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August 2010

The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) claims it has found a way to protect organic fibres (such as carbon and aramids) from the catastrophic oxidation these textiles typically undergo at temperatures
Point Blank's latest ballistic vests for police officers in North America contain Outlast Technologies' thermoregulating Outlast Adaptive Comfort fabrics, under an exclusive agreement between the comp
ExxonMobil has been developing polyolefin blends for use in spunlaid (spunbonded) fibres and fabrics that are soft and elastic but maintain their integrity when stretched so as to be useful for such a
A wound dressing comprising a microbial-derived cellulose is disclosed in US Patent 7 709 021 by Lohmann & Rauscher.
Two German research institutes have collaborated to develop measuring techniques to analyse the effects of actively heating or ventilating a car seat on the physiology and level of comfort experienced
A formable fibre-reinforced composite material has been developed by Pentron Clinical Technologies for use as a dental material.
Trevira, a leading producer of high-quality branded polyester fibres and filament yarns, now holds a master licence to manufacture NatureWorks LLC's Ingeo fibres, which are made from raw materials der
Singapore-headquartered Novus Scientific has announced the US sales launch of TIGR Matrix Surgical Mesh.
3M Health Care has introduced the full range of its new Tegaderm High Performance Foam Adhesive Dressings.
Several Fire Departments in the USA are evaluating a protective fabric used by the US military for potential use in garments worn by their firefighters.
USA-based medical device and pharmaceutical company Derma Sciences has been awarded the Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System (HCPCS) code A6266 for its Bioguard conforming bandage.
Finland-based Ahlstrom, a manufacturer of highperformance nonwovens and speciality papers, has commenced production at a new facility in Mundra, Gujurat, India.
In 2009, production of nonwovens in Greater Europe (Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Commonwealth of Independent States) amounted to 1.6 million tonnes, a fall of 6.3% by weight com
A clinical trial conducted by the Department of Epidemiology and Infection Control at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) has shown that a nanotechnology from Vestagen Technical Textiles helps prev
Australia-based sustainable resins and finished products supplier Cardia Bioplastics is to supply Chinese manufacturer Ben's Land (Nanking) Baby Articles with a new compostable moisture barrier film f
A portable medical device in the form of an electronic bandage is disclosed in US Patent 7 687 678 by Cisco Technology.
Biomedical Structures (BMS) of Warwick, Rhode Island, USA, has announced that it is working with fibre manufacturer DSM Dyneema in processing its Dyneema Purity for various biomedical textile applicat
A special mineral matrix integrated into a fabric reflects far infra-red (FIR) radiation from the body back to the wearer resulting in a number of beneficial effects, such as more energy, increased pe
Absorbable radiation or radiochemically sterilized medical devices, whose breaking strength and absorption profile can be modulated by controlling the total dose received during sterilization, are dis
An increased awareness of hospital-acquired infections and the switch from reusable to disposable surgical products are some of the key factors driving the market for disposable surgical drapes, gowns
Kimberly-Clark has developed a child's toilet training article to alert the wearer that urination has occurred.
P2i, which specializes in plasma coating technology, has acquired all of the share capital of Surface Innovations Ltd, a company with a wide range of patents for functional nanocoatings.
The development of carbon fibre-reinforced resins that have thermal conductivities high enough to help keep electronic components cool is the goal of Japan's Teijin Ltd.
Nanofibres fused to microfibres are proposed as an improved reinforcement for composites in International Patent Publication WO 2009/018104.
A US company is developing the use of nanofibres that respond to external stimuli to modify the surfaces of a variety of substrates.
TenCate Defender M fabric which is used for combat uniforms of the United States military is now being evaluated for use in the garment of fire fighters.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the famous Glastonbury UK music festival, mobile phone company Orange commissioned trend forecaster The Future Laboratory to investigate what the future may h
Dyneema ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre is helping to ensure that a major construction project to bring clean energy to millions of people in the UK moves ahead as efficiently
Pall Corporation's new Ultipleat SP DR series filter cartridge features a next-generation, highly asymmetric membrane technology for semiconductor fabrication.
Nike and Polar Electro have introduced the Polar WearLink+ that works with the Nike+ SportBand and the Nike+ iPod Sport Kit, enabling users to run and train with heart rate monitoring.
Empa researchers have demonstrated how they can adjust process conditions to influence the properties of novel plasma polymer coatings containing silver nanoparticles, allowing tailor-made films to be
NEI Corporation has signed an agreement with Japanese chemicals and fibre manufacturer Chisso Corporation to develop a new class of self-healing coatings for flat panel displays and related markets.
Shrink Nanotechnologies entered into a technology integration and development agreement with Lydall.
A new type of blast-proof curtain that when stretched gets thicker, rather than thinner, is being developed to provide better protection from the effects of bomb explosions.
A new process developed by research scientists at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute will ensure that cracked crash helmets start to smell distinctively, as a result of odoriferous oils exuding from their
Helical carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are expected to play a pivotal role in the nanoscale engineering of high-performance materials due to their ability to switch between metal and semiconductor behaviour
HeiQ Materials AG, the TWE Group and Beyond Surface Technologies have created an oil-absorbing nonwoven which may be of use in clearing the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Teijin Aramid reports that it is now back to full production of aramid fibres at its plant in Emmen, the Netherlands.

The Digitex consortium, coordinated by TenCate, in collaboration with Italy's Confindustria Bergamo has announced that the final conference for the joint research project Digitex - Digital Programm

After a construction phase of little more than a year, the Evonik Fibres, a subsidiary of the German Evonik Industries Group, opened its new production facility in Schorfling, Austria, in June.
UK-headquartered Xennia Technology and Italy's Reggiani Macchine have completed a full scale demonstration model of their new diagonal multi pass digital inkjet textile printing system.
New soil-repellent textiles employing the 'lotus effect' have been developed in a German joint research project between the Hohenstein Institute in Boennigheim and ITCF Denkendorf.
Rodeo riders in the US are the latest adopters of Deflexion - the newly-branded protection technology from Dow Corning Corporation.
Honeywell reports success in converting alternative feedstocks into base materials for petrochemicals production.
Nano Adaptive Hybrid Fabric (NAHF-X) enables composites to be tailored for such properties as electrical and thermal conductivity, chemical and biological sensing, energy storage and conversion, therm
Although the oil sands deposits in Canada contain as much as 173 billion barrels of economically viable oil - topped only by Saudi Arabia's reserves - only about a million barrels are produced each da
Teijin Chemicals has begun manufacturing and selling transparent conductive films that are expected to be used in new versions of electronic paper lighter and thinner than conventional products on the
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