Hot Topics
With all-virtual conference program in 2020, RISE continues its quest for the leading edge in material science for engineered fabrics
INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, in cooperation with The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) and North Carolina State University will present the 10th annual Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics (RISE®) conference Sept. 29-30 in an all-virtual format. And while this year’s edition will not be in-person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, …
Student Spotlight: Reusable textiles for liquid and virus repellency
Anthony John Galante is pursuing a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is conducting research on microbe repellent surfaces at the Lab for Advanced Materials in Pittsburgh (LAMP). His research focuses on the application of surfaces with different functionalities such as self-cleaning, stain-resistance, bacteria-repellency and virus repellency. Galante’s interest in …
Mixed messages – the UK is at odds with the rest of Europe once again, this time over flushability
The further development of plastic-free and flushable products will be key themes at INDA’s World of Wipes (WOW) 2020, which will now be an all-virtual event Aug. 24-27. For my own presentation at the event, I provided the half-jokey title “London: Why do all the problems start in the pesky UK’s capital?” back in January. …
Rice and wood – building for the future on Japan’s natural resources and fiber legacy
Many of Japan’s major corporations began as fiber manufacturers, and their expansion has been decades long, typically involving diversification into other fields such as chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, real estate, etc. Asahi Kasei, Kuraray, Teijin, Toray Industries and Toyobo, for example, all emerged as manufacturers of viscose rayon in the 1920s and have remained …
The Fiber Year 2020 – Deceleration along the textile chain
The 20th anniversary issue of The Fiber Year shows deceleration along the textile chain from world supply to processing volumes and finally consumption at retail stage. The enhanced view illustrates different dynamics from global supply growing almost 3% to final end-use advancing 2%. Output of natural fibers fell 3%, while manmade cellulosic fibers continued to …