Finland-based Spinnova Oyj has joined the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), Zurich, as a corporate member.
Lee recently introduced the Lee X product platform.
Lee® — the Greensboro, N.C.-based denim brand owned by Kontoor Brands — recently introduced the Lee X product platform. Designs were created with comfort and performance in mind.
Switzerland-based Archroma has joined the BioCircular Materials Alliance. Conceived by biomaterials company Spiber Inc., the alliance encourages the wider adoption of biobased materials and chemical treatments.
Milliken & Company, Spartanburg, S.C., has earned a gold rating on its 2024 EcoVadis assessment— a rating of sustainability. The gold rating puts Milliken & Company in the top 5 percent of all organizations rated and is the third consecutive year the company has achieved a gold rating from EcoVadis.
Sunbrella’s Sunbrella Plus® fabric collection now comprises 17 color options.
Burlington, N.C.-based Sunbrella has expanded its Sunbrella Plus® collection to include 17 color options.
New York City-based design house Schumacher has opened a new 4,000-square-foot showroom in the New York Design Center. The space offers a curated selection of the brand’s portfolio including textured and solid fabrics, trims and wallpapers.
Montreal-based Gildan Activewear Inc. was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability™ North America Index for the 12th consecutive year. The company also donated $200,000 worth of American Apparel® and Gildan® garments to FireAid, a concert benefiting those affected by the recent wildfires in Los Angeles.
Designtex has eliminated the use of PFAS in its products.
Designtex, New York City, reports the company is now 100-percent per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-free having eliminated the forever chemical in all of its products and inventory.
YKK Corp.,Tokyo, recently announced that the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has validated that the company’s long-term goal of reaching net-zero green-house gas emissions by 2050 meets the SBTi Net-Zero Standard in the Textile, Apparel, Footwear and Luxury Goods category.
Office furniture manufacturer MillerKnoll, Zeeland, Mich., announced it has eliminated the use of PFAS in its North American portfolio of products.
Denver-based workwear company Truewerk recently joined the Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN), Atlanta.
New York City-based Carnegie has introduced Siltech Plus, a high-performance, biobased polyurethane coated upholstery product made using corn starch. The fabric, backed with a 100-percent post-consumer recycled polyester, comes with a 10-year warranty.
England-based Think Group recently won a National Flooring Innovation Award — which recognize businesses, products and services that are new and innovative in the United Kingdom flooring industry. Think Group’s SpringBond® Eco-Step 8mm, its latest introduction, was key in its win.
Germany-based A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG reports two Monforts Montex tenter lines at its Advanced Technology Center (ATC) are now equipped with Texcoat™ G4 Digital Spraying Units from St. Louis-based Baldwin Technology Co. The lines are ready for customer trials.
Researcher Amanda Forster examining near-infrared spectroscopy data obtained from clothing and textile samples. (Images courtesy of Alex Boss, NIST)
NIR-SORT, a new National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) database, can be used to identify and help sort textile waste.
TW Special Report
Picture this: You have a bag of heavily used clothes that can no longer be donated taking up space in your closet, so you drop it off at your local recycling center. But what happens to that bag of clothes? You might assume that the clothes would get broken down and reused to make new products.
However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018 around 85 percent of used clothes and textiles headed to land-fills and incinerators1, wasting precious resources and polluting the environment. One reason is that recycling can be more expensive than landfilling, so companies have little incentive to recycle.
To help solve this problem, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., have developed a database that contains the molecular “fingerprints” of different kinds of textile fibers that can enable more rapid, efficient sorting of fabrics at recycling centers.
A clothing sample is analyzed using an analytical lab technique called near-infrared spectroscopy. The method measures how much of the light passes through or scatters off the fabric, producing a unique pattern — a sort of “fingerprint” that can identify the types of fibers found in clothing.
“This reference data will help improve sorting algorithms and unlock the potential for high-throughput sorting, which requires less manual labor,” said Amanda Forster, a NIST materials research engineer. Forster leads the NIST project focused on keeping end-of-life textiles in the economy, a process called textile circularity. “That should reduce costs and increase efficiency, making textile recycling more economically viable.”
The problem of textile waste has been growing in recent years. One reason is fast fashion, a business model that has companies churning out large volumes of inexpensive, trendy clothes that are often quickly discarded. New types of textiles, blended textiles, and incomplete or inaccurate labeling also pose significant challenges when it comes to sorting textiles at recycling centers.
At those centers, workers sort clothing using handheld devices that shine near-infrared light. Those devices measure how much of the light passes through or scatters off the fabric, producing a unique pattern — a sort of fingerprint that can identify the type of fibers in the clothing. This technique, called near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, can also be used in automated conveyor belt systems. However, current techniques still require a lot of manual labor.
In recent years, recycling equipment manufacturers have increasingly used machine learning and artificial intelligence to improve their sorting algorithms. To train these algorithms, they need high-quality reference data.
NIST researchers have developed a database that contains the molecular “finger-prints” of different kinds of fabrics using clothing and textile samples as shown.
That’s where NIST’s database comes in. Called the Near-Infrared Spectra of Origin-defined and Real-world Textiles, or NIR-SORT, it contains 64 different fabric types along with the NIR fingerprints they produce. The database includes single fiber types, such as cotton and polyester; blended fiber types including spandex blends; and real-world fabrics taken from thrift stores. Manufacturers of NIR scanner systems can use this database to train and test their sorting algorithms and improve the performance of their products.
“The difficulty comes in when fibers are similar, like cotton or hemp,” noted NIST research chemist Katarina Goodge, who led the development of the database. “That means that the near-infrared signal is similar. The same is true with a cotton and polyester blend. Is this a new fiber or a blend of two or more fibers? AI can help make the decision-making process more accurate.”
Because NIST is the nation’s measurement institute, it has the equipment and expertise to fill this database with very high-quality spectra. This hopefully means fewer errors when identifying fabrics, which will lead to more textiles recycled.
This research stems from a key initiative of a report by NIST2 in which experts recommended the development of better technology for identifying and sorting textiles and clothing. These efforts are part of NIST’s Circular Economy Program3, which develops measurement science and methods to support an economy where materials are designed to retain their value through repeated reuse, repair and recycling, with disposal as a last resort.
Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Loomia and Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), Cambridge, Mass., have introduced the Gentoo Flexible Heater, a thermoplastic polyurethane-based resistive heater engineered for ultra-cold environments as low as -60°C. Designed for seamless integration into textiles, it combines comfort, breathability, and four-way stretchability, making it ideal for both commercial and military applications.
The Gentoo Heater maintains consistent performance even after 20 wash cycles, with minimal resistance changes, and can be laminated into a variety of fabrics, offering versatility across industries like outdoor gear and specialized cold-weather equipment, according to the developers.
“Heating technology like the Gentoo Heater will play a major role in the future of high-performance textiles to protect warfighters and civilians in extreme temperatures,” said Sasha Stolyarov, CEO of AFFOA.
Acme Mills Co., Detroit, has launched Natura, a new line of bio-based polylactic acid (PLA) fabrics designed to replace petroleum-based textiles like polyester, polypropylene and nylon. Made using renewable resources such as corn starch and sugarcane, Natura fabrics are biodegradable under industrial composting conditions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 75 percent compared to traditional plastics.
The product range includes spunbond nonwovens, needled felts, hydroentangled and meltblown textiles, serving industries like food and beverage, automotive, packaging, furniture and healthcare. Supported by a global supply chain across Europe and North America, Natura reflects Acme Mills’ mission to deliver eco-friendly, high-performance textile solutions worldwide.
“Natura is more than just a product line; it’s a testament to our commitment to innovation and sustainability,” said Matt Utley, chief of Strategy at Acme Mills.
Piana Technology, a 442-year-old Italy-based textile company, has achieved net-zero energy consumption at its Nonwovens facility in Cartersville, Ga., by fully offsetting its energy use through an expanded solar panel system. The photovoltaic system adds more than 1.24 million kilowatt-hours annually to the facility’s production capability, helping the company avoid 920 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year — equivalent to the carbon sequestration of 250 acres of trees.
Excess solar energy is fed back into the city’s grid, contributing to the local power supply. This mile-stone aligns with Piana’s broader sustainability goals and sets a benchmark for other manufacturers.
“This is an exciting milestone for our ongoing sustainability goals, and it will set a new high bar for all of our manufacturing facilities,” said Andrea Piana, CEO of Piana Technology. “This is the future. You can do it better and do it greener.”
Tex-Tech Industries Inc., Kernersville, N.C., has completed the acquisition of Fiber Materials Inc.(FMI) from Spirit AeroSystems Inc., expanding its portfolio of high-temperature materials and reinforced composites. FMI, based in Biddeford, Maine, and Woonsocket, R.I., specializes in carbon/carbon composites used in thermal protection systems, re-entry vehicle nose tips, and rocket motor components, with products featured in NASA programs like Stardust, Mars Curiosity, Orion and Mars 2020.
FMI’s 400 employees and senior management team will remain in their current roles, ensuring continuity in operations.
“FMI’s unique capabilities will allow us to better service the rigorous material requirements in the rapidly growing space and defense industry,” said Scott Burkhart, CEO of Tex-Tech.
Austria-based ANDRITZ recently commissioned a state-of-the-art teXline bast fiber line at Ekolution’s new factory in Malmö, Sweden, boosting the company’s capacity to produce hemp fibers and nonwoven felts made using industrial hemp. The installation includes equipment for hemp decortication, refining, and a neXline airlay flexiloft+ line, capable of producing up to 1.5 tons of nonwoven felt per hour for various applications. The materials are used to produce Ekolution’s bio-based, sustainable building materials.
In other company news, ANDRITZ supplied and commissioned two new teXline bast fiber lines for France-based Van Robaeys, enhancing the company’s production of cottonized flax fibers. These customized lines can process up to 800 kilograms per hour and meet growing demand in France for natural, high-quality textile fibers. This marks Van Robaeys’ seventh and eighth ANDRITZ cottonizing lines, with the first in operation for 50 years.
Solution-dyed INNEGRA™ increases the possible end-uses for the fiber.
Marketed under the tagline, “The Social Fiber,” INNEGRA™ works best when combined with other fibers to enhance and elevate product performance.
TW Special Report
Fibers for highly technical applications are subjected to demands where often failure is not an option. Over the years, fibers have been engineered to meet stringent technical specifications whether it be for aerospace, energy, medical, filtration, construction or automotive applications, as well as protective gear. Fibers are pushed to be lighter, stronger and perform better — all at the lowest cost.
A newer high-tech fiber on the market is INNEGRA™, a high modulus polypropylene (HMPP) fiber available from Colfax, N.C.-based Quantum™ Materials LLC (see sidebar). Innegra may be used on its own in a high-tech application. However, the most interesting thing about Innegra is that the fiber performs at its best when it is blended with other fiber types.
Recognizing this attribute, Quantum coined the phrase “The Social Fiber” to describe the unique benefits of Innegra and its ability to “play well” with other fiber types. “We like to say it performs best when it is combined with other materials where they can bring out the best in each other,” said Jen Hanna, director of Innegra sales, Quantum Materials.
“While it cannot carry a load like carbon, it can protect those structural fibers and provide something carbon cannot. It’s the Swiss army knife of fibers, packing a lot of versatility into a lightweight package.”
Beginnings
For a newer fiber, Innegra has a pretty involved origin story. Originally created between 2004 and 2008 in Greenville, S.C., the fiber was first introduced to the market in 2009 by Innegrity LLC. Initially produced in Greenville and Germany at facilities where the capabilities existed, the technology was acquired in 2011 by CCH, which changed its name to Innegra Technologies. In 2014, 100 percent of the production was moved to Quantum’s production facilities, and in 2023, Quantum purchased Innegra Technologies outright.
While Quantum did not play a role in the fiber’s initial creation, the company has worked to improve the manufacturing process to in turn improve the fiber quality since it began manufacturing the fiber in 2014.
What Makes Innegra Unique?
Innegra has some unique and in some cases, unexplained, properties that set it apart from other technical fibers. The fiber is manufactured using a melt spun process with quench, followed by a high draw. The finished fiber is highly crystalline and porous, which results in an ultralightweight fiber with high modulus. In fact, the fiber is the lightest synthetic fiber that is commercially available.
Innegra also has a unique surface structure and cross section that feature micro voids and nanofiber bridges (See Figure 1). It is suspected that these nanofiber bridges act as shock absorbers of a sort, although this has yet to be tested and verified.
Figure 1: INNEGRA™’s surface structure and cross section, featuring nano bridges and micro voids, contribute to the fiber’s unique properties.
According to Quantum, other inherent characteristics of the fiber include excellent dielectric properties, low creep, density and elongation; high sonic velocity; and cold temperature stability.
Innegra also is hydrophobic — therefore performance is not impacted by moisture or water — and is chemically inert. When subjected to more than 25 different chemicals — including acids, bases and organic solvents, as well as hydraulic fluids and oils, among other chemicals — test results showed either no effect on the breaking strength of the fiber or only a slight effect, where Quantum defines no effect as less than 10 percent and slight as between 10 and 20 percent.
Innegra has a double melt point between 162 and 164°C with the melt onset occurring above 150°C, or approximately 302°F. The fiber’s unique characteristics remain intact and continue to perform up to 150°C.
The fiber properties compared to those of a regular PP fiber are shown in Table 1.
Table 1
Enhance, Amplify & Elevate
When hybridized with other fibers, Innegra enhances performance. “As a material that works best with other fibers, Innegra truly is an enhancer or amplifier to a product as a whole, elevating performance when combined with other materials,” Hanna reinforced.
The fiber:
Is Tough and Durable — It can prevent fracture propagation or catastrophic failure because it is ductile and has the ability to dissipate energy;
Dampens Vibration — Innegra dissipates energy helping to reduce vibration for enhanced protection or performance;
Is Flexible — The fiber maintains excellent flex fatigue and does not break after many cycles of bending and flexing;
Maintains Shape — It exhibits excellent shape retention after long-term use and its low creep and recoil reduction extends a product’s lifespan;
Is Fusible — Innegra maintains performance characteristics when fused and compacted into solid shapes;
Is Impact Resistant — The fiber will quickly dissipate a tremendous amount of energy in high impact applications; and
Is Ductile — Innegra is pliable, not brittle — even in cold temperatures — and does not lose toughness when deformed during application.
Applications
Innegra is found in a wide variety of applications including military ropes, puncture resistant insoles for firefighter boots and military jungle boots, webbing, ballistic fabrics, and lacrosse and other sports netting.
However, Innegra is used most widely in composite applications where it supports high modulus fibers to increase toughness, durability and damping, while also reducing weight. Such applications include sporting goods, automotive applications, radomes, luggage and prosthetics.
For example, Innegra is combined with carbon fiber to produce tennis racquets where it reduces weight, improves impact resistance and reduces vibration. When blended with carbon and basalt fiber in hockey goalie masks, Innegra reduces the weight and vibration, and increases impact resistance. Blends comprised of Innegra, glass basalt and carbon fiber reduce weight, increase damage tolerance and increase impact resistance when used in canoes and kayaks. Innegra also can be combined with aramids and ceramic fibers in ballistic applications for weight reduction, energy dissipation, and chemical resistance, among other benefits.
It also can be combined with natural fibers. “Hybridizing Innegra with natural fibers is another area to explore that could prove to be beneficial,” Hanna mused.
“Innegra can be used in an effort to reduce over engineering,” Hanna said. “Sometimes, when products are designed, extra layers are factored in for safety as an insurance policy. Instead of overengineering with heavier or more costly materials, Innegra may be used to provide increased durability and protection without the added weight or extra cost.”
Brands currently using Innegra fiber include East Coast Dyes (ECD) for lacrosse mesh, Head, Bauer, Shi-mano, Swift Canoe, Nova Craft and Allied Cycle.
Fly Bag
A Germany-based university also researched using Innegra fiber as a component in a fly bag — a textile bag designed to mitigate the risk of a blast from bomb located in passenger luggage stored in the cargo area of an airplane. The bag was designed to absorb shockwaves, contain fragments of the explosion and contain the fire. “The design was proven to perform,” Hanna said.
High Value, High Performance
Innegra also offers excellent value per pound of fiber, according to the company. Compared to other high-performance fibers on the market, Innegra is competitive in price. “Innegra is a specialty fiber that aims to bring higher performance,” Hanna said. “With higher performing fibers, price tends to increase. However, keep in mind when talking per pound pricing, Innegra is 60-percent lighter than glass, 50-percent lighter than carbon and 40-percent lighter than aramids. A pound of Innegra goes a long way!”
Looking Ahead
“Quantum Materials is committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation,” Hanna noted. “As we expand into emerging markets, like composites, we continue to focus on developing advanced materials and high-performance solutions that address the most challenging technical demands.”
Quantum has more recently added solution-dyed Innegra to its portfolio, which offers greater customization options to customers. “Often times Innegra is used in the laminate where you cannot see it after production,” Hanna said. “However, there are many applications where it is visible and the solution-dyed expanded the options beyond natural or black.”
Quantum also offers a variety of coated Innegra yarns to meet the demands of different applications from ultraviolet to weather resistance and beyond. In addition, the company has experimented with a glow-in-the-dark version that needs some fine tuning, but will be developed further if a good-fit application is discovered.
Hanna also noted that a new product, PROTECC, is positioned to enter the thermoplastic market this year. Protecc is a blend of Innegra and the company’s proprietary Quantum Fusion Technology. “Protecc comes in two versions, coated Innegra or Innegra hybridized fabrics, or fabrics combined with a low melt adhesive yarn.” Hanna explained. “Combined with the low melt adhesive yarn, Protecc can be processed using heat and pressure — which shortens cycle times and improves efficiencies — to create high-performing durable parts.
“Today, Innegra is used in a variety of markets including sporting goods, transportation, radomes, military, protective, industrial applications,” Hanna said. “The potential is really untapped between thermoplastic composites and textiles. These are two areas we are just beginning to explore.”
The company will participate in trade shows such as JEC World, Techtextil North America and CAMX to build awareness for the fiber and its unique opportunities.
Quantum’s continuous development of Innegra positions the company at the forefront of advanced material innovation. The Innegra journey has just begun, and the potential is as limitless as the products Quantum aims to transform.
Quantum Materials LLC: Pursuing The Undiscovered
Originally established as a manufacturer of high-performance elastomeric-based suspension fabrics, Colfax, N.C.-based Quantum Materials LLC is today a vertically integrated manufacturer with the ability to convert resin into finished fabrics all under one roof. Its 150,000-square-foot facility supports three core areas of Quantum’s business — Quantum Suspension Fabrics, Quantum Technical & Industrial Yarns and Textiles, and INNEGRA™.
Quantum processes polyester, nylon, polypropylene, copolyester, and recycled and biobased materials.
Yarn capabilities include mono- and multifilament yarn extrusion, fully drawn yarn, yarn coating, air-jet texturing and twisting. The company also has the ability to impart a variety of additives and offers a variety of fiber cross-section options.
In weaving, Quantum has warping capacity, and can produce 2- and 4-way stretch fabrics, as well as bonded and non-bonded stretch wovens.
The Quantum Difference
The company prides itself on quick turn production cycles and research and development. It has in-house designers on staff and also dedicated resources for new product development initiatives. Quantum’s smaller team of approximately dedicated 90 employees is agile and adaptable, as well as focused on technical excellence, operational efficiency and rapid customer response.
The company has been a trusted supplier to global companies for more than 30 years, and Quantum continues to leverage its technical expertise to overcome complex challenges while delivering high-performance solutions.
IACMI’s Impact: Collaborative efforts are tackling the industry’s toughest challenges.
Established by the Department of Energy in 2015, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation® (IACMI) has emerged as a leader in advanced composites and workforce solutions, bolstering American manufacturing and national defense.
TW Special Report
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation® (IACMI), also known as IACMI–The Composites Institute®, recently celebrated a decade of revitalizing American manufacturing and strengthening the nation’s defense industrial base. Established by the Department of Energy (DOE), IACMI was announced as the fifth of now 18 Manufacturing USA® institutes on January 9, 2015. The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) is also a Manufacturing USA institute.
The institute comprises more than 170 members — including those from industry, universities, national laboratories and government agencies — that work together to accelerate the development and adoption of advanced composites and innovative manufacturing technologies. Its collaborative work through public-private partnerships drives domestic production capacity, strengthens U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and elevates domestic job creation.
IACMI is managed by the Collaborative Composites Solutions Corp. (CCS), a not-for-profit organization established by the University of Tennessee Research Foundation. IACMI is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Industrial Base and Sustainment (IBAS) Program from the Innovation and Capability and Modernization (ICAM) office, as well as key state and industry partners.
IACMI Impact
For 10 years, IACMI has played a pivotal role in America’s reindustrialization, aiming to secure its position as a global leader in manufacturing innovation and workforce development. Reshoring initiatives have been key to bolstering U.S. economic and national security. Through multiple national workforce programs sponsored by DOE and the DoD, IACMI has been inspiring, educating, and training a skilled workforce to help address the projected 4.6 million open manufacturing jobs in the coming decade.
IACMI’s impact for economic growth has been clear in four primary ways:
Public-Private Collaborations — Convening more than 170 members and 4,500 professionals from industry, academia, and federal labs to tackle the composites industry’s toughest challenges in automotive, aerospace, wind, infrastructure and the circular economy.
Technical Innovation — Connecting more than 90 of its members to conduct 60-plus industry-led R&D projects that helped commercialize dozens of products; advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of numerous technologies; and create hundreds of design, engineering, and manufacturing jobs.
Workforce Development —Catalyzing IACMI, Americas Cutting Edge (ACE), and Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeships & Learning (METAL) programs to enable:
More than 100 internships with industry collaboration resulting in 100-percent placement in industry jobs or higher education;
18,300-plus STEM outreach engagements;
More than 12,400 trained online across 50 states in CNC machining;
5,100-plus trained in-person in composites, CNC, metrology, and metallurgy; and
40 machine tool training centers in 14 states.
Leveraging Resources — Providing open access to more than $400 million in scale up facilities across eight states has led to an additional $220 million-plus for companies, universities, national labs and workforce initiatives.
“For 10 years, IACMI has harnessed the power of public-private partner-ships to improve products, processes, and people’s lives through composites innovation and workforce solutions that secure America as a global leader in advanced manufacturing,” said Chad Duty, IACMI’s CEO. “With steadfast investment and support from industry and government partners, notably DOE and DoD, IACMI has empowered domestic manufacturers to accelerate design and commercialization, fostering a more reliable, secure, and competitive U.S. economy.”
IACMI’s Impact: Open access to facilities led to additional funding for initiatives.
Shared Infrastructure, Investments
Since 2015, IACMI, the DOE, and state economic development organizations have invested in a shared infrastructure that collectively delivers a breadth and scale of open-access advanced composites manufacturing R&D capabilities that stand unmatched in the U.S. These facility and infrastructure investments have been led by IACMI’s core innovation partners in Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. Today, these capabilities uniquely position IACMI to build on past achievements, de-risk future research, and accelerate onshoring efforts in the United States.
Examples of state-of-the-art scale-up facilities include:
Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tenn.;
Carbon Fiber Technology Facility (CFTF) at ORNL;
Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility (FCMF) at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.;
Laboratory for Systems Integrity and Reliability (LASIR) at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn;
The Composites Laboratory at the University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio;
The Composites Manufacturing & Simulation Center (CMSC) at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.;
The IACMI Scale-Up Research Facility (SuRF) in Detroit; and
The Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology Facility (CoMET) at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Applewood, Colo.
IACMI has leveraged these facilities to undertake transformational R&D, in nation-critical industries including energy, transportation, aerospace, and infrastructure & construction. An IACMI-sponsored project team helped Volkswagen (VW) of America redesign and validate a composite liftgate for SUVs, reducing the weight by 35 percent and lowering its recurring cost by 9 percent compared with steel. Technological advances from this research are now being used across multiple VW platforms, including the new VW ID Buzz EV.
The scaling, manufacture and testing of novel thermoplastic wind turbine blades that are recyclable and lower in cost has also been demonstrated. Further research in automating finishing processes for wind blades aims to reshore wind manufacturing jobs. Simulation and modeling work to develop a virtual twin for additive manufacturing is revolutionizing the production of tooling.
Today, these capabilities uniquely position IACMI to build on past achievements, de-risk future research, and accelerate onshoring efforts in the United States. Duty predicts, “Over the next few years, IACMI and its partners will leverage their full-scale facilities and equipment and significantly expand programs. IACMI will continue to convene, connect, and catalyze the U.S. composites community by attracting startups and small enterprises while creating opportunities with large companies, national labs, and universities. Our ecosystem of innovation is ready to advance American manufacturing.”
Jen Hill receives the award from Ben Fletcher (left), COO of Make UK, and Dan Hulme, head of sales from category sponsor Inspired, at the London awards ceremony. (Image courtesy of Make UK)
Longworth and Cygnet Texkimp are partnering to commercialize DEECOM reclamation technology for the composites industry.
By Adrian Wilson
During a recent ceremony held in London, England-based B&M Longworth claimed the Make UK National Award in the Energy and Sustainability category for its development of DEECOM technology.
Longworth has a long history in the manufacture and supply of specialized cleaning and waste-reduction technologies for the polymer and coating industries and its DEECOM system exploits pressurized steam in a process called pressolysis to successfully separate and reclaim fibers and polymers from composite parts for reuse.
Enabling true circularity for materials, DEECOM completely eliminates the need for traditional dirty processes involving solvents, chemicals, burning or mechanical grinding.
Pressure Swings
Using a combination of compression and decompression cycles or “pressure swings,” it can gently remove a range of resins from composite fibers, effectively reversing the bond between the fiber and the matrix. The process takes place in a pressure vessel filled with super-heated steam.
Depending on the polymer type, temperatures above 200°C (392°F) will melt or soften the polymer and a degree of hydrolysis will occur. When at pressure, the steam penetrates fissures in the polymer where it condenses, before it boils on decompression, causing an instant physical fracturing of the polymer chain and carrying away monomers and oligomers along with polymer fragments from the outer faces.
Since the process interacts with the resins, it can reclaim the format, length and structure of fibers from post-industrial or end-of-life waste composites, whether cured or uncured.
“The pressolysis process enables the high-yield reclamation of high-quality, clean, reusable fibers that are free from residues and have a retained length and properties akin to virgin materials,” explained B&M Longworth Director Jen Hill.
Emphasizing Project
Longworth and its partners in the Emphasizing Project — EMS-Chemie, Ford Motor Company, Gen2plank, Gestamp, TWI and the Brunel Composites Centre at Brunel University in London — have already received the JEC World 2024 Innovation Award in the Circularity and Recycling category.
This has focused on the reclamation of materials from end-of-life wind blades, their resizing and subsequent remanufacture into mass production car parts.
This resized material is based on DEECOM-recovered glass fibers that are treated with various chemistries to retain performance properties.
“The aim is to find several use cases for the reclaimed and/or resized material, and for the industry to gain access to a brand new, low impact advanced material at a low cost,” Hill said.
Cygnet Texkimp
The technology is now being commercialized for the composites industry in a partnership between Longworth and England-based Cygnet Texkimp. A first DEECOM reclamation unit has recently been installed at the Henry Royce Institute in Manchester.
Royce is bringing together nine leading institutes in a pioneering R&D program to fully investigate and commercialize new applications for reclaimed fibers.
Founded in 1974, Cygnet Texkimp, is a supplier of advanced handling and processing machinery to the advanced fibers and composites markets, with 80 percent of its machines exported to more than 30 countries. In particular, the company is a supplier of creels for unwinding high value composite fibers and tire cord at constant tension and at optimal speed into a range of down-stream processes including weaving, prepregging, coating and beaming.
“It’s a time of unprecedented growth for our company because in addition to DEECOM we are also busy with projects for the UK’s National Composites Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre,” said Cygnet’s international sales manager Josh Ingham. “We currently have a healthy order book, especially in creels for aerospace industry suppliers, but we’re also excited about the new opportunities we believe DEECOM will open up for us.”
Both Longworth and Cygnet are members of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA).
Editor’s Note: Adrian Wilson is an England-based analyst and writer specializing in the technical textiles, nonwovens and composites industries. He is the owner of AWOL Media.
