External News

Graphic with headshots of Suzy Teele, Maria Curry-Nkansah, Kathie Leonard, and Jeff Winters from the SXSW panel

April 1, 2025

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��Ƭ 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...

January 26, 2023

SME

Fabrics, Smart Manufacturing

Transforming the Fabric of Manufacturing: AFFOA

As a non-profit, public-private partnership, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) bridges the gap between early stage technology and commercialization. Funded by the (DoD) and founded in 2016, AFFOA uses its expertise in fibers and fabrics, as well as membership ecosystems, to advance the domestic development of...

July 28, 2022

Textile World

Fabrics, Innovation, Manufacturing, Smart Manufacturing

Loomia Technologies Partners With AFFOA To Develop Heated Handwear

Loomia Technologies is partnering with Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) to develop highly tactile, heated handwear that could be applicable to both commercial/recreational and military customers.

For this collaborative project, Loomia will provide technology to be used in a heated glove insert, while AFFOA will lead customer...

November 25, 2019

Popular Science

Additive Manufacturing, Biomanufacturing, Biopharmaceutical, Composites, Digital Manufacturing, Fabrics, Flexible Hybrid Electronics, Materials, Reuse, Robotics, Smart Manufacturing, Wide Bandgap Technologies

The World is on the Brink of an Industrial Revolution and 91��Ƭ is Making Sure the U.S. Will Lead the Way

The manufacturing process that takes the next big idea from concept to market is one of the greatest factors propelling innovation forward — or in some cases, holding it back. Without this important step, we’d live in a world without many of the ingenious technologies that improve our daily lives and excite our imaginations, from smartwatches to...