From the Sector

Stratasys Ltd. announced the launch of its Direct-to-Garment (D2G) solution for the J850 TechStyle™ printer, the newest offering in the Stratasys 3DFashion™ direct-to-textile printing technology. The first example of its application is an Urban Tattoo denim collection which will be revealed at the Texprocess exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany on April 23.

The D2G solution is ideal for customization and personalization by enabling the application of full color multi-material 3D print directly on fully assembled garments of various fabric types including denim, cotton, polyester, and linen. It allows fashion brands to facilitate personalized and bespoke designs for customers, including the ability to tailor 3D prints according to individual preferences, sizes, and styles.  

Available in two sizes, the D2G tray kits facilitate the personalization of garments ranging from jeans to jackets, enabling designers and manufacturers to adopt more sustainable practices by reducing material waste. The seamless workflow delivers ease of calibration and compatibility with various garment sizes, streamlining the production process and fostering the creation of unique, personalized apparel.

Demonstrating this innovation, the Urban Tattoo collection showcases the potential and the ease of direct-to-garment 3D printing. Working with noted designers Karim Rashid, Travis Fitch, Zlatko Yanakiev at Meshroom along with Foraeva Studio, this collection shows the transformation of ordinary garments into pieces of wearable art, imbuing them with personal identity and meaning.

Like body tattoos, Urban Tattoos promote a deeper emotional connection, encouraging the upcycling of existing garments and contributing to a more sustainable fashion ecosystem. This aligns with Stratasys’ strategy for Mindful Manufacturing™. Stratasys has been able to create a new collection that will appeal to multiple brands that reach across diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

Adient, a supplier of seating systems for the automotive industry, has entered into a cooperation with Swedish steelmaker H2 Green Steel (H2GS) to reduce the carbon footprint in its value chain.
 
On 1st September Michel Berthelin, Executive Vice President Adient EMEA, and Henrik Henriksson, CEO of H2 Green Steel, have mutually signed an agreement to supply fossil-free steel with low carbon footprint from 2026 on and subsequently use it in Adient's metal products.

Michel Berthelin explains the background to the cooperation: “As a company, we are committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative, a collaboration between leading global institutions to set a science-based climate target. We also support the Carbon Disclosure Project, which helps companies and cities to understand and disclose their environmental impacts. The decision to shift parts of the steel volume sourced for our production to a steel with low carbon footprint is part of our sustainability strategy. It is our goal to reduce emissions at our production sites that are caused directly by our own sources or indirectly by our energy suppliers by 75% by 2030. In parallel, we aim to reduce emissions along our supply chains by 35% over the same period. In doing so, Adient actively fosters the industry's transformation towards a more responsible use of natural resources.”

Steel from H2 Green Steel is produced with up to 95% less CO₂ emissions compared to conventional steel production. The company achieves this by replacing coal with green hydrogen in production and by the use of electricity from non-fossil sources. In this way, mainly water and heat are produced as waste products.

The Premium Group events will take place in Frankfurt am Main in the third week of January 2022, taking into account the 2G+ regulation (all participants have to be vaccinated, recovered and additionally daily tested).
 
On the basis of the current regulations of the federal government and the Hessian state government, which did not announce any further restrictions for vaccinated people last week, the fashion fairs PREMIUM and SEEK, the FASHIONTECH talks and the showcase of the new format THE GROUND will comply with the official health and hygiene regulations from 18th to January 20, 2022 in Frankfurt am Main.
 
This decision is based on the representative feedback from many protagonists of the industry, expert opinions and a close observation of the situation as well as an assessment of all measures that can be taken in Europe to ensure a safe event.

Four formats - one large exhibition hall
The conceptual novelty is that the PREMIUM, SEEK, THE GROUND and FASHIONTECH events will - for the first time and once - take place all together in a spacious hall, which roughly corresponds to the entire area of Station Berlin, on a total area of approx. 20,000 square meters. The resulting simplified admission management serves the safety of everyone. In this way, visitors can quickly and comfortably experience all the inspiration and concentrated brand power at once.

In addition to the security aspect, the merger of the two flagship events PREMIUM and SEEK in one large exhibition hall will bring new features, above all, in terms of content and atmosphere. Apart from an unprecedentedly strong brand portfolio, completely new synergies and energies will arise, which will make the meeting in January a unique momentum in the history of the industry.

Numerous brands have already signed-up and despite some decisions for smaller pop-up presentations, instead of large stands, the willingness to start again together and to want to send positive signals prevails! In addition to established players, many new brands also want to show their collections now.

THE GROUND - new generation, new platform
THE GROUND will give an outlook on what can be expected in summer with an exclusive press and influencer event. The Fashion Festival ‘for a young and purpose driven generation’ is an innovative platform for brands to get in direct contact with Gen Z with interactive installations, campaigns and storytelling.

At the preview event in January, 15 curated brands and key partners will present their value-based projects and products. In keynotes and panel talks, THE GROUND is dedicated to the topics most relevant to GEN Z: diversity, inclusion & sustainability.

FASHIONTECH - innovation, inspiration, content
FASHIONTECH is the content platform for fashion, technology and lifestyle. This is where decision-makers, industry insiders, communication experts and innovative minds meet to exchange experiences, discuss potential and developments, generate new leads and promote exchange between the various industries.

In addition to the core events, the Premium Group will also organize its popular evening events - due to the conditions, of course, to a slightly different extent than usual.

Der BTE Handelsverband Textil Schuhe Lederwaren kritisiert die von der Ministerpräsidentenrunde und der Bundeskanzlerin beschlossene 2G-Regelung für den Non-Food-Handel aufs Schärfste. Textil-, Schuh- und Lederwarenhändler müssten nun grundlos dafür büßen, dass die Politik es nicht geschafft habe, die Kapazitäten in den Krankenhäusern auszubauen oder zumindest stabil zu halten und ausreichende Teile der Bevölkerung von der Impfung zu überzeugen. „Stattdessen müssen wir im wichtigen Weihnachtsgeschäft als Hilfs-Sheriffs die Ungeimpften an unseren Türen stoppen und unangenehme Diskussionen mit Impfgegnern führen“, zürnt BTE-Präsident Steffen Jost, der mehrere Modehäuser im Südwesten Deutschlands betreibt.
 
Zur Eindämmung der Pandemie sei die Zugangsbeschränkung im Handel für Ungeimpfte ohnehin untauglich. Diverse wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen hätten mehrfach belegt, dass der Handel kein Infektionstreiber ist. „Speziell in Textil-, Schuh- und Lederwarenhandel waren die Kundenfrequenzen in den letzten Wochen zudem extrem gering, während sich z.B. in Bussen und Bahnen oder auch in anderen Geschäften weiterhin die Kunden drängeln dürfen“, bemerkt Jost. „Anscheinend will die Politik mit diesem sinnlosen Aktionismus vom eigenen Versagen ablenken, zu der ich ausdrücklich auch die unterbliebene flächendeckende Ausstattung der Schulen mit geeigneten Lüftungsanlagen zähle.“   
 
Für den betroffenen Textil-, Schuh- und Lederwarenhandel ist der nun zu erwartende Kundenschwund um weitere 30 Prozent als Folge der 2G-Einschränkung dramatisch und existenzbedrohend. Schließlich ist es seit dem Frühjahr 2020 nunmehr die vierte Saison in Folge, die durch fragwürdige und jetzt womöglich verfassungswidrige politische Maßnahmen ruiniert werde, so der Verband. Textil- und Schuhhäuser aus 2G-Gebieten vermelden aktuell hohe Umsatzeinbußen von 30 bis 50 Prozent. Da die Kosten unverändert bleiben, landet der betroffene Handel damit zwangsläufig tief in den roten Zahlen. „Weil der Umsatz des gesamten stationären Modehandels nach unseren Schätzungen jetzt schon aufgelaufen rund 30 Prozent unter Vor-Corona-Niveau liegt, werden viele Unternehmen die erneute Beschränkung ohne massive staatliche Hilfen nicht überleben“, prognostiziert Steffen Jost.
 
Der BTE-Präsident fordert die Politik daher auf, den Modehandel nicht weiter zum Opfer der verfehlten Impf-Kampagne zu machen. „Die Unternehmer haben gerne Überzeugungsarbeit für die Impfung geleistet und werden als Dank dafür jetzt mit unsinnigen Beschränkungen bestraft. Ein vollumfänglicher Ersatz des entstandenen Schadens ist vor diesem Hintergrund das Mindeste, was wir von der Politik verlangen!“, fordert Jost

• Umfassendes Hygiene- und Sicherheitskonzept soll Messeteilnahme unter 2G-Regeln im Januar 2022 möglich machen

Nach den neusten Beschlüssen seitens deutscher Bundes- und hessischer Landesregierung werden die Sicherheits- und Hygienevorschriften im öffentlichen Leben und damit auch bei Großveranstaltungen verschärft. Die Neonyt wird vom 18. bis 20. Januar 2022 unter 2G-Regeln stattfinden.

B2B-Besucher*innen sowie Pressevertreter*innen und Content Creator können ab sofort ihr kostenfreies Eintrittsticket für die Neonyt lösen: Die Veranstaltung wird nach aktuellem Stand unter 2G-Regeln möglich sein. Zutritt zur Veranstaltung hat demnach, wer entweder vollständig geimpft oder kürzlich genesen ist – das schließt alle Messeteilnehmer*innen ein: Labels, Partner*innen und Dienstleister*innen, Besucher*innen sowie das gesamte Team der Neonyt.

„Die Gesundheit und Sicherheit aller Teilnehmer*innen stehen für uns an oberster Stelle“, sagt Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies der Messe Frankfurt. „Abfragen durch die internationalen Sales Partner*innen der Messe Frankfurt und steter Austausch mit Key Accounts zeigen valide Ergebnisse – Der Großteil der Messeteilnehmer*innen der Neonyt ist mit in der Europäischen Union zugelassenen Vakzinen geimpft.“

Die Messe Frankfurt hat ein detailliertes Sicherheits-und Hygienekonzept ausgearbeitet, das sich bereits bei vielen Veranstaltungen auf dem Messegelände bewährt habe. Die Veranstaltungsorganisation und -durchführung entspreche den höchsten hygienischen Standards und die Neonyt werde allen Teilnehmer*innen eine sichere Plattform für Business und Networking bieten. Mehr Informationen zum Sicherheits- und Hygienekonzept der Messe Frankfurt online: https://www.messefrankfurt.com/frankfurt/de/services/hygiene.html

Hexcel, a global leader in advanced composites technologies, announces the successful maiden flight of a lightweight camera drone, developed using Hexcel HexPly® carbon fiber prepregs. The composite drone was developed by a team of students from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Wels with composite materials supplied by Hexcel Neumarkt in Austria.

A team of six students in the university’s lightweight construction and composite materials course was responsible for the complete design, engineering, and manufacture of the camera drone over a period of 18 months. Hexcel materials and optimization of the composite engineering enabled the team to reduce the composite structural mass by an impressive 42% compared to similar drones.

Hexcel Neumarkt was one of eight industrial partners supporting the university team throughout the project, providing all carbon fiber prepreg materials used for the drone’s landing gear as well as the fuselage. The ultra-lightweight 32g landing gear was laid up and cured in the press, whereas the fuselage was autoclave cured by the student team using Hexcel HexPly M901 and HexPly M78.1 prepreg resin systems with a combination of woven and unidirectional carbon fiber reinforcements.

With the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as a key emerging market and innovation space in the transportation sector, Hexcel’s collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria team not only creates an important link with the next generation of lightweight composite engineers but also highlights the weight saving and structural benefits of Hexcel composite material solutions.

"The massive weight saving achieved with their updated version of the camera drone is a fantastic achievement by the student team," said Michael Rabl, Dean of FH Wels of the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences. "The joint study not only illustrates the wide range of complex and innovative composite techniques present in the drone sector but also presents the opportunities that exist for further development in the wider Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and aerospace composites markets.”

Hexcel congratulates the project team which includes Lukas Weninger, Karl-Heinz Schneider, Jakob Schlosser, Matthias Thon, Marla Unter, and Simone Hartl on an exceptional piece of lightweight composite design and thanks them for showcasing the contribution of Hexcel materials with a presentation and drone flight. Johanna Arndt, research and technology group leader at Hexcel Neumarkt, said, “It was a great pleasure to work with the team who were very cooperative and self-motivated to succeed. Watching the drone just fly around the Neumarkt plant was just great.”

Hexcel manufactures a complete range of carbon fibers, dry carbon UD tapes, specialty reinforcements, prepregs, and honeycomb core materials, providing customized manufacturing options for new UAM applications that combine aerospace reliability with the high-rate production required. Hexcel composite materials are the ideal solution for the lightest and most efficient cost-competitive transportation vehicles of the future.

Kornit Digital Ltd. (NASDAQ: KRNT), a company that develops, designs and markets innovative digital printing solutions for the global printed textile industry, today announced it has received an order from DTG2Go, a Delta Apparel, Inc (NYSE American: DLA) company and leader in the direct-to-garment printing and fulfillment marketplace.  
 
The order follows several months of beta-testing of the recently released Kornit Atlas system by DTG2Go, during which Kornit was able to showcase the enhanced features of the most advanced industrial direct-to-garment solution available on the market.  Key features of the Atlas include high volume throughput, attractive cost of ownership and featuring the new NeoPigment™ Eco-Rapid inkset specifically designed for sustainability and retail-quality digital textile printing. Per the agreement, DTG2Go will take delivery of 10 Atlas systems in 2019, along with a significant number of HD upgrades for DTG2Go’s existing Kornit Avalanche systems.  
 
Kornit’s Chief Executive Officer, Ronen Samuel commented, “We are honored to expand our partnership with Delta Apparel as a key technology supplier as they expand their reach with digital printing. Delta’s unique platform strikes at the core of the changing needs in the retail supply chain, by offering a vertically-integrated digital print fulfillment model with quick delivery at an affordable price. The inclusion of the Atlas will greatly enhance the options and capabilities that Delta will be able to offer its customers. The all-new industrial Atlas has leading-edge technology with annual production capacity of over 350,000 impressions and optimizes production efficiency at the best cost of ownership available. We look forward to working collaboratively with Delta to deliver on this order and expand on this important relationship.