[HTS Hocker] Kefenrod, Germany HTS Hocker was invited to design, manufacture and install a set of demountable structures located in the main pit lane area for the Super GP street racing event in Brisbane, Australia. The client requested a set of world-class and aesthetically pleasing temporary shade structures and garages. The design requirements included the [...]

[Röder Zelt-und Veranstaltungsservice GmbH] Buedingen, Germany For the UEFA Champions League Final 2010, Röder Zelt-und Veranstaltungsservice built hospitality space for thousands of guests gathered in Madrid, Spain, for the event. The client requested more than 10,000 square meters of space for sponsors and their guests, soccer fans, celebrities and officials. Four two-story tents were built, [...]

[Starr Tents] Mount Vernon, N.Y., U.S.A. There’s no place like New York City for the holidays, and each year Starr Tents adds to the festivities with custom, tented markets at Union Square and Columbus Circle, patterned after London’s famous Flower Market. With 179 customized units, the biggest challenge is the site itself–a major subway stop [...]

The next decade is likely to be very good for the Indian textile industry, “and the industry will move to a different league in terms of size and scale,” said Sunil O. Khandelwal, chief financial officer of Alok Industries Ltd., Mumbai, India. Technopak, a textile consulting and research firm with offices in India, agrees, reporting [...]

Wearable textiles with electronic functionality may be closer to commercial production, according to Kunigunde Cherenack, a researcher at ETH Zürich, a Swiss university specializing in technology and natural sciences. Fabric becomes electronic fabric in two ways—e-fiber components are stuck on or woven in—and neither method stands up to the friction, bending, stretching and washing of [...]

In September 2010, scientists in San Antonio, Texas, for the 30th International Symposium on Halogenated Persistent Organic Pollutants, developed a fiery statement on a major class of flame-retardant chemicals used in consumer products. Almost 150 scientists from 22 countries raised concerns about the toxicity and effectiveness of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (BFRs and CFRs), [...]

The 2012 Ford Focus will feature a new suite of airbags that adapts to occupant size for driver-side, front passenger and side crashes. Among the changes in design are a reconfigured curve-shaped tether system that creates a pocket to lessen airbag impact on the driver’s chest and ribs; shoulder vents that open to reduce pressure [...]

A new federal rule requires airbags on some commercial flights, depending upon how seats are configured. The idea is catching on with general aviation aircraft—an estimated 50,000 are already in use—but most commercial airline airbag orders coming to AmSafe, Elkhart, Ind., are from Europe, Asia and Australia, not the U.S. “There’s a sort of gentleman’s [...]

The city of Elgin, Ill., struggles with 10.6 percent unemployment, and is determined to create incentives for employers who hire local talent. Fabric Images Inc., based in Elgin, a manufacturer of lightweight digitally printed fabrics for retail, museums and trade shows, will expand into a 155,000-square-foot facility, and received a grant of up to $87,000 [...]

The push for sustainability drives innovation in advanced textiles. By Dr. Richard Chapas Part V of a series by speakers at the Advanced Textiles Conference 2010. Part I covers developments in advanced textiles, Part II addresses developments in auxetic materials, and Part III discusses electrical conductive nanocoatings. Part IV covers the potential of nanomaterials in [...]