The FabricLink Network's Top 10 Innovation Awards for 2014 recognize
outstanding new developments in textile fabrics across a variety of industries.
The awards highlight cutting edge products, which involve a range of
technologies within the specialty areas of
technical sports textiles, industrial, medical, safety/protective and home
furnishings.
Products, designers, manufacturers, and suppliers are celebrated for their
leadership in fabric technology development and originality.
The new
technologies are commercially available in the specialty fabrics market and one
is currently available as a finished consumer product.
The Annual Top 10 Innovations
Awards are presented for the creation of new products in the specialty textile
fabrics market and for the formulation of interesting and novel textile
developments, fiber technologies and fabric developments that significantly
improve the design, construction or performance of existing textile products.
The
selection is made by the FabricLink Network based on a review of new products
currently in the marketplace.
Kathlyn Swantko, president of
the FabricLink Network, stated, “The research and development required to launch
these award winning advancements often extends over several years. This year’s
winners include products that can be used in a broad range of industries and
consumer applications, and represent some of the best innovative achievements in
the textile industry”.
The 2014 award winners
include: CRAiLAR® , Edema
Stocking, ELUTE™, EQ-Top Seismic Wallpaper, Geckskin™, GeoDetect® , Mushroom®
Materials, PurThread™, and QMilk, and RamTect™.
CRAiLAR® Flax is a new, high-quality,
sustainable natural fiber, which surpasses the comfort of cotton, but exhibits
performance characteristics similar to a synthetic. CRAiLAR Flax Fiber reduces
chemical and water usage, and is designated as a 100% BioPreferred® product by
the USDA.
The Edema
Stocking, developed by Ohmatex in
Denmark, is a smart electronic textile device that monitors and measures changes
in leg volume for patients suffering from edema (fluid accumulation or swelling)
of the lower limbs.
ELUTE™ is a biodegradable,
drug-loaded fiber delivery system, developed by TissueGen, Inc., which can be
used in implantable medical devices. This allows a broad array of drugs to be
delivered directly to targeted internal sites.
EQ-Top Seismic
Wallpaper was
developed through a
partnership between the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Bayer’s
Material Science division. This product is a composite of strong, stiff glass
fibers, crisscrossed in various directions to distribute energy evenly when the
walls of a building shake during an earthquake.
Geckskin™, developed by scientists at
the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and marketed by Felsuma LLC, is a new
attach-and-release material that replicates the feet of the gecko. The material
peels away easily on any surface, leaving no residue, and can hold up to 700
lbs.
GeoDetect®, developed by TenCate, is a
combination of geotextile performance and fiber optic sensing technology to
provide actionable information related to soil strain and temperature changes of
geo-structures. GeoDetect® is the “first intelligent geotextile” able to
provide soil reinforcement, structural health monitoring, design validation, and
an early warning system.
Mushroom® Materials,
developed by
Ecovative, are a new class of home-compostable bio-plastics with a mycelium
base, which are a high-performance and an environmentally responsible
alternative to traditional polystyrene plastic foam packaging material,
insulation, and other synthetic materials.
PurThread Technologies'
high-performance fabrics are embedded with an EPA-registered antimicrobial agent
developed by Eastman Kodak. The antimicrobial agent, a form of silver salt,
works to keep fabrics fresh by inhibiting the growth of odor-causing bacteria,
mold, mildew, and fungus.
Qmilk, a biopolymer fiber
manufactured by Qmilch GmbH, is a compostable fiber based on casein milk
protein. The Qmilk fiber can be obtained both as a staple fiber and filament.
Like wool and silk, Q-Milk is soft, gentle on the skin, antimicrobial,
flame-resistant, and non-allergenic.
RamTect™ is a 100% American wool
insulation product, developed by Hobbs Bonded Fibers, to serve as insulation for
outdoor garments. RamTect is an extremely soft, lightweight, and pliable wool
insulation fabric using patent pending, no-yarn compression technology.
Please visit the following link to learn more about each of these exceptional products. http://fabriclink.com/Consumer/TopTen-2013.cfm
About the FabricLink
Network:
Kathlyn Swantko, a textile
advocate and educator, is president and founder of FabricLink.com and
TheTechnicalCenter.com, the on-line textile resources that make up the
FabricLink Network. FabricLink.com (trade-to-consumer) and
TheTechnicalCenter.com (trade-to-trade) provide information about new products
and marketing opportunities for specialty textiles, textile-based products and
services. The two sites offer; valuable content and technical information, news
releases on innovations, fabric descriptions, usage and care, supplier history
and contacts. Seven searchable indexes make the FabricLink Network websites the
“go-to” resources for textile developers, fashion designers, and researchers. In
addition, the Network offers effective platforms for all businesses, from small
niche-based companies to large broad-based textile manufacturers, to reach other
businesses within the supply chain and the consumer marketplace. Visit the FabricLink Network
(www.fabriclink.com and thetechnicalcenter.com) on Twitter at FabricLinkNet,
and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FabricLinkNet.
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