Bally, Pa. — May 8 2018 — Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM), — a designer, developer and manufacturer of highly specialized engineered woven fabrics — has announced it received a Space Technology Award from NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) for weaving the 3-D material used to support the Heat-shield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) team. The team is developing a new thermal protection system (TPS) that leverages the way weaving is used to manufacture aircraft parts made of carbon composite materials. The award was announced at the at the STMD quarterly meeting in Washington, D.C.

“The STMD community sincerely appreciates your hard work, leadership, and dedication to providing NASA and the Nation with revolutionary new technologies and capabilities,” said STMD’s Associated Administrator Stephen G. Jurczyk. “Congratulations on your hard work and dedication to ensuring the success of our Mission Directorate.”

To manufacture TPS materials with the desired properties, fibers of different compositions and variable yarn densities are accurately placed in a 3-D structure. Three-dimensional weaving extends the traditional 2-D weaving by interconnecting woven material in the third direction, enabling the manufacturing of materials that are more robust to the entry environment than traditional 2-D woven materials. The panels are then infused with resins and cured to lock the fibers in place.

Using advanced modeling, design, and manufacturing tools to optimize the weave for overall improved performance, the HEEET project has manufactured a new family of TPS materials and tested them for a wide variety of entry conditions.

BRM and NASA efforts are a great example of NASA partnering with an American small business with a unique specialized technological capability that will further current and future exploration plans.

Posted May 8, 2018

Source: Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM)

CARY, N.C./BRUSSELS, Belgium — May 8, 2018 — The recent news that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) fined Pental $700,000 for falsely claiming its White King wipes were flushable was welcomed by INDA and EDANA, the leading North American-based and European-based trade associations for the nonwovens industry dedicated to advancing education and technology in the wipes category.

INDA and EDANA have worked with leading industry and wastewater experts to develop a comprehensive battery of tests that ensure a wipe intended to be marketed as “flushable” is compatible with the wastewater system after it is flushed.

“There are rigorous testing procedures for flushability and Pental’s product did not pass those tests and should have been clearly marked with a “Do Not Flush” symbol per our Code of Practice for labeling,” said Dave Rousse, president of INDA. “A thorough review of White King wipes revealed that the product had not undergone flushability claims testing, and recent industry testing has shown that the product does not pass the stringent Edition 3 Flushability Guidelines (GD3) of INDA and EDANA. This type of behavior hurts responsible manufacturers because some consumers and regulators will unfairly attribute those failures to the entire category of flushable wipes.”

“Wipes that don’t pass GD3 testing should have a prominent ‘Do Not Flush’ symbol and should not be flushed,” said Pierre Wiertz, general manager of EDANA. “We want consumers to be properly informed and confident that products with a flushable claim have passed this rigorous testing. That is why the flushable claim should only be used on products that pass the GD3 guidelines.  Companies that do not back their “flushable” claim with product testing following the guidelines should be held accountable.”

Posted May 8, 2018

Source: INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry & EDANA