Airships, widely used before the 1940s for controlled motor-powered flight, gave way to fixed-wing aircraft early in the history of human flight. The early airships’ slow speed, large size and inability to maneuver made them cumbersome, and hydrogen gas made them highly flammable. Times change, however, and so did airships. Aeros, a Montebello, Calif., company [...]

New tech provides an added punch. By Joe Dysart New free tools from Google™, Bing™ and Twitter™ are making it virtually effortless for businesses to solicit a positive review from a satisfied customer—and then instantly redistribute that review to the customer’s online social circles. The technology, essentially a recommendation button that is clicked to indicate [...]

Compact-10 from Konecranes is designed to handle demanding material-handling needs, available as a top- or under-running, single girder crane with lifting capacities up to 10 tons. It lifts up to 9 meters and spans up to 18 meters. Unit comes equipped with an overload protection device, dual-speed hoisting and a geared upper and lower limit [...]

Introduced to the U.S. market in 2011, double coated keder is manufactured by wrapping a regular coated fabric around an extruded core and adding a layer of traditional keder fabric on top of it, but without covering the flag. This construction greatly increases the resistance of the keder against wear. The flag has a regular [...]

All-in-one bulk handling solution can lift and invert up to 180 degrees, dumping any shape or size of container desired, even a 55-gallon steel drum. Place any shape container in the specially designed hopper, and the mobile unit will transport, lift to desired height, and dump or invert the container: cardboard boxes, wooden crates, bulk [...]

Clear Grommets are recommended for digital printers and banner makers, since they disappear when the banner or graphic is hung, and don’t distract from the message itself. The grommets work with banners, fabrics, clothes, banner stands, corrugated plastics, foamboards and other materials. They’re available in clear, white and black, are completely recyclable, and include UV [...]

AccuMark® 8.5 is the latest version of Gerber Technology’s pattern design, grading and marker-making software, designed to improve productivity, simplify workflow and generate more accurate material costs. The latest release offers a fresh, new interface and simplifies many day-to-day tasks, including inputting customer orders and planning markers. It also offers improved integration with Gerber’s YuniquePLM™ [...]

DPF 4300 opaque matte white calendered film with removable adhesive is a multipurpose clean removable film for easy-on and easy-off application. New from Arlon Graphics, it offers flexibility and high opacity for covering previous graphics up to three layers. Offered in rolls 54 inches wide and 50 yards long, DPF 4300 also provides good resistance [...]

A two-and-a-half-year industry push in Washington D.C. ends in success for U.S. military tent suppliers. By Ruth Stephens and JoAnne Ferris At a time when President Obama and his administration are on a new mission to repatriate American manufacturing jobs, the U.S. Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI) recently scored a small victory for the textile industry [...]

City officials in Teichland, Germany, wanted an icon and landmark for a future recreation area. By Jan M. Brenny Build it and they will come. That’s the impetus behind the construction of an 18-story, fabric-enclosed observation tower near the village of Teichland, Germany, about 60 miles (100km) southeast of Berlin. The tower, completed in July, [...]