Leading technical textiles and nonwovens producers will gather at the fifteenth edition of Techtextil North America, which will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA, this month, co-located with Texprocess Americas, the largest North American trade show displaying equipment and technology for the development, sourcing and production of sewn products.

At the show, Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM), an industry leader in the design, development, and manufacture of specialised engineered woven fabrics, will showcase tapes and webbings that engineers can use to meet their advanced material needs, including: conductivity properties needed for smart textiles, colour requirements, flame resistance, durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, controlled elongation, specific strength, and lightness properties. Find out more here – BRM fabric solutions on display at Techtextil NA.

Champion Thread Company (CTC), a producer of industrial sewing threads, engineered yarns, narrow fabrics, product packaging and identification solutions, will exhibit its new Champion SoftStitch ultra-soft thread at Texprocess. This specialty purpose thread is designed to meet the requirements of stretch garments that are worn close to the skin and require extreme seam elasticity. Read more here – CTC to introduce new products in Atlanta.

Groz-Beckert, a leading provider of industrial machine needles, precision parts and fine tools, will present its product ranges for sewing, felting and carding, including its latest innovation: dur. A patented manufacturing process in combination with a new base material are the foundation for an increase in service life of up to 30% and improved corrosion resistance, according to the company. Learn about more products on display here – Groz-Beckert latest solutions on show in Atlanta.

Gerber Technology, in collaboration with Kornit Digital and Henderson Sewing Machine, will highlight how digitalisation can make purchase-activated manufacturing and mass customisation a reality. Attendees will experience a full end-to-end, on-demand micro-factory exhibit that will include Gerber Technology's AccuMark and AccuMark 3D for product design. See more here – Gerber showcases on-demand workflow solution at Texprocess.

Environmental caution

A textiles conference at the University of Huddersfield this month assembled academics, entrepreneurs, designers and textiles manufacturers from around the world, who are pioneering the use of new materials and who are passionate about environmental sustainability. The two-day event included presentations from leading experts on subjects that included biomimicry, as well as digital design, artificial intelligence and the circular economy, urging the industry to look at how textiles manufacturing can have no damaging impact on the environment. Find out more here – Textiles conference urges environmental caution.

According to Bruce Atherley, Executive Director of Cotton Council International (CCI), the rising environmental consciousness is currently driving the US cotton industry, as consumers are becoming more aware of how everyday choices impact the world around them. “The US cotton industry is setting goals that are aimed at building on the strong environmental gains its producers already successfully achieved over the past 30 years. These goals are benchmarks set to continue that trend and to reinvigorate efforts through the setting of realistic targeted reductions,” he said. Read the full interview here – Environmental consciousness boosts US cotton industry.

A number of companies also recently announced new products aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the textiles manufacturing process. PrimaLoft, for example, is introducing it first high performing insulation made entirely from recycled PET bottles. See more here – PrimaLoft introduces new 100%-PCR insulation.

A start-up company Aizome Bedding is introducing organic bed linen to provide a unique and healthy sleep experience by bringing the benefits of traditional Japanese indigo-dyed fabrics into the modern age. According to the company, the new products are environmentally friendly and produced without employing toxic chemical dyes. Aizome Bedding uses the leaves of the Asian indigo naturalis plant that gives its bedding products a unique colour, as well as medicinal properties and low environmental impact. The company launched an Indiegogo campaign to support the cause and with 13 days to go has already raised 493% of US$ 10,000 fixed goal. Read more here – Bed linen made with traditional Japanese dyeing techniques.

Finally, the Lenzing Group is introducing the eco-responsible process for the production of Lenzing Ecovero branded viscose fibres, which were first launched by Lenzing in autumn 2017, at its Chinese location Lenzing Nanjing Fibres (LNF). “The environmental awareness of consumers has been growing steadily over the last decade, more recently in the fashion and textiles industry,” the company reports. “Textile consumption is expected to double by 2025, and the industry is anxiously looking for more sustainable solutions with low environmental impact.” Find out more here – Lenzing Ecovero production starts in China.

Major milestones

A number of companies celebrated different milestones this month, including Invista, which marked the 60th anniversary of its Lycra fibre with a donation to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr Joseph C. Shivers, a DuPont chemist, invented the world’s best-known branded fibre in 1958, changing clothes and the way we wear them. Read more here – Lycra celebrates 60 years of innovations.

Benninger, a developer and manufacturer of high-tech machines and systems for textile finishing and the production of tyre cord, has installed its 1,000th automation solution at Getzner Textil, an Austria based traditional textiles company. This milestone was taken by Beat Meienberger, CEO of Benninger AG, as an opportunity to thank Getzner for the long-standing, good business relationship and to hand over a voucher for spare parts worth EUR 10,000 to the management of Getzner Textil. Learn more here – Benninger’s 1,000th automation solution installed.

Trevira’s owner Indorama Ventures has approved large projects at the Guben site, Germany, which will be “of enormous importance” for the entire company, according to Trevira’s CEO Klaus Holz. A total sum of around EUR 7.5 million is scheduled to be invested. These investments will generate additional quantitative growth and optimise processes and procedures at Trevira’s site in Guben where flat and texturised filament yarns are produced for automotive interiors, technical textiles, apparel, and home textiles. See more here – Large investments approved for Trevira’s Guben site.

Thank you for reading Innovation in Textiles!

Jana Bukolovska

Staff Correspondent

Billy Hunter is away