A quick getaway on your boat or in a recreational vehicle (RV) can turn ugly when the batteries that power the pleasure go flat during storage. But if the sun shines on your boat or RV cover’s small, flexible solar panel during its dormant days, the battery will always be ready when you are. “Batteries [...]

The X-Gloo event tent, a product of Skywalk GmbH & Co. KG, Grassau, Germany, was designed for set-up requiring very little time and effort. The X-Gloo tent consists of an outer cover of tear-resistant ripstop nylon and replaceable inner air-inflatable tubes that provide stability in both indoor and outdoor environments. The water-repellent, UV-resistant and fire-retardant [...]

As manufacturers develop products made with renewable agricultural commodities or wastes, consumers have a difficult time comparing the “green” alternatives to products created using more oil, energy or raw materials. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plans to change that dynamic with the BioPreferred Certified Biobased Product labeling program to certify products made from renewable [...]

The U.S. Justice Department settled a case filed under the False Claims Act against Teijin Shoji Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, and an American subsidiary for $1.5 million, after discovering Teijin sold and imported Zylon® fiber for ballistic protective wear despite scientific evidence that it degraded over time. The chain of events began when Second Chance [...]

Despite some improvement in December 2010 sales, economic hard times swamped the boat industry for most of the year, according to the Info-Link Technologies Inc. Bellwether Report. In summer 2009, losses tracked by the report reached their worst point, with mixed or modest recovery since. Sales of powerboats 15 feet in length or above were [...]

The explosion of nanotechnology-based products and industries has raised increasing questions about the safety and environmental impact of nanoparticles, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has a published a new international standard to support inhalation toxicity testing of nanoparticles. Entitled “Nanotechnologies—characterization of nanoparticles in inhalation exposure chambers for inhalation toxicity testing,” ISO 10808:2010 establishes [...]

A South Carolina farmer approached the Santee Cooper electric utility with an idea for turning his hog farm into a green power source. Four years later, with help from Clemson University and Environmental Fabrics Inc. (EFI), a Gaston, S.C., manufacturer of geosynthetics, the Burrows Hall Farm’s anaerobic digester is ready to produce energy. An anaerobic [...]

Ametek Measurement and Calibration Technologies (M&CT), Berwyn, Pa., designs, manufactures and distributes material testing equipment for tension, force, hardness, temperature, pressure and other material properties. In November, Ametek added to its capacity by acquiring Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC, Chicago, Ill., provider of outdoor and laboratory material-testing facilities. Atlas facilities test for weather exposure, corrosion, [...]

Ascend Performance Materials LLC, a Houston, Texas, manufacturer of nylon and other manmade fibers for carpet, apparel, tires and agricultural products, will invest $3.25 million to expand its Greenwood, S.C., facility to add capacity and meet market demands. The Greenwood plant produces nylon fiber for airbags, tire cord and military products, and the expansion will [...]

Athletic wear giant Reebok International Ltd., Canton, Mass., announces a new research and development agreement with MC10 Inc., a Cambridge, Mass., company that makes “skin-like” flexible electronics, to develop apparel that monitors and improves sports performance. The intelligent sports apparel could help monitor cardiac status, respiration, sweat or temperature, giving athletes an edge while providing [...]