From t-shirts to suits, antiballistic garments go high-fashion. By Janet Preus, senior editor When President Barack Obama strolled down the street following his inauguration in 2009, it was a bold move in the eyes of many. Although details of the President’s attire were not made available to the press, we do know that he was [...]

Recycling Rangers program a success; NCTO meets with EURATEX. The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) is well on its way to the goal of reaching more than one million students within the first three years of its elementary student educational project. For the second consecutive school year, SMART provided no-cost lesson plans to [...]

And keep workers’ compensation costs under control. By William J. Lynott If you’re a typical specialty fabrics business owner, workers’ compensation costs—or the threat of them—can quickly become a major expense burden. Almost every business in the United States that has employees must deal with the cost of workers’ compensation; it’s a perennial issue, but [...]

The "art" of having the right amount of hardware and supplies available–and organized. It’s an ebb and flow, like the change in the seasons. It’s the annual ritual of fabricators in seasonal markets preparing for the year ahead. Many will have let their inventory of hardware, tubing and finishing supplies shrink to practically nothing in [...]

The design of Bainbridge Sew-On Cover Hooks, made of UV-resistant injection-molded nylon, allows both hook and eyelet parts to be sewn on to fabric covers with a straight-stitch sewing machine. Used for edging and reinforcement, Polyester Sailcloth Tapes are made of extremely tough and durable sailcloth construction and are available in widths from 1 to [...]

Edward Segal Inc. offers customers a range of sizes and capabilities, and in some instances, an option of new or rebuilt machines. Model 3P5 is a portable pneumatic press specifically designed for grommet applications. At only 22 pounds, 17 inches tall, 4 inches wide and 11 inches deep, the powerful compact press is capable of [...]

In the marine hardware industry, Coletech specializes in stainless steel rings, adjusters, webbing hardware and wire forming. Used in everything from sails to heavy lifting springs to life-saving equipment, Coletech’s hardware has been used in a variety of applications. The CamberSpar®, which was originally developed and patented by Bierig Sailmakers in 1981, gives variable shape [...]

To keep retractable patio awnings secure when extended, a well-constructed and sturdy patio awning brace is used as a retractable awning support. While there are many awning accessory choices available, Awning Assist Brace provides a product that will not only be supportive, but also help reduce wear to the awning caused by wind. It also [...]

Rome Fastener provides a broad variety of fastener products to diverse industries, including snaps, rivets, rings, grommets, eyelets and buckles. The company’s products are used in everything from everyday items like jeans or baby clothes to more complex products such as automotive materials, medical ECG/EKG monitoring pads, NASA space suits and military applications. Based in [...]

Unique BoltHold™ Anchors are specifically designed for asphalt. The anchors are flush-mounted to the asphalt and specially designed to overcome the asphalt’s weakness in two ways—they are unusually long, and they bond with a hard grout that fills the crevices in the asphalt and the gravel below it, to distribute the forces over a large [...]