Techtextil North America 2010 showcases latest developments in technical textiles and nonwovens

14 April 2010, Atlanta - Leading technical textile and nonwovens companies from around the world will showcase the latest products and advanced technologies in textiles, nonwovens and materials during Techtextil North America 2010 next month in Atlanta, Georgia. The show represents all vertical aspects of the technical textile industry from research and development, through raw materials and production processes, to conversion, further treatment and recycling.

Some of the highlights of the 2010 exhibit hall will include:

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc. will have a focus on offering options that are both economical and eco-friendly. Aurora had added cationic cotton fabric dyeing to its range of fabric coloring capabilities.

This process utilizes fabrics made with cationic treated cotton yarn which has an affinity for reactive dye. The benefits of this system are many including; shorter dye cycles, reduced usage of energy and water, elimination of salts and alkali, reduction of greige fabric SKU’s, etc. By blending the cationic cotton yarns with standard cotton or other fibres it’s possible to create yarn dyed effects with the flexibility and convenience of piece dyeing. This is just one of several low environmental impact dyeing/finishing processes offered by Aurora.

Bally Ribbon Mills will demonstrate their extensive product line of engineered, woven, narrow fabrics, specialty broadcloth and woven structures for medical, industrial, safety, aerospace and commercial applications. The Bally Ribbon Mills exhibit will display samples of woven tubular vascular stents, bifurcate grafts, tapered weaves and arteries that are used to repair damaged blood vessels as well as blood filtration membrane and carbon fibre structures for orthopaedic and prosthetic applications. In addition, samples of circular (polar) weaves, woven 2D and 3D shapes, fabrics used for parachutes and for air frame components will be displayed.

Brueckner Textile Technologies GmbH & Co., is a worldwide leading producer of systems for the finishing of textiles, nonwovens and technical textiles. One focus at Techtextil North America will be on eco-technologies - saving energy on the highest level. Using a Brueckner Eco-Heat recovery unit allows energy savings of up to 35% depending on the process. The low investment costs can be recuperated in a very short time. The already low emissions of Brueckner’s stenters can be reduced even further with an Eco-Air purification unit consisting of a scrubber and/or electrostatic precipitator as supplement to the heat recovery system.

Imerys Performance Minerals will be featuring FiberLinkTM treated calcium carbonate at Techtextil North America, a highly engineered mineral additive produced in North America, Europe and Asia.

FiberLink is specifically designed for use in fibre and nonwoven applications, where it provides up to 10% raw material cost savings and performance enhancements such as softness, opacity, and filtration efficiency. In addition, the carbon footprint of FiberLinkTM is only one-fourth that of the polypropylene resin it replaces. Imerys also produces treated calcium carbonate additives for film and moulded packaging applications. These products, Supercoat and the FilmLink series, will be featured at the event as well.

Khosla Profil Pvt. Ltd. - the difference is in the fabrics. Khosla Profil has over 30 years of experience in the manufacturing of filtration and industrial fabrics and has fully integrated operations from fibre to made-ups. The group now intends to consolidate its position in the industrial fabric market and focus efforts on the export front. Fabrics for modern filtration equipment, monofilament fabrics and specialized made-ups will all be presented at Techtextil North America.

Kuraray America, Inc. will feature Vectran fibre and exhibit its diverse portfolio of advanced fibres and further processed applications at Techtextil North America. The company will highlight Vectran knitted fabrics offering cut, puncture, abrasion and heat resistance properties. Available in multi-filament, spun and hybrid varieties, these fabrics offer excellent drapeability to moulded composites and are suited for a wide range of end-use applications, from cut-resistant gloves to puncture-resistant garments, as a high performance alternative to aramids. Kuraray will also feature its new solution-dyed Vectran HT, a high-tenacity fibre available in several new colours, providing enhanced UV resistance, colourfastness and strength.

Leigh Fibers, Inc. will feature high-quality recycled aramids and other technical fibres at Techtextil North America next month. Visitors to their booth will be challenged to distinguish virgin fibers from Leigh’s recycled fibres, which have the same performance characteristics and are very similar in appearance. Among the samples will be SafeLeigh FR shoddy, Leigh’s cost-effective alternative for manufacturers who need a fire-retardant material that meets growing consumer demand for environmentally-friendly content. Leigh is one of the world’s leading processors of textile waste and fibre by-products, having diverted some 14 billion pounds from landfills so far.

Mageba Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG will showcase machines for the entire production cycle of narrow fabrics, most of them being shown in full operation in the R&D section. The range is comprised of warping machines, narrow fabric needle and shuttle looms, dyeing and finishing ranges, press and friction calendars, measuring and making up machines, inspection machines and special purpose bespoke products. To respond to the increasing demand for medical and high technological applications of woven fabrics with special features, MAGEBA has strongly focused their research and development efforts during the last few years on shuttle loom technology.

Norafin GmbH will present a wide selection of powerful hydro entangled and needle punched product solutions and composites that are used in the sector of filtration, protective clothing and industrial specialty applications. Their Komanda Material, an innovative, multifunctional nonwoven for the protective clothing market, is a powerful alternative to conventional textiles for industrial FR workwear, military uniforms and protective clothing against electric arcs. Also featured will be the Norafin 3D Performance Material which offers a variety of advantages in the sector of protective clothing.

Thanks to the air entrapped within the product and its special surface quality, the nonwoven allows improved insulation and increased comfort in its end use.

Reimotec  GmbH is a system supplier of monofilament and strapping tape production equipment. This means that Reimotec does not only supply the equipment but the entire engineering and extensive know-how in process technology. This complete package is one of the reasons why they have become the market leader in the monofilaments and strapping tapes area. As part of the Reifenhauser Group, Reimotec and its customers can benefit from the wide range of experience of a market leader in extrusion technology which can also offer the flexibility, power of innovation and direct customer contact expected of a specialist in this market segment.

Richard Hough Ltd., specialist squeeze roll manufacturer, has collaborated with Just Rollers plc, world leader in elastomer roll coverings, to develop the new Resilio system. Trials have identified substantial performance benefits over the existing market-leading elastomer roll cover: typically 40% better expression on knitted goods and typically 30% better expression on wovens. Richard Hough Ltd. has applied for a patent for the new Resilio roll, which combines the company’s own expertise in mechanical squeezing and dewatering equipment with specially-developed dual-layer technology for the covering. The secret is in the integration of the squeezing power of the sub-layer with a revolutionary profile-hugging top layer.

 RKW US, Inc. will highlight Aptra micro porous film protection against viral penetration and blood borne pathogens in hygiene and medical applications. Aptra Classic is lightweight, breathable micro porous polypropylene film used in diverse medical and hygiene applications where demonstrable ability to resist blood borne pathogen ASTM F-1670 and viral penetration ASTM-F1671 is required. Aptra UV8 is a lightweight, UV stabilised, water resistant, non-abrasive polypropylene film with excellent bonding, barrier and degradation properties. All raw materials used in Aptra Classic and Aptra UV8 micro porous films are FDA approved for incidental or direct contact or both. The films are produced exclusively in North America for RKW US, Inc. in an ISO 9001 plant.

Stahl manufactures textile and thin film performance coating systems with an emphasis on bringing FR, breathability, ink-jet printability and other key performance effects to a variety of substrates. Stahl will showcase a new class of high performance water-based FR polyurethane coatings utilizing inherently FR, halogen free, NMP-free polymerization technology. For the ultimate combination of performance, Stahl will also showcase a new breathable FR coating suitable for use in demanding protective apparel applications. For maximum visual impact when ink-jet printing on challenging substrates, Stahl will promote their line of print receptive coatings as well as protective top-coats.

Stein Fibers, Ltd. is proud to launch the U.S. polyester industry into a more environmentally friendly future by introducing Infinity Polyester.

Infinity Polyester is a domestically produced 100% recycled fibre with up to 100% post-consumer bottle flake content. Infinity Polyester can be customized for specific processes and applications. Production capabilities include 3 to 40 denier, 25 to 102mm cut lengths, and a variety of shade specific colours.

Zeus Inc., a global leader in material science and high performance polymer extrusions, has expanded its drawn fibre capabilities to include PFA, FEP, ETFE, and other polymers. This product line expansion will result in enormous benefits for manufacturers around the world and allow more flexibility and options in regard to aerospace, semiconductor, and chemical applications. The enhanced product offering creates an arsenal of fibres that have diverse properties, such as abrasion resistance, chemical inertness, and optical clarity. Zeus products and services are preferred by companies in medical, automotive, electrical, fluid handling, aerospace, and mechanical markets.

The seventh edition of Techtextil North America, the only trade show in the Americas dedicated to technical textiles and nonwovens, will be held May 18 - 20, 2010 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

For the more information including a full exhibitor list, visit www.techtextilNA.com.