Features

An entirely new set of political priorities in the USA, and the effects they will have on current and future markets for nonwovens, are likely to generate lively discussions at INDA’s upcoming IDEA and FiltXPO exhibitions and conferences in Miami Beach, Florida, USA, on 29 April–1 May 2025. Here, Adrian Wilson looks at one promising future market for nonwovens, direct air-capture.

Shawmut Corp has been in continuous operation for more than one hundred years and is now the largest independent laminator of technical fabrics in the USA. John McCurry met with the company’s senior management to discuss the challenges and opportunities of supplying the automotive market, its approach to innovation and its plans for the future.

As a result of increasing concern over the environmental persistence and bioaccumulation of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the consequences of exposure to them, there has been a proliferation of both implemented and proposed regulations across the world. The variation from country to country in the scope of these regulations and their increasing stringency, however, has led to a complex situation in terms of compliance for the many industries that use PFAS, including textile finishing. Here, we present a concise overview of the current regulatory landscape.

Nonwovens are produced via two very different routes, depending on whether they are made from staple fibres or extruded polymer resins. The production route taken dictates the properties of the resulting fabrics and the applications for which they are suited, explains Adrian Wilson.

Aluula Composites, the Canadian developer of a co-polymer bonding process that enables it to fuse fabrics and films together to create laminates without using adhesives, was initially founded to manufacture strong, lightweight fabrics for the production of kites used in watersports. As John McCurry finds-out, however, the company is now finding a variety of new and interesting markets for its products.

Many machinery builders presented their most important developments at ITMA (which was held in Milan, Italy, on 8–14 June 2023), but Techtextil, and its sister show, Texprocess, still provide them with a vital opportunity to showcase their technologies to the technical-textiles market. Editor James Bakewell picks-out some highlights.

The development of high-performance fibres, yarns, filaments and threads continues to create numerous opportunities for manufacturers of technical textiles. James Bakewell uncovers some highlights to look-out for during Techtextil.

There will be myriad examples of innovation from manufacturers of knitted, woven and laminated fabrics at Techtextil. James Bakewell provides a guide to companies to look for on the show floor.

Techtextil offers nonwovens manufacturers the chance to show a range of technical applications for their products. James Bakewell picks his highlights.

Finishing, coating and laminating technologies are used to impart a wide range of functionalities to textiles.  Editor James Bakewell picks-out some of the highlights from the busy show floor at Techtextil.