From the Sector

• Growing geographic separation between cotton production and textile manufacturing since the 1990s

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a comprehensive study about Chinese cotton in August 2022. The authors, Fred Gale and Eric Davis, concentrate on textiles, imports and Xinjiang.

China is the world’s largest textile manufacturer and the largest cotton consumer, but changes in China’s economy are reshaping the geography of its cotton-textile sector. Nearly all of China’s cotton is produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), also known more simply as Xinjiang.

Their study reviewed the regional patterns of China’s cotton textile industry development and identified growing geographic separation between cotton production and textile manufacturing since the 1990s using data from Chinese sources. The study investigated spatial patterns of demand for imported cotton by analyzing lists of Chinese companies applying for a share of the import quota from 2016 to 2022. Multiple regression analysis was used to control for potentially confounding influences when investigating whether companies in coastal provinces were more likely to use imported cotton than similarly sized companies in other regions.

Textile manufacturers — the main consumers of cotton — are concentrated in coastal and central regions where the share of China’s cotton production fell from over 50 percent to 10 percent during 2011–21. These geographic changes are a factor influencing global trade in cotton and textiles. Additionally, the use of forced labor in Xinjiang attracted more attention to the industry, prompting the United States and other countries to ban products produced in the region.

This study reviews the economic, geographic, and policy factors reshaping the industry and influencing the global trade of cotton and textile products. The study also examines data on Chinese companies applying for a share of China’s cotton import quota to gain insight about the demand for imported cotton.

China became the world’s largest producer, consumer, and importer of cotton soon after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. Despite adopting a tariff-rate quota (TRQ) system for cotton imports and issuing supplemental quotas in most years, the large number of cotton goods manufacturers that request shares of the quota suggests demand for imported cotton exceeds  the quota.

While the TRQ was intended to protect China’s cotton farmers, many farmers abandoned the labor-intensive crop as wages rose rapidly in many other industries and other crops produced higher returns. In response, officials encouraged cotton production in the relatively remote region of Xinjiang to prevent China from becoming reliant on imported cotton. Xinjiang growers receive a subsidy payment for cotton, and subsidies for machinery and seeds. A transportation subsidy induces textile manufacturers in eastern and central regions to purchase cotton from Xinjiang, which is about 2,200 to 2,900 miles from most of the country’s textile manufacturers. Financial support and other incentives encourage manufacturers to shift operations to Xinjiang.

Textile manufacturers in China are highly interested in importing cotton due to its lower price and quality. China imports about 20 percent of its cotton, and the United States is a chief exporter of cotton to China. While imported cotton is used in all provinces, manufacturers near the eastern seaboard show a greater propensity for imports. Nevertheless, in all regions, domestic cotton has the largest share of mill use.

Between 2016 and 2022, 1,581 companies applied for a share of the TRQ, and 265 companies applied in all 7 years. Most of these companies also applied for supplemental quotas issued with slightly higher tariffs. This large number of applicants suggests that imports could be even greater if quotas did not limit them. The operation of the quota application process is not public information, but data submitted by applicants suggests access to imported cotton is uneven. About 14 percent of applicants said imported cotton comprised over half of the cotton they used. Another 20 percent of companies requesting import quota did not use any imported cotton, suggesting that many applicants are unable to import. Textile manufacturers coped with limits on cotton imports by increasing their use of synthetic, chemical-based fibers or by importing cotton yarn. From 2000 to 2020, China’s yarn imports doubled from under 1 million metric tons to around 2 million metric tons with Vietnam supplying about 45 percent of that total in 2020.

The number of textile manufacturers in Xinjiang applying for a share of the cotton import quota rose from 37 to 68 between 2016 and 2022. However, imports constituted less than 2 percent of  the cotton Xinjiang applicants reported using—and 66 percent of them reported using no imported cotton—suggesting that applications from Xinjiang textile companies were often denied.
Analysis found that applicants in coastal provinces used more imported cotton than similarly sized applicants in other regions. Each location of a multi-plant company must apply separately for tariff-rate quotas. Textile manufacturers in Xinjiang that requested a share of the import quota included branches of some of China’s largest textile companies, but the analysis found that Xinjiang applicants used less imported cotton than similar manufacturing plants located in other regions. China’s role as a cotton importer appears to have peaked, while other countries are increasing their share of imports.

USDA baseline projections suggest that by 2030 Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Turkey will together account for 47 percent of the world’s cotton imports while China will only account for 24 percent. The study cam be downloaded from the USDA website.

Munich Fabric Start presents a new project-area that will take place during the next edition.
BLUEZONE with CATALYZER and KEYHOUSE will be the place to be for the blue community on 30 and 31 August. As a global key event for the denim industry, 90 international denim mills, weavers, manufacturers and suppliers will show their latest innovations and trends in the Zenithhalle, the Kohlebunker and the Kesselhaus.

"THE ITALIAN LUSTER" will offer all visitors a deep dive into the Made in Italy supply chain with companies that have turbocharged growth by focusing on quality, innovation and research. Well-known and international companies that can make an important contribution to European and global brands.

From the production of trimmings and accessories, to the creation of unique fabrics, to the inspiration of new collections and their realization to the finishing of the garments, Made in Italy still represents the reality par excellence focused on ethical and sustainable production.

"THE ITALIAN LUSTER" will allow all visitors an incredible journey into the Italian supply chain that has the ability to meet any demand of brands, from small to large production needs.

On the top floor of the Catalyzer Hall, it will be possible to view the individual collections of the companies in attendance and receive a beautiful gift specially created by the CADICA GROUP company from Carpi.

 
Participants
ACM - TRIMS AND ACCESSORIES PRODUCER
ACM was founded in 1982.
Since 1982, ACM has been providing the fashion world with unique, sought-after and customized details, guaranteeing prestigious and innovative workmanship. Each and every product is the result of the care we take at every stage of our production process: from the prototype, designed by putting the consumer's health first, to production with state-of-the-art machinery, which allows for fine workmanship and cutting-edge customization, while minimizing the impact on the environment (we are GRS certified) and complying with the strictest eco-toxicological regulations.

FASHION ART - LUXURY FASHION DESIGN
Fashionart is the brainchild of Andrea Rambaldi, who, after learning his trade from his parents, his mother a seamstress and his father the owner of a dye shop, decided to pursue a freelance career.
He began by collaborating with companies in the textile sector, where he deepened his knowledge in the field of chemistry and industrial processes, touching on the problems of processing cycles.
The real turning point came as a result of an important job for the Maison Chanel, which recognized the originality and effectiveness of his technical proposals. From that moment, this is 2008, FashionArt was born, a company focused on luxury fashion and design, expert in the design and production of garments.
From the idea to the final product, the company is able to support the client throughout the entire production process.
Since then, the company has grown and developed exponentially thanks to a team of managers, artists and experts whose experience makes them a benchmark in the high fashion industry. Fashionart operates exclusively in high fashion, a very difficult field in which to combine experience and technique with art and creativity, where our potential can be expressed to the fullest.

ELLETI - GARMENTS AND WASHING MAKER
Advocate of an approach that combines tradition, creativity, and innovation, for over 30 years Elleti Group has defined standards of absolute excellence for the denim industry. Born in the 80s in San Bonifacio, near Verona, the company developed in a one-of-a-kind context, a hotbed of ideas that led to the defining and establishing of new professions and skills in the field of denim treatment and garment personalization. Led by Luigi Lovato, right from the start the company established itself on the denim scene thanks to an ambitious and pioneering investment in new solutions. The following ten years mark an important growth which leads to the internationalization both of brand and production. After the implementing of a new department for garment dyeing, Elleti Group was ready to welcome the ever-increasing international demand, equipping itself with the first laundry in Tunisia, a country logistically central in the Mediterranean area, and as a result, ideal for the development of a complete textile supply chain. This successful story continues to unfold in the 2000s, a decade that marks the opening to the market of garment making thanks to two new structures in Romania, and peaks with the acquisition of Martelli Lavorazioni Tessili. Today Elleti Group stands firm in the market as a result of a complete offer that preserves the company’s artisanal vocation enriched through a constant process of responsible innovation.

In addition, companies BERTO INDUSTRIA TESSILE and OLIMPIAS GROUP will participate in the project by presenting their collections within their booths in the Catalyzer hall.

In light of the evolving pandemic circumstances in Shanghai, Cinte Techtextil China will no longer be taking place from 6 – 8 September at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. A new date for the technical textile fair will be announced in due course.
 
Ms Wendy Wen, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, explained: “After discussions with stakeholders, and in support of the government’s pandemic control measures, we have decided to postpone Cinte Techtextil China 2022 to a later date. The safety of fairgoers is of paramount importance to the fair’s ongoing success, and we are working tirelessly to provide an efficient sourcing platform for the technical textile industry. I would like to thank all participants for their sustained support and understanding.”

Cinte Techtextil China’s product categories cover 12 application areas, which comprehensively span a full range of potential uses in modern technical textiles and nonwovens. These categories also cover the entire industry, from upstream technology and raw materials providers to finished fabrics, chemicals and other solutions. This scope of product groups and application areas ensures that the fair is an effective business platform for the entire industry. The 2021 edition attracted 366 exhibitors and recorded 14,868 visits. The fair is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA).

Natural fibres offer mechanical strength, low weight, and resilience, as well as renewability and biodegradability, making them ideal partners to high-tech, modern, and sustainable textile applications. The DNFI Innovation in Natural Fibres Award offers recognition for outstanding design and innovation in this important textile sector.

The DNFI award has proven to be successful in raising awareness of the outstanding work being done by specialists in this field and previous winners speak of their appreciation for the subsequent media coverage and interest in their work.

• Applicants are invited to submit their proposals by email to: Secretariat@dnfi.org.
• Application templates are available on the DNFI web site: https://www.dnfi.org/dnfi-award
• Closing Date for award applications is 9. September 2022.
• A maximum of two extra pages (for a total of three pages) of information and three photographs/graphs/tables may be included with this submission.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease is one of the most common natural causes of death. Every year, it is the cause of death of around 17 million people worldwide. The Peter Dornier Foundation Prize 2022 has now awarded a research work that is to improve the medical care of people with insufficient heart valve function in the future and prolong the patients' lives.

The human heart is a high-performance machine: over the course of a person's life, it beats almost three billion times, pumping around 200 million litres of blood through the body. Enormous stresses that can sometimes lead to life-threatening signs of wear and tear. If a heart valve gets out of step, patients usually get artificial-mechanical or biological valves as a replacement. However, mechanical solutions imply patients to take blood-thinning medication for the rest of their lives. In addition, there may be audible closing noises. For example, almost a quarter of patients with mechanical heart valves complain of sleep disturbances. Biological heart valves, on the other hand, such as those made from animal tissue, require a great deal of manual work and have a shorter lifetime.

Potential of weaving for medical products demonstrated
For this reason, Graduate Engineer Mathis Bruns at the Institute for Textile Machinery and High-Performance Textile Materials Technology (ITM) at the TU Dresden is researching an implant alternative made of fabric. As part of a research project that also involved heart surgeons from the Dresden Heart Centre and the University Hospital in Würzburg, Mr. Bruns provided important findings for weaving an artificial heart valve in his diploma thesis. For his work entitled "Development of tubular structures with integrated valve function", Mathis Bruns has now received the Peter Dornier Foundation Prize 2022, endowed with 5,000 euros. In his laudation, Dr. Adnan Wahhoud, former head of the development department of air-jet weaving machines at DORNIER in Lindau, said: "With his work, the winner of the award demonstrates very clearly the potential of weaving technology to produce fabrics of complex form, geometry and structure with the aim of prolonging and improving people's lives." The award-winning thesis enriches research into three-dimensional tissues for use in medicine.

Weaving replacement heart valves without seams
"A particular advantage of our approach is the integral production method", says foundation prize winner Mathis Bruns. “The geometry and function of a heart valve is that complex that woven heart valves could not be produced in this form previously. Through the combined use of a rigid rapier weaving machine with bobbin shield and a Jacquard machine, it is possible to weave the replacement heart valve in such a way that it no longer has be sewn together. Even the tubular structures for the blood vessels and the integrated valve function are ‘all of one piece’. Seams are always a weak point in textile medical products," Mr. Bruns adds. “Another advantage of the woven heart valve is the possibility to insert it by the help of minimally invasive surgery. Hence, the folded valve which is about the size of a tea light is to be pushed with a catheter via the bloodstream to the target position in the heart and unfolded there. The patient's chest and heart would then no longer have to be cut open”, explains prize winner Mr. Bruns.

Textile structure is similar to human tissue
A wide variety of medical products have always been produced on DORNIER weaving machines. Customers use them to produce fabrics for bandages, prostheses, blood filters and orthoses among other things. For Mathis Bruns, it is only evident that implants such as heart valves will more and more be woven on the machines from Lindau in the future. "Textile tissue is very similar to human tissue," he says. The human body consists largely of thread-like materials, just as a textile fabric is made up of thousands of individual threads. "Muscle fibres convey force impulses, nerve tracts send stimuli such as pain and brain cells convey information via thread-like dendrites and axons." Because of their ‘thread-like properties’, woven implants are therefore particularly suitable for medical applications.

• Focus on straightening technology and process control

At Indo Intertex, held from 10 to 13 August in Jakarta, visitors get to see the Mahlo-way for process control in textile production. The German machine manufacturer and its partner agency Agansa Primatama will be available to show everyone its leading straightening technology as well as energy saving concepts around the stenter frames. INDO INTERTEX is South East Asia’s largest trade show on the textile and garment industries, bringing together leaders to experience world-class manufacture, technology and solutions.

Indonesia is one of the ten biggest textile producers in the world. Especially the USA, the European Union and Japan import a majority of their requirements from the Southeast Asian Island state. In order to fulfill the increasing demands and the call for high quality goods, producers invest in machinery, equipment and technology.

At IndoIntertex, Mahlo informs about its straightening machine Orthopac RVMC-15, among other. Based on experience reaching back to over 75 years, the machine offers the latest technology for correcting distortions. The modular straightening and process control system ensures a straight-thread product before and after the drying or fixing process and optimises the processes all around the stenter. This increases quality and saves resources and energy. The process control system Optipac VMC-15 measures and controls critical parameters such as dwell time, thread density or residual moisture.

• China Penalty Tariffs on Finished Textiles & Apparel Give U.S. Companies a Chance to Compete and are a Powerful Trade-Negotiation Tool, NCTO Tells U.S. International Trade Commission

Section 301 penalty tariffs on finished Chinese textile and apparel imports give American manufacturers a chance to compete and provide trade officials with an essential trade negotiation tool, the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) told a key government panel today in a formal written submission. Removing them, the association said, would reward China, put U.S. manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage and do nothing to reduce inflation.

Those were among the key points outlined by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas in a written testimony submitted to the U.S. International Trade Commission during three days of hearings on the economic impact of Section 301 China tariffs and Section 232 steel tariffs on U.S. industries.

The 301 penalty tariffs should be maintained “absent substantive improvements in China’s pervasive, predatory trade practices,” Glas said in her testimony.  China’s illegal actions “have put U.S. companies at a serious disadvantage, and tariffs give American manufacturers a chance to compete.” Glas noted that U.S. trade officials have “stressed that the penalty tariffs also create leverage and are a ‘significant tool’ in ongoing negotiations with China.”
 
While some advocates for lifting the tariffs point to concerns about inflation, Glas said, “canceling these penalty duties would do little to ease Americans’ inflationary pains.” She also noted that “apparel prices out of China continue to hit rock bottom even with the Section 301 tariffs in place. As detailed in an economic study recently released by Werner International, U.S. import prices for apparel from China have dropped 25 percent since 2019 and 50 percent since 2011.”

Glas also warned that lifting the tariffs would have “a substantial negative ripple effect” on U.S. free-trade agreements, including undermining those with Western Hemisphere partners that have established shorter coproduction supply chains and serve other U.S. and regional interests.

The Section 301 tariffs were first imposed in 2018 in response to China’s persistent violations of intellectual property rules. By law, they are now under review.

• Annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers

• Digitalization and Sustainability Key to Resiliency for Italian Textile Machinery Sector

The objective critical issues faced by Italy as a whole throughout the course of 2021, primarily dictated by a pandemic that upset any and all pre-existing equilibriums, have not slowed or halted the Italian textile machinery sector.

Indeed, data presented during the annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, held on 1 July proved decidedly positive, showing that in 2021 the sector recovered significantly compared to 2020, to the point of returning to pre-Covid levels.

Specifically, Italian textile machinery production amounted to 2.388 billion euros (+35% over 2020 and + 5% over 2019), with total exports amounting to 2.031 billion euros (+37% over 2020 and +9% over 2019).

However, these results do not cancel the obstacles that companies are still facing. Looking to the near future, expectations are for a rather uncertain outlook, as underscored by ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi: “2022 remains a year replete with unknown factors, starting with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, along with the persistence of the pandemic, which seriously risk delaying expected growth consolidation for businesses in the sector. Difficulties in finding raw materials and components negatively affect the completion and fulfilment of orders processed as far back as 2021. To boot, rising energy costs and inflationary trends affecting numerous commodities are depressing overall business confidence. So the outlook for the sector is not so good.”
As such, the two cornerstones through which ACIMIT aims to support the Italian textile machinery sector are digitilization and sustainability.

4.0: The textile machinery sector looks to the future
The road to digital transformation has already led numerous manufacturers to completely rethink their production processes, rendering them more efficient and l ess expensive. The digital world is moving ahead at a decisive rate in the textile machinery sector, where the buzzwords are increasingly, for instance, the Internet of Things connecting to a company’s ecosystem, machine learning algorithms applied to production, predictive maintenance, and the integrated cloud management of various production departments. It is no coincidence that ACIMIT has focused decisively on its Digital Ready project, through which Italian textile machinery that adopt a common set of data are certified, with the aim of facilitating integration with the operating systems of client companies (ERP, MES, CRM, etc.).

A green soul
Combining production efficiency and respect for the environment: a challenge ACIMIT has made its own and which it promotes among its members through the Sustainable Technologies project. Launched by the association as early as 2011, the project highlights the commitment of Italian textile machinery manufacturers in the area of sustainability. At the heart of the project is the Green Label, a form of certification specifically for Italian textile machinery which highlights its energy and environmental performance. An all-Italian seal of approval developed in collaboration with RINA, an international certification body.
The assembly held on 1 July provided an opportunity to take stock of the Sustainable Technologies project, more specifically, with the presentation of the Rina Consulting survey on the Green Label’s evolution and impact in recent years.

The results have confirmed the initiative’s extreme validity. The technological advances implemented by the association’s machinery producers participating in the project have effectively translated into benefits in terms of environmental impact (reduction of CO₂ equivalent emissions for machinery), as well as economic advantages for machinery users.

With reference to the year 2021, a total of 204,598 tons of CO₂ emissions avoided on an annual basis have been quantified, thanks to the implementation of improvements on machinery. This is a truly significant reduction which, for the sake of comparison, corresponds to the carbon dioxide emissions generated by 36,864 automobiles travelling an average of 35,000 km a year. In terms of energy savings, the use of green labeled textile machinery has provided excellent performances in allowing for a reduction of up to 84% in consumption.

A round table discussion on the Green Label’s primary purpose
The environmental and economic impact generated in production processes for Italian textile machinery through the use of Green Label technologies was the focus of the round table which concluded the ACIMIT assembly.

Moderated by Aurora Magni (professor of the Industrial Systems Sustainability course at the LIUC School of Engineering), the debate involved Gianluca Brenna (Lipomo Printing House administrator and Vice President of the Italian Fashion System for Welfare), Pietro Pin (Benetton Group consultant and President of UNI for the textile-clothing area), Giorgio Ravasio (Italy Country Manager for Vivienne Westwood), as well as ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi.

Called on to compare common factors in their experiences relating to environmental transition processes for their respective companies, the participants were unanimous: the future of Italian textile machinery can no longer ignore advanced technology developments capable of offering sustainable solutions with a low environmental impact while also reducing production costs. This philosophy has by now been consolidated, and has proven to lead directly to a circular economy outlook.

The upcoming ITMA 2023 exhibition
Lastly, a word on ITMA 2023, the most important international exhibition for textile machinery, to be held in Italy from 8 to 14 June 2023 at Fiera-Milano Rho. Marking the 19th edition of ITMA, this trade fair is an essential event for the entire industry worldwide, providing a global showcase for numerous innovative operational solutions on display. A marketplace that offers participants extraordinary business opportunities. The participation of Italian companies is managed by ACIMIT.

The premiere of the large Premium Group event cosmos in Berlin was with a number of visitors of 70% compared to before Corona a great success. The new combination of B2B and D2C, entertainment and edutainment, fashion and culture provided a lot of exchange, new input, ideas, contacts and 360 degree inspiration.

In focus: content & communication
With the conferences FASHIONTECH, CONSCIOUS CLUB Conference and The Ground Talks, the Premium Group Team put an additional focus on communication and edutainment. Important topics such as diversity, wellbeing, metaverse and sustainability were discussed and relevant lessons learned for the market, brands and consumers.

“Restart was a statement!”
“It's been quite a rodeo ride putting together two B2B trade shows, one D2C festival, three conferences, parties, dinners and receptions for so many different audiences and all while the pandemic continues in full swing – barring the rain and flight chaos. I would have wished that even more visitors would have come, but overall the restart was much better than expected. It was definitely an announcement." Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner Premium Group

New togetherness, new exchange, new ideas
With the premiere of the festival for style & culture, The Ground, young consumers and Berlin communities from GenZ and GenY were part of the Premium Group event cosmos for the first time. Almost 6000 fashion enthusiasts and trade visitors came together at The Ground. Exciting conversations, interactive fire moments and cool shows created a special vibe in and around the Palais am Funkturm. The focus was on young target groups wearing, feeling and thinking. How brands can reach young customers, communicate with them and build trust and much more.

New community through 'Larger than Life Ball'
On Saturday, the day with the most visitors at The Ground, the spectacular ballroom event, the Larger than Life Ball, curated by The House of Gorgeous Gucci in the summer garden of the Palais, caused enthusiasm. Numerous stars and friends of the international LGBTQ+ scene from New York, Rio de Janeiro and Berlin celebrated a colourful open-air party for over 5 hours with cool music and live MC, sensational outfits, plateau heels and wild vogueing and dance competitions on a water catwalk.

Must have PEACE charity initiative
The must-have PEACE merch collection initiated because of the Ukraine war in favour of Be An Angel e.v. was very well received. The sale of limited-edition clothing and accessories from Carry, Closed, Drykorn, Eastpak, Lala Berlin, Lee, Le Specs, MCM, Merz b. Swans and Wranglers as well as generous donations from Boss, among others, brought in a total of almost 15,000 euros. The remaining stocks are promoted and sold via influencer accounts.

January 2023: Happy Birthday, PREMIUM!
The next Premium Group event cosmos will take place from Tuesday, January 17th to Thursday, January 19th, 2023 with a B2B focus again at the Berlin exhibition centre. The focus is on a big anniversary: the PREMIUM will be 20 years old! After the successful kick-off, the CONSCIOUS CLUB Conference will also be further developed for the next round.

The Berlin Fashion Week and Premium Group events will take place at the same time again from 2023.

Facts

• Premium Group event cosmos
• 2 trade shows: PREMIUM and SEEK
• 1 festival: The Ground
• 3 conferences: FASHIONTECH, CONSCIOUS CLUB Conference, The Ground Talks
• More than 800 participating brands
• 45,000 sqm total area
• 50 talks & panels with 85 speakers
• Newcomer brands: 230 at PREMIUM, 134 at SEEK

New ideas were exchanged, brainstormed, and discussed freely at members’ booths at the Swiss Textile Machinery Pavilion during the recent Techtextil in Frankfurt. “Customers and researchers met Swiss textile machinery companies to explore the possibility of the not-yet-invented. “We regard our Pavilion as the place where future innovations catch a spark,” says Cornelia Buchwalder, Secretary General of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association. Further developments in the field of hybrid yarns were a hot topic. One example of this involves producing a yarn which has all the typical characteristics and advantages of carbon – but which also prioritizes careful use of resources, combining carbon fibres with thermoplastics.

Technical textiles cover a vast range of applications, and it’s still growing thanks to intensive research by specialist institutes and universities. Many members of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association maintain long-standing partnership with such bodies. Innovations are often joint efforts.

Feel-good technical fabrics
Some technical textiles feel like a second skin. A well-known example is activewear from the ‘sport tech’ field. Activewear includes breathable clothing, usually consisting of a three-layer-laminate: an inner lining, a breathable membrane in the center, and an outer fabric. The challenge is to bond the individual layers without losing breathability or softness, while meeting technical requirements such as resistance to a number of wash cycles.

Bonding solutions meeting top quality requirements, as well as ambitious standards for environmental protection and sustainability, were reinvented by the Cavitec brand from the Santex Rimar Group. This company’s hotmelt technology uses one-component polymers applied to textiles in a hot, molten state. Bonding based on hotmelts is both water- and solvent-free. Drying and exhaust air cleaning are not necessary, which is an ecological advantage. Energy consumption is also significantly lower. Cavitec hotmelt technology is also developed for laminated medical protection fabrics which are safe, high-quality and sustainable. These fabrics can be washed, sterilized, and used again.   

A second skin with added value is the result of Jakob Müller Group’s cooperation with an institute for an established outdoor fashion brand. They have devised a heating mat applied as an inner jacket. Outdoor gear with a heated inlay offers the wearer a comfortable feeling even in a cold climate. The heating mat is particularly light, breathable, flexible and adjustable to three temperature levels.

Fabrics with these advantages are now possible thanks to multi direct weaving (MDW) technology from the Jakob Müller Group. A lacquer-insulated heating strand is inserted into the base textile as a ‘meander’ using MDW technology. The technology is offered with both label weaving machines and the latest generation of ribbon weaving machines. The textile pocket calculator is another MDW based future-oriented application developed in cooperation with a textile research institute.

Safety and health
Life-saving reliability is a must for vehicle airbags. They have to fulfil high security aspects, and must remain inflated for several seconds when an accident occurs. Airbags made of flat-woven fabric – cut and seamed – can show weakness at seams during the inflation phase. Latest Jacquard technology by Stäubli enables one-piece-woven (OPW) airbags to be produced, creating shape and structure in a single process. The final product is an airbag consisting of a sealed cushion with woven seams. OPW airbag weaving reduces the number of production steps, and increases the security aspects.
Another big advantage of Stäubli’s new weaving technology is the flexibility in formats required in today’s mid- and upper-range cars, where lateral protection (in the seat or in the roof over the door) has become standard and is designed in line with the car shape. Safe airbags are woven on modern high-speed weaving machines. The warp material, the variety of fabric patterns, and the importance of precisely shaped airbags require the use of a robust and reliable Jacquard machine.

A revolution for orthopaedic patients is a knitting machine from Steiger Participations, which uses compressive yarns developed to meet the needs of the specific health market. This machine model was exclusively designed for production with inlaid elastic yarns and offers optimum performance with guaranteed final product quality.

In the orthopaedic field, many Steiger flat knitting machines have already been operating as automatic, custom-made production systems. For example, the dimensions of an injured limb are taken by the doctor and fed into a web-based application. The doctor selects the compression class in the various sections of the item and a data file created by the software automatically applies a preconfigured program. With no human intervention required, the program is generated and produced on the machine, precisely matching the patient’s dimensions. Each product is different, and generally available within 48 hours.