Hot Topics
Worldwide staple fiber-based nonwoven consumption
Staple fiber represents nearly two-thirds (59%) of the resin and staple fiber used in the nonwovens industry. The consumption of staple fibers by drylaid, wetlaid, and airlaid short-fiber nonwovens production …
Student Spotlight: Electrospun biomaterials
Allison Fetz is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Memphis, where she is conducting research on electrospun biomaterials within the Tissue Template Engineering and Regeneration Laboratory, …
The plastics industry – committed to change or defending the status quo?
The year 2018 can be considered an annus horribilis for plastics, including synthetic polymer and fiber-based products that rely on such materials. The issue of microplastics in the oceans generated …
The plastics problem – a roundtable discussion
One of the most exciting areas of development in the fiber industry going forward figures to be in identifying solutions to minimize the environmental impact of nonwovens, technical textiles and …
The future of the ‘Forever Molecule’
The history and evolution of “the forever molecule” is both revolutionary and fortuitous. Polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, was discovered completely by accident on April 6th, 1938 by a DuPont Chemist, Dr. Roy Plunkett, while he was conducting research on chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants. Its first broad commercial use was non-stick cookware in 1960. PTFE has since evolved and is utilized in an extensive array of products that take advantage of its unique properties.