Today’s Computer Aided Design (CAD) software is easier to learn and more affordable than ever. Small and large businesses alike are now able to take advantage of CAD to increase productivity and profit. As workforce skills change and the demand for flexibility in the workplace increases, moving from the manual to the digital world is more desirable than ever.

This webinar will present an overview of Rhino3D, a widely used CAD software among textile designers and fabricators.  Adopting a digital approach to manufacturing techniques does not mean starting from scratch.  Learn how Rhino3D can be used to replicate traditional processes while reducing errors and increasing accuracy and speed. Participants will also see how custom programs can create virtual ‘jigs’ for repetitive tasks and common workflows.

Speaker: Adam Penner

AP Consulting and Technical Services

Business can grow in size, or stature. Either way, setting yourself with a modern web design and tools to streamline incoming projects, will give a sense of professionalism and respect to both the fabricator and the client, no matter the size of the current business, or your production capabilities. Learn from my experience as a operator of a small shop. I’ll take you through go-to phrases, how to handle clients requests with kindness and certainty and how to respectfully decline a project and still have the rejected client send you referrals.

Learning objectives
• Easy web design for managing jobs
• Making the most of an at home shop
• Keeping the best jobs

Speaker: Whitney Carman, Owner of Even Keel Canvas, LLC

Product piracy has long been a staggering problem for the textile industry. DITF & IPA have developed an elegant solution: a fully transparent ink which is invisible to the human eye. The security ink, called Transparency™, is based on IR-active particles which are fixed on the substrate by textile binders. The patented high-tech Transparency security ink can be applied to textile – without altering its look or feel – to ensure authenticity.

Speaker: Dr. Reinhold Schneider, Teamleader Color and Functional Printing, DITF (Germany)

Why would cleaning awnings be something positive to add to our service offerings? What do we need to know before getting involved? Will this give us an edge on the competition? What costs are involved?

Scott will share why he believes that cleaning awnings can be like having a crystal ball! People are attracted to and want clean and beautiful awnings. When awning cleaning is switched to awning maintenance the work becomes easier, more profitable, and the fabric looks good all the time.

Speaker: Scott Massey

President, Awning Cleaning Industries and APCO Products

Becoming effective on June 25, 2021, the new federal flammability requirement for upholstered furniture flammability is over 40 years in the making, with the federal government first beginning work on this project in 1968 (!). Finally signed into law in December 2020, this law, sometimes known as the Safer Occupancy Furniture Flammability Act (SOFFA), nationalizes the 2013 version of California’s Technical Bulletin 117. Join ATA and product safety attorney and former CPSC official Neal Cohen who will explain the federal requirements of the new law, its origins, and – importantly – best practices and what to expect from CPSC and in the marketplace.

Speaker: Neal Cohen, Product Safety Attorney and Consultant