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  1. Issues
  2. September 2012

September 2012

Advanced wound care products "not reaching their potential value"

1 September 2012
At a time when hard-to-treat chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, are increasing, the use of advanced wound care products is being constrained by tightened health spending and slow levels of
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Challenges remain for SGL's carbon fibres and composites business

1 September 2012
Delays in projects for the military and civil aviation markets, the shutting down of a customer's major facility for making wind turbines, and overall weak demand for carbon fibres for the industrial
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Cytec aims to develop carbon fibre composites for luxury automobiles

1 September 2012
Cytec Industries of Woodland Park, New Jersey, USA, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover, a UK-based manufacturer of luxury automobiles.
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AGY puts continuous filament mat business up for sale

1 September 2012
A manufacturer of glass-fibre yarns and reinforcements for composites, AGY of Aiken, South Carolina, USA, has decided to quit making and selling continuous filament mats (CFM).
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Ahlstrom starts up filter line

1 September 2012
Commercial production of filter materials will begin in the third quarter of 2012 on a new line Ahlstrom has installed at its plant in Turin, Italy.
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Aramid fibres help deliver robotic explorer to Mars

1 September 2012
A parachute with a diameter of 15 m, itself weighing 60 kg and as tall as a 16-storey building was needed to slow the descent of a robot spacecraft sent to Mars on a scientific expedition.
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Compression socks shorten recovery times for athletes' muscles

1 September 2012
Wearing compression socks does not significantly improve the performance of athletes, but can reduce the recovery times for their muscles, a pilot study has concluded.
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Duro Textiles and Alexium sign deal for flame-retardant polyamide

1 September 2012
A licence agreement for a novel halogen-free flameretardant (FR) treatment for polyamide (PA) textiles has been concluded between the company holding the rights to the technology and one of the larges
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Precot Meridian to make hydroentangled nonwovens for medical market

1 September 2012
A leading manufacturer of yarns and fabrics in India has opted to invest in nonwovens technology.
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SouthWest NanoTechnologies seeks Asian markets for carbon nanotubes

1 September 2012
Multi- and single-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs), as well as inks, pastes and dispersions based on these materials, are now available in Asia via Itochu Plastics Inc of Tokyo, Japan.
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Slow recovery for imports of bulk containers into Europe

1 September 2012
European imports of flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs) continue to recover following a deep slump in 2009, according to the European Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container Association (EFIBCA
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Assessing the comfort of bed casings

1 September 2012
A German institute has introduced a quality label to indicate the comfort of the casings used to form barriers between bedding and the small particles of faeces and allergens associated with mites.
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Teijin to recycle polyester in China

1 September 2012
Teijin of Tokyo, Japan, is to invest in a facility to make recycled polyester (PES) fibres in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, its first such operation outside of its native country.
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Gradient compression article knitted using core-spun yarns

1 September 2012
A knitted gradient compression hosiery article with therapeutic and aesthetic properties is disclosed in US Patent 8 234 885 by Knit-Rite.
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Outlook 2012 programme finalized

1 September 2012
EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has announced the full programme for the Outlook 2012 nonwovens and personal care products conference in Barcelona, S
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Dressing includes a moisture retaining portion to enhance healing

1 September 2012
A multi-layered wound dressing that includes a moisture-retaining portion for enhancing the healing of a wound has been developed by PolyRemedy.
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Absorbent core feature regions of lower density for improved fit

1 September 2012
An absorbent article that combines softness and comfort with good fit and correct, secure placement of the article on the wearer has been developed by SCA Hygiene Products.
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Eliminating the spread of pathogens on hospital privacy curtains

1 September 2012
In a new study, Shield fabrics are claimed to reduce 99.9% of bacteria within one hour, eliminating almost all the microorganisms that contaminate hospital privacy curtains.
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Trans-vaginal mesh verdict could mean financial penalties for makers

1 September 2012
Legal-Bay reports that the first test "bellwether" trial was a "huge win" for a trans-vaginal mesh victim and her husband.
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Companhia Providencia opens a new nonwovens plant in Brazil

1 September 2012
Companhia Providencia of Parana, Brazil, is increasing its nonwovens capacity in Brazil with the addition of a second plant in Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais.
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TAL targets Chinese market for advanced wound care products

1 September 2012
The domestic Chinese market for advanced wound care products is said to be in the relatively early stages of development.
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Composite nanofibres developed for biomaterial scaffolds

1 September 2012
Researchers at the USA's University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia have developed a new technology in which composite nanofibrous scaffolds provide a loose structure for cells to colonize without imp
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Combination bandage and wound treatment system

1 September 2012
A combination wound treatment system is disclosed in US Patent 8 240 472 by Sitara Khan of Old Westbury, New York, USA.
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Freudenberg Nonwovens invests in UK facility

1 September 2012
Freudenberg Nonwovens of Littleborough, UK, is investing in a new lamination unit for its adsorptives facility in Littleborough, UK, four years after opening the plant.
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Medihoney HCS receives CE Mark

1 September 2012
Derma Sciences has announced receipt of the CE Mark for the company's patented Medihoney HCS (hydrogel colloidal sheet) dressings.
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Gauze with haemostatic agent kaolin shown to stop severe bleeding

1 September 2012
A study has found the use of gauze that includes the haemostatic agent kaolin to be 100% effective in stopping traumatic bleeding by second application in a model of simulated haemorrhagic shock.
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Unicharm to build Indonesian plant for diapers and sanitary items

1 September 2012
Unicharm plans to construct a factory in Indonesia to make baby diapers and sanitary items during the current fiscal year (ending 31 March 2013).
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Dow Automotive focuses on carbon fibre composites in Europe and USA

1 September 2012
Two laboratories, one in Europe and the other in the USA, have been established to develop the use of composites in automobiles and commercial transportation.
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Good third quarter for Zoltek

1 September 2012
Zoltek, a manufacturer of carbon fibre based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, has reported strong financial results for its third quarter, which ended 30 June 2012.
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Geogrids strong enough for use in mineral mines

1 September 2012
Geogrids with load-bearing capacities higher than ever achieved before can be made on raschel warp-knitting machines supplied by Karl Mayer Malimo.
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20%+ growth for CNTs

1 September 2012
According to a new technical market research report, from BCC Research (www.bccresearch.com), global revenues from carbon nanotubes (CNT) totalled $192 million
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New composites by additive manufacturing

1 September 2012
As the price of the technology falls, additive manufacturing, or 3D printing - the process of building up objects in layers - is rapidly promising to move beyond being restricted to expensive prototyp
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100% antibacterial protection

1 September 2012
The nanocoating technology of US company XTI is believed to be the first in the world to achieve an antibacterial efficacy rate of 100%.
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Major progress for Alexium

1 September 2012
Alexium International has closed its commercial agreement with Duro Textiles which is making a substantial investment under an exclusive operating license agreement to apply its environmentally friend
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Perfect cold beer with PCMs

1 September 2012
PureTemp PCM technology, a 100% renewable-based phase change material which has been employed in applications as diverse as building insulation, HVAC filtration systems, sports apparel and alternative
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'Hot Pants' for Hoy, before gold medal number six

1 September 2012
The technology of wearable electronics developer Fibretronic is playing a key supporting role at the London 2012 Olympics.
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Adidas wiring up a football league

1 September 2012
In 2013, US Major League Soccer (MLS) plans to integrate Adidas micoach Elite technology league-wide, to become the world's first 'smart league.'
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3D printed exoskeleton lets little girl lift arms and play

1 September 2012

3D printing has helped four-year old Emma Lavelle overcome the limitations of a congenital disorder, allowing her to use her arms for the first time.

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Natural camouflage with artificial muscles

1 September 2012

Artificial muscles that can be transformed at the flick of a switch to mimic the camouflaging abilities of organisms such as squid and zebrafish have been developed by researchers at the University

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Semiconductors with fingertip precision

1 September 2012

The intricate properties of the fingertips have been mimicked and recreated using semiconductor devices in what researchers hope will lead to the development of advanced surgical gloves.

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Molecularly imprinted polymers detect explosives

1 September 2012
A simple and effective method of detecting the presence of explosives based on nano sensors, or molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), has been developed by Raptor Detection Technologies, based in Mar
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Wearable electronics for the battlefield

1 September 2012
MC10 has signed a contract with the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development & Engineering Center (NSRDEC) to develop solar cells that can be directly integrated into the fabric cover of comba
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Halloysite nanotubes patent

1 September 2012
NaturalNano, of Rochester, New York, USA, has secured a new US patent covering the use of its proprietary halloysite nanotubes (HNT) in polymeric composite materials, including Nano-particle Fillers a
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CNTs reinforce lightweight search vessel

1 September 2012
Zyvex Marine has launched the LRV-17, a long range vessel built from Arovex, a carbon fibre nano-composite system (carbon fibre reinforced plastic enhanced with carbon nanotubes.
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Spray adhesive for strong seams

1 September 2012
A cylinder spray adhesive for joining geotextiles is now available from 3M.
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Flax fibre closes in on commercialization

1 September 2012
A Canadian company has successfully completed its final pre-production trials for the commercial-scale manufacture of a flax fibre intended for industrial, medical, energy-related, composite and texti
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Deepwater mooring ropes

1 September 2012
A specialist in deepwater mooring ropes, the Offshore Division of Lankhorst Ropes of Sneek, The Netherlands, has introduced a product made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre
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Antimicrobial fabrics fail wash tests

1 September 2012
A Number of Fabrics bought from retail stores that claimed to have antibacterial properties through their use of silver have failed a standard wash test, according to Microban Europe of Cannock, UK.
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Bio-based matrix and reinforcement

1 September 2012
Composites with a high level of bio-based content, in both the matrix and the reinforcement fibres, are now available from Evonik Industries AG of Essen, Germany.
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Aramid fibre helps spacecraft to land safely on Mars

1 September 2012
A Parachute with a diameter of 15 m, itself weighing 60 kg and as tall as a 16-storey building was needed to slow the descent of a robot spacecraft sent to Mars on a scientific expedition.
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