the power to transform other types of women’s clothing and menswear too. Today, this nearly invisible fiber can be found in virtually every apparel segment, including lingerie, underwear, denim, activewear, hosiery, socks, swimwear, and ready-to-wear apparel. It has also been the catalyst for the development of new multi-billion-dollar segments across shapewear, stretch denim, compression sportswear and athleisure apparel.

What began six decades ago as a single elastic fiber renowned for its ability to stretch and snap back to its original shape, time after time and wash after wash, has evolved into a portfolio of over 200 differentiated fibers designed to meet a wide variety of consumer needs. Each one is engineered to improve fabric aesthetics and add lasting performance benefits that continue to drive sales for leading apparel brands and retailers around the globe.

Posted May 2,2018

Source: INVISTA

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