From the Sector

The AZL will continue its collaboration on composites in buildings and infrastructure after completing an initial market and technology study which identified new potentials for composite technologies in buildings and infrastructure markets. The aim of the new AZL Workgroup which will meet for the first time on January 25th, 2018 is to jointly develop new applications and to support the business development for composites in these two growing markets. The meeting is open to interested companies from the composite industry as well as the building and infrastructure markets.

The aim of the initial workgroup meeting will be to turn insights from the study into a long-term workgroup collaboration and to define topics and initiatives for the joint cooperation in the field of process and manufacturing technologies, fire safety regulations, materials as well as standards and norms. Industrial keynote presentations will introduce these action fields and will provide an insight into building and infrastructure applications for composites. The meeting will furthermore provide a platform to network with companies along the entire composite value chain.

Dr. Amer Affan, CEO and founder of AFFAN Innovative Structures based in Dubai is in charge of various composite projects for buildings such as the Museum of the Future in Dubai: “We have been utilizing structural composites in construction since 2010. Composites is a truly high-tech material compared with the traditional building materials (steel, concrete, timber and aluminum) but it is still to be recognized as such in the conservative and price-sensitive building industry. AZL, particularly its location at the RWTH Aachen University and its partner companies, offers a good platform to progress the use of composites in construction.”

AZL together with more than 25 companies just completed the Joint Market and Technology Study on “New Potentials for Composite Technologies in Buildings and Infrastructure” establishing a broad knowledge on business opportunities for composite technologies in these two growing markets. In a structured approach, the study determined the key segments as well as the technologies/applications with the highest market and technological potential. Analyses of 20 market segments, investigation of 438 applications, technology analyses of 25 highlight components and 11 detailed business cases were elaborated throughout the study. Additional to requirement analyses for materials and production technologies, new concepts for efficient profitable production technologies and cost engineering analysis were developed. With the workgroup, the AZL will take this initiative a step further with the aim to build a long-term cooperation platform for composites in buildings and infrastructure markets.

Justin Jin, CEO of the Korean company AXIA Materials participated in the study and is part of the AZL Partner Network: “As producer of large thermoplastic composite sheets and composite SIP (Structural Insulated Panel), we are eager to drive composites in B&I applications with the best efficient way. The AZL study on Buildings and Infrastructure provided us a great networking with key players in this business field and opportunities to strengthen our products with the key elements from partners. The study also gave us a proper market understanding including market size/volume in numbers to prove the value of this technology to building industry. We are looking forward to following up on these first insights and to realize applications with the AZL and its partners.”

Besides the networking options, the meeting will offer the opportunity to get an insight into the activities of the AZL Network consisting of nine research institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus and more than 80 companies from 21 countries. During an optional guided tour, participants will visit selected institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus. The meeting is open to all interested companies and free of charge.

More Information on Meeting and the Study
Information on AZL activities in the field of buildings and infrastructure:
www.azl-lightweight-production.com/composites-buildings-infrastructure
Details and registration to first Workgroup Meeting on January 25th, 2018:
http://www.azl-lightweight-production.com/termine/1st-workgroup-meeting-buildings-infrastructure

A shining example of how technology and design work interact: On 3 November, 2017, Schoeller Textil AG wins the Design Preis Schweiz 2017/18 in the textile category. E-soft-shell is a heated fabric which can be cut to size without affecting the embedded technology and is primarily suited to clothing for outdoor activities and motorcycling.

The innovative company Schoeller Textil AG from the Rhine valley is the proud winner of the Design Preis Schweiz 2017/18, picking up the award for Excellent Swiss Design in the textile category on 3 November, 2017 in Langenthal.

Together with the whole Schoeller team, the Schoeller delegation – consisting of Roland Lottenbach (Head of Research and Development, left), Dagmar Signer (Marketing, centre) and Ruedi Kühne (CFO, right) - takes enormous delight in this recognition for the many years of intensive work. The company received the award for the heated fabric, E-soft-shell. Among others, the evaluation criteria were: technologies, material combinations, zeitgeist and innovation.

E-soft-shell by the meter

The Design Preis jury commented as follows on the Schoeller development: Electrically heated clothing which makes it possible for us to stay pleasantly warm in winter has long been a dream of the textiles industry. Projects in this field have hardly made it beyond the development and trial phase hitherto. But now Schoeller Textil has created E-soft-shell, a material that makes this utopia a reality. E-soft-shell is a laminate consisting of bi-elastic tissue, machined lining and a functional corkshell coating. The heating technology is integrated with the fabric in a diamond-shaped geometrical pattern. It is based on metallic yarns, making it possible for the material to be evenly heated at standard voltages. The fabric is designed to be sold off the roll, and can be cut up without affecting the embedded technology. It is suitable above all as clothing for outdoor activities or motor cycling – but applications in the fashion or wellness worlds could also come into consideration.

At JEC Asia 2017 (1-3 November), the international textile group CHOMARAT will receive a JEC Innovation Award in the Sports & Leisure category for its C-PLY™ Hexagonal with visual & structural stitching. “CHOMARAT provided NEILPRYDE and COBRA with its C-PLY™ Non-Crimp Fabric (NCF) technology to help them manufacture an innovative windfoil board, and we are very proud to be rewarded with our partners”, says Pascal JOUBERT DES OUCHES, Sports Equipment Market Director at CHOMARAT.

C-PLYTM HEXAGONAL COMBINES NEW CARBON LOOK AND PERFORMANCE

The unusual stitching of this carbon multiaxial NCF reinforcement combines visual appeal and mechanical performance. C-PLY™ Hexagonal is an innovative carbon NCF with a unique stitching yarn designed to be visible within the resin and to capture resin colour pigments. The stitching yarn also improves fracture toughness compared to standard NCF.
“We researched the right stitching yarn among multiple options before coming up with a tailor-made yarn solution. C-PLY™ Hexagonal provides a unique honeycomb carbon design that appeals to end users”, adds Philippe SANIAL, R&T Director at CHOMARAT.

A WIDE RANGE, FROM AERONAUTICS AND AUTOMOTIVE TO SPORTS & LEISURE APPLICATIONS

Originally dedicated to the design of aerospace and automotive parts, the concept is now successfully applied to the sports & leisure sector. In this innovative windfoil board construction, tows are spread to create thin plies, which are then stitched with precise ±45° angles. The C-PLY™ NCF structure respects the fibre alignment and is optimized in terms of fibre angles and ply weights, thanks to unique spreading technology. The result is a leading-edge carbon NCF reinforcement allowing structural design benefits, premium surface quality and overall parts cost savings. “Bringing a new carbon visual signature for our high-performance C-PLY™ range of NCF is a key to boost retail sales in the whole sports & consumers product industry”, concludes Pascal JOUBERT DES OUCHES.

• INVISTA to showcase ‘Innovative Attitude’ at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics
• Innovative INVISTA products, findings from a new textile industry IP protection survey, in-depth consumer insights and fashion trends will be revealed

INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibres, will showcase the innovative attitudes enabling it to maintain a leading position in the textile industry at the upcoming Rendez-Vous 2017 at October’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – the world’s most influential apparel event. INVISTA Rendez-Vous will showcase innovative INVISTA products, offer consumer insights and reveal the results of a textile industry IP protection survey.

INVISTA Rendez-Vous 2017 will be held at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics 11 – 13 October at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, with INVISTA occupying two booths in hall 5.2 E49 and hall 7.2 E55. 

As a global authoritative trade show in textile industry, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics has been a platform for INVISTA to communicate with players across the value chain for 23 years. This year’s event will be no exception. The rich and vivid content delivered at the show will focus on INVISTA’s Innovative Attitude to consumers, partners as well as the whole industry.

To build a healthy and sustainable marketing environment, INVISTA cooperated with a number of media organisations to conduct a survey on IP protection in the textile industry. The results will be revealed during a seminar entitled ‘Innovation and IP: An Avenue for Sustainable Textile Industry Development’, which will be held on 11 October, 2:45 – 3:45pm in the Textile Dialogue area in hall 5.2. Representatives from textile industry associations, legal firms and INVISTA will share the findings and offer insights during what will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of INVISTA Rendez-Vous 2017.

The main pavilion of the show will be located in the International Hall (hall 5.2), where three of INVISTA’s most innovative products will be on show. Visitors will experience the latest possibilities offered by LYCRA® MOVESTM BRA, LYCRA® MOVESTM LEGGINGS and LYCRA® MOVESTM HOSIERY.

LYCRA® MOVESTM BRA

According to consumer research conducted in 2016, bra products in China’s domestic market don’t match consumer demands in a host of critical areas, including support, comfort and aesthetic design. To address these concerns, streamline the industry and consolidate its leadership, INVISTA is launching LYCRA® lastingFIT technology for bra wings. In addition, INVISTA’s cutting-edge technology can contribute to meeting specific quality standards in bra wing fabrics, enabling Chinese consumers to experience higher levels of comfort and the appropriate support they expect from a bra in different occasions.

LYCRA® MOVESTM LEGGINGS

INVISTA’s longstanding commitment to legging fabrics will also be on display at Rendez-Vous. INVISTA’s LYCRA® MOVESTM LEGGINGS has already spawned LYCRA® SPORT Power-Comfort-Energy (PCE™) index-certified fabrics, which are now commercially available.

The revolutionary fabrics present excellent recovery performance for LYCRA® SPORT legging products. They also offer the industry an opportunity to develop a number of targeted segment markets – from compression and medium compress to light compression leggings.

LYCRA® MOVESTM HOSIERY

LYCRA® MOVESTM HOSIERY is all about fabric technology innovation. Due to excellent properties, such as anti-laddering, fit and durability as well as comfortable waistbands, INVISTA’s LYCRA® FUSIONTM technology has already been widely adopted in China’s hosiery sector.

A Packed Pavilion

At the LYCRA® MOVESTM Denim pavilion in the Beyond Denim hall (7.2), visitors won’t just see the innovative denim products offered by INVISTA; they will also learn about three themes highlighted through consumer insights – fit, shape and embracing heat & cold. There will also be a special session outlining the latest woven bottom trends, hosted by INVISTA experts.

Introduced commercially in 2010, LYCRA® dualFX® dual core yarn technology provides denim with super stretch and super recovery that fits all day and every day. It effectively prevents seam slippage and uneven fabric surfaces, keeping denim looking good, feeling comfortable and fitting, which in turn creates new denim fabric applications and fashion trends in the China market.

Last But Not Least

An interactive program, that includes visitors uploading pictures they take at the INVISTA booth to the official INVISTA WeChat account, will give every visitor a chance to win a special INVISTA gift. Visit INVISTA at hall 5.2 E49 and hall 7.2 E55 from 11 – 13 October at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics 2017.

Color Solutions International, a member of the DyStar Group is launching their Color Analysis for Spring/Summer 2019. Color Analysis is CSI’s trend forecasting magazine that provides high-level global color trend information for color managers, directors and designers to support the color palette development process. It contains a forecast of key colors, accents and core neutrals that will be most relevant for the upcoming seasons. The forecast is based on consumer reports, detailed market research, current social trends and generational mindsets. Every issue features an artist who influences and inspires forward thinking.

The magazine includes a seasonal color palette selected from a wide range of approximately 9,000 CSI colors. The color palette is also available as cotton swatches sold on a ring. Part of the CSI service offering is to provide color direction based on a wide scope of palette searches as well as validated color use. Every issue will include an exclusive Relative Color Popularity (RCP) report, which provides color validation based on seasonal color palette usage by comparing similar hues.
CSI and DyStar support brands, retailers and their business partners from development to production. The CSI and DyStar team of experts work together and assist their customers in color development, communication as well as in the dyeing and quality inspection process to achieve best possible results and sustainable fashion. All CSI products are produced with high-quality, eco-friendly DyStar colorants.
“The Color Analysis Magazine is an important feature of our service for designers, offering them competitive color trends for upcoming seasons. At CSI, we are here to assist with color selections and provide all the necessary tools needed for a successful seasonal palette.” -CSI Color and Trend Director.

In partnership with IPSOS, GINETEX presents the outcomes of its European barometer: "Europeans and textile care labeling" 70% of Europeans follow the textile care instructions featured on the labels and 80% admit that they would not (or would rarely) buy clothes without any labels, While another 84% feel concerned by water and energy savings . GINETEX, the international Association for Textile Care Labeling, called upon the French market research company IPSOS, to evaluate the behavior of European Consumers with regards to textile product labels and care symbols. This study, carried out in December 2016, combines the results of six different countries, gathered from a sample of 6,000 people in Germany, England, France, Italy, the Czech Republic and Sweden.
This IPSOS study reveals that 70% of Europeans follow the textile care instructions represented by the symbols. At a pan-European level, 57% even admit that they follow them 'often' and 13% do so 'always'. These figures illustrate the importance of care instructions in the minds of European consumers.
- 38% state that they follow these instructions in order to avoid washing problems such as shrinking, in the first place
- 31% follow them in order to preserve their clothes and keep them longer, as a second reason Overall, Europeans consider labels as too cumbersome and 62% admit cutting them out: for 74% of them, the labels itch and irritate their skin and for another 55%, they are often too long and uncomfortable. These results can differ from one European country to another.
However, the presence of the label is a real purchasing criterion since 80% of Europeans state that they would never or rarely buy a piece of clothing without a label.

In May 2017, Jochen Adler, Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer at Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG, presented a Oerlikon Barmag take-up winder as a partial gift to Prof. Dr Thomas Gries, head of the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University. The new Type ASW602 winder, which is equipped with modern control software and user interface, replaces the former institute’s Barmag take-up winder.

Due to this modernisation, ITA has access to a latest generation take-up winder which is used for various research projects. The new winder is applied at ITA’s two pilot melt spinning plants and ensures the transfer of new research and development insights into the pilot scale. Furthermore, this winder has two winding positions and operates with winding speeds between 2500 m/min and 5500 m/min. The new winder is suitable for all kinds of polymers, from polypropylene to polyethylene, polyester, polyamide etc. as well as for the production of several types of yarn, such as industrial yarn, pre-oriented yarn and fully-drawn yarn.
“We thank Oerlikon Barmag for the generous partial gifting and the support during the set-up of the new take-up winder”, says Prof. Dr Thomas Gries. “The new equipment will keep the institute’s machine park on a high and powerful level.” The head of ITA’s chemical fibre department Dr Thorsten Anders adds: “This winder is designed for the needs of chemical yarn research. It allows state of the art technology research and development and pilot-scale production. We will use it for the melt spinning plants in the single- and bi-component spinning process. This way, we can access a wide variety of producible yarn types.“

The world's leading trade fair for technical textiles, techtextil, will be held in Frankfurt from 9 to 12 May 2017. It is regarded as one of the leading international trade fairs for technical textiles and nonwovens, where decision-makers, developers and purchasers of the textile industry meet for exchange.
imat-uve will once again be exhibiting with its services around the design, development and testing of materials and textiles. At the booth G80 in hall 3.0, the visitors will find themselves in the middle of the imat-uve creative lab where the company presents itself with current projects. Among other things, this is a selection of innovative textile materials from the company's material library, which are developed further for specific requirements. Research projects show how textile innovations, for example at the car seat, ensure sustainable production and improved seating comfort.