By William C. Smith Advanced textiles can be defined by virtue of their highly specialized fibers or a unique technical application. There are a large number of specialty fibers available for advanced textiles, but most are limited in production and tend to be quite expensive. In considering their use, one must ask if you really [...]

By William C. Smith The fiber industry keeps changing, especially for the producers of the lower-volume specialty fibers. Others have received the rights to produce, and many are available from several companies under various names. These are the most common ones. For a more extensive list, visit Intexa. Fiber Product name Company Polyetheretherketone PEEK Performance [...]

By Janice Kleinschmidt Michael Richardson, Aurora Specialty Textiles Group You need a sewing machine for making a 1-inch hemmed, double-stitched border around the edge and the ability to insert grommets in the corners and possibly the top and bottom, depending on width. Elissa Decker, Moss Inc. Our fabrics are mainly finished with hot-knifed edging, webbing [...]

Fabric and coating technology has definitely increased outdoor durability—but it’s not durable indefinitely. By Janice Kleinschmidt “Outdoor durability and product lifespan can range drastically, depending on output, ink, fabric, application, finishing and the physical environment. “It’s very difficult to simply put optimum fabric and ink combinations together,” says Eric Tischer of Verseidag Seemee® US. “With [...]

Interview by Sigrid Tornquist What advice would you and Mark give to someone who is looking to purchase a small manufacturing business? We looked at hundreds of companies before buying this one, and identified two main things to look for in a business and two main things to have in place as you take over. [...]

By Sigrid Tornquist After an 11-year hiatus, the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum located on the Congress Street Bridge in Boston, Mass., opened in June 2013—with the help of the Dorchester Awning Co. The company manufactured and installed four 100-foot-long ramps that lead from the bridge to the floating museum, each one designed to [...]

>By Holly O’Dell The U.S. military and its research and manufacturing partners are exploring new capabilities in uniforms that once were reserved for science fiction. “With the proliferation of electronic devices, electronic textiles will play an ever-increasing role,” says Dr. Eugene Wilusz of the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center. “Items such [...]

By Sigrid Tornquist “I think that for textile finishes we will find that nanometer-thin coatings will become more relevant. They do not change the textile character (flexibility, haptics, etc.) and are very durable (e.g. wash-fastness). Such coatings can strongly adhere to literally any substrate material. These coatings will be produced on industrial scales as an [...]

Interview by Sigrid Tornquist Your Tidewater Sailcloth tents have been hugely successful. How have you marketed the product? We’ve gone about marketing the Tidewater Sailcloth tents in a couple of ways that seem to have been productive. One is by creating a website solely for users of that product. We did this as a marketing [...]

By Sigrid Tornquist Every year since 2004, Aztec Tents has provided custom tenting for HBO’s Primetime Emmy Awards after party. The event space is transformed into an elegant and intimate venue, under the creative design of Billy Butchkavitz. For the 2012 event, the centerpiece of the event was a massive 40-foot sculpture, inspired by South [...]