From the Sector

• A paper published in ACS Applied Materials Interfaces details effectiveness, describes protocol for future testing

An international team of scientists and engineers from the University of Cambridge, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, ResInnova Labs and Ascend Performance Materials has found that a nylon fabric embedded with zinc ions successfully inactivated 99% of the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the common flu.

Face masks, protective clothing and filters are used to slow the spread of viruses. But poor-quality masks can harbor active viruses from infected wearers, posing a transmission risk.

“A major challenge is absorption and inactivation,” said Vikram Gopal, Ph.D., co-senior author and chief technology officer at Ascend Performance Materials. “Respiratory viral illnesses, such as COVID-19, and the flu, are transmitted through droplets and aerosols. Polypropylene, the material in commonly used disposable masks, is a hydrophobic plastic and does not absorb moisture. Instead, the viruses can sit on the surface of the mask, posing a transmission risk when the mask is handled.”

Cotton also has problems, Dr. Gopal said. “Cotton effectively absorbs moisture, but it doesn’t inactivate the virus – again, posing a transmission risk,” he said. In the paper published in ACS Applied Materials Interfaces, the researchers described how a fabric made of nylon 6,6 embedded with active zinc ions absorbed virus-containing moisture droplets and effectively inactivated the particles. The fabric produced a 2-log, or 99%, reduction of virus particles in one hour.

The research team also was able to demonstrate that nylon with active zinc ions remains stable over time, keeping its virus-inactivating properties after 50 washes. “The study shows how nylon textile fabric with zinc outperforms the widely used cotton and polypropylene materials at virus absorption and inactivation,” Dr. Gopal said. The findings have significant implications for future development of PPE, Dr. Gopal said. “Pathogen-free PPE does more than just cut down the risk of transmitting the virus,” Gopal said. “By making PPE washable and reusable, you reduce the need for single-use products, keeping hundreds of millions of masks out of landfills.”

Fibre Extrusion Technology of Leeds, UK has delivered nine meltspinning systems to clients in the biomedical sector since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a similar number currently on order for 2021/22. This way FET could confirm the position as an acknowledged world leader in meltspinning equipment for the production of precursor materials used in medical devices and as a default supplier for absorbable suture production systems, with orders virtually doubling year on year.

Recent installations include a multi-functional system that can produce both multifilament and monofilament pre-cursor fibres, but nonwoven systems have been particularly prominent, driven by the burgeoning demand for FFP3 masks, gowns and other medical products required during the pandemic. These have been sold to medical device manufacturing companies across the globe, including the Far East, USA and Europe. Research organisations have also invested in FET systems for biomedical applications, the most recent being the University of Leeds in a laboratory scale Spunbond system.

The FET in-house Process Development Laboratory and ongoing collaboration with biomaterial polymer suppliers has helped to optimise the biomedical melt spinning technology. The Laboratory is at the disposal of customers for all aspects of confidential testing and evaluation. To further increase this competitive edge, FET will be opening a new Process Development Laboratory and Visitor Centre in early 2022.

• The success story of cellulose fibres continues - plastic bans drive innovation – 300 participants and 30 exhibitors are expected in-person and online
• 2-3 February, Cologne (Germany), hybrid event

Cellulose fibres are among the winners of the European 'Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD)', which has been in effect since July 2021 and entails plastic bans for a variety of single-use products. Cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls and a natural polymer. As a result, disposable products made of cellulose and cellulose fibres are not labelled as plastic and are explicitly excluded from the regulation. The success story of cellulose fibres will thus continue at a rapid pace with new developments and applications. Building on the success of this year's conference with 200 participants, the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022 will again cover the entire value chain, from lignocellulose, chemical pulp, cellulose fibres such as rayon, viscose, modal or lyocell and new developments to a wide range of applications: Textiles of all kinds, nonwovens such as wet wipes and new areas such as composites or nanocellulose in the food industry. All these sectors have gained considerable momentum in recent years.

Cellulose fibres have been a success story within the textile market with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 5 and 10 % over the last ten years and similar growth rates are expected in the coming decade. This makes cellulosic fibres the fastest growing fibre group in the textile industry and also the largest investment sector in the global bioeconomy.  The challenge now is to achieve a balance between the ongoing capacity expansion and the growing demand, to avoid overcapacity while still meeting rising demand from the major brands. These high growth rates are driven by the increased demand for natural fibres (and bottlenecks in cotton production), the microplastic issues, and bans on plastics in disposable applications. All three factors will continue to play an important role in the development of the sector in the future.

Focus of the conference

• Impact of plastic-bans on single-use products
• Transformation from fossil to renewable raw materials
• Challenges in developing new value chains
• Alternative raw materials for cellulose fibres
• Latest technology and market trends
• Market dynamics and stakeholders in the cellulose sector
• New ecosystems and partnerships
• Development of political environment
• Improvement of sustainability in production

Companies are now invited to submit presentations as well as their latest developments for the Innovation Award.

Call for Abstracts and Posters
Abstract submission is open now. Latest products, technologies, developments or market trends are welcome.
Deadline for submission: 15 October 2021

• Ramping Up Production of American-Made Polyester Tipped Swabs

The Biden Administration has awarded a contract for $6.5 million to U.S. Cotton LLC, the largest manufacturer of cotton swabs in the United States, to increase domestic production capability for polyester tipped swabs for home testing kits and mass testing applications to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since the beginning of the pandemic, U.S. Cotton has retooled operations to produce over 400 million COVID testing kit swabs.

The Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced the award today as part of the administration’s broader effort to increase domestic production capability for essential medical supplies.

U.S. Cotton, based in Cleveland, Ohio, said the company will increase its production capacity from 92 million polyester swab tips per month to approximately 371 million polyester swab tips per month by May 2022 to support domestic COVID-19 testing. The DOD contract award was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support the domestic industry base expansion for critical medical resources.

John Nims, President of U.S. Cotton said, “We are proud to be involved in a national effort to help deploy these testing kit swabs for the American people. These swabs are designed to make it easier for people at home to self-administer coronavirus tests and will also be used for mass testing applications, which is critically important. We greatly appreciate the collaboration with DOD and HHS to ramp up essential capacity of polyester-based synthetic swabs that will help in the fight against the pandemic.

“We continue to step up to meet our nation’s critical need for American-made coronavirus testing kit swabs on a massive scale. It is an honor to work with our government to help fight this pandemic and use our innovative technologies based here in the United States to fill a national and global demand for testing kits. I especially want to thank Senator Brown and Senator Portman for all their incredible support to help us retool and expand our operations in Cleveland. We can’t thank them enough for their tireless work and also want to recognize their hard working staff. As the Delta variant surges across the country, this timely investment will help in the fight against COVID by adding this much-needed, long-term surge capacity.”

Kim Glas, President and CEO of NCTO, said, “We want to sincerely thank President Biden, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services for leading this critical industrial expansion effort. We appreciate the administration’s commitment to expand the U.S. industrial base for these essential products.  We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to onshore these critical supply chains long-term and we look forward to working with the administration and Congress to advance long-term solutions.”

• Testing and development achieve rigidity and safety milestone

Basaltex, pioneers in innovative uses of basalt fibres, has achieved a significant milestone in developing and testing a new composite material solution comprising fibres of basalt combined with EconCore’s patented honeycomb technology.

This new material development has greatly improved fire resistance and is highly rigid, as well as the usual honeycomb properties of light-weighting.

The company has tested the composite of basalt fibres, a bio resin and rPET honeycomb.

Filaments of only stone fibres are extruded at a temperature of 1450°C, similar to glass but with a number of advantages, not least the absence of boric acid in the process.

Combining this ecological fibre with EconCore’s sustainable technology using rPET, and the bioresin polyfurfuryl alcohol - 100% derived from a waste stream of sugar cane - make this a very sustainable and environmentally friendly product, unlike the majority of thermoset solutions in this type of application.

Railway applications require materials with enhanced fire resistance and the testing has shown that the EconCore-Basaltex solution fits these needs well, at the same time offering the perspective of drastic weight reduction against traditional monolithic GRPs used rather widely in train interiors.

Such sandwich panel could be deployed in applications such as cladding panels, partitions, tables and flooring. The thermoset skin layers give a fast cure at elevated temperature, meaning short cycle time and enabling automated production’.

As well as the railway interior application, this new material combination could be used in any application that requires fire performance combined with a low weight.

Devan Chemicals has been supporting high performance sport in the UK and Belgium with its ‘cool comfort technology’ Moov&Cool.

Worldwide, hot temperatures are a new reality that brings extra challenges for athletes. Thermoregulation technology is becoming more and more important in order for athletes to perform at their best on the pinnacle of sports.

Working alongside the English Institute for Sport (EIS) and Sally Cowan Ltd, the technology is being applied to garments with the aim of improving the thermal comfort of elite athletes.

Moov&Cool consists of a multi-functional polymer technology that proposes to absorb heat during performance and improve the moisture management properties of the fabric. The treatment has been designed to simultaneously react to sweat build up and heat emission.

In Belgium, Devan has been involved in the Gold2Gold project carried out by Sport Vlaanderen. Gold2Gold is a unique collaboration between sports, government and the industry to prepare Belgian athletes to perform better in hot environments during world-level championships. Thermoregulating technology is increasingly becoming a key aspect of endurance performance for elite athletes. At that top level, small differences in body core temperature can make the difference between being on the podium or sometimes not even finishing the race.

• Diplome und Preise für Design-, Film- und Kunst-Absolventinnen

Am 3. Juli 2021 erhielten 203 Absolventinnen und Absolventen ihre Bachelor- oder Masterdiplome in den Bereichen Design, Film und Kunst. Elf Abschlussarbeiten wurden prämiert: von experimentellen Bauanleitungen für Kassettengeräte über künstlerisch verarbeitete Geschichten von Frauen, denen das Schwimmenlernen verwehrt wurde, bis zu surrealistischen Comics über desillusionierte Gurus.

In diesem Jahr haben 170 Absolventinnen und Absolventen ein Bachelordiplom erhalten in den Bereichen Animation, Video, Camera Arts, Graphic Design, Illustration (Fiction und Nonfiction), Objektdesign, Textildesign, Kunst & Vermittlung, XS Schmuck, Design Management, Inter-national sowie Digital Ideation (gemeinsames Angebot mit dem Departement Informatik). 33 Studierende schlossen ein Masterstudium in Design, Film oder Kunst ab. Die Diplomfeier fand im Rahmen der Werkschau Design & Kunst 2021 statt. Dabei wurden Förderpreise für elf herausragende Abschlussarbeiten vergeben:

Der Förderpreis Master of Arts in Design ging an Alexandra Gurtner aus Rotkreuz ZG für ihre Arbeit «(in)visible mind – Psychische Gesundheit an der Hochschule». Gurtner kreierte ein Arbeitstool, das Hochschulen helfen soll, die psychische Gesundheit von Studierenden ganzheitlich und effektiv zu adressieren. Basis dafür war eine Untersuchung der Angebote und Maßnahmen an der Hochschule Luzern und Feedbacks von betroffenen Studierenden. Der Förderpreis ist mit 5’000 Franken dotiert. Er wird gemeinsam von den beiden Vereinen «Luzern Design» und «Swiss Design Transfer» sowie der Hochschule Luzern vergeben.

Der ebenfalls mit 5’000 Franken dotierte Preis der Max von Moos-Stiftung geht an Sebastian Haas, Absolvent des Master Kunst aus Köniz BE, für seine Werkserie «Das sich bildende Dritte».
Die von Haas mit der Technik der Hinterglasmalerei bemalten und durch Hitze verformten Glasscheiben spiegeln so stark, dass sich die Betrachterinnen und Betrachter selbst als amorphe Figur darin erkennen können. Ändert man den Blickwinkel, entstehen stets neue situative und virtuelle Bilder, die das rätselhafte Dritte darstellen.

Die zeugindesign-Stiftung zur Förderung der visuellen Gestaltung verlieh fünf mit je 4’000 Franken dotierte Förderpreise an:

• Petra Baumann, Absolventin Bachelor Illustration Nonfiction aus St. Gallen. Sie kreierte für ihre Diplomarbeit «Von Bryum bis Sphagnum» eine Website über die wundersame und vielfältige Welt der Moose im Botanischen Garten St. Gallen.
• -Sandro Ramseier, Absolvent Bachelor Illustration Fiction aus Interlaken BE. Sein surrealistisches Comicprojekt «Shantiland» handelt von den Sehnsüchten eines desillusionierten Nachwuchsgurus in einer Welt zwischen Yogamatten, Räucherstäbchen, Nihilismus, Transzendenz und Ausverkauf.
• Jonathan Müller, Absolvent Master Film aus Rehetobel AR. In seinem Abschlussfilm «Eduardo Spelterini» erforscht er das Leben des Schweizer Luftfahrtpioniers, Opernsängersund Lebemanns, der mit einem Ballon die Alpen überquerte. Müller kombinierte für seinen Film Bewegtbild-Sequenzen mit Archivfotos.
• Dan Wenger, Absolvent Bachelor Animation aus Basel. Der Film «Screen Time» beginnt harmlos: Ein Daumen berührt den Bildschirm eines Smartphones. Was als unschuldiger Zeitvertreib beginnt, entwickelt sich zu einem Dauerkonsum, angetrieben von unaufhörlichen Wisch-und-weg-Bewegungen…-Yvee Nogara, Absolventin Bachelor Textildesign aus Zürich. Sie wirft in ihrer Abschlussarbeit «TYvee Shopping» einen satirischen Blick auf den Konsumwahn. Ihre aus gebrauchten Stoffen und Restmaterialien hergestellten textilen Objekte bietet Nogara in einer medialen Inszenierung an, die mit ihrer übertriebenen Ästhetik an die Teleshopping-Sendungen der 90er-Jahre erinnert.

Der mit 3’000 Franken dotierte Preis der Stiftung Alan C. Harris und Else Harris geb. Treumann wird an eine Absolventin oder einen Absolventen des Master Kunst verliehen. Er geht heuer an Anđela Rončević. Die gebürtige Kroatin hat im leeren Schwimmbecken des Kulturlokals Neubad Luzern die audiovisuelle Installation «I Will Swim» eingerichtet. Besucherinnen und Besucher hören darin die mit Wassergeräuschen unterlegten Geschichten von 20 Frauen aus verschiedenen Ländern, die nicht schwimmen können. Rončević untersucht mit ihrem Werk, wieso das Recht, schwimmen zu lernen, weltweit immer noch zahlreichen Frauen vorenthalten wird.

Der Förderpreis Design & Kunst/Alumni Hochschule Luzern in Höhe von 2’021 Franken – die Preissumme ergibt sich aus der aktuellen Jahreszahl – geht an Jost Zeindler aus Bern für seine Abschlussarbeit «Tape Tech» im Bachelor Illustration Nonfiction. Zeindler untersuchte darin, was es braucht, um eine gute Bedienungs- oder Bauanleitung zu gestalten. Er goss die so gewonnenen Erkenntnisse in ein Magazin für experimentelle Audio-Elektronik, in dem er diverse Anleitungen für Kassettengeräte visualisierte.

Der Preis der Swiss Design Association (SDA) honoriert hervorragende Diplomandinnen und Diplomanden der SDA-Partnerhochschulen. Die Preissumme beträgt 500 Franken sowie eine dreijährige Jungmitgliedschaft bei der SDA. Der Award geht an Martina Häusermann aus St. Gallen. Die Absolventin des Bachelor Objektdesign entwickelte für ihre Abschlussarbeit «Pressed Motion» bewegliche Aufsätze in der maschinellen Keramikextrusion, also der Produktion kontinuierlicher Keramikstränge. Diese eröffnen dank dynamischen Strukturen, Formübergängen und Durchdringungen neue Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten im Kunsthandwerk oder in der Architektur.

Die Auszeichnung Chapeau! Preis für Theorie BA-/MA-Arbeit ist mit je 500 Franken für herausragende theoretische Bachelor-, respektive Masterarbeiten dotiert:
-Den Preis für die beste Masterarbeit erhielt Sebastian Haas für seine Untersuchung zu spiegelnden Erscheinungen im Bildraum. Haas ist auch Träger des Max von Moos-Preises (siehe oben).
-Sophie Germanier aus Zürich erhielt den Preis für die beste Bachelorarbeit für «Welcome tomy MUD-dy World». Der Audioguide der Absolventin des Bachelor Kunst & Vermittlung führt in eine schlammige, von fressenden und defäkierenden Würmern bewohnte Welt. Der Guide und weitere Abschlussarbeiten des Bachelor Kunst & Vermittlung Luzern werden in der Ausstellung «Connection Requested» (18.–29. Juli 2021) im Kunstpavillon Luzern gezeigt.

Alle Arbeiten sind auf der Plattform wwwerkschau zu sehen.

• Key Provision Guarantees Long-Term Contracts for Domestic PPE

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished products, issued a statement today welcoming Senate passage of the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). As part of the bill’s effort to address overall manufacturing and technology competitiveness issues from the perspective of the U.S.-China relationship, the legislation will help reconstitute a domestic supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE).

“We commend the Senate for ushering the bipartisan USICA, designed to make the U.S. more globally competitive against China, across the finish line which includes an important provision to help onshore personal protective equipment (PPE) production,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas.

“We sincerely thank Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) for working to include their Make PPE in America Act in the USICA, a critical priority of the U.S. textile industry,” Glas said. “This language will help onshore critical production of medical personal protective equipment (PPE) by guaranteeing long-term contracts for American-made PPE and establishing a much-need domestic procurement requirement for federal purchases of these essential products. It will ensure that that U.S. taxpayer dollars are utilized to construct and secure a domestic production chain for the manufacture of lifesaving PPE and other essential medical supplies,” Glas said.

NCTO led an industry and labor coalition effort supporting the inclusion of the Make PPE in America Act in the USICA.  The USICA contains the key provisions of the Portman-Peters bill that ensures all PPE purchased by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs are Berry Amendment-compliant and guarantees long-term contracts for these critical items to incentivize domestic production.

“While we support the overall USICA package, which includes many items of critical importance to the U.S. textile industry, our industry is extremely concerned about a provision that was added in the eleventh hour that could sidetrack the critical effort to onshore a self-sufficient PPE industry,” Glas added. “This harmful provision would unilaterally suspend normal tariffs and penalties assessed on PPE imports for two years. Doing so would allow China to maintain its stranglehold on the U.S. PPE market, while working at cross-purposes with other provisions of the bill designed to incentivize much needed investment in domestic PPE manufacturing. U.S. manufacturers retooled production and have significant idle capacity.  It is critical that the House of Representatives strike this damaging language if this legislative package is considered.

“Congress and the administration need to keep PPE tariffs in place to support U.S. businesses and workers who abide by higher labor, environmental and production standards.  The industry reconstituted supply chains to help healthcare frontline workers.  Our industry has significant capacity to help meet U.S. medical needs.  This provision is the absolute wrong message to send to American manufacturers and its workforce.” Glas noted.

The antimicrobial protection of Sanitized® T 99-19 against the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been confirmed by independent labs in France (basis: ISO 18184:2019).

Textile and polymer products with Sanitized® antimicrobial treatment have been used in hygiene-sensitive areas for many years. For textiles, Sanitized® T 99-19 is a patented technology based on a silane-ammonia compound, a globally proven product. Its hygiene function is used in workwear and protective clothing for nursing staff, bed linen or mattresses in hotels, nursing care facilities and hospitals. Polyester goods for precisely these areas of application can now not only be antimicrobial, but also reliably protective against SARS CoV-2.

The antiviral efficacy (99.84 %) of the Sanitized® T 99-19 product has been officially confirmed by tests conducted by external labs.

Tests on end products, which were additionally carried out by textile manufacturers, also prove the effectiveness of Sanitized® T 99-19 against SARS CoV-2. License partners praise this confidence-building benefit of the end products. SANITIZED license partners receive concrete support in terms of marketing and legal aspects (health claims).

Avoid legal pitfalls when claiming antiviral protection
Advice and support for customers in achieving optimal hygiene protection for their products are an integral part of SANITIZED services. A claim guide has therefore been developed especially for products that protect against COVID-19.
https://www.sanitized.com/de/protection-against-covid-19-which-antiviral-advertising-claimsare-legal-sanitized-explains/

From leaders to entrepreneurs, JEC COMPOSITES CONNECT is welcoming a lineup of special guests. As part of conferences, they will share their expertise, vision, and perspective in front of all the players in the composites industry.

AEROSPACE – Towards a More Sustainable Strategy, Tuesday, June 1st –  9am to 10:15am (CEST)
The aerospace industry is a major source of innovation and technological advancements that often originates inspiration across a wide variety of other industries. Nowadays, in a context where environmental constraints are becoming increasingly stringent especially when it comes to air mobility, OEMs are constantly in search of innovative answers and solutions that will allow them to create a ‘greener’ future. The need for light-weighting, reduced maintenance and waste, and repurposing aerospace-grade CFRP towards other applications are expected to drive demand and adoption of composites in aerospace applications.

Yannick Willemin, Head of Marketing & Business Development, 9TLabs, will chair this conference with Clémentine Gallet, CEO, Coriolis, Hervé Gilibert,CTO, ArianeGroup, Jean Botti, CEO, Voltaero and Scott Finn, Chief Consulting Engineer for Composites, GE Aviation.

AUTOMOTIVE – The Right Material at the Right Place, Tuesday, June 1st –  3 pm to 5:05 pm (CEST)
Among the many challenges facing the automotive industry, reducing vehicle mass and therefore emissions all while maintaining safety and cost-efficiency remain key. Lighter materials implying higher costs, they limit mass production. Therefore, a combination of materials, albeit hybrid solutions, would help solve this issue and are becoming increasingly attractive for manufacturers. This conference consists of industry presentations and a panel discussion involving major OEMs & Tier1s from all over the world. It covers the challenges & opportunities of using composites materials in the Automotive field.

Dale Brosius CFO, IACMI, will chair this conference with Alice Swallow, Senior Innovation Engineer, FORD MOTOR GROUP, Christophe Kühn, Senior Project Manager – Composites & Hybrid Components, VOLKSWAGEN, Dominik Klaiber, Doctoral Candidate Body Advanced Engineering, PORSCHE and Gerard LIRAUT, Expert Leader Polymers, GROUPE RENAULT – ALLIANCE RENAULT NISSAN MITSUBISHI.