By Sigrid Tornquist Antimicrobial textile advances include reducing bacteria on the fabrics healthcare workers and patients come into contact with every day: hospital bedding and privacy curtains, and lab coats and scrubs. At the earliest stages, these advancements essentially involved two ways to achieve antimicrobial benefits—by coating fabrics topically or incorporating a coated fiber or [...]

By Sigrid Tornquist “Historically, there were no medical grade standards for fiber production in the textile industry,” says Brenda Gilchrist, vice president operations, RxFiber LLC. “We are in the process of pulling together the leading biomaterial experts to discuss what medical grade fiber is and to begin setting standards for the industry. What does medical [...]

“Test the fabric with an independent third party. This is especially relevant with cheaper fabrics. Often, overseas suppliers will call their fabrics potable when they are only food grade. This can cause significant issues once your products are rolled out. Also, every single item that will go into the product, such as fittings, hoses and [...]

Cantine Chez Ben, a legendary café in Granby, Quebec, Canada, has been satisfying Canadians’ love of poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese) for more than 60 years. With an eye on expanding business, its third generation owners decided to provide a cover for its outdoor terrace. But not just any canopy would do; it [...]

PROBLEM: When you’re tensioning a fabric structure, it’s difficult to pull the fabric close enough to the attachment point to connect the permanent hardware. SOLUTION: A compactly built rigging block can pull the fabric closer than a come-along. “Say you have a 50-foot-by-50-foot fabric structure with four points,” says Charles Duvall, principal at Duvall Design, [...]

Most fabricators have one or two suppliers for hardware and finishing supplies, depending on the industries they work in most often. But sometimes connectors, trims, ties and tubing can come from unexpected places. Awning makers may find that for an unusual job, marine hardware fits the bill. Fabricators who do a lot of prototyping may [...]

By Sigrid Tornquist In 2003 Pottery Barn Kids approached Susan Shields of Airtex Design Group to produce a unique signature children’s chair. The product became the Anywhere Chair, a timeless product, which became the signature of the Pottery Barn Kids brand. “We were able to design, source and sell this product at $99 (opening price [...]

Digital graphics can make a strong and original statement, adding a focal point to a room, says Patrick Walker, president of Cleveland, Ohio-based 4walls®. “We are a boutique product design firm with digital printing, all under one roof—a full-service shop in order to best satisfy customers. We learned to get it right, start to finish, [...]