Toxic cocktail

The reports of gloom and doom have been circulating for weeks now. Particularly in the two weeks before this issue went to press, the headlines of all the media were crammed with financial and economic news. It appears, therefore, that the global financial crisis is far from over, despite multi-lateral government measures, agreements and plans for an international ”highway code” for the world of finance. What once partly began as overgenerous mortgages and other consumer credits issued by US banks to US citizens has since flared up into a global conflagration... more »

In brief

WebPDM Version 5.3: Gerber Technology, Tolland (USA), has launched WebPDM Version 5.3. According to the company updates include “several usability enhancements to provide easier, faster and more powerful searching, navigation, data entry and reporting.” A key component shall be a richer integration with AccuMark, Gerber Technology’s CAD software for pattern design, grading and marker making... more »

New colour tool for better communication

OptiTex, Petach Tikva (IL), has added a Color Manager to its 3D Runway Designer 10 software. Color Manager is conceived for optimal communication between the designer and the manufacturer. According to the company the Color Manager is divided into three main sections. The first is Color Pickers and Color Spaces, which supports four-colour spaces RGB, HSV, CMYK and HEX. The second is Harmonious Color Schemes for work in monochromatic colours... more »

RFID reader for quick counting and sorting

Datamars, Lugano (CH), launched the new high-frequency Mid-Range reader R-IN1300 MID ”ideally suited to applications in the industrial laundry sector where manual count and sorting processes are required,” as the company claims. With its reduced size and weight, the Datamars R-IN1300 MID reader would be easy to handle and, when manually sorting textiles, allows operators to identify multiple items in one sweep, reading up to 50 Laundry Chips per second... more »

Closer to reality

Scientific research and the use of virtual textile models have gone a long way in the area of computer graphics. No special importance has however been put to an accurate physical description of the textiles for the simulation of real situations. An interdisciplinary research project ranging between ready-made clothing technology and computer graphics has now made some contribution to that problem... more »

In brief

40 years of Mathis AG: Mathis AG with headquarters at Oberhasli (CH) celebrates its 40th anniversary. Since 1968, Mathis designs and builds laboratory textile equipment for dyeing and finishing processes in the textile, chemical and dye industries as well as coating equipment for laboratory and production facilities in factories of the textile, paper and foil trades, the pharmaceutical as well as plastics industries, the battery as well as fuel cell manufacturers, the steel as well as aluminium processors and the automotive industry... more »

Crochet machine for technical applications

The Italian manufacturer Comez, Cilavegna, proposes its DNB/EL-800-8B electronic double needle bed warp knitting machine for the production of a wide range of technical textiles. This machine comes in gauges from 5 to 20 n... more »

Universal feeder for all yarn types

BTSR, Olgiate Olona (I), recently launched its new Ultrafeeder combined with the new digital Unico system (Universal Tension Control System), specially designed for the knitting sector: sock/stocking, seamless, large diameter knitting machines, linear machines and several types of looms (cotton, Raschel, label and ribbon production, etc... more »

High speed circular knitting machines

Havertex, Castiglione delle Stiviere (I), presents new machines within the HSM series. The HSM 2100 32X28 open frame is a 32” diameter machine with three feed systems per inch. According to the company plain jersey, structures, plush and small jacquards as well as vertical stripes can be produced, depending on the choice of the cam... more »

New markets and products in focus

In the harbour town of Porto, Modtissimo opened its doors for the 32nd time from 7-8 October 2008. The 200 collections featured at what used to be a pure textiles fair, today mirror a cross section of the entire apparel and textiles industry... more »

In the choke-hold

The prominent European textile trade fairs for the sampling round autumn/winter 2009/2010 are over. The Munich Fabric Start in Munich (D), the Milano Unica in Milan (I), the Texworld, and the various events Première Vision Pluriel in Paris (F), have plainly shown that also the textile branch has got caught in the choke-hold of the international financial and economical crisis... more »