Medical, Health & Hygiene

The Switzerland based International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published its State of Trade Report for the 4th Quarter of 2011. The organisation reports that estimates for Global Yarn and Fabric Output in Q1/2012 are negative but that the outlook for Q2/2012 is positive.

The long awaited relaunch of the leading free content website for the knitting and hosiery industries is here at last. Innovation in Textiles’ relaunched sister site Knitting Industry (www.knittingindustry.com ) went on Wednesday afternoon offering readers even greater benefits than before.

In cooperation with Amoena Medizin-Orthopädie-Technik GmbH, a developer of specialist bras, swimwear and breast prostheses, researchers at the Hohenstein Institute have developed a special bra for breast cancer patients. The new bra, which was developed under a publicly funded research project (AiF no. KF2136714HG0) can be worn during and directly after radiation therapy and takes into account the high sensitivity of the skin which often occurs during treatments as well as changes in breast volume.

After a sharp reduction in global shipments of new textile machinery in 2008 and 2009, as a result of the global financial and economic crisis in 2008/2009, deliveries of new textile machinery surged in 2010 and even stronger in 2011, in most cases to new record highs.

Rhode Island, USA based stretch fabrics producer Darlington Fabrics has launched an innovative family of fabrics called Fasten-Air which stretch for comfort and function in personal protection applications and utilise familiar hook and loop closures.

The Italian textile machinery industry is getting ready for the ITMA ASIA + CITME exhibition which will be held in Shanghai from 12-16 June where its focus will be on technologically sustainable solutions.

Developer of biomedical textiles for medical devices, Biomedical Structures (BMS), has introduced a new advanced tapered medical textile solution for tendons, ligaments and other orthopaedic applications. The company says its advanced weaving capabilities provide a high-precision medical textile solution able to match the anatomical construction of tendons and replicate performance.

Four finalists have been selected to compete for the World of Wipes Innovation Award competition being held as part of the annual World of Wipes (WOW) Conference, set for June 5-7 at the Hotel InterContinental in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Sam Moore of Hohenstein Institute America will present interim findings from a long term study of the effects of nano silver particles on the environment. The presentation will be made at the joint conference of the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and the Southern Textile Research Conference (STRC) to be held May 20-22, 2012 at Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort in Pawley’s Island, SC.

The mass manufacturing of textiles and apparel will return to developed regions like Europe and the USA, but probably not in any recognisable shape from the past. The only question is what timeframe this will take.