Our Intelligence channels offer market intelligence, technical reports and deep-dive analysis of key industry motivators, technologies, materials and impactors. WTiN Intelligence provides detailed analysis of important high-growth areas of the textile and apparel industry. WTiN’s expert team of analysts and network of researchers go beyond the what and the why to look at what might come next, what businesses need to contend with in an evolving global supply chain, and how they can take advantage of the opportunities on the horizon.
Industry insight, market information, and the connections you need to examine and evaluate market trends in the roll-to-roll digital textile printing sector.
By Joe Link
By Joe Link
By Fiona Haran
By Harry McMullen
Market and technical intelligence essential to the activewear and athleisure textile and clothing industries.
By Jessica Owen
By Fiona Haran
By Harry McMullen
In-depth intelligence about textiles used in outdoor sportswear, footwear and equipment, as well as textile applications that require protection from external environments - such as workwear and PPE.
By Jessica Owen
By Jessica Owen
By Harry McMullen
In-depth intelligence on the materials, manufacturing technologies and application areas of smart textiles.
By Jessica Owen
By Fiona Haran
By Harry McMullen
Providing investors and decision makers in the textile and apparel value chain with in-depth analysis and insight into the digitalisation of manufacturing processes and smart business models.
By Otis Robinson
By Otis Robinson
By Harry McMullen
Our WTiNews channels take a look at global textile and apparel industry innovation, businesses, technology and markets, provided by WTiN’s in-house team of journalists. WTiNews is set apart from basic news content as it discerns the importance of changes and developments in the supply chain. WTiNews doesn’t only tell you ‘what’ has happened, it also covers impact, the bigger picture and the industry’s response to trends, events and more.
A viewpoint on both natural and manmade fibres and yarns, as seen through the eyes of manufacturers, growers, processors and spinners, with a mix of technical articles, analysis and product innovation news.
By Jessica Owen
By Nitin Madkaikar
By Chris Wilcox
By Harry McMullen
Analysis and manufacturing technology updates for the global fabric manufacturing industries and their supply-chain partners.
By Jessica Owen
By Jonathan Dyson
By Joe Link
By Harry McMullen
News, analysis and technical information on the important realms of dyeing, finishing, printing (both screen and digital) and coating.
By Joe Link
By Joe Link
By Joe Link
By Harry McMullen
News, market insight, analysis and product development updates from the fast-growing markets in technical textiles, covering all applications and end uses.
By Jessica Owen
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Unrivalled coverage of the manufacture and uses of engineered polymer and fibre ‘non-textile’ products.
By Joe Link
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Your instant window on the global raw materials prices, trade movements, resources and manufacturing costs that can affect the profitability of your textile products.
By Nitin Madkaikar
By Harry McMullen
By Nitin Madkaikar
By Joe Link
Digital Textile is the world’s only journal dedicated wholly to textile applications in the rapidly developing field of digital printing.
Future Materials (FM) is focused on innovation in the fast-growing technical textiles sector, from fibre to finished product, covering all the applications and end uses across the world. As global demand for technical textiles rises, high-level executives and product designers increasingly turn to FM for the latest news, product launches, R&D projects, conference reports and market insight.
International Dyer & Finisher is the unrivalled world leader in the delivery of vital sector-specific information for textile dyers, finishers, printers and coaters.
Knitting International is uniquely placed to give a worldwide perspective to manufacturers and retailers in the ever-more globalised and diversified knitting industry.
Nonwovens Report International (NRI) keeps you up-to-date with the latest developments across the nonwovens market. With its team of technical and industry experts, NRI makes use of its close ties with associations, research institutes and market-leading businesses to bring you international reporting that covers areas all over the world.
Previously known as IoTex, the newly relaunched Textile 4.0 journal delivers vital insights into the burgeoning transformation of the textile and apparel value chain. It covers a spectrum of content, from technologies enabling the personalisation trend to supply chain transparency, the latest in fabric gripping robotics, smart clothing and much more.
Twist is read across the textile supply chain, from early stage processors to retailers, with its primary focus the provenance of fine natural fibres such as wool, cotton, silk, linen, cashmere and mohair, as well as rare and speciality fibres.
Yael Akirav, an industrial designer from Israel, has recently been working with 3D printing technologies to creative conductive foldable lamp shades. Jessica Owen reports.
Yael Akirav, a 27-year-old designer from Jerusalem, first fell in love with 3D printing and textiles when studying for her degree in the Department of Industrial Design at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
She has since worked with this increasingly popular technique to conduct several interesting projects – the most recent of which is called Conductive Origami.
“Conductive Origami is a series of lighting fixtures which have been 3D printed directly onto textiles,” says Akirav. “Rigid printing onto textiles allows for the creation of complex elements.”
The printed material conducts electricity and the intersections that stem from the art of origami present the opportunity to turn on the light by contracting and stretching the structure.
The project was inspired by origami folding techniques. Akirav started folding paper in the traditional origami way and wondered how she could make such folds easily on the textiles. After several ways of folding, heating fabrics and ironing, she turned to 3D printing.
“I took the principles of origami folding and surprisingly the 3D filament acted as a structure skeleton and this offered me a way to fold and stretch the fabric multiple times,” she adds.
“During the next stage of the research, I was exposed to the conductive filament that is based on conductive silver ink. By combining the skeletal structure and conductive trait, I created a new way of lighting my lamps.”
The Conductive Origami series includes three lighting fixtures, each has its own fold and opens differently. Each lamp has two looks also – when they are open, stretched and lit and when they are folded back to the closed position.
The really interesting part about these designs is that the conductive filament means that the structure acts as a dimmer switch. So, as you stretch it out, the light turns on gradually and when it’s folded back, the light slowly turns off.
“For my series I designed two ways of opening – vertical and round opening lamps,” explains Akirav.
“The third lamp also has a round opening, but its unique quality is that I used two different colours of the filament to create a new surprising visual look. When the lamp is off, the textile looks completely white, and when the light is on, the black and white pattern is revealed through the fabric.”
One of Akirav’s previous projects – called Bloomiez – was aimed at raising awareness for car pollution.
For this endeavour, she designed a textile-shaped flower that connects to the car exhaust and collected the small pollution particles.
“The goal of my project was to raise the awareness of car pollution,” she says. “Vehicles are major contributors to air pollution, 60% of Israel’s polluted air is caused by this in fact.”
Akirav used a nonwoven cloth that is commonly used in gas masks and air conditioner filters to make these products. Again, she used 3D printing technology to make an outline of the construction on the textile, which helped her to easily create the folded shape she was after.
The final product looks like a white flower and while a car is in motion, the flower collects the black particles, effectively demonstrating how much pollution a car can produce.
It should be noted that the Bloomiez pollution flowers do not reduce pollution; they highlight how big an issue this is. They can help to filter a small amount, but they are no replacement for catalytic converters, for example.
Another of Akirav’s projects that is worth mentioning is called Tiny Light. This is a children’s soft book that is printed with conductive inks that spread light and sound when touched.
“The book is designed to make an interactive reading experience for both children and parents,” Akirav says.
To make the book, she used a LilyPad Arduino Main Board, conductive ink and RGB led lights in addition to the main fabrics. Each touch affects the sounds and lights, which are linked to the plot of the story.
“During my research, I discovered the importance of reading books to toddlers,” Akirav says. "They help children develop their early cognitive skills, stimulate language and make connections between sounds and words.”
Following on from the Conductive Origami project, Akirav has been working on a line of lamps for sale, however she is still investigating the boundaries of 3D printing onto textiles in order to expand the possible applications.
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