Features

Adrian Wilson surveys the applications for nonwoven filter media in the manufacturing industries – including metal fabrication, energy generation and biopharmaceuticals – and concludes that the potential is vast.

Using the examples of three bridges – one each in Vietnam, Taiwan and the USA – Adrian Wilson illustrates the wide variety of applications that civil engineers are now discovering for technical textiles in construction projects.

In December 2015 Cytec opened an application centre to develop high-volume methods for the production of composite parts. Editor James Bakewell paid a visit. 

With more than 100 000 health apps, rapid growth in wearables and 70% of the UK population now owning a smartphone, digital technology looks set to revolutionize the future of health and social care, according to a recent report from Deloitte.

In 2015, the ITMA textile machinery show, which has been held every four years around European cities since 1951, went fully digital. In Milan on 12–18 November at ITMA 2015, complete automation of manufacturing lines based on the latest advanced drives was a given, with apps introduced by many companies for full control of manufacturing technologies at any time and from anywhere.

A barrier to the wider use of textile-reinforced polymer composites is the lack of an economic, high-volume manufacturing process for parts with complicated shapes. Hybrid yarns combined with advanced weaving could provide a solution, reports Amanda Jacob.

On a visit to Invista Textiles Ltd, Nick Butler learned about the technology and marketing strategy that lie behind the success of the Cordura brand, and how the company exploits its know-how to develop new products.

Editor Nick Butler selects his highlights among the exhibits that readers can find in Milan, Italy, during ITMA 2015 (12–19 November), continuing with a preview of the latest developments for all kinds of woven and knitted fabrics.

Editor Nick Butler selects his highlights among the exhibits that readers can find in Milan, Italy, during ITMA 2015 (12–19 November), continuing with a preview of the latest developments for all kinds of auxiliary equipment and machinery.

Editor Nick Butler selects his highlights among the exhibits that readers can find in Milan, Italy, during ITMA 2015 (12–19 November), continuing with a preview of the latest developments for fibre, filament and yarn processing equipment.