From the Sector

Archroma has launched at the recent ITMA exhibition its new Lurapret® N5396 & N5392 liq, a water-based ultra-low VOC polyurethane (PU) polymer coating technology.

The innovation was developed in compliance with “The Archroma Way: safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature”. The approach finds its origin in Archroma’s deep belief that it is possible to make the textile industry sustainable, economically and ecologically.

Coatings are used in the textile industry to achieve features such as waterproofness, flexibility, durability and UV resistance. With the growing demand for safer and more ecological products, water-based PU coatings are progressively prevailing as the preferred coating technology.

Able to offer an alchemy of design and sustainable innovation, Iluna Group with ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei join the latest edition of the Milano Unica fair with a range of innovations capable of combining innovation, aesthetics and quality. "Ethical" lace and stockings, where quality standards go hand in hand with fashion content, respecting both the environment and humans, an offer already selected among the protagonists of the Sustainable Thinking Exhibition of the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, for its value in the field of responsible innovation.

Experts in the production of stretch lace since 1985, ILUNA today represents the largest European laces’producer. Thanks to the effectiveness of their responsible innovation strategy, Iluna Group has been the very first lace producer to have gained the GRS (Global Recycled Standard) for their transformed products, together with the company certification STeP (Sustainable Textile Production by Oeko – Tex®).

As the role of lingerie in fashion and athleisure continues to augment, the desire for garments that will meet a new set of values for contemporary consumer lifestyles will flourish.   
ROICA™ takes this year’s Interfilière visitors on an inspirational journey, aimed at encouraging weavers, designers and brands to “engineer” their portfolio of products in new and exciting ways. The company sets a whole new standard in how creativity and responsibility can come together for a new generation of wardrobe solutions dedicated to the contemporary consumer, carving out a new kind of fashion future.
 
For Interfilière 2019, ROICA™ tells the story of its five unique yarn families brought to life through a precious partnership system and exploring three key themes: heritage, innovation and lifestyle.

STAMFORD, Conn. – At this year's Paris Airshow [Le Bourget, June 17-23] Hexcel will promote a range of carbon fibers and composite materials used to manufacture high-performance weight-saving structures in civil aircraft, engines, helicopters, and space applications.

Visitors to the Hexcel stand will see an Integrated Wing Panel demonstrator and an I-beam, both made with HiTape® carbon fiber reinforcements. HiTape® dry carbon reinforcements were developed for the automated lay-up of preforms and to complement a new generation of HiFlow™ resin systems, producing high-quality aerospace structures using the resin infusion process. The reinforcements incorporate a toughening veil to enhance mechanical properties and meet the structural requirements for aerospace parts. The I-Beam was manufactured using C-RTM (Compression Resin Transfer Molding) and was injected with Hexcel’s RTM6 resin in a process taking less than five minutes.

Hexcel honeycomb saves weight and enhances stiffness in composite structures, and the company provides a range of engineered core solutions that enable highly contoured parts with precision profiling to be produced to exact customer specifications. A sample part made from aluminum FlexCore® that is CNC machined on both sides and formed and stabilized with both peel ply and flyaway layers of stabilization will be on display.

Another honeycomb innovation is Hexcel’s Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb that significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs.
Another Hexcel technology to benefit aircraft engines is HexShield™ honeycomb which provides high-temperature resistance in nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential reuse of material after a fire.

With 50 years of experience behind its comprehensive range of high-strength, high-strain PAN-based carbon fibers, Hexcel continues to innovate and is introducing two new fibers to its portfolio. HexTow® HM50 combines high modulus and high tensile strength, making it ideal for commercial and defense aircraft and engines. HexTow® 85 was developed specifically to replace rayon-based carbon fiber for ablative applications.

Another area of expertise that uses HexTow® carbon fiber is additive manufacturing, where Hexcel uses PEKK ultrahigh performance polymers and HexAM™ technology to manufacture carbon reinforced 3D printed parts. This innovative process provides a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKK™ structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Later this year Hexcel will open a joint research and development laboratory in Les Avenières (Isère), France with Arkema to develop carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepreg tapes for aerospace, space and defense applications. A spool of thermoplastic prepreg tape will be on display on Hexcel’s stand to showcase this cost-effective technology that enables lightweight parts to be produced in faster production cycles for future generations of aircraft.

Hexcel’s stand is located next to Hexcel’s official distributor for aerospace products, Groupe Gazechim Composites. In 2018, Hexcel and Gazechim formed a joint venture, HexCut Services, to provide aerospace and defense customers with customized kitting services that include Hexcel’s innovative carbon fiber prepreg, fabrics and adhesives. Pre-cut kits save customers time and investment, reduce inventory and minimize material losses through scrap reduction.

• Operations, Product Development, Sales and Technical Support Growth

Celine Huang 黄秀蔚 is named Chief Executive Officer for HeiQ Greater China and Ming Wen Liang 梁銘文is named Chief Executive Officer HeiQ Taiwan. Huang, with her background as a general manager of a large player in the same industry brings a total of over 20 years of solid testing lab, agent and country strategies management expertise with an excellent relationship skills with customers, distributors, dealers and end users. She has a chemical engineering degree in dyeing and finishing from China Textile University. Huang has worked in both Australia and China in senior management positions. Huang will lead the group’s Greater China business from the newly created Shanghai office (瑞士海屹科新材料有限公司上海办事处).

Liang will manage mill relations, technical support and distribution at HeiQ Taiwan. She brings close to 20 years of experience in textile and garment production supply chain focusing on sales, material innovation and development, sourcing and production. Liang holds a Bachelor of International Trade from the National Taipei University of Business, Taiwan, speaks Chinese, English and Spanish and has lived in both Taiwan and Argentina. And will be based in the new office in Taipei (瑞士海屹科有限公司).

HeiQ continues to increase its global footprint with the creation of HeiQ Shanghai and HeiQ Taiwan. In addition to HeiQ Hong Kong, these offices aim to provide dedicated technical support in the Greater China area, further broaden its geographical reach in strategic locations and support HeiQ’s brand partners’ manufacturing activities in the region.

ROICA™ marks its first presence at Denim Première Vision in Milan focusing on its premium sustainable stretch offer and key partnership with Candiani.

The City of Milan, the cool atmosphere of Superstudio Più, and Denim Première Vision are the perfect show-window for ROICA ™ to introduce its key eco - high tech premium stretch stories and partnerships in the market able to offer real advanced denim experiences to visitors.Let’s start from the ROICA™ and Candiani partnership: shared vision, aligned mindset and DNA that reveal a common deep commitment to reach a new level of innovation that embodies responsibility with amazing look and touch! These were the premises that lead to the partnership between ROICA™ and Candiani which generated a very special ROICA™ yarn realized only for Candiani. A premium stretch yarn that is boasting a GRS  (Global  Recycled  Standard)  version  4  certification,  thanks  to  its  high  percentage  of  recycled  content  and appropriated process of transformation.  This ad hoc ROICA™ sustainable stretch solution perfectly fit the  new  amazing  Candiani ReLast line,  the  range  of  market  fresh  responsible  denim  products  whose  objective is to introduce a 100% transformed innovative solution.

Lectra has been awarded by a jury of experts the Texprocess Innovation Award 2019 in the New Process category for its latest ground-breaking offer, Fashion On Demand by Lectra.

Fashion On Demand by Lectra automates the entire personalization process, from order reception and product development to the final cutting stages. Resulting from a four-year research-and-development process, the digital solution for on-demand production was developed based on Industry 4.0 principles.

"We are very proud to receive this prestigious award at Texprocess, the biggest international event for all fashion players. Fashion On Demand by Lectra allows companies to produce personalized clothing at the same speed as ready-to-wear and avoid overstocking by producing in precise quantities,” states Holger Max-Lang, President, Northern & Eastern Europe, Middle East, Lectra.

Fashion On Demand by Lectra is available in the form of two packages, one dedicated to made to measure, with pattern adjustments, and the other to customization, with product characteristic alterations. This turnkey solution automates on-demand production right from order reception to production development stages and the cutting room. Companies can define their desired product personalization criteria for each item depending on the package, and launch production processes right from the get-go, without interfering with their standard workflows.

"This innovative cloud-based platform solution ensures efficient made-to-measure and customization production processes and facilitates nearshoring for companies that offer individualized products. This technology is up and running and can be used by the fashion industry on a plug-and-play basis," say the jury experts. “Since 2011, the Texprocess Innovation Award has been honoring remarkable achievements and new developments in the Texprocess product range under two categories: new technology and new process. The winners are selected based on criteria such as degree of innovation, choice of materials and environmental sustainability."

Textile innovator Devan Chemicals will launch two new technologies at the upcoming Techtextil show in Frankfurt (May 14-17). Bio-flam, a bio-based flame retardant product and Odour Breakdown, a wash durable, non-biocidal odour control solution.
As tradition goes, every two years Devan participates in Techtextil, the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens. In the quest for sustainability and transparency every company faces these days, the new Devan technologies offer answers to product developers and portfolio designers.

Bio-flam
Some facts & figures: There are at least 5000 fire incidents each day in the EU. Yearly, about 70 000 people are hospitalised with fire-related injuries. Fires cause pollution. So sustainable fire performance of products is an economic, environmental and human necessity. Take the example of mattresses: tests indicate that when on fire, non-FR treated products give less than 5 minutes escape time. Unfortunately, that is not enough time for the fire brigade to arrive. Needless to say that to increase escape time, to reduce the risk and to save lives, products need to be flame retardant. The challenge is to obtain flame retardant properties in the most natural way, to find the right balance between safety for the people and for the planet.

Companies can do this by replacing raw materials from a non-renewable source, by bio-based FR treatments, which are made from renewable sources and do not contain halogens or heavy metals, as described in the norm EN 16785 1:2015. Bio-based FR treatments, like Bio-flam, are made from renewable, vegetable sources and enable the FR treated products to be biodegradable. The active components are 100% halogen- and heavy metal-free. A welcome innovation for the bedding industry, as the European Commission requires mattresses to be recyclable by 2030 in order to reduce landfill.

Bio-flam P307 is the first introduction in the new Devan BIO-FR family, and is biodegradable and is developed to be used on 100% cotton or cotton/viscose mixtures, in order to create an ecological concept, safe for people and planet, whatever might happen. Bio-flam P 307 is developed for mattress ticking to pass EN 597 1&2. The Devan researchers are developing other bio-based products for other market segments and for other fire standards.

Sappi launches a sublimation paper optimised for glue-belt printers
The rapid individualisation and personalisation of fashion and home textiles on polyester-based materials using sublimation transfer is in high market demand. With this in mind, Sappi is expanding its portfolio of dye sublimation papers: with its silky-smooth reverse side, the Transjet Drive sublimation paper innovation enables better runnability on digital high-speed printers with a glue-belt system. This smooth printing performance increases productivity. Moreover, due to its low grammage, Transjet Drive offers weight per unit area advantages.

The new sublimation paper is specifically designed for glue-belt printers, but is also suitable for high-speed printers without a glue-belt system. Due to its specially treated reverse side, it adheres to the printing belt without slipping and can pass through quickly. The smooth reverse side also ensures that the paper does not stick to the adhesive-belt and that it slides away without leaving any residue on the belt. These special properties protect the glue-belt and save work steps such as cleaning or corrections during production. With grammages of 45 and 55 g/m², Transjet Drive also offers weight advantages. Here is another reason why this new product is attractive to customers: every ton of Transjet Drive gives you more printable paper area compared to heavier grammages.

On the surface, the paper is specially coated, so that the ink dries quickly and the final result on the textiles appears very colour-intensive. Thanks to fast drying, the webs can be rolled up again immediately after printing. Because of these properties, Transjet Drive is used especially for fashion and home textiles such as scarves, bed linen and curtains. The 55 g/m² version is also suitable for soft signage.

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, will be at Techtextil to launch its latest innovations and system solutions aimed to help textile manufacturers with optimized productivity and/or value creation in their markets.
Archroma offers a wide portfolio of dyes and chemicals aiming to increase sustainability and innovation along the entire value chain, from fiber to finish.
Archroma is reputed for its continuous flow of ground-breaking innovations, such as the EarthColors®, a range of dyes made from non-edible natural waste from the agricultural and herbal industry, or more recently, the purest indigo, Denisol® Pure Indigo, an aniline-free* synthetic pre-reduced liquid indigo launched in 2018.
At Techtextil, Archroma will present 10 solution systems and 4 innovations, and will hold an “Innovation Session” to present the most prominent of those for the first time ever: Appretan® NTR, a new nature-based binder. (See “Agenda” below).

The Archroma Way
The systems and innovations presented by Archroma have all been selected for their compliance with “The Archroma Way: safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature”. The approach finds its origin in Archroma’s deep belief that it is possible to make the textile industry sustainable.
The Archroma Way is based on 3 pillars:

1. Safe - with the deeply rooted goal to protect people and our planet. Safe to use, safe to release and also safe to wear.
2. Efficient - with innovating application processes that minimize resources and maximize productivity, both in Archroma’s and its customers' manufacturing.
3. Enhanced – with the added value created from additional effects, functionalities and aesthetics.

At Techtextil, visitors will be able to discover how The Archroma Way can help them create value in their textile applications and markets.