The 2014 Symposium has been developed by industry experts to meet the current and future strategies and goals of the attendees and exhibitors. The Symposium will once again be a structured program allowing time for presenters to interact with symposium attendees during and after each session and, as always, the program will allow for plenty of time to spend on the exhibition floor where companies from all aspects of the industry will be showcasing their latest innovative products and developments from around the world.
Held concurrently with the exhibition, the symposium will contain twelve sessions with more than 60 presentations in a variety of formats that will cover a wide range of topics from new fiber technology, intelligent textiles, medical research and application, nanotechnology real world applications, protective and military, high performance fibers and fabrics for sports and outdoor to nonwoven advancements.
New Fiber Technologies - Basics
This is the first part of a two part session. Part one is intended for those who are new to the industry or those who may want a refresher in textiles oriented to technical applications. Learn the basics of manmade and natural fibers as well as how they can be used in technical applications.
New Fiber Technologies - Advanced
Discover advancements in fibers and recent product announcements on new technologies. Industry experts will discuss the attributes of the more advanced fibers and their advantage and application in technical textiles. This session will cover specialized processing where applicable.
Protective and Military – Textile Advancements
Discover the latest advances in textiles designed to provide protection against a wide range of threats facing the military, emergency responders and industrial workers. Topics will include approaches to flame resistance, chemical and biological barriers, ballistic protection, and related areas.
Medical – Research and Application Based
The application of novel materials and innovative structures is key to the success of developing new healthcare products that are needed to span a wide range of clinical applications. Pressing issues currently include an aging population, limitations to medical budgets, increasing numbers of drug-resistant bacteria, and hospital acquired infections reaching epidemic proportions. The role of this session is to illustrate how current research is moving examples of the latest medical textile products from the laboratory bench to the hospital bedside.
Automotive – Textile Applications for a Competitive Marketplace
Supplying to the automotive market requires fully integrating design expectations with technical performance; all at very aggressive price structures. Advancements in technology, coupled with changing OEM design and styling requirements, have had a significant impact on the selection process for automotive interiors. This session will explore key drivers for the raw material supply base for automotive textiles, emerging design trends in interiors, including sustainability initiatives, and examine key changes to technical requirements for the various automotive textile applications.
High Performance – Fibers and Fabrics for Sports and Outdoor
What ingredients are needed to develop fabrics for sports and outdoor? Learn how to create the right recipe that contains ingredients to provide better comfort, breathability, cooling, heating, absorption and monitoring to bring your product to the next level.
Intelligent Textiles
Intelligent textiles have moved into a cross section of materials and end-products. Discover innovative application bases to help you take the right path to integrate intelligent textiles into your products.
Nonwoven Advancements
The nonwovens session will focus on the latest machinery developments in the industry and will focus on all segments of the industry from web formation to bonding including needle punching, spunbonding and melt blowing to hydroentangling, and thermal bonding. New and emerging product lines will also be a focus of the session.
Nanotechnology in Technical Textiles – Real World Applications
The US National Nanotechnology Initiative has invested at least 3.7 billion dollars worth of research. And while the projects address a wide range of theoretical and practical applications, the creation of many new materials and devices with unique and valuable properties has had an immediate impact on the global textile industry. In this session you will discover how nanotechnology is responsible for a growing range of different applications in the field of technical textiles, including textile structures used for specialized apparel, institutional, military and medical end-uses.
NEW Student Research Poster Program
The student poster session will offer young researchers the opportunity to discuss the latest in cutting edge research and development at leading Institutions. This will offer the audience to hear first-hand the latest research findings in academia and allows these future leaders to engage the industry.
Advisory Council Members
Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, NC State University
Dr. Martin King, NC State University
Eugene Wilusz, US Army NATICK Soldier RD&E
Jos Van Hattum, Norafin Industries
Dan Fritz, Johnson Controls
Bill Martin, Gaston College
For the full 2014 Techtextil North America Symposium schedule and additional information on each of the sessions, please visit www.techtextilNA.com.
About Messe Frankfurt North America
Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s leading trade show organizers with 536.9 million euros in sales and 1,833 active employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and approx. 50 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2012, Messe Frankfurt organized 109 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Messe Frankfurt North America produces nine shows within the United States, Canada and Mexico. The portfolio of events include Canadian Waste & Recyling, Home Textiles Sourcing Expo, International Apparel Sourcing Show (January & July), PAACE Automechanika Mexico City, Techtextil North America, Texprocess Americas and Texworld USA (January & July).
For more information, please visit our website at www.messefrankfurt.com