From the Sector

• Simple and cost-effective printing of stainless steel metal parts
• Reduces dramatically the potential hazard of handling fine metallic powders when compared to SLM or Binder Jetting
• Specially designed for open FFF 3D printers
• BASF begins the commercialization of Ultrafuse 316L with iGo3D, Ultimaker, and MatterHackers

With Ultrafuse 316L, BASF 3D Printing Solutions launches an innovative metal- polymer composite for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) into the market. It enables the safe, simple, and cost-efficient production of fully metal parts for prototypes, metal tooling, and functional metal parts in the simplest 3D printing process. After the subsequent industry-standard debinding and sintering, the final 3D printed part is 316L stainless steel.

JEC Asia is the major, most insightful composites event in Asia-Pacific for products, solutions, net-working, and advanced industry thinking - 3 full days of Business, Innovation & Knowledge

JEC ASIA KEY FIGURES

• 7,000+ professional visits
• 245+ exhibiting companies from 49 countries
• 3 conference sessions
• 40+ International speakers
• 450+ business meetings
• Startup Booster competition
• Innovation awards and planet
• In parallel to eMove360° Asia

Paris - For its 12th edition and third time in Seoul, JEC Asia 2019 will gather companies from the entire composites value chain in Asia Pacific to present their latest capabilities and innovations to the composites community and the strategic end-user’s market including: Mobility, Aeronautics, Building & Construction. This year more than 245 exhibiting companies are expected with thousands of professionals from 49
countries to network, exchange ideas, explore new opportunities and strengthen their business partnerships.

Addressing the impact of composites in Mobility 4.0

During the press conference held in Seoul on July 9th to introduce JEC Asia 2019 and eMove Asia 360° main features, a roundtable gathering speakers, experts and academics from prestigious Korean research centers specialized in carbon and composites — along with Hyundai Motor and KCTech composites experts, eMove360°’s CEO & Publisher and Korean Electric Vehicle Association representatives — exchanged their views on the impact of composites in today's and tomorrow's mobility in the world with a focus on the Korean market. Discussions centered around the challenges raised by Mobility 4.0 (electric connected and autonomous vehicles) and how composites can offer highly adapted solutions for the new challenges faced by this sector, particularly in the context of the rising electrification of vehicles.

Hence, the 2019 edition of JEC Asia will welcome for the first time the eMove360° ASIA exhibition and conferences focusing on Trends in electric & autonomous mobility, Battery & Powertrain and Charging & Energy.

Celebrating Innovation and Knowledge

JEC Asia 2019 will also host the 2nd leg of the JEC Startup Booster competition, the leading startup competition in the world of composites will enable companies to find and assess innovations with a potential impact on their respective industry. The 10 finalists selected in the region by a prestigious jury, will pitch their project to win a chance to showcase their work at JEC World 2020 in Paris. The JEC Innovation Awards is a long-established and worldwide program with 3 simple goals: identify, promote and reward the most innovative composite solutions in the world. Over the past 15 years, the JEC Innovation Program has involved 1,800 companies worldwide; 177 companies and 433 partners have been rewarded for the excellence of their composite innovations. The JEC Innovation Awards reward composites champions, based on criteria such as partner involvement in the value chain, technicality or commercial applications of innovations. The award ceremony will take place on the second day of JEC Asia, on November 14th, 2019.

JEC Asia 2019 will also feature a fulfilling conference program with experts from the industry giving their insights on the latest developments in high-performance composite technologies and applications.

JEC Asia 2019 conferences main themes will focus on:

• International Carbon Festival Conference organized with our partner, KCTech.
• Automotive composite golden triangle: low CAPEX, low cost but high volume
• Automotive hybrid solutions: take the best of each material
• Aeronautics: faster processes and new materials
• Business opportunities (Raw materials, Process, Application, Countries, Region)
Finally, JEC Asia offers the opportunity to visit Composites sites. This year professionals will live a full experience of South Korea composites Industry visiting: Hanyang University, Kookmin University with Hankuk Carbon, Win & Win Co or Korean Carbon with KCTech in Jeonju.

See you @JEC Asia 2019 and eMove360° Asia, November 13 to 15,  Seoul Coex Convention and Exhibition Center

• This new version of Modaris speeds up the time to market for collections

Paris – Lectra launches Modaris® V8R2, the latest version of its patternmaking, grading and prototyping 2D/3D solution. This new version of Modaris, the most widely used modeling solution by leading brands in fashion and apparel, offers greater speed, efficiency and precision in product development. With its powerful 3D simulation and collaboration tools, patternmakers are developing patterns faster and speeding up their decision-making procedures. By reducing or eliminating physical prototyping, product development is less expensive and the time to market is as close as possible to trend detection.

To preserve and strengthen its position as a market leader of product development software, Lectra, with this upgrade of Modaris, is giving particular focus to 3D virtual prototyping. Patternmakers can now share with their partners, 360-degree videos, accessible on any device. Designers in response are able to visualize, comment, and approve the style and fit using the new 3D Style module.

New advances have made it possible to reduce the number of physical prototypes by up to 50%. Modaris V8R2 improves the quality of the solution’s 3D simulations and expands its library with new assets (fabrics, 3D top-stitching effects, realistic scenes, lighting studios, Pantone® and Natural Color System®©,…). The solution is now compatible with Vizoo, a high-quality scanner that brings forth a heightened realism to the appearance of fabric swatches, and with other 3D solutions such as Maya, 3DS Max, Iray to make the digital renderings of the prototypes more true-to-life and accurate.

One of the innovative developments of Modaris V8R2 is a special dart feature to help patternmakers add dimension to their garments with ease. Thanks to this new feature, modifying a dart requires half the usual time, resulting in a 50-90% increase in overall patternmaking speed.

Another highlight of this solution, and important nod to the globalized workforce of the fashion industry, is its ability to manage different units of measurement. With Modaris V8R2, Lectra has made it possible for patternmakers and external suppliers the guarantee of size compliance, regardless of the measurement systems used in the countries where production occurs.

Modaris V8R2 is already gaining traction among its pilot customers. Italian womenswear company GGZ was the first to endorse Modaris V8R2. “GGZ is a fast-fashion company and time and quality are of the essence for us. Modaris’s new dart feature helps us save up to 50% of pattern modification time. Additionally, 3D prototyping helps us ensure that pattern volumes and proportions correspond to our designers’ expectations early on, dramatically reducing our lead times,” attests Majla Gottardo, Patternmaker, GGZ.

“We are entering the information age, and we are catering to patternmakers who are dealing with consumers with different tastes, of all body shapes and sizes. Our patternmakers have hundreds of collections to deliver and no time to spare for errors. What we are aiming to do is making their everyday work environment easier for them, by providing the tools to streamline the development process and reduce the number of reworks to achieve the right fit the first-time,” states Céline Choussy, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Lectra. “All this is possible with Modaris V8R2.”

C.L.A.S.S ‘takes action’ and shares the very smartest textile and material innovations available globally today as part of a carefully curated space to be unveiled at the 10th anniversary of the Copenhagen Fashion Summit. This two-day event will take place from the 15th - 16th May at The Copenhagen Concert Hall.

With education right at the heart of this unique presentation, C.L.A.S.S will share valuable insights and physical examples of some of the most sustainably responsible innovations available on the market today, empowering the next generation of designers as well as those from leading design houses, with the chance to experience first-hand how they might work towards a circular design economy.

Located within the Design Studio area, key members of the C.L.A.S.S ACTIVATE team will be on hand to share valuable insights gleaned from over 12 years of research and development within this area helping to provide visitors including new designers, start-up’s, and established designers with everything needed to make ‘smart’ choices that work vertically through the supply chain from merchandising right through to consumer facing communication campaigns. From trends, new R&D concepts, and the latest buzzwords, C.L.A.S.S has it covered.

At home, at work, on the street, in the sky, on the water, even in space, technical textiles and nonwovens are swinging towards ever higher performances in amazing applications. Versatile and light, but sometimes stronger than metal, these materials of the future gain their superpowers from the interaction of precisely coordinated textile systems. At Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main from May 14 to 17, 2019 in Hall 3, B06, Oerlikon will be showing chemical fiber applications made of polyester, polypropylene and Co. and what they can do in these fields. However, these exhibits are only a communicative means to an end, as Oerlikon is primarily interested in placing the associated machinery and plant solutions at the centre of discussions with trade fair visitors.

More than two thirds of all technical innovations are directly or indirectly based on new materials, says the German Research Ministry. One could add: The key to a more advanced world, for technological products with amazing functions, breathtaking performance and greater environmental benefits, is also to improve the properties and processing of materials. This applies first and foremost to textiles. Probably no other fabric is so strong as a "team player" who draws its strength from its cohesion. A single polyester thread, for example, looks inconspicuous. Processed into a thigh-thick special weave, however, high-strength High Modulus/High Tenacity fibers anchor floating oil platforms in the deepest waters. These kilometer-long "Mooring Ropes" withstand a breaking load of well over 1,000 tons and perform their task better than steel. For decades, Oerlikon Barmag has been offering special solutions for the production of so-called industrial yarns (IDY) that are tailored to customers worldwide. "We will once again be presenting numerous innovations at this trade fair to inspire our customers," explains Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Chem. Roy Dolmans, Technology Manager IDY and R&D Filament Processing.

FONG’S EUROPE, based in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its flagship THEN brand for advanced dyeing technology with a special reception for customers and agents at ITMA 2019 in Barcelona.

The company, which has been a member of the CHTC FONG’S group since 2004, has its origins in the German city of Chemnitz, where back in 1919 Rudolf Then founded a barrel-making business which soon branched out into piece dyeing machines.

The company’s reputation for innovation began early, with the introduction of ceramic linings for dye baths, which were then made of wood, in order to avoid staining and allow easy cleaning. At the end of the 1920s, Rudolf Then was also quick to recognise the acid-resistant advantages of stainless steel for dyeing vessels.

Relocating to West Germany after World War 2, Rudolf Then ran a number of businesses in Schwäbisch Hall, eventually founding THEN in 1955 with partner Karl Kurz, who later took over the business specialising in dye vats and other textile equipment.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the company continued to further improve its technologies, but it was the introduction of the first THEN AIRFLOW system at ITMA 1983 in Milan which significantly boosted the company’s fortunes, representing a milestone in the development of dyeing machines.

Prior to this, the dyeing of just one kilo of fabric required around 150 litres of water and THEN’s AIRFLOW system, invented by engineer Wilhelm Christ and colleagues, drastically reduced the requirement to between just 35-40 litres. Instead of the traditional dye liquor used for hydraulic fabric transport it efficiently distributed much smaller amounts of dye liquor via aerosol. This technology has subsequently been further developed in successive machine models and has made an enormous impact on sustainable dyeing operations.

Now, as FONG’S EUROPE, the company continues to innovate, and at ITMA 2019 is showcasing the THEN SMARTFLOW TSF hydraulic high temperature dyeing machine, designed to achieve the lowest possible energy and water consumption rates available on the market for jet dyeing.

The company has a number of patents pending on the innovative new features of this machine, including the SMARTFLOW’s fabric transport design. This is based on a smart, winchless fabric transport system which eliminates the need for a loading rope, and a circular plaiter with programmable rotation speeds which provides full filling of the drop zone.

Its newly-developed nozzles and reel-less transport, in combination with smart controlled circular plaiting and variable chamber adjustment, provide even fabric treatment without entanglements and the highest loading capacity with the lowest kier volume

“Further developments, including the new THEN AIRFLOW PLUS system with a round design are in the development pipeline and will once again result in further reductions in power consumption without sacrificing performance,” says FONG’s Europe Sales Director Richard Fander. “Similar innovations are being made to our hydraulic long shape machine, the THEN SUPRATEC LTM. The ability to transport fabrics with reduced tension and without the need for a transport winch which is being introduced on all of our recent machines will allow new fabrics to be created and further increase the efficiency of textile finishing.

Fong’s Europe will be at stand D101 in Hall 2 at ITMA 2019.

PERLON® - The Filament Company presenting will be showcasing PearlTech®, their latest product brand at Techtextil in Frankfurt from 14th – 17th May. PearlTech® is a monofilament which has special particles incorporated into it. The size and shape of the particles is irregular and the material is unrelated to the base polymer.

PearlTech® is currently available in a PET based variant as well as in PA. The particles are added into the polymer melt and evenly distributed over the whole cross-section. These newly acquired properties remain intact throughout the lifetime of the monofilament. The particles incorporated into the polymer matrix protrude slightly from the monofilament surface, giving PearlTech® an interesting optical appearance and a structured surface finish.

PearlTech® provides improved stability against wear, reduces machine power consumption whilst reducing the build-up of dirt on the end product. This is in comparison to standard polymers. The particles have no negative effect on hydrolysis resistance and furthermore offer the possibility to avoid the use of fluoropolymers.

• Latex-free: UltraBond allows 100% recyclable thermal bonded nonwovens
• Sustainability & cost-efficiency: significant reductions in CO2 emissions and energy and water consumption for manufacturers of needlepunched exhibition & contract flooring
• UltraBond debuts at Domotex 2019 Stand B56 Hall 11

Beaulieu Fibres International (BFI) unveils a unique opportunity for carpet manufacturers to create fully recyclable needlepunch carpets, and benefit from production and resource savings, without influencing performance.

Launched at Domotex 2019, new UltraBond is a patented polyolefin bonding staple fibre that eliminates the need for latex or other chemical binders to bind nonwovens. It opens up a new path for creating 100% polypropylene (PP) needlepunch carpets which meet the same performance requirements as traditional latex-bonded carpets while reducing the end-of-life environmental impact. Functional properties such as pilling resistance, resistance to wear and abrasion, and also UV resistance are guaranteed.

Using UltraBond manufacturers finally gain the potential to cost-efficiently produce 100% recyclable carpets. In addition to the general benefits of making recycled PP available for the plastics production chain and reduced waste generation, environmental advantages and financial savings arise from a total lack of water and less energy use. As a 100% dry process, thermal bonding uses no water and results in a total absence of waste water. There is also a reduction in the VOC level of the carpet. This all leads to a significant reduction in a needlepunch carpet’s ecological footprint.

The sustainability benefits are quantified through lifecycle analysis (LCA) of an exhibition carpet application – among the primary applications for needlepunch carpets. Evaluations show that the absence of water consumption directly translates into a large energy saving of 93% when using UltraBond compared to a latex bonding solution, and also a potential annual water saving of over 20 million litres for 100 million m2 of exhibition applications in the EU. Without the addition of any other bonding agent, CO2 emissions are reduced by 35% over the full production process.

Karena Cancilleri, Vice President Beaulieu Engineered Products, Beaulieu International Group, commented, “Recyclability and achieving a greener, more cost-effective production process without compromising on current performance levels are significant unsolved topics within today’s carpet industry. By eliminating the need for latex and chemical binders through UltraBond, we offer needlepunch manufacturers a breakthrough they have been looking for that boosts environmental and economic sustainability. We see textile flooring as just the beginning. Together with our customers, we look forward to exploring the potential of this unique thermal bonding fibre in other applications such as laminated nonwovens or as an alternative to dry powders.”

Discover more about UltraBond from the Beaulieu Fibres International team at Stand B56 Hall 11, Domotex 2019 in Hannover, Germany from January 11-14, 2019.

• Three companies with complementary strengths team up
• BASF leads a Series A investment round with Materialise as one of the co-investors

BASF Venture Capital is leading the Series A investment round in Essentium, Inc., an innovative developer of disruptive, industrial additive manufacturing solutions headquartered in College Station, Texas. Materialise is one of the co-investors in the Series A investment round in Essentium, Inc. BASF and Essentium have been working together on advanced fused filament fabrication (FFF) solutions using Essentium’s proprietary FlashFuseTM technology for high mechanical strength in the build direction for extrusion printed parts. The two companies are now extending their strategic partnership to establish a consistent global materials supply chain supportive of Essentium’s new High Speed Extrusion (HSE) additive manufacturing platform. Essentium and BASF welcome Materialise to enter this strategic partnership to develop 3D printing software for the Essentium technology. This will allow users to take advantage of the speed of the HSE technology while having immediate access to the full Materialise software capabilities for professional 3D printing. The three companies combine their complementary strengths to jointly advance 3D printing technology and customer value to enable industrial additive manufacturing.

BASF is contributing comprehensive material know-how, a broad product portfolio, and its global network to the partnership. Materialise adds nearly three decades of expertise in the development of innovative 3D printing software solutions. Essentium is addressing additive manufacturing at scale by developing an industrial additive platform truly built for the production floor, providing its FlashFuseTM electric welding technology, and engineering-grade, multi-layer filaments for demanding applications. Together, the three partners intend to innovate solutions with advanced combination of hardware, software and materials to unleash the potential of Essentium’s unique high-speed-printer technology, coordinating their strengths to the best advantage.

“Our joint investment strengthens our co-operations with both Essentium and Materialise and accelerates the innovation potential of this powerful team to the benefit of BASF’s customers,” said Markus Solibieda, Managing Director of BASF Venture Capital.

“With this strategic investment, Essentium and BASF are focusing on improved supply chain performance, material consistency and accessibility. Essentium is also delighted to begin a new partnership with Materialise as the three companies focus efforts toward a new era for smart solutions in the global additive extrusion space. Together, we believe manufacturers everywhere will be able to accelerate production due to increased access to our new solutions, bolstered by a holistic, customer-centric approach,” comments Dr. Blake Teipel, CEO of Essentium, Inc.

“Materialise, Essentium and BASF share a vision for growth in the 3D printing industry that builds on the creation of meaningful applications in an open and vibrant ecosystem”, said Bart Van der Schueren, CTO of Materialise. “This partnership helps to promote a more open market model, which will fuel the adoption of 3D printing in the industrial field by offering users more control, more choice in materials and ultimately lower cost and higher volumes.”

BASF and Materialise are joined by a syndicate of private venture investors. Moving forward, BASF, Materialise, and Essentium will jointly drive the transition from 3D printing to scalable additive manufacturing.

• HUB 1922, the fashion division of the RUDOLF GROUP, takes the stage at the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam and presents new technologies that make it possible to move away from environmentally questionable industrial practices.
• HUB 1922 also announces the opening of the new company building in an ancient textile factory near Milan.

Amsterdam/Geretsried/Milan. It was only six months ago that the RUDOLF GROUP, with its fashion Division named HUB 1922, began its journey through the fascinating world of garment finishing. Since then, the team has made significant progress and has moved from being a newcomer to the business to a solid and reliable reality. “HUB 1922 introduces the Rudolf Group to design thinking,” says Alberto De Conti, Head of Fashion Division at Rudolf Group. “And when you break perceived restrictions and paradigms within a strongly science-driven organization, only sky is the limit.”

For an entire semester, the organisation remained focused on one, single goal without getting distracted from it: to become the partner of choice for environmentally conscious advancements in garment processing that are rooted in real experience and science.

Emphasis was put on listening attentively to the market and on engineering solutions proactively, without being prompted.
When it comes to Denim, two separate yet correlated calls for action were heard:
1. the need for a serious departure from established industrial practices that are environmentally questionable
2. the opportunity to change the current rules and stir toward enhanced product quality.

Departure from the environmentally questionable

• HypNO: The next generation of bleach

Many attempts to technical alternatives to local and total denim bleaching have been launched in the market, over the past five years, by a number of competing players. Originality and innovation are at the base of HypNO technical uniqueness that can be injected into traditional denim processing, but that can also be used to create whole new processes and aesthetics.
Birth child of relentless dedication to science, HypNO is the latest alternative to the traditional denim bleaching agents currently under the spotlight because of their alleged safety issues. HypNO is the next generation of bleach.

- HypNO is based on the application of a whole new family of RUCORIT compounds, which are halogene-free and heavy metal-free
- HypNO can replace both potassium permanganate and sodium hypochlorite with one more eco-friendly solution
- HypNO is free from unpleasant smells; it is production friendly and suitable for both spray and bath applications
- HypNO does not require neutralisation with agents such as sodium metabisulphite or peroxides, hence reducing the need for chemicals significantly
- HypNO is GOTS approved. Bluesign and ZDHC Chemical Gateway certifications are intended
- HypNO further helps in the elimination of pumice stones
- HypNO is highly efficient and has been engineered to be cost competitive compared to other existing bleaching solutions

Toward enhanced product quality

• SoSoft, RawLong, DuraBlue

Durability over time still builds a brands’ reputation for quality. The notion of “durability” has changed over the years and has moved from sturdy workwear to the product's ability to retain its characteristics and structural properties.

“It goes against the whole denim philosophy, but, jeans are increasingly bought for what they look like at the time of purchase and are expected to evolve as little as possible. It is what it is; you can’t argue with consumers” says De Conti.

SoSoft, RawLong, DuraBlue, the three new technical concepts launched at Kingpins Amsterdam by the RUDOLF GROUP all sit under the umbrella wings of enhanced quality and specifically address long-lasting softness, preservation of original look and depth of blue.

• SoSoft

All appreciate the softness and suppleness of used/worn denim and the comfort benefit it delivers. It is a generic denim truth, and it is even stronger when it can extend over time. SoSsoft is about softeners carefully engineered for an enduring emotion, one that lives along favourite clothes.

Tried and tested to over 15 home washes, these marvels of chemical engineering allow consumers to toss domestic fabric softeners to the benefit of environmental sustainability.

• RawLong

Denim lovers want raw jeans to fade with time, soften and transform into what feels like an extension of their body. More often, people just want to prolong the look they chose. In both cases, home washing is a headache.

Years of testing have identified RawLong innovative, highly durable and natural solution that keep wearers fresh and at ease in their jeans allowing for long-wearing without washing. Moreover, less home washing means much less impact on the environment.

• DuraBlue

The role of designers is to come up with the bluest of blue jeans in a spectrum of fantastic new blue finishes and supporting textures. The role of DuraBlue is to ensure a continuously updated collection of technical solutions that keep that rich, deep, dark blueness of jeans for much longer while limiting the quality issues that come with denim rubbing. In other words, light underwear, snowy shoes, and white sofas no longer live in fear.

The launch of HUB 1922

• Busto Arsizio, Italy.

On a discreet street of Busto Arsizio, a village at the North of Milan is a red-brick building which in the 1800’s was the house of a textile mill. This 150-year-old structure is where the RUDOLF GROUP, the 100-year-old leader of textile, functional, responsible chemistry, is about to open its Fashion Division. Or, better, it’s HUB 1922.

HUB 1922 is committed to research and develop innovation within garment processing for the privately held mother company. HUB 1922, whose doors are expected to open during fourth quarter of 2018, will foster collaborative efforts with international fashion brands and retailers, will provide product innovation ideas at the crossroad of fashion and utilitarian functionality and will introduce elements of unorthodox diversity rooted in deep scientific knowledge, true environmental responsibility, technical innovation and creativity. “At a time when science plays such a powerful role in the life of society, it is incumbent on fashion to be dealing with scientific research. HUB 1922 facilitates that reunion” concludes De Conti.