World cotton production expected to fall to 24.6 million tons, as consumption increases to 24.7 million tons. According to the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), world cotton production is forecast to fall 6 percent to 24.6 million tons, which is the lowest volume since 2009–10. At the same time, world cotton consumption is expected to [...]

Hohenstein Institute research explores how carbon may lead to next advance in personal protective equipment. The Hohenstein Institute is exploring how a single layer of carbon just one atom thick may lead to the next advance in personal protective equipment. Graphene, made of carbon linked in a hexagon honeycomb lattice, conducts heat and electricity and [...]

Layers of soft fabric create flexible 3D objects. Disney Research, a network of research labs that collaborate with academic institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University and Cornell University, has developed a new type of 3D printer that can form precise, yet soft and flexible 3D objects. Instead of hard plastic, a sheet of fabric forms [...]

As an ATA member-exclusive benefit, the Fabric Graphics Association (FGA) will host a webinar about flame retardancy (FR) standards on May 19 at 11 a.m. EST. It will focus on standards NFPA 701, ASTM E84 and CA Title 19, answering the following questions for each one: What is the code? How is the test done? [...]

Subscriptions, products can be managed directly online. The Colour Index, the definitive source for information about dye and pigment classification, is published by the Association of Textile, Apparel & Materials Professionals (AATCC) and the Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC), who jointly announced updates. Subscribing companies can create aliases, add and invite new users from [...]

Theodore “Ted” Wirtz, former president of the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), passed away March 29 at the age of 81. Wirtz headed INDA from 1996 until his retirement in 2004. Prior to INDA, he spent most of his professional career in sales, marketing, strategic planning and business development positions with Dexter Corp. [...]

Funding awarded from the U.K. to produce lighter vehicles English carbon-fiber manufacturer Sigmatex has been awarded funding from the U.K. through the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) for a project that aims to produce higher volumes of composites in the U.K. to accelerate the building of lighter vehicles. The Sigmatex Lightweighting Excellence Programme (LX) [...]

John Fuchs honored by ARA; Brad Gleason assumes role of COO at ETI; five outside sales representatives hired. John Fuchs, general manager of special events at Anchor Industries Inc. was awarded the 2014 Special Service Award by the American Rental Association (ARA), a trade group for suppliers of rental tents. Fuchs has served on ARA [...]

ATA's Tent Rental Division (TRD) is hosting an installation boot camp May 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Springfield Police and Fire Training Center in Springfield, Mo. The event will consist of a morning classroom session covering tent types and terminology, proper anchoring, staking and ballasting, field inspections and an International Fire [...]

Planned expansion includes new furnace to support next generation of reinforced thermoplastic composites. The increased growth in use of glass fibers in engineered thermoplastic composites convinced Colorado-based Johns-Manville to expand its glass fiber operations plant in Etowah, Tenn. The planned expansion includes a new furnace, due to start up in mid-2016, to support the next [...]