When small businesses give of their time and resources to build better communities, everyone profits. By Jill Lafferty Gunther Williams’ family business, Idaho Sewing for Sports Inc. of Grangeville, Idaho, was hit hard by the recession. But laying off employees didn’t sit well with him. It seemed counterproductive to let skilled employees go in order [...]

Determining sustainability in fabrics requires a big picture analysis. By Shelby Gonzalez The issue of sustainability is one that the specialty fabrics industry takes seriously, and growth in more environmentally friendly materials and processes continues. But the question of what is and what is not a sustainable product is complex and is a challenging topic [...]

Wendy Tankard inspires and equips apprentices to enter the specialty fabrics industry. By Sigrid Tornquist “Without tradespeople on site we wouldn’t have the knowledge to make our products,” says Wendy Tankard, administration director of Baytex Mfg. Co., Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. “And if we don’t keep training apprentices we won’t have tradespeople on site. Apprentices [...]

The Netherlands-based DSM Dyneema has partnered with Proxy Biomedical Ltd., Galway, Ireland, to further develop a surgical mesh called ExtreMESH, made from DSM’s Dyneema Purity® high-performance polyethylene fiber and targeted for orthopedic applications. Proxy Biomedical believes the cooperative venture will allow the development of new biomedical meshes and scaffolds where the demand for high strength, [...]

A revolutionary new form of body armor nicknamed “bullet-proof custard” has been invented to help save British troops’ lives. It took a team of scientists with the global defense and security company BAE Systems in Bristol, U.K., to formulate the top-secret substance, which will absorb the force of a shot or shrapnel by thickening and [...]

Genesis Plastics Welding, Fortville, Ind., and PolyOne GLS Thermoplastic Elastomers, McHenry, Ill., have joined forces to address environmental and health concerns with traditional materials used in medical fluid delivery products. A new technology from Genesis enables non-halogenated and non-plasticized GLS Versaflex™ thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) to be RF-welded into any two-dimensional shape or configuration, including mandrels, [...]

Roland DGA Corp., Irvine, Calif., and FLEXcon, Spencer, Mass., have teamed up to bring users of Roland’s VersaUV LEC series of UV-LED wide-format inkjet printer/cutters a specialized pressure-sensitive polypropylene media for labeling applications. FLEXcon has tailored its FLEXmark® polypropylene label media for the VersaUV’s unique dimensions and contour-cutting capabilities. Roland inkjet printer/cutters print and contour [...]