Graphic with headshots of Suzy Teele, Maria Curry-Nkansah, Kathie Leonard, and Jeff Winters from the SXSW panel
Smart Industry
Automation, Digital Manufacturing, Event, Fabrics, Manufacturing Jobs, Smart Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Workforce
SXSW Quartet Contends With Last Five Years of Change in Manufacturing

Experts with diverse manufacturing backgrounds from the 91¿´Æ¬ network, presenting at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin, Texas, last month, explored U.S. manufacturing, what technologies the next few decades will bring, and what steps manufacturers big and small can take to future-proof their business.

While manufacturing has...

Smart Industry
Biomanufacturing, Fabrics, Facilities, Manufacturing, Materials, Photonics, Workforce
How Collaborative Manufacturing Facilities are Impacting Industry’s Future

Manufacturing keeps evolving—and the facilities that house manufacturing in the U.S. are also changing and innovating. Given that 54% of domestic R&D occurred in manufacturing in 2021, according to the National Science Foundation, it makes sense for industrial facilities to be the places that enable experimentation and encourage product development...

International Fiber Journal NovDec2024 cover
International Fiber Journal
Fabrics
Fiber Electronics for Advanced Fabric Systems

Fibers and textiles date back to the beginning of civilization itself, yet remarkably, the fundamental properties of these materials have remained largely unchanged for millennia. By and large, natural fibers such as cotton and wool, and synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester form the foundation for the vast majority of textile products, yet...

Air & Space Forces Magazine
Fabrics
Headbands That Can Take Vital Signs: Air Commandos Try Out High-Tech Fabrics

High-Altitude, Low-Opening (HALO) parachute jumpers from Air Force Special Operations Command are sporting new headbands, woven from advanced fibers that measure and report the wearers’ vital signs, transmitting the data to a tablet or other device nearby.

“We can measure body temperature, heart rate, and SpO2 [blood oxygen saturation] and...

Fabrics
Create internship programs to train and hire younger workers

AFFOA has launched several efforts to attract young people to the textiles industry. One of these is the two-week Advanced Functional Fabrics Workshop where students conceptualize and create prototype solutions to address specific problems posed by companies involved in the program. Image: Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA)

While some...