Designed specifically for demanding textiles and nonwovens, including both machinery and tooling, Schober USA’s rotary cutting systems can be used to produce cotton pads, baby care products, masks, covers, band aids, compresses, test strips and other difficult projects. Dies are available in solid, sleeved or segmented designs, yielding 20-30 times more cuts before re-sharpening is [...]

Three key textile trade associations unite for a stronger voice in Washington. The boards of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), the National Textile Association (NTA) and the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) have announced that their respective organizations will formally merge into one broad-based industry trade association, to be headquartered in Washington, [...]

As sales of RVs trend upward year after year, so do the opportunities for fabricators in custom shops. By Carla Waldemar The news for custom shops that tap into the RV market just seems to get better. Shops that connect with this group of ardent road enthusiasts could enjoy a comfortable niche—and a boost in [...]

Enterprise mobility software is next generation, real-time supply chain integration. By John A Blasman Jr. The ongoing innovation and technology advancements of smartphones and tablets have given software solutions providers a natural opportunity to develop a new generation of Web-based enterprise mobility applications. “Enterprise mobility” software can be categorized as offering solutions that provide the [...]

Agricultural operations are reaping the benefits of innovative structural solutions for crops, grain and livestock. By Janice Kleinschmidt Twenty years ago, the Calhoun family started another business on their beef farm: selling tarps for hay storage. Somewhere around 1996 or ’97, president Jeremy Calhoun recalls, the aging farmers who were their customers said, “I can’t [...]

Building energy research in Germany finds inspiration from polar bears. By Mark Zeh Fabric materials offer quite a few advantages in the construction of roofs, such as efficiency of material use, ease of transport and good light transmissivity, but a big disadvantage is their poor thermal insulation performance. Over the last several years, many advances [...]

New digitally-driven technology explores what it means to build buildings. The strikingly beautiful pavilion at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, gets most of its attention on closer examination. Its digitally woven skin is the product of ongoing research collaboration among architects, biologists and students at the Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of [...]

Upselling works with marine fabrication skills that transfer to other applications. By Barb Ernster Terri Madden moved to Puerto Rico 18 years ago and established a marine fabrication business servicing the marina located near her shop, Sand Sea and Air Interiors Inc. in San Juan. In the entrepreneurial spirit, she was determined to grow her [...]

Dan Nolan III expands services to bring clients what they need and want. By Sigrid Tornquist “We don’t want to plan your event; we want to support your event,” says Dan Nolan III, managing partner of Tents Unlimited Inc., Marietta, Ga., and chairman of ATA’s Tent Rental Division. “We offer turnkey services so clients don’t [...]

Clear vinyl pyramids are proving to be a valuable tool for checking reef health. By Lynn Keillor It may seem that Dr. Nichole Price has a job in paradise: cruising between remote tropical, often deserted, islands in the South Pacific, doing a bit of diving and pitching tents. As a postdoctoral researcher at the Scripps [...]