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April 2010

Owens Corning has revealed how to make a fibrous blanket for use as an economical acoustic insulation and how to adjust its composition to match the varied requirements of a number of different end

UK-based nonwovens producer Fiberweb is studying the feasibility of establishing a spunbond nonwovens joint venture (JV) company in China in partnership with Japan-based Chisso, a manufacturer of chem
An absorbent hygiene article described in US Patent 7 550 646 by Unicharm offers improved resiliency against lateral compression to prevent leakage of discharged fluid.
From April 2010, Kimberly-Clark will begin offering across North America its Depend Underwear for Men and Depend Underwear for Women products in new colours and prints.
Derma Sciences, a speciality medical device and pharmaceutical company focused on advanced wound care, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Medline Industries for sales of Bioguard Barr
Tredegar Film Products has commenced building a new manufacturing plant near Pune, India.
An antimicrobial and deodorant fibre is described in International Patent WO 2008/123631 by ES FiberVisions.
A clay-based haemostatic device for promoting the clotting of blood to control bleeding has been developed by Z-Medica. Disclosed in US Patent 7 604 819, the device (10) includes:
Bluestar Silicones is launching a new range of TCS 7560 and TCS 7561 Silbione products designed for elastic bands for lingerie and medical applications, such as support stockings, prostheses and other
A larger type bandage that will find particular application in hospital settings has been developed by Michael Masini of Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Toho Tenax Co Ltd of Tokyo, Japan, has begun selling a carbon fibre fabric (right), claiming it is less than half the weight of its conventional rivals.
Engineers at Oerlikon Textile have redesigned the horizontal drive and gear kinematics of a needling machine to make it more compact.
The Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA) of India has announced that its Geotech Laboratory has won accreditation from the Geosynthetics Institute (GSI) of Folsom, Pennsylvania, USA.
DuPont has proposed making flame-resistant spun staple yarns from blends of fibres made of diaminodiphenyl sulphone and polyoxadiazole.
A process for manufacturing nanofibres that is significantly cheaper and safer than existing methods has won recognition from the USA's Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Composites with soft fabric faces provide a strong, durable structure that is suitable for wall and floor coverings, according to their USA-based inventor.
A German supplier of papermaking plants and equipment has found a way to make high tenacity monofilaments of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) claiming them to be suitable for use in paper machine clot
Wrapping brittle core multifilamentary yarns in another material before coating them with an adhesive that remains tacky over time allows them to be spooled, stored indefinitely and then processed in
The world's largest manufacturer of fibre optic sensors for civil engineering applications and the world's leading supplier of geosynthetics are to collaborate in the development of a unique monitor f
Bayer MaterialScience LLC is pressing ahead with research and testing that could determine the viability of polyurethane composites reinforced with its carbon nanotubes (Baytubes) for use in wind turb

An improved version of a fire-retardant awning fabric is now available from Tri Vantage of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

A prosthetic fabric for use in repairing soft tissue and muscle wall defects, including hernia repair and chest wall defects, has been developed by C R Bard.
Medical articles (10) that include an absorbent layer (30), a backing layer (20) and an optional liquid permeable facing layer (50) are disclosed in US Patent 7 612 248 by 3M.
A US District Court jury has found that a negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) product marketed and sold by Smith & Nephew infringes two patents owned by Wake Forest University Health Sciences,
Engineers at the University of California Berkeley have created new energy-scavenging nanofibres that can convert energy from mechanical stresses and into electricity, and could one day be used to cre
Orlando, Florida-based Vestagen Technical Textiles is introducing a new class of nanotechnology-based healthcare textiles for use in environments where biological contamination of clothing can occur.
Batteries and simple capacitors have been produced from standard textiles dipped in nanoparticle-infused ink at Stanford University.
Medline Industries has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Florida company Quick-Med Technologies to market and sell Bioguard wound dressings with Nimbus antimicrobial technology.
At the recent Nanotech trade fair in Tokyo, Bayer MaterialScience showcased two conductive inks which have been developed primarily for use in the growing printed electronics market.
Technogel - the material manufactured by the Italian company of the same name - is being commercially launched as an excellent support for improving the quality of sleep.
Teijin company Toho Tenax will begin selling a carbon fibre fabric that is less than half the weight of conventional products in March.
Kuraray Living has created a new fabric heater by weaving CNTE - multifilament yarns coated with Bayer carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersions to make them conductive.
GEA Niro, a technology centre belonging to GEA Process Engineering, has developed a method of binding suspended nanoparticles in a granular form to minimise the risk of handling particles.
Concrete Cloth - the winner of the first MEDIUM Material of the Year award from Material ConneXion - is a patent-protected impregnated fabric developed by UK company Concrete Canvas
Aston Martin and Rolls Royce will address the challenges in the auto and aero industries for nano-enhanced materials at NanoKTN's HiPerNano 2010 conference which takes place on 28 April 2010 at Cranfi
The Personal Care division of Fibertex, the Aalborg, Denmark-based manufacturer of nonwovens, is expanding its capacity in Asia with a new production line at its plant in Malaysia.
A new unmanned surface vessel (USV) - which could prove particularly effective in the fight against modern piracy - it to be made solely from nanotube-reinforced carbon fibre.
Bayer MaterialScience has acquired Artificial Muscle, a pioneer and leader in the field of electroactive polymers for the consumer electronics industry, based in Sunnyvale, California.
A new rigid insulation material is being introduced by Second Nature UK, the manufacturer of Thermafleece wool products.
3M has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MTI PolyFab, a manufacturer of silicone-based thermal and acoustic insulation for the aerospace industry.
Corning Incorporated's Synthemax is a novel synthetic surface that supports the growth and differentiation of stem cells.
Nonwovens are poised to play an increasing role in military and homeland security activities with the introduction of a new force protection system.
The companies and institutes involved in the the EU project 3 Plast - for printable pyroelectrical and piezoelectrical large area sensor technology - have set themselves the goal of mass producing pre
Konica Minolta has invested $20 million in Konarka, the developer of Power Plastic.
A future car's bodywork could also double-up as its battery as a result of a new carbon composite material with nanotubes grown on its surface.
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