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Fibres, filaments and yarns

A braided yarn made from expanded graphite that is designed for the gland packing used in the shaft seal of a fluid apparatus is the subject of US Patent 6 644 007.
A simple process for forming carbon fibres from fibrils and nanotube particles is the subject of European Patent EP 1 577 427.
A continuous method for making composite elastic yarns at speeds of up to 700 m.min-1 is disclosed in International Patent WO 2004/088014.
US Patent 6 780 226 describes an electret filter treated with additives that it is claimed enhance the charge stability of the media.
An antimicrobial yarn containing nano-silver particles is disclosed in US Patent 6 979 491 by CC Technology Investment of Hong Kong.
European Patent EP 1 607 518 describes a polymer fibre that can be electrically charged.
Diolen Industrial Fibers tells Editor Nick Butler that reorganizing its research and development to be more closely aligned with its production facilities,where it has many years of experience in melt
Milliken Co has patented a type of electrically conductive yarn that consists of a core, a sheath and an insulator.
A process that is based on spinning a polymer dope and is capable of making continuous filament nanofibres is the subject of International Patent WO 2004/074559.
Researchers at the Politechnika Lodzka in Lodz, Poland, have patented a method for producing nanofibres.
A refinement to the fibres used for carpet pile, one that has potential in other furnishing applications, is the subject of US Patent 6 673 450.
US manufacturer of knitted orthotic and prosthetic items Comfort Products is using Honeywell's high-performance Spectra fibre in its SpectraCarb, a Spectra/carbon composite, for orthotic and prostheti
Announced at the Techtextil Symposium North America,Dow Corning has developed a technology that offers garment makers the opportunity to include impact resistance that is comfortable to wear and easy
Diolen Industrial Fibers bv of Arnhem,The Netherlands says it is now making sample quantities of a multifilament yarns based on polyphenylene sulphide (PPS).
A biodegradable hydrophilic bicomponent binder fibre has been developed by Kimberly-Clark.
Finnish researchers have been investigating how to reduce the amount of energy needed in the production of fibres from wood chip.
An apparatus for producing a twisted yarn forms the subject of International Patent WO 2004/044290.
A fibre made from a soft magnetic alloy, a method of making the fibre and an article made from the fibres for recording information are the subjects of US Patent 6 869 700.
Small, closed cells introduced in polymers structures scatter light and result in an enhanced whitening effect and, to a degree, greater opacity, according to US Patent 6 846 562.
Based on a variation of bicomponent fibres, Teijin Monofilament Germany GmbH has developed a novel, electrically conductive monofilament.
Adding a powder of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to the fibre-forming substance helps to create solutionspun cellulosics with a number of desirable properties, according to a US company.
An Australian company claims to have found a way to exploit cellulosic fibres as reinforcements for cement.
In its continuing search for economical biodegradable fibres for use in disposable products such as napkins, Procter & Gamble Co has developed a finely attenuated melt-spun fibre comprising so-cal
Environmentally degradable, finely attenuated fibres are disclosed in US Patent 6 890 872 by Procter & Gamble.
Absorbent hygiene products rely on the high absorbency of cellulosic fibres.
A way of making high-tenacity polyethylene yarns has been revealed by the Korean company Hyosung Corp.
A dual capillary spinneret featuring different shapes induces differential fibre morphology to produce crimping in homofilaments, according to its inventor, Kimberly-Clark Worldwide of Neenah,Wisconsi
In US Patent 6 841 242, Saint-Gobain Quartz SAS of Courbevoie, France, provides a recipe for a silica yarn with an improved resistance to high temperatures.
Mechanically divisible fibres having at least one component including poly(lactide acid) and at least a second of aromatic polyester are the subject of US Patent 6 780 357.
Following the introduction of hand towels and bathrobes in antimicrobial qualities using Trevira Bioactive polyester fibre, a leading terry towelling manufacturer is now supplying antimicrobial beddin
Japan's Toray Industries Inc claims it has developed a polylactic acid (PLA) fibre that is stronger than its rivals at high temperatures.
International Patent WO 03/052179 discloses a method of making low denier, highly extensible fibres, as well as soft, extensible nonwoven webs based on them.
A mechanical process for creating microfibres is the subject of International Patent WO 00/46435.
Kelheim Fibres introduced two new viscose fibres for nonwoven applications at the Index 05 exhibition held in April 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland.
A study by the UK's Nottingham Trent University has revealed that Amicor fibres could help fight the spread of the "superbug", methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is responsible
Polyester fibre specialist Trevira will feature new filament yarns for medical applications at this month's Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt am Main,Germany (7-9 June 2005).
Kelheim Fibres introduced two new viscose fibres for nonwoven applications at the Index 05 exhibition held in April 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland.
A US-based inventor claims a decorticated bast fibre, such as from flax, is particularly suitable as a reinforcement for a range of polymer-based composites and that he has found a way to overcome pre
Adding an amount of C8 to C12 fatty acid monoglyceride to polypropylene as a melt additive produces meltextruded fibres that are both hydrophilic and antimicrobial, according to 3M.
A US-based inventor has proposed a novel way of making chenille yarns.
France's Lainiere de Picardie BC has developed a yarn that is designed to reinforce fabrics or technical textiles that will be incorporated into another textile; for instance, one suggested use is in
A system for treating yarns that makes them less likely to unravel or shed lint is disclosed in US Patent 6 796 115.
Germany's W. Schlafhorst AG continues its research into vortex spinning and, in US Patent 6 792 744,now proposes a system for converting a drawn sliver into a yarn by means of airflow.
Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Kowloon claim to have found a way to spin open-end yarns without the inherent harshness that has characterized such textiles since the process was fi
Scientists at Australia's CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology (CTFT) working with the NanoTech Institute at the University of Texas, Dallas, USA, have adapted textile technologies used to spin wool and
An acrylic fibre with cotton-like properties is the subject of US Patent 6 740 722, assigned to Solutia Inc.
The French glass fibre maker Saint-Gobain has developed several reinforcement grades.
Acordis has developed two new acrylic-based fibres under its Amicor range, which includes the antifungal and antibacterial Amicor Pure for clothing and bedding and Amicor Plus for socks and footwear.
Foss Manufacturing Co Inc has patented a process for making an antimicrobial/antifungal multicomponent fibre and claims that repeated washing in boiling water or dry cleaning does not diminish the ite
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