Invista Adds Nylon Capacity In Canada

Invista, Wichita, Kan., has added 5
kilotons of capacity at its plant in Canada, which produces nylon 6,6 yarns for airbags and other
industrial applications. The company reports the Kingston, Ontario, plant’s capacity increase is in
response to the North American automotive industry’s growing need for super-high-tenacity,
low-decitex-per-filament yarns for protective airbags, especially side airbags.

“This investment represents another significant step in the evolution and global growth of
our airbag business,” said Jeff Brown, airbag business director, Invista. “I am delighted to be
able to celebrate our project team’s success and congratulate the Kingston operations team, which
continues to demonstrate its commitment to achieving the goals of our business.”

The plant began producing first-grade material within 36 hours of start-up, which occurred
10 days ahead of schedule.


June 13, 2006

ITMF Releases 2005 Machinery Survey

The Switzerland-based International
Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has released its 2005 textile machinery shipment survey,
which covers spinning, texturing, flat knitting, large circular knitting, weaving and finishing
machinery. The survey contains a compilation of information provided by about 120 textile machinery
manufacturers.

Short-staple spindle shipments totaling 11.2 million set a record in that category and
topped 2004 shipments by 7 percent. Of these, 7.2 million spindles went to China, 1.4 million to
India, 1 million to Pakistan, 540,000 to Bangladesh and 300,000 to Turkey.

Long-staple spindle shipments, at 182,836, were 5-percent lower overall than in 2004. Again,
China led in the number of shipments with 82,900 spindles, representing a 15-percent drop in
shipments. Turkey — with 42,300 spindles — and Italy — with 14,000 spindles — followed, registering
increases of 148 percent and 245 percent, respectively. Open-end rotor shipments declined by 10
percent to 374,000 positions, including 246,000 to China, 22,000 to Brazil, 20,000 to India and
18,000 to Turkey.

Single-heater drawtexturing spindle shipments were down by 48 percent to 6,900, half of
which went to China and 15 percent to Turkey. Double-heater drawtexturing spindle shipments
declined by 21 percent to 308,000, with 260,000 — 84 percent — going to China, 13,700 to India and
7,700 to Hong Kong.

Weaving machinery shipments also dropped in 2005. Shuttleless loom shipments fell by 16
percent to 53,500 units, with 88 percent going to Asia including 61 percent to China, 9 percent to
India and 7 percent to Bangladesh. Turkey and Italy accounted for 4 percent and 2 percent,
respectfully, of those shipments.

The ITMF survey recorded a record high for circular-knitting machinery shipments, which
totaled 30,500 units — 32-percent more than in 2004 — including 22,500 machines going to China.
Electronic flat-knitting machinery shipments declined by 8 percent to 10,500, with 85 percent
destined for Asia — including 46 percent for Hong Kong and 27 percent for China — and 12 percent
for Europe.

Finishing machinery shipments for knit and woven fabrics were included in the survey for the
first time. Technologies included both wet and dry finishing, and processes included both
continuous and discontinuous.


June 13, 2006

NCSU To Host IFFTI Conference

The International Foundation of
Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI), an India-based association comprised of fashion education
institutions, will stage its eighth annual conference June 18-22 at North Carolina State University
(NCSU) College of Textiles, Raleigh, N.C. The theme of this year’s conference will be Fashion in
the Digital Age.

IFFTI’s Executive Committee meeting will convene Sunday, June 18, and the IFFTI Council
meeting and student design competition judging will take place the following day. A series of five
morning and afternoon sessions covering The Process, The Tools, The Materials, Intellectual
Property and Future Leaders, and The Business will begin Tuesday morning, June 20, and conclude
with a Thursday morning session on June 22.

A keynote address will kick off each day, beginning with a presentation Tuesday morning
titled “Integrating Technology in Costume Design” by Douglas Enderle, an Emmy Award-winning costume
designer at Disney World. Judson Early, corporate vice president and chief technology officer,
Textile/Clothing Technology Corp., will deliver Wednesday’s address, “Digital Toolbox”; and Marshal
Gordon, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, TradeCard Inc., will speak on “
Financing Fashion” on Thursday morning.

Other events include a conference dinner Wednesday evening, as well as tours and the closing
session of IFFTI’s Executive Committee meeting Thursday afternoon.

IFFTI was formed in 1999 to develop a global network of fashion education institutions that
would collaborate to advance education in design, technology and business for fashion and related
businesses. Activities include the annual conference, collaboration on bilateral agreements and
professional development initiatives. The foundation’s student design competition, organized by
Japan-based Bunka Women’s University and presented during the annual conference, rewards student
design achievements.


June 13, 2006

Veltex To Enter Designer Clothing

City of Industry, Calif.-based Veltex
Corp. reports it plans to expand into the designer clothing industry under the trade name
VeltexWest with the goal of introducing a men’s line during New York’s 2007 fashion week. The
textile and apparel manufacturer, distributor and importer will market VeltexWest products under
its existing licensing brands such as Veltex Apparel®.

The move is a “natural step in the evolution of Veltex,” said Javeed Matin, CEO. “Our
investment will permit us to become a major player in the retail supply business in addition to the
promotional products industry,” he said.

Veltex recently acquired the retail supply division of a major Canadian textile company.
That division, operating under the Veltex-Canada name, will become Veltex’s US and Canadian retail
supply business. Two of the four divisions that comprise Veltex are Veltex Apparel and Veltex
Explorer Inc., which service the Canadian and US promotional products industries, respectively. The
company’s Velvet Textile Mills division produces consumer and industrial fabrics, and its KCA
Garment Industries division manufactures apparel.


June 13, 2006

Picanol Launches OMNIjet

Belgium-based Picanol NV has
introduced the OMNIjet, a value-added air-jet weaving machine based on OMNIplus 800 technology.
According to the company, the low-built, ergonomically and modularly designed OMNIjet is
user-friendly, enabling high-speed weaving of high-quality fabrics at the lowest possible cost.

Features include: optimized insertion preparation for two or four colors or yarn types;
liquid crystal display and push buttons for setting of all main machine functions; reed width of
150, 190 or 230 centimeters; high-performance filling insertion with reduced air consumption;
electronic take-up and let-off, both driven by independent servomotors; energy-efficient Sumo main
motor with direct machine drive; fast warp gaiting and cloth doffing; rotary selvage units; and
easing motion; among other features. The company reports the machine’s modular concept enables a
minimal initial investment cost that allows future adaptations as needed. In addition, the OMNIjet
is the only weaving machine in its class to offer Autospeed, made possible by the integration of
electronic insertion controls with the Sumo-drive, according to Picanol.


June 6, 2006

Suessen QSS Rates Raw Material Qualtiy

Spindelfabrik Suessen GmbH, Germany,
now offers the QuickSpin System (QSS) for evaluation of raw material quality prior to spinning. The
system enables accurate prediction of yarn properties and processability, even when evaluating very
small fiber samples, according to the company.

Consisting of two separate units — Microdust-Trash Analyzer (MDTA 3) and QuickSpin Unit
(QSU) — QSS provides data as to a fiber’s cleanability, opening behavior, cohesion and stickiness;
as well as influences and tendencies coming from various raw materials. It also makes it possible
to develop cost-effective blends of different fibers.


June 6, 2006

TECHNOplants Introduces V-shaped ALLROUND Winder

Italy-based nonwovens machinery
manufacturer TECHNOplants S.r.l. reports customers may conduct trials using its new “V”-shaped
ALLROUND Winder® at its headquarters in Pistoia, Italy.

The new winder may be used in conjunction with the company’s combined slitting and
cross-cutting unit to cut, thread, wind and doff a variety of nonwovens automatically. According to
the company, the system operates at such a high speed that no accumulator is necessary.

The Allround Winder features: a slitting and crosscutting unit; high-speed doffing followed
by the material-threading action; high-speed mandrel injection; separately driven compression
carriage for automatic material threading based on the material’s weight and thickness, and
compression-controlled winding; and optional nonadhesive tape dispenser heads for roll taping
before doffing.

Batson Group Inc., Greenville, represents Technoplants in the United States and
Canada.


June 6, 2006

ATHM Launches Endowment Fundraising Challenge

The American Textile History Museum
(ATHM), Lowell, Mass., has embarked on Caring for Collections: The $1 Million Challenge, a special
fundraising effort to raise $1 million to increase its endowment and provide for the preservation
of its collections. The funds must be raised by Dec. 31, 2006, in order to receive a
dollar-for-dollar $1 million matching grant from the Maine Community Foundation.

“This is a short time frame and a sizable amount of money,” said Jim Coleman, ATHM’s
executive director. “Therefore, large and small gifts are needed to meet this goal. The collections
are at the core of our mission to tell America’s story through the art, science and history of our
textiles; and the museum needs everyone’s help in this grassroots effort to ensure that the
collections are sustained for present and future generations of textile enthusiasts.”

Founded in 1960 in North Andover, Mass., by handweaver and collector Caroline Stevens
Rogers, the museum relocated to Lowell in 1997, moving into a 150,000-square-foot factory built in
1860 by the Kitson Manufacturing Co. to produce textile machinery.

“The museum is home to the most significant textile history collection in North America,
with an extraordinary library and one of the world’s largest and most important publicly held
collections of tools, spinning wheels and hand looms,” Coleman said. “We have more than 5 million
pieces of textile prints, fabric samples, rolled textiles, coverlets and costumes; and the work of
acquisition, preservation and exhibition of the collections is a major expense for the museum. This
effort to increase our endowment is specifically targeted towards the long-term preservation of the
collections so that Americans and others throughout the world can understand the important
contributions textiles have made and continue to make to the fabric of American lives.”

Donations may be made by contacting Marisa Tescione in the museum’s development office (978)
441-0400, Ext. 246, or through the museum’s website,
www.athm.org.


June 6, 2006

Lectra Unveils ProSpinTechTexST Cutting Solution

Paris-based Lectra has introduced the
ProSpinTechTexST cutting table for industrial fabric applications. According to the company, the
new table allows users to cut pattern pieces from several cut lengths simultaneously or from roll
fabrics; and handles a range of flexible materials including polyvinyl chloride, composites and
foam.

Minimal training is required for the ProSpinTechTexST, which is available in cutting widths
of 72 inches or 100 inches and cutting lengths ranging from 9 to 55.5 feet. The table comes
equipped with a vibrating blade, punch and pen; and features a compartment air-feed device and a
material optimization program that allows on-the-spot, automatic marking. Marker and cutting
parameters can be stored for future use.

ProSpinPilot TechTex software is included to allow visual monitoring and real-time tracking
of cutting processes, and definition of multiple work areas. The software offers a cutting path
optimization system with in-line tool change and automatic marker-making for pieces in one model.
It also enables material files to be selected according to model and fabric, size or variant to be
used.

Options include mosaic software for processing of stripes, plaids or prints that need to be
matched; a digital camera for detection of motif position to enable repositioning of pieces; and a
barcode reader to read barcoded cutting instructions.


June 6, 2006

Schoeller’s NanoSphere® Earns Hohenstein Nanotechnology Quality Label

Switzerland-based Schoeller Textil AG’s NanoSphere® finishing technology has earned the
Germany-based Hohenstein Institutes’ Nanotechnology Quality Label.










The Hohenstein Institutes, an
independent research and service organization with agencies located around the world, focuses on
research, testing, consultation and certification related to technologies used in textile and
associated applications. In October 2005, the organization began to offer testing and certification
for nanotextiles and their suitability for daily use. Certification of the textiles is based on
their adherence to a strict definition of nanotechnology developed in conjunction with NanoMat, a
Germany-based nanomaterials network; and also on successful performance according to various
criteria including abrasion; water, oil and soil repellency; durability to washing; and skin
tolerance.

“There is considerable disquiet among retailers and consumers because according to the
advertising claims of manufacturers, ‘everything is somehow nano,’ and we had reason to believe
that this was not the case,” said Jan Beringer, Ph.D., head of the Intelligent Textiles Competence
Center of the Textile Services & Innovations Department, Hohenstein Institutes, and who is
responsible for the new quality label. “Our institute has been in existence for 60 years, and we
were among the founders of the Oeko-Tex Standard — a quality assurance system for toxin-tested
textiles …. With the nano quality label, in turn, we are taking a step into the future.”

Beringer said NanoSphere is the first nanotechnology to meet all the test requirements for
the Nanotechnology Quality Label. NanoSphere fabric samples retained their micro and nano
structures after 5,000 cycles in the abrasion test; and were highly hydrophobic, and had very good
oil and water repellency and oleophobia, even after 50 washing and drying cycles and reactivation
by brief ironing. The treated fabric also tested positively in regard to skin tolerance.


June 6, 2006

1...2,3492,3502,351...2,624Page 2,350 of 2,624

Sponsors

Breaking News

Load more

Digital Issue

2026 Quarterly Issue Number I

View Latest Digital Issue

FEATURED ARTICLES

© Copyright 2017 Textile Industries Media Group, LLC.