New smart textile products will need to collect and quantify information for the user—and offer comfort and durability at a competitive price. What are the most exciting or intriguing developments in the industry in advanced textiles? Although advanced textiles are expanding in many directions, there’s a common thread among recent developments: giving sensory capabilities to [...]

Every cabinet becomes unique, based on what you put in it. Dutch designer Dewi van de Klomp has fashioned a collection of storage cabinets made exclusively from foam rubber. Narrow slits or larger openings cut into the foam create space for whatever the owner would like to store. As the cabinet fills up, it may [...]

Parties, gifts, happy workers and tax deductions. By Mark E. Battersby The season for gift-giving and holiday parties is fast approaching. And although many specialty fabrics products business owners and managers clearly know how to celebrate and show their appreciation to both customers and employees, few are aware that Uncle Sam, in the form of [...]

Moss Inc.’s new SimPullTab™ for fabric graphics provides the market’s most optimized and visually appealing design addressing graphic change-out access. Manufactured from durable, see-through plastic and smaller than current pull-out tabs available for removing fabric graphics from frames, its low profile replaces more noticeable tabs that can absorb visual attention. SimPullTab is a standard installation [...]

The newest addition to Top Value Fabrics’ line of polyester fabrics for industrial applications: 600 x 300 denier PVC-backed polyester, developed with a low lead formulation for manufacturers that want a lower-lead material without the requirement of using CPSIA-compliant goods. Durable, versatile material has a sturdy .55mm vinyl embossed backing; applications include a variety of [...]

The cumbersome size, shape and weight, as well as the delicate care required, of precision-tooled cylinders and sleeves for printing storage makes traditional storage inefficient and unproductive. Vidir Machine’s Hollow Core carousel is a highly effective solution for organizing, storing and accessing heavy printer cylinders and hollow printing sleeves—it allows printing operations to utilize untapped [...]

Available in three sizes, 10 x 10, 10 x 15 and 10 x 20, commercial-grade Advertising Tents are made for long-term use, with multiple options available for customization. Canopy uses a premium truss configuration to keep the canopy secure, and the telescopic legs use their hexagon shape to maintain stability. With six and a half [...]

Alexium Intl., working with Duro Textiles, is completing production trials on its Ascalon™ FR treatment for nylon and is nearing its commercial product launch. Alexium has refined the production process and chemistry enhancements in key FR criteria, and is working with independent laboratories to test performance on additional product lines. Duro Textiles is the company’s [...]

Darren Arthur runs his marine canvas shop with two employees—and he’s about to venture into automation. By Sigrid Tornquist “The decision to buy a plotter-cutter system for my marine canvas shop was initially an overwhelming idea,” says Darren Arthur, owner of Nautilux Custom Canvas LLC in Hazlet, N.J. “I had never seen that type of [...]

Interview by Sigrid Tornquist Damage done to the New Jersey shoreline and the boats harbored there by 2012’s Hurricane Sandy have resulted in increased demand for marine canvas work. How have you handled the spike in work load? I started doing a lot of quoting in the spring after the hurricane, and at the time [...]