From the Sector

DOMO Chemicals, a global leader in the field of material engineering will discuss economic and environmental challenges at the 2019 Wood Mackenzie European Nylon Conference in Frankfurt am Main, Germany from March 5 to 7.

Ron Bult, Director of Global Sales of DOMO Engineering Plas-tics will highlight solutions based on ECONAMID®, a family of PA6 & PA66 compounds based on sustainable post-industrial feedstock derived either from film manufactur-ing or from fiber and yarn manufacturing. Depending on the applications and the desired level of physical and mechanical properties, DOMO can provide grades that are unfilled, mineral filled, glass-fiber filled, or carbon-fiber filled.

“DOMO is making major efforts to accelerate the development of sustainable solu-tions that bring value to our customers’ businesses, while acting responsibly towards the environment, employees and communities,” says Bult.

Also at the conference, Philippe Guerineau, VP Sales & Marketing in the company’s Nylon & Intermediates business unit, will join a panel discussion at the conference to discuss on the economic outlook and the future of the polyamide industry. DOMO will be holding consultations and exclusive events for its customers as well.

• Hexcel’s Composite Innovations For Aerospace, Automotive, Energy And Marine Applications At JEC World 2019 Hall 5 - Stand J41

STAMFORD, Conn. – At this year’s JEC World taking place in Paris on March 12-14, Hexcel will promote a wide range of composite innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, energy and marine markets.

Aerospace Innovations

Hexcel’s HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements were developed to complement a new generation of HiFlow™ resin systems, producing high quality aerospace structures using the resin infusion process. HiTape® was developed for the automated lay-up of preforms and HiMax™ is a range of optimized non-crimp fabrics (NCF). Both products incorporate a toughening veil to enhance mechanical properties, meeting the structural requirements for aerospace parts.

Visitors to JEC will see an Integrated Wing Panel demonstrator and an I-beam, both made with HiTape® reinforcements, and an Opticoms rib made with HiMax™ NCF. The Opticoms rib and I Beam were both manufactured using C-RTM (Compression Resin Transfer Molding). They were injected with Hexcel’s RTM6 resin in a process taking less than 5 minutes. The total manufacturing cycle for both parts was just 4.5 hours.

Also among the Aerospace exhibits, Hexcel will display a composite petal for a satellite antenna, manufactured by Thales Alenia Space Italia. The petal is part of a set of 24 deployable structural elements that form the large area reflector assembly used on board Low Earth Orbit (LEO) observation satellites. Thales Alenia Space Italia selected Hexcel’s HexPly® M18 prepreg for this application, acknowledging the superior mechanical and outgassing properties provided.

Another Hexcel prepreg application on show is a “zero” frame, manufactured by Aerofonctions for the engine area of Daher’s TBM 910/930 single-engine turboprop aircraft. Hexcel’s HexPly® M56 prepreg was selected by Daher for the “zero” frame – a product developed for Out of Autoclave applications that provides the same high quality and performance as autoclave-cured prepregs, from a simple vacuum bag cure in an oven.

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.

HexTow® carbon fiber holds the most qualified carbon fiber positions on aerospace programs in the industry and is the best unsized fiber available on the market. It provides excellent bonding interfacial properties with thermoplastic matrices and is the best-performing fiber for 3D printing applications.

Additive manufacturing is another area of expertise for Hexcel, using PEKK ultra-high 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.

Hexcel is well known for its range of weight-saving, stiffness-enhancing honeycombs and the company adds value by providing a range of engineered core solutions to customers from facilities in the USA, Belgium and the newly opened Casablanca plant in Morocco. Hexcel’s engineered core capabilities enable highly contoured parts with precision profiling to be produced to exacting customer specifications. An example of such a part will be on display at JEC. Made from Aluminum FlexCore®, the part is CNC machined on both sides, and formed and stabilized with both peel ply and flyaway layers of stabilization. Aircraft engines benefit from a number of Hexcel core technologies including HexShield™ honeycomb that provides high temperature resistance in aircraft engine 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 re-use of material after a fire event.

Hexcel’s Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb 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.

HexBond™ – the new name in Adhesives

Hexcel’s range of high performance adhesives has expanded considerably following the company’s acquisition of Structil. The company has now decided to unite the range by marketing all of its adhesive products using HexBond™ branding. The comprehensive range of HexBond™ structural film adhesives, foaming adhesive films, paste adhesives, liquid shims, epoxy fillets and Chromium free liquid primers is suitable for a wide range of applications in combination with Hexcel’s prepreg and honeycomb products.

Automotive Innovations

Hexcel’s carbon prepreg patch technology provides an innovative way of locally stiffening and reinforcing metal parts, providing noise and vibration management functionality. HexPly® prepreg patches consist of unidirectional carbon fiber impregnated with a fast curing epoxy matrix that has self-adhesive properties, enabling it to bond to metal in a highly efficient one-step process. These key technology properties are demonstrated in an 18.5kg aluminum subframe (that is 50% lighter than steel equivalents), which was reinforced with 500 grams of HexPly® prepreg and tested by Saint Jean Industries. The part demonstrates a significant reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH). Other benefits include lower production costs, energy savings, increased driver comfort, production flexibility and part count reduction. With this technology Hexcel is a finalist in the JEC Innovation Awards 2019 in the Automotive Applications category.

HexPly® prepreg patch technology was also applied to a hybrid side sill demonstrator developed with Volkswagen and Dresden University to address future crash test requirements, specifically for electric cars. Combining fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) with metal, the hybrid construction allows for optimum performance including weight savings, enhanced safety, increased energy absorption, battery protection in a crash situation and production flexibility.

Hexcel will also display a lightweight CFRP transmission crossmember produced from Hexcel’s high performance HexMC®-i 2000 molding compound. The transmission crossmember was developed in partnership with the Institute of Polymer Product Engineering (at Linz University), Engel and Alpex. As the part connects the chassis together and supports transmission it has to be stiff and strong, resisting fatigue and corrosion. Hexcel’s HexMC®-i 2000 was selected as the best-performing molding compound on the market, curing in as little as two minutes to produce lightweight, strong and stiff parts.
To produce the transmission crossmember HexMC®-i 2000 preforms are laid up in Alpex molds and compression-molded in a v-duo press that was tailored for the application by Engel. Ribs, aluminum inserts and other functions can be molded into the part using the single-stage process, reducing component-count. Any offcuts from the preforms can be interleaved between the plies of material to provide additional reinforcement in key areas - meaning that the process generates no waste.

Other Automotive promotions on Hexcel’s stand at JEC World include a composite leaf spring manufactured by ZF using HexPly® M901 prepreg. In contrast to steel leaf springs, composite versions offer many advantages including weight savings of up to 70%, high corrosion resistance, optimized system integration and superior performance. HexPly® M901 prepreg reduces the cure cycle to below 15 minutes and provides 15% higher mechanical performance, with enhanced fatigue properties. It also operates at high temperatures, providing a Tg of up to 200°C following a post cure.

Marine Innovations

Hexcel has a comprehensive range of products aimed at racing yacht and luxury boat builders that include America’s Cup, IMOCA class and DNV GL-approved prepregs, woven reinforcements and multiaxial fabrics for hull and deck structures, masts and appendages.

At JEC World Hexcel will display an IMOCA yacht mast manufactured by Lorima using HexPly® high modulus and high strength carbon fiber prepreg from Hexcel Vert-Le-Petit. Lorima is the exclusive official supplier of masts for IMOCA 60 class racing boats.

Hexcel’s HexTow® IM8 carbon fiber has been selected as the highest performing industrial carbon fiber on the market and will be used by spar and rigging manufacturer Future Fibres to manufacture their AEROrazr solid carbon rigging for all the teams in the 36th America’s Cup.

Hexcel’s HiMax™ DPA (Dot Pattern Adhesive) reinforcements are non-crimp fabrics supplied pre-tacked, allowing multiple fabrics to be laid-up more easily in preparation for resin infusion. Providing an optimal, consistent level of adhesion, they allow a faster and more consistent resin flow, as well as eliminating the use of spray adhesive for a healthier working environment and lower risk of contamination. Simply unrolled and applied to the mold or core layer before the introduction of resin, HiMax™ DPA fabrics are widely used in boat building, where lay-up times can be reduced by up to 50%.

Wind Energy Innovations

Hexcel has developed a range of HexPly® surface finishing prepregs and semi-pregs for wind turbine blades and marine applications. Providing a tough, durable and ready-to-paint surface without using in-mold coats, these products shorten the manufacturing cycle and reduce material costs. HexPly® XF2(P) prepreg is optimized for wind blades and has a ready-to-paint surface, straight from the mold, saving at least 2 hours of takt time.

Polyspeed® pultruded carbon laminates were developed for load-carrying elements in a blade structure and are manufactured with a polyurethane matrix that provides outstanding mechanical performance in terms of stiffness and durability. The blade manufacturing process is optimized, with increased throughput. The pultruded laminates are supplied in coils as continuous cross section profiles.
HiMax™ non-crimp fabrics using E-glass, high modulus glass and carbon fibers are also available in a wide range of unidirectional, biaxial and triaxial constructions. HiMax™ fabrics have applications throughout the turbine, from the stitched carbon fiber UDs used in the main structural elements, to glass fabrics and hybrids for blade shells and nacelles. There are also specialist applications such as lightweight fabrics for heated leading edge de-icing zones.

For this 2019 edition, JEC World organizes for building, automotive and aerospace professionals a full program of conferences, round tables, dedicated showcases… to present trends & innovations where composites are at the heart of the challenges to come, the new mobility challenges.

JEC WORLD 2019 CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM:

• 1 technical conference  
• +30 innovative parts within Building and Energy planet
• Composites exchange workshop
• 3 Finalists for Innovation Awards
• Pre-arranged Business meetings
• Construction Composites Circle

Please find here more information about JEC World 2019 Construction program.

JEC WORLD 2019 AUTOMOTIVE PROGRAM:

• 1 technical conference  
• +50 innovative parts within Auto&Transport Planet
• Composites exchange workshops
• 6 Finalists for the Innovation Awards
• Pre-arranged Business meetings
• Automotive Composites Circle

Please find here more information about JEC World 2019 Automotive program.

JEC WORLD 2019 AEROSPACE PROGRAM:

• 1 technical conference  
• +50 innovative parts within Aero&Space planet
• Composites exchange workshop
• 6 Finalists for Innovation Awards
• Pre-arranged Business meetings
• Aerospace Composites Circle

Please find here more information about JEC World 2019 Aerospace program.

At the joint stand of the Aachen Centre for Integrative Lightweight Construction (AZL) in Hall 5A, booth D17, the Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University (ITA) will demonstrate its expertise in the field of glass fibres, preforms and textile concrete 12-14 March 2019 in Paris.
The exhibits come from various fields of application and address the automotive, aerospace and mechanical engineering sectors.

1. Innovative glass fibre research at ITA
   The newly constructed induction heated glass fibre production line enables increased flexibility in research. For the first time, glass fibres will be produced live at the ITA booth at JEC World. One of the innovations of the system is the inductively heated bushing. It features a flexible design and consists of a platinum/rhodium alloy (Pt/Rh20) for use in high-temperature glasses.
   The glass fibre production line was designed in such a way that new concepts and ideas can be tested quickly. The modular design allows a high flexibility, the induction system a significantly faster operability.
   Research and development projects can therefore be carried out faster and more cost-effectively.
    
2. DrapeCube - Forming of textile semi-finished products
   The DrapeCube offers a cost-effective design for the production of fibre preforms from textile semi-finished products. It is used in the production of preforms for prototypes and in small series and is suit-able for companies active in the production of fibre-reinforced plas-tics (FRP).
   In the production of FRP components, the preforming process de-fines a large part of the subsequent component costs. In small- and medium-sized enterprises, this process step is often still carried out manually. This results in high quality fluctuations and component prices. Especially in the case of highly stressed structural components, the fluctuation in quality leads to oversizing of the components.
   Thus, the lightweight construction potential of fiber-reinforced plastics is underused. One solution is offered by the stamp forming process adapted from the sheet metal forming industry for shaping rein-forcing textiles. The textile is inserted between two mould halves (male and female) and automatically formed. Due to high plant and tooling costs, this process is used almost exclusively in large-scale production.
   The ITA has developed the DrapeCube forming station which offers a cost-effective alternative and is able to completely reproduce the current state of the art for forming textile half branches. The process steps will be demonstrated in a video at the booth.
    
3. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) preform
   The CFRP preform consists of carbon multiaxial fabrics formed by expanded polystyrene (EPS) to optimise draping quality. Preforms of increased quality can be produced by gentle, textile-compatible forming with foam expansion. For the first time, foam expansion was used to form preforms in such a way that the draping quality is improved compared to classic stamp forming.
   The advantages of the CFRP preform lie in the savings in plant costs, as the investment is much lower. In addition, the proportion of waste is reduced because near-net-shape production is possible. In addition, rejects are reduced, as fewer faults occur in the textile.
    
4. Embroidered preform with integrated metal insert
   The 12k carbon fibre rovings are shaped into a preform using Tai-lored Fibre Placement (TFP) which is a technical embroidery pro-cess. For the further layer build-up, a fastener is not only integrated under the roving layers but also fixed by additional loops. The highly integrative preforming approach offers the possibility of reducing weight and process steps as well as increasing mechanical perfor-mance.
   Until now, inserts were glued or holes had to be drilled in the com-ponent. Bonded fasteners are limited by the adhesive surface. The bonding of fasteners into drilled holes results in high drill abrasion and thus high tool wear.
   The advantages of the embroidered preform with integrated metal fasteners are the reduction of scrap due to TFP preforming and the increase in the specific pull-out force. In addition, it is possible to automatize the production of integrative preforms. This makes the preform with integrated metal fasteners interesting for the automotive and aerospace industries.

At this year’s Heimtextil from 8-11 January 2019 in Frankfurt, Trevira GmbH presented a new Trevira CS joint stand on an impressively huge scale under the motto “Textile Values”. Its fair stand concept, scaled up for 2019, attracted a large number of visitors. Together with 26 top Trevira CS customers, Trevira told the story of the entire textiles value chain across a 2,200+ msq site. Visitors were taken on a journey that started with the basics – fibre production and yarn manufacture – before moving on to the dyeing, weaving and warp and weft knitting stages and ultimately to the end of the journey, the textile editing.

Trevira GmbH’s CEO Klaus Holz said, “I think we have once again “upgraded” our presence at Heimtextil. If I say this I’m not only talking about size and number of participants in our stand, but rather about value. Including all kinds of Trevira CS partners from yarn producers to fabric manufacturers and textile editors, our stand was reflecting the entire textile value chain.”

The highlight of the stand was Trevira’s new trend show for the contract market, “Trends in Contract by Trevira CS”. The show gave visitors, especially (interior) designers and decorators, an opportunity to find out more about innovative textiles and colour trends on the home and contract market.

Head of Marketing Anke Vollenbröker said, “We are extremely pleased that our trend show met with such great interest, and it was fantastic to see so many interior designers participating in our trend gallery tours. The trend area proved to be a source of inspiration for numerous visitors and demonstrated the expertise of our Trevira CS partners when it comes to outstanding design.”

China is the world's largest producer and exporter of nonwoven fabrics, as well as having the largest consumer market for products made from nonwovens, making the upcoming biennial China International Nonwovens Expo & Forum (CINE – supported by Techtextil) the place to be for industry players from 3 – 5 June. This year’s event will relocate to a different venue, the Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing, located conveniently between Hongqiao airport and downtown Shanghai.

“The nonwovens market has been one of the fastest growing sectors of the Chinese textile industry over the last decade, and we expect this to continue in the coming years,” Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of the fair’s co-organiser, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, commented. “The demographic changes, evolution of the manufacturing sector and greater awareness of environmental protection that have driven growth in China, among other factors, are also evident in a number of markets in the region, particularly Southeast Asia, so we anticipate production growth will remain strong to meet export demand, even if the Chinese economy slows further.”

Reports by the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA), the Freedonia Group and Smithers Pira support this. Nonwovens output in China grew year-on-year by 9.67% for the first 11 months of 2018, exceeding the corresponding figure for 2017 of 8.71%, while demand for nonwovens is predicted to reach 4.9 million metric tons in 2022, a 6.9% per year increase over this period.

Turning to the region, in 2015 Asia occupied 43.1% of the global nonwovens market – with China alone accounting for more than half of the share – with this figure expected to increase to 47.1% in 2020. The Freedonia report also notes that healthy growth in markets nearby to China such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam will also fuel nonwovens output in the country to meet export demand.

Globally, nonwovens demand is expected to increase 4.4% per year to 12.2 million metric tons in 2022, with developing regions being the main driver of this, in particular within Asia-Pacific. In the PP nonwovens sector, output is predicted to nearly double between 2013 and 2020, with the major drivers of this growth being baby diaper, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products. In the durable nonwovens sector, annual growth of 6 to 7% for the period 2017 – 2023 is also anticipated for filtration, engineering construction and packaging uses.

The international home textiles industry has enjoyed a promising start at Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main, which finished Friday, 11 January. The challenging economic situation and uncertainty in the retail sector were countered by a positive and confident mood at the world’s leading trade fair.

3025 exhibitors from 65 countries* took the international trade fair for home and contract textiles to a 15-year high: ‘Exhibitors and visitors accepted the new trade fair concept with great enthusiasm and confirmed the trade fair’s position as the world’s most important meeting place for the industry. The quality of the decision-makers impressed the exhibitors, as did the number of new business contacts from 156 countries, especially international ones – thus enabling Heimtextil to set a new benchmark’, says Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt. ‘Around 67,500 visitors* ensured that there was a busy atmosphere in the halls, despite a slight decline due to various reasons, such as difficult travel conditions on account of the storms in the alpine region and airport strikes in Germany’. [*For comparison, 2018: 2,975 exhibitors from 64 countries; 68,584 visitors from 135 countries, FKM-tested)]

3025 exhibitors from 65 countries* took the international trade fair for home and contract textiles to a 15-year high: ‘Exhibitors and visitors accepted the new trade fair concept with great enthusiasm and confirmed the trade fair’s position as the world’s most important meeting place for the industry. The quality of the decision-makers impressed the exhibitors, as did the number of new business contacts from 156 countries, especially international ones – thus enabling Heimtextil to set a new benchmark’, says Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt. ‘Around 67,500 visitors* ensured that there was a busy atmosphere in the halls, despite a slight decline due to various reasons, such as difficult travel conditions on account of the storms in the alpine region and airport strikes in Germany’.

One topic that occupied both exhibitors and visitors was the current and future economic situation. A further challenge is the increasingly evident changes that are happening in trade. Increasing revenues and revenue shares in online retailing stand in the way of the efforts made by the stationary retail trade to maintain their inner-city businesses. ‘The small business specialist trade, but also department stores and multibrand stores, and thus the heart of our visitor target groups, are under pressure from the constantly increasing levels of e-commerce. With Heimtextil and our consumer goods fairs in general, we offer these retailers in particular clear perspectives and diverse inspiration in an ambiguous world’, continues Braun.

Heimtextil made it easier for its visitors to access valuable inspiration and business momentum thanks to an optimised trade fair concept and the associated new hall structure. ‘The new concept brought more visitors to the stand’, was the feedback from Andreas Klenk, Managing Director of Saum & Viebahn from Kulmbach in Franconia about hall 8.0 which offered textiles editeurs and manufacturers of curtain and sun protection systems a common platform for the first time. ‘It was the right decision to merge the different segments. We had high quality discussions with respect to both export and domestic business, and are satisfied with the trade fair’.

As part of the new concept, Heimtextil expanded its unique product range across the entire exhibition site and also included the new hall 12, which has been an additional architectural highlight on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds since September.

Top international companies from the Bed & Bath Fashion segment presented their wares here. For the company Curt Bauer from Aue in Saxony, the première of the new hall was a successful one. ‘We're very enthusiastic about the new hall 12. The product range there was very well received. We are very satisfied with the quality of visitors to our stand. In addition to a good frequency of German visitors, we are particularly pleased about growth from China and Russia’, says Managing Director Michael Bauer.

Natural materials, PET and ocean plastics 
Heimtextil set a standard in terms of sustainability: after the first global climate protection agreement for the textile industry was signed by 40 leading fashion companies, organisations and associations at the World Climate Conference in Katowice last December, the focus in Frankfurt was also on environmental progress in the textile industry. Numerous exhibitors presented progressive solutions, for example in the recycling of PET bottles and ocean plastic as well as in the use of certified natural materials. ‘Sustainability was the theme for us at this year’s Heimtextil. Major media players visited us and the 'Green Tour’ guided tour stopped by. We presented many things, including our first vegan duvet and fair silk products, all 100 per cent produced in Austria’, says Denise Hartmann, Marketing Manager at Hefel Textil. The topics of water consumption in the textile industry and microplastics also increasingly came to the fore. The exhibitor directory ‘Green Directory’ alone contained around 150 progressive companies listing sustainably produced textiles. The offer was supplemented by its own lecture series as well as theme-specific tours, which provided valuable impetus and
underpinned the pioneering green position of the trade fair.

Sleep becomes new lifestyle theme
Heimtextil also focused on sleep as one of the upcoming lifestyle trends. While a balanced diet and sufficient exercise are now a natural part of a healthy lifestyle, restorative sleep is still neglected* although it is one of the most important building blocks for long-term physical and mental well-being. At Heimtextil, a number of new products and aspects came to the fore that help people become sensitised to and analyse their sleep behaviour and promote healthy sleep. Around the redesigned hall 11.0 and in the adjoining lecture area ‘Sleep! The Future Forum’, representatives from the national and international bed industry enjoyed attractive product presentations and superb speeches on the topics of sustainability, hospitality, sport and digital.

In addition to the renowned trend show, the trade fair also focused on contract business, particularly in the hotel and hospitality sector, as well as decorative and upholstery fabrics, digital printing solutions and wallpapers.

The next Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main – its 50th edition – will take place from 7 to 10 January 2020.

*According to a forsa investigation commissioned by the Techniker Krankenkasse

• STOP TALKING. START ACTING.
• Climate change is real. And so is the responsibility of every human being to help in reducing waste.

We no longer want to talk about sustainability, we want to act. For January, PREMIUM is partnering with Spanish fashion label and sustainable clothing pioneer ECOALF. The brand will present its lifelong mission and latest collection in a dedicated space as well as an art installation together with conceptual artist Juan Garaizabal.

"2019 is all about digital first and an active debate about social and environmental issues. Transparency and sustainability are key words. By reducing plastic waste on all our shows, teaming up with ECOALF and giving this wonderful brand dedicated space and time for spreading their message, we are taking steps into right direction. Every little action counts. We should talk about the things we do more instead of talking about what we are not doing. We all need to wake up. Now.” – Anita Tillmann, CEO PREMIUM Group

ECOALF creates high-quality garments using recycled materials collected from the bottom of our oceans. Commitment, sustainability and innovation are at the core of everything the company does, resulting in both conscious and stylish urban, adventure, knitwear and activewear pieces.   
 
“I love collaborating with people that also believe we have the opportunity to change the world for the better. It’s no longer about what you do, but how you do it. It is important to stand up for what you believe in, because fashion cannot just be about looking good.” – Javier Goyeneche, President and Founder of ECOALF. 

On Wednesday, January 16th, at 10am and 2pm, Goyeneche will present his brand’s values, philosophy and way of working on the experience floor of SHOW&ORDER X PREMIUM at Kühlhaus, right next to the STATION area. Show visitors, media and other exhibitors are invited to listen, learn and discuss.   
 
The art piece in partnership with Garaizabal unveiled at PREMIUM on January 15th is filled with waste to portray our everyday reality, and purposefully interactive so that visitors can throw their own trash inside the installation. The aim is to educate about correct waste disposal and show that every individual’s decision matters: Stop, Think, Act.

• The world’s leading exhibition for additive manufacturing takes place in Frankfurt am Main every year
• With 26,919 visitors, Mesago, organiser of Formnext in Frankfurt, reported a new record with numbers up by 25% on the previous year.

This year Perlon was amongst the 632 exhibitors from 32 countries for the first time, which, represented by Pedex GmbH from Wald-Michelbach, was a co-exhibitor on a stand for companies from the German region Hesse (Hessen Trade and Invest GmbH - HTAI). Some visitors were surprised to discover that the world leading manufacturer of synthetic filaments is also active in the 3D printing filament field. That the Perlon Group, known innovation and market leader in many fields of application, with its decades of experience in the development and manufacture of filaments, has entered into the 3D printing market was well received.

The fact we actually entered the market 6 years ago, was only known to a few experts in the field. In this time, Pedex GmbH had been producing a wide range of performance filaments for a well-known German 3D printer manufacturer, who since then has distributed exclusively under its own brand. The decision, to out ourselves as producer and supplier was taken in summer 2018. This new direction has two main aims, firstly to establish ourselves in the market as a manufacturer of Perlon® 3D printing filaments, producing both small batches and high volume on an industrial scale for professional applications, but secondly and most specifically to continue along the path as a toll manufacturing partner with long-term contracts on an industrial scale.

As a partner with universities/institutions and member of various research networks, we are close to the quickly advancing developments in this field, which is why we were really pleased to welcome Dr. Andreas Baar and Dr (Ing) Thomas Neumeyer onto our stand. They are both members of RESOPT3D (Netzwerk für ressourcenoptimierten 3D-Druck), Germany’s strongest user network for 3D technologies.

Together with Conspir3D in Rheinheim and its owner Jan Giebels, who 10 years ago was a co-founder of the company German RepRap, we were able to forge a partnership to distribute Perlon® 3D printing filaments. With his support we could competently advise trade visitors about filaments and 3D printing as a collective proactive team.

Next year, Formnext will take place from 19th to 22nd November 2019 for the first time in exhibition halls 11 and 12 at the Exhibition Centre in Frankfurt am Main. This will be a debut exhibition for the USA which will be exhibiting as first partner country at Formnext. The USA has a long tradition in the field of additive manufacturing and is one of the most important international exhibiting nations.

As the tradition goes, twice a year the functional fabric fair Performance Days selects the most innovative fabrics, accessories and finishes for their Performance Forum. This year, two functional finishes from textile innovator Devan Chemicals (Moov&Cool® & R-Vital™) were chosen. R-Vital™ was awarded with the ‘100% Jury Like’ stamp, meaning all the members of the Jury selected the sample, a recognition only granted to a handful of the 1400 applications.

R-Vital™ – ‘100% Jury Like’
R-Vital™ is a range of microencapsulated active ingredients that boost textiles with anti-oxidative effects. The microcapsules, attached to the fibre, deliver antioxidants to the body upon friction. The ‘100% Jury Like’ sample is treated with a well-chosen blend of Ubiquinol (Q10), Sea kelp and Thyme oil, which enhances recovery after sports performances. As R-Vital™ is also suitable for other market segments, such as bedding textiles, Devan enables its customers to compose their own blend, allowing them to create truly unique products and hence properties.
Marleen Van der Auwera, BU Manager Health & Wellness is happy to see that R-Vital™ is getting some more attention. “When the technology was first launched about a year ago, we noticed people had some difficulties understanding the concept because it was so revolutionary to them”, she says. “But this recognition really indicates more and more people are seeing its potential.”

Moov&Cool®
Moov&Cool® is a patented polymer technology, providing a cool comfort feel through a combination of durable heat absorption capacity and a unique, balanced moisture transfer system. By lowering the body core temperature, the finishing treatment helps professional athletes to take their performance to the next level. Furthermore, the technology is also designed to enhance comfort during physical activities of recreational athletes.
Moov&Cool® was first launched at Performance Days in April and will be presented in full detail at the upcoming edition, which will take place on November 28^th & 29^th in Munich, Germany.