From the Sector

Celanese Corporation, a specialty materials and chemical company, and Under Armour, Inc., a company in athletic apparel and footwear, have collaborated to develop a new fiber for performance stretch fabrics called NEOLAST™. The innovative material will offer the apparel industry a high-performing alternative to elastane – an elastic fiber that gives apparel stretch, commonly called spandex. This new alternative could unlock the potential for end users to recycle performance stretch fabrics, a legacy aspect that has yet to be solved in the pursuit of circular manufacturing with respect to stretch fabrics.

NEOLAST™ fibers feature the powerful stretch, durability, comfort, and improved wicking expected from elite performance fabrics yet are also designed to begin addressing sustainability challenges associated with elastane, including recyclability. The fibers are produced using a proprietary solvent-free melt-extrusion process, eliminating potentially hazardous chemicals typically used to create stretch fabrics made with elastane.

NEOLAST™ fibers will be produced using recyclable elastoester polymers. As end users transition to a more circular economy, Celanese and Under Armour are exploring the potential of the fibers to improve the compatibility of stretch fabrics with future recycling systems and infrastructure.

In addition to the sustainability benefits, the new NEOLAST™ fibers deliver increased production precision, allowing spinners to dial power-stretch levels up or down and engineer fibers to meet a broader array of fabric specifications.

A new research project links some of Denmark's leading researchers in PFAS remediation with artificial intelligence. The goal is to develop and optimise a new form of wastewater and drinking water treatment technology using artificial intelligence for zero-pollution goals.

In a new research and development project, researchers from Aarhus University aim to develop a new technology that can collect and break down perpetual chemicals (PFAS) in one step in a purification process that can be connected directly to drinking water wells and treatment plants.

The project has received funding from the Villum Foundation of DKK 3 million, and it will combine newly developed treatment technology from some of Denmark's leading PFAS remediation researchers with artificial intelligence that can ensure optimal remediation.

"In the project, we will design, construct and test a new, automated degradation technology for continuous PFAS degradation. We’re also going to set up an open database to identify significant and limiting factors for degradation reactions with PFAS molecules in the reactor," says Associate Professor Xuping Zhang from the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering at Aarhus University, who is co-heading the project in collaboration with Associate Professor Zongsu Wei from the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering.

Ever since the 1940s, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have been used in a myriad of products, ranging from raincoats and building materials to furniture, fire extinguishers, solar panels, saucepans, packaging and paints.

However, PFAS have proven to have a number of harmful effects on humans and the environment, and unfortunately the substances are very difficult to break down in nature. As a result, the substances continuously accumulate in humans, animals, and elsewhere in nature.

In Denmark, PFAS have been found in drinking water wells, in surface foam on the sea, in the soil at sites for fire-fighting drills, and in many places elsewhere, for example in organic eggs. It is not possible to remove PFAS from everything, but work is underway to remove PFAS from the groundwater in drinking water wells that have been contaminated with the substances.

Currently, the most common method to filter drinking water for PFAS is via an active carbon filter, an ion-exchange filter, or by using a specially designed membrane. All of these possibilities filter PFAS from the water, but they do not destroy the PFAS. The filters are therefore all temporary, as they have to be sent for incineration to destroy the accumulated PFAS, or they end in landfills.

The project is called 'Machine Learning to Enhance PFAS Degradation in Flow Reactor', and it aims to design and develop an optimal and permanent solution for drinking water wells and treatment plants in Denmark that constantly captures and breaks down PFAS, while also monitoring itself.

"We need to be creative and think outside the box. I see many advantages in linking artificial intelligence with several different water treatment technologies, but integrating intelligence-based optimisation is no easy task. It requires strong synergy between machine learning and chemical engineering, but the perspectives are huge," says Associate Professor Zongsu Wei from the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering at Aarhus University.

SHIMA SEIKI ITALIA S.p.A., Italian subsidiary of leading Japanese computerized knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD., will exhibit at the 94th edition of the Pitti Immagine Filati exhibition in Florence, Italy (24th-26th January 2024). It will exhibit as part of the CustomEasy section, which involves the concept of Fashion at Work and explores customization in the presence of textile machinery and design software, represented in part by SHIMA SEIKI's lineup of WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines and APEXFiz® design software.

The new SWG-XR® flagship machine features 4 needle beds for all-needle knitting of high quality WHOLEGARMENT® products using the company's original SlideNeedle™, in addition to a re-designed sinker system and a compact, light-weight carriage featuring 4 systems as well as auto yarn carriers. All contribute to increased productivity of more than 25% over the previous MACH2®XS machine, as well as increased product range using a wider variety of yarn for supporting knits for all seasons, and higher quality for knitting beautiful fabrics and silhouettes; even items that were impossible to knit with the MACH2® series, including punch-lace patterns, variable stitch knitting and intarsia knitting. Setting new standards for the next generation of waste-free, sustainable WHOLEGARMENT® knitting, SWG-XR® at Pitti Filati will be shown in 15L and 18L as well as a prototype machine in 22L.

APEXFiz® subscription-based design software supports the creative side of fashion from planning and design to colorway evaluation, realistic fabric simulation and 3D virtual sampling. Virtual samples are a digitized version of sample making that are accurate enough to be used effectively as prototypes. By replacing physical samples, virtual samples reduce time, cost and material that otherwise go to waste.

The product planning capability of APEXFiz® is enhanced by several web services featured as part of the SHIMA SEIKI Online Services (SHIMA online) web platform. These include SHIMA Datamall™ digital content web service that allows users to search, browse and purchase a variety of useful data for streamlining the planning and production of fashion items, as well as the recently renewed yarnbank® digital yarn sourcing web service that offers digitized yarn data by yarn companies from around the world for download and use in virtual sampling. SHIMANAVI® e-learning system is also part of the online platform.

To expand its support for high-end and luxurious automotive interiors, B.I.G. Yarns has completed its first industrial production runs of virgin polyester BCF yarns for automotive carpet to complement its line of polyamide PA6 superior yarns.

There is a growing market in PET for automotive interior applications, with polyester allowing automotive OEMs and Tier 1 to develop products that, from the outset, consider eco-design by building MONO-polymer carpets and flooring that are 100% recyclable at End of Life (EOL ). These materials are helping to ensure improved and more sustainable EOL recycling of electric vehicles that are driving the future of the car industry.

The new PET BCF Yarns offer high-performance for automotive carpets, including abrasion and stain resistance, and durability, passing all stringent automotive tests including the Taber test for abrasion performance, compressibility and recovery ability test, light fastness in automotive (DIN EN ISO 105-B06) and VOC (fogging) according the VDA 278 test on VOC and FOG emission. The yarns can be color solution dyed, have a dTex between 1300 – 1500, 81 filaments and are ideally for mats with a composition of 400 to 800 gram per m², while the yarns for molded carpets have a dTex of 1200, 144 filaments for 380 gram per m².

With the addition of PET BCF yarns, B.I.G. Yarns is now a one-stop-shop for 3 types of Solution Dyed BCF carpet yarns for the automotive industry: nylon (PA6), polypropylene (PP) and polyester (PET), and the Eqo-range of PA6 yarns – the sustainability focused EqoBalance, EqoCycle and EqoYarn.

The automotive carpet market is expected to grow strongly in the coming decade with the increased demand for vehicle customization and personalization driven by owners looking to upgrade and enhance interiors, including the flooring area.
A growing awareness around car hygiene is also boosting the market as consumers become more conscious of maintaining cleanliness in their vehicles, including the floors. Automotive carpets provide an effective solution by trapping dirt and preventing it from spreading to other areas.

BTMA member Vickers Oils has marked an important milestone in its partnership with knitting machinery leader Lonati by earning Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) approval for its VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 needle oil.

VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 is a mineral-based needle lubricant designed to meet the criteria for modern knitting machine technology. It provides a high standard of lubrication as well as holding very good stability properties and having a high resistance to oxidation. The product is readily scourable and holds a well-balanced additive system meaning that it is fully compatible with all machine components. It can also be used with machines producing any yarn type – including tricky elastanes – to produce the highest quality end product.

Lonati, headquartered in Brescia, Italy, has been a prominent name in knitting machines for over 70 years, designing and manufacturing an impressive average of 8,000 annually. It places a strong emphasis on delivering the highest quality textile machinery, underpinned by a commitment to research and development that ensures the use of cutting-edge products, technologies and processes in its machines.

Vickers Oils, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, shares these values, leading the industry in quality and assurance through its continuous focus on research and development, technological leadership, quality control and customer service. As it has done for almost two centuries – the company will mark its 200th anniversary in 2028.

Lonati is now officially recommending VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 for use in its single-cylinder GOAL series of knitting machines, marking a successful collaboration that required dedicated efforts from the teams of Lonati, Vickers Oils and its Italian representative Lubrogamma. Vickers Oils is committed to sustainable product development and VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 meets the clearly defined criteria set out by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and conforms to ZDHC MRSL Level 1 certification.

adidas unveils its SS24 Melbourne collection to mark the start of the 2024 Grand Slam season. AIRCHILL technology – a first for adidas in tennis – works in tandem with HEAT.RDY material technology to support players performing in the heat of the moment.

AIRCHILL material technology supports cooling through thermally zoned, raised pattern motifs and mesh layers. The lightness of AIRCHILL helps skin breathe – deliberately placed in high sweat and evaporation zones – under the armpits, chest and back. The raised patterns and open mesh fabrics are designed to optimize airflow during high-intensity workouts and matches.

The 26-piece range for men and women also boasts a tranquil color palette and pattern scheme, specially crafted to help evoke a sense of calm. The spectrum of greens – including the key colorway ‘Green Spark’, inspired by the natural phenomena of bioluminescence – were carefully chosen for their soft, glowing shades, meanwhile prints adorning the fabric emulate recurring fractal shapes in nature.

The apparel collection is made from 100% recycled materials and comes in sizes XS-2XL for men and 2XS-2XL for women.

The collection will be worn by athletes including Caroline Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, Xinyu Wang, Dana Mathewson, Jessica Pegula, Karolína Muchová, Maria Sakkari, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger Aliassime, Jason Wu and Martin de la Puente.

B&B Italia unveiled a special edition Camaleonda, the iconic sofa system by Mario Bellini, adorned in a brand-new fabric designed by Stella McCartney – platforming her S-Wave monogram. Marking the second chapter of the partnership between the British conscious luxury pioneer and the Italian design house, the collaboration was launched at Art Basel Miami Beach on 6th December 2023 as part of an installation at B&B Italia Design Studio’s grand opening. The Camaleonda is crafted from nearly entirely sustainable materials, materialising both brands’ nature-positive visions.

The partnership between B&B Italia and Stella McCartney was born of Stella’s long-time personal passion for Bellini’s works and started in 2022 with the Le Bambole armchair. It evolves now with the new version of Camaleonda, the sofa system originally designed in 1970, which made its comeback 50 years later in 2020 - speaking a contemporary language between structural solutions and sustainable choices.

The brand-new Stella McCartney X B&B Italia Camaleonda introduces the latest printed fabric “S-Wave”, which is the result of a next-generation sustainability innovation introduced by the design company’s R&D team. The S-Wave upholstery, available in two different colours, is based on OceanSafe naNea yarn, which is verified to be biodegradable, Cradle to Cradle Certified® Gold and does not contain harmful substances. The material does not shed persistent microplastics into the environment, however, performs like conventional materials.

Monforts' new Montex 8500 stenter line was recently installed at Curt Bauer’s plant in Aue in Germany.

Curt Bauer has been in continuous operation for 150 years, beginning as a weaving mill in Aue in the Ore Mountains region of Saxony back in 1882. Today, with 120 employees, the company has an annual production of 2.2 million metres of fabric and specialises in three key fields – home textiles, special damask fabrics for West African garments and technical textiles.

A first Montex stenter was installed by Monforts at the Aue plant in 2003 and an older machine from a third party supplier was also still in operation prior to the latest upgrade.
“The replacement of our older existing stenter, which was installed in 1985, was long overdue,” explains Gert Bauer. “It had a maximum working width of 2.2 metres and we were looking to both increase productivity and reduce energy requirements.”

As a consequence, the company opted for a new Montex 8500 line with a working width of 3.2 metres equipped with the MonforClean heat recovery and exhaust air purification system. The Montex stenter remains unmatched in terms of its robustness and long service life and with MonforClean technology, the waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air. This results in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required, compared to full gas and thermal oil heating. Overall energy savings of up to 40% can now be achieved compared to conventional stenters.

The first challenge at the Aue plant was how to fit the significantly larger machine into the available space without restricting the area required for docking operations.

The special multi-level configuration that Monforts designers and Curt Bauer’s team devised in order to meet these requirements involved raising all of the line’s drying zones – with a combined length of over 28 metres – on scaffolding platforms, to enable the ground floor space below them to continue to be fully utilised.

The next challenge involved configuring the MonforClean system without having to make any costly changes to the roofing structure. This, Gert Bauer observes, demanded “millimetre precision”.

With the new line now fully operational, the savings it is providing have yet to be fully calculated.

This year’s edition of ITMA ASIA + CITME proved to be a success for the exhibiting VDMA member companies. Measured by booked square metres, Germany had the largest contingent, among the foreign exhibitors. More than 40 VDMA member companies were exhibiting their innovative products in Shanghai.

Dr. Janpeter Horn, chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association noted: “Although facing a difficult market situation, this year’s edition of ITMA ASIA + CITME has exceeded the expectations, both in terms of the number of visitors and the quality of the talks. The significant number of foreign visitors to the fair was particularly pleasing.”

Solutions were demonstrated for more sustainable textile productions by most of the exhibitors, and here the VDMA members presented their technologies for saving water, energy and raw materials under the heading “Smart technologies for green textile production.”  

Dr. Uwe Rondé, CEO, Saurer Intelligent Technology AG explained: “Saurer is satisfied with both the number of visitors and the quality of the discussions. Our booth was full from morning to evening with customers focused on latest technologies within the three mega trends: recycling, automation and digitalisation. Although machine utilisation in the spinning mills is still well below average, people are already gathering information and thinking about what to invest in once the market recovers.”

Benjamin Reiners, owner of Reiners + Fürst stated: „This year’s ITMA ASIA + CITME has exceeded our expectations by far. Especially the first day - a Sunday - has brought many high-quality customers and exclusively decision makers to our booth. We estimate about 20% international customers mainly from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. All customers agreed that the market situation at the moment is difficult, capacity usage is between 50-75% in the ring spinning sector and improvement is expected not before the 2nd half of 2024. Nevertheless the general spirit is very positive.“

“This ITMA ASIA was a great success for Trützschler. We welcomed a large number of Chinese visitors to our booth, as well as a significant number of interested international visitors”, said Dr. Bettina Temath, Head of Global Marketing Trützschler Group SE.

Georg Stausberg, CEO of the polymer processing solutions division and chief sustainability officer of the Oerlikon Group stated: „We can look back on a successful show where we were able to meet many of our customers not only from China, but also from Pakistan, India and Indonesia, for example.”

“A very well-attended trade fair, with interesting discussions, great innovative topics, in line with the modern and rapidly developing China" noted Wolfgang Schöffl, head of product line weaving machines and member of the extended management, Lindauer Dornier.

The VDMA Textile Machinery Association and VDMA China were present at the fair, to support the members e.g. with regard to IPR. With the help of a VDMA expert and a contracted law firm, the member company Sahm submitted a complaint application for patent infringement disputes during the exhibition to the onsite IPR office. Both parties, Sahm, and the Chinese company, that used patented design without permission reached an agreement: The Chinese company had to stop displaying functions and designs involving patent infringement on site which meant the removal of some structural parts and the covering of key components protected by patent protection.

Dr. Harald Weber, managing director of VDMA Textile Machinery concluded: “Asia, and China in particular, represent the primary foreign markets for the VDMA member companies in the sector. The Chinese market is the main destination for their exports. Other major export destinations in Asia include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. ITMA ASIA + CITME provides a unique platform to showcase technologies for customers directly in Asia. The VDMA member companies are looking forward to the coming edition of the fair from 14 to 18 October 2024 in Shanghai.”

The latest survey of VDMA members' subsidiaries in China gives reason to hope that the economic situation in the Chinese textile industry could also improve significantly in the second half of the year. In addition, European textile machinery manufacturers are urged to be present on the most important market and at the trade fair and to offer Asian customers most advanced technology for their demanding challenges.

HeiQ’s biobased textile technologies are set to show how they can change the sleep environment for the better while meeting an increasing demand for sustainable solutions that are in tune with nature. HeiQ Skin Care, HeiQ Allergen* Tech, HeiQ Cool, and HeiQ Mint are going to be showcased at the Heimtextil show in Frankfurt beginning of January.

HeiQ presents a complete set of tailored textile technologies that is said to improve the sleeping environment: "Unlocking Better Sleep". Therefore, HeiQ introduces a range of innovative products designed to enhance the quality of a comfortable night’s rest through sustainable and biobased solutions.

According to a recent study by the School of Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand), “individuals spend more than 50% of their time at home in the bedroom”. Another research from the Fatigue Countermeasures Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center (United States), concluded that “sleep is critical to health and daytime functioning. For individuals to achieve optimal sleep, they must have access to a sleep environment that allows them to achieve quality sleep.” These are strong indicators that we should treat sleep with the highest importance that it deserves.

The flagship products leading this positive change are the 100% biobased cosmetic technology HeiQ Skin Care, the plant-based deodorizer HeiQ Mint (botanical freshness), the dual action cooling solution HeiQ Cool, and HeiQ Allergen Tech that reduces exposure to inanimate allergens through active probiotics. These biobased innovations are set to redefine the sleep experience and contribute to overall well-being.

HeiQ Skin Care is the most recent addition to HeiQ’s portfolio - a synbiotic textile finish promoting a balanced microbiome for glowing skin. Unlike conventional products, HeiQ Skin Care utilizes pre- and probiotics integrated into a biobased matrix, offering long-lasting cosmetic benefits. It is particularly suited for products that are in direct and long contact with skin, such as pillowcases, duvet covers or bed sheets, acting as a cosmetic care session during sleep.