Features

Specialising in state-of-the-art knitted technical textiles currently offers incredible challenges as well as numerous opportunities. As competitors fail, for instance, manufacturers can acquire new capabilities and new customers. One such company, reports John McCurry, is Apex Mills, which made its first acquisition in 2019.

A growing appreciation by engineers of the benefits of using fibreglass in a range of industries (notably wind-energy generation, automotive and construction) is predicted to lead to a boom in sales for the material, reports Sarah Gibbons. At the same time, this demand is also stimulating a market for recycled and re-used fibreglass.

The global covid-19 pandemic has resulted in shortages of disposable face masks and triggered manufacturers to ramp-up their production urgently. In addition, the development of new products that could offer greater protection than existing ones – or be cheaper and faster to produce – continues at a rapid pace, reports Adrian Wilson.

The haptic Internet – which will allow the sense of touch to be transmitted over long distances, with or without visual feedback – is close to commercial reality and smart fabrics will have a significant role to play in its far-reaching impact, writes Adrian Wilson.​

A boom in civil engineering and building projects, rapid growth in the healthcare and automotive sectors, the expanding scope of agrotextiles, a growing interest in sustainable manufacturing and protection of the environment, and the present Government’s policies have given fresh hope to India’s technical textile industry, reports Samuel Joseph.

Greater use of high-performance man-made fibres in China depends on two critical factors: finding ways to make the fibres more cheaply at the same time as reducing the harmful impacts of their manufacture on the environment. Jason Chen reports from the 25^th China International Man-made Fibre Conference (CIMFC).

The fibre, nonwoven and technical textile industries continue to show their propensity for innovation, despite currently operating within a gloomy economic environment. Adrian Wilson reports on the latest developments from the annual Global Fiber Congress (GFC), held most recently on 11–13 September 2019 in Dornbirn, Austria.

The terms “Industry 4.0” and “digitisation” were heard routinely throughout the last staging of ITMA, but the terms can have different meanings for different developers, even among Germany’s machine builders, who arguably lead the drive to exploit such concepts to create the manufacturing plants of the future. Adrian Wilson takes a closer look.

There has been a flurry of activity in the past decade as carmakers and composites specialists have sought to develop technologies that would enable the widescale use of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics in the automotive industry. As Ford Motor Co has found in pioneering work, however, these lightweight materials might best be employed as part of a multimaterial approach to part production. Composites Editor James Bakewell takes-up the story.

During Index 20, a Swiss company will launch a calcium carbonate powder it has developed specifically as an additive for polypropylene (PP) formulations used to make spunmelt and drylaid nonwovens. Omya International AG of Oftringen will tell visitors that the inclusion of Omyafiber 800 will save manufacturers substantial sums of money and help them to produce high-quality fibres and fabrics. Martin Brunner, Technical Service Manager—Technical Polymer Applications, Christophe Roux, Head of Market Development and Innovation, and Michael Knerr, Head of Polyolefin Applications, provide visitors to the exhibition (to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 31 March–3 April) with a preview of what they can learn about the mineral modifier by visiting stand 4321.