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Archive for the ‘Materials’ Category

Pincroft Named Official European Printer for MultiCam

Tuesday, October 16th, 2018

Pincroft, the dyeing and printing arm of Carrington Textiles, has been chosen as the official European printer of MultiCam camouflage fabrics by 1947 LLP. Carrington will showcase MultiCam camouflage fabrics for the first time at the Future Forces show, which takes place from 17-19 October in Prague, Czech Republic.

Described as an “uncompromising concealment option for those who demand the best,” the MultiCam pattern was developed to effectively limit the visual and near-IR signature of a person operating across a wide range of physical environments and seasons.

Licensed through textile solution provider 1947 LLP, the MultiCam family of products includes MultiCam Arid, MultiCam Tropic, MultiCam Alpine and MultiCam Black. “Together, the teams at 1947 and Pincroft provide the professionalism, enthusiasm and attention to detail that are guaranteed to meet and exceed all expectations in our international markets,” commented Ernesto Rodriguez, MultiCam Brand Manager.

Neil Davey, Sales Director at Carrington, said: ‘‘We have established ourselves as one of Europe’s largest workwear suppliers, delivering high-quality, multinorm fabrics to suit workers’ needs in a whole host of challenging environments – whether that’s providing protective qualities or creating lightweight fabrics that deliver added comfort. We are thrilled to be partnering with 1947 and are extremely proud to play a role in taking MultiCam into the European market.’’

One of Europe’s largest workwear suppliers, Carrington supports many of the world’s largest employers – spanning sectors from heavy industry to health. Formed in Lancashire, UK, in 1891, the company continues to lead the industry in personal protective fabric. Carrington’s current product range meets demand across four main areas: general workwear, flame retardant, waterproof and defence.

Carrington operates in more than 80 countries worldwide, supplying key customers including: McDonalds, UPS, BUPA, TATA Steel, Shell, Coca Cola, Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover, BP, and Arcelor Mittal.

www.carrington.co.uk

AUSA 18 – PolarFleece by Polartec

Tuesday, October 9th, 2018

Fabric manufacturer Polartec made a major showing at AUSA. Their fabrics are in a wide variety of issued clothing. When the company first started, they made PolarFleece. They’ve revived the brand as a new custom, made-to-order garment website.

PolarFleece.com features an easy to use interface. Customers can choose a wide variety of colors for fabric, stitching and trims.

In fact, there are over one billion combinations, including those military colors many SSD readers prefer.

MDM 18 – National Molding Tactik Buckle

Tuesday, September 25th, 2018

The Taktik Buckle by National Molding incorporates an anti-break locking system and includes a beaded lanyard pull for disengaging the buckle. The two pieces mate in a way similar to two fists interlocking at the fingers.

The Tactik Buckle is currently available in three sizes (1″, 1.5″
and 4″), but they can be used with one another to reduce size.

contactus@natmo.com

MDM 18 – WL Gore & Assoc

Tuesday, September 25th, 2018

Most people know WL Gore & Assoc for their flagship product, the ePTFE membrane used in Gore-Tex. Over the past few years, we’ve seen them introduce the ePTFE technology into other areas including chemical warfare protective suits, woven fabrics for jungle uniforms and even insulation layers.

This is a reversible, lightweight loft insulation concept jacket, Gore is showing at Modern Day Marine.

Because we’re at Quantico, this version reverses from Woodland to Desert MARPAT, but other versions can be manufactured, based on user needs.

The low-loft insulation is paired with a nylon face fabric. One of the “sides” of the jacket also incorporates a Windstopper membrane to help shed wind, adding to the insulation value.

Essentially, it’s a fleece replacement. While fleece is comfy and warm, it has several drawbacks. First, it doesn’t compact well, meaning it takes up a lot of space in a rucksack. Considering fleece retains water, takes a long time to dry, and doesn’t do a great job of keeping you warm when it is wet, the case for carrying fleece as an insulation layer isn’t very good.

What’s more, fleece retains dirt, grease and microbes that makes you sick. That means you’ve got to wash it often, and when you do, fleece sheds thousands of plastic micro fibers into the water. It’s just not good for the environment.

Continuous filament insulation on the other hand is water resistant, and with the Gore Windstopper membrane, wind resistant. It also takes up less room when stored. Additionally, Gore’s Quick Pack technology allows air to quickly vent out of the jacket when stowing it.

This concept not only performs better than the fleece it replaces, but it’s a two-for-one item, pulling duty in more than one environments.

www.goremilitary.com

MMI Textiles – Come See Us At IFAI Expo 2018

Sunday, September 23rd, 2018

Every year, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) hosts thousands of attendees and hundreds of exhibitors at their premier industrial fabrics expo. IFAI Expo 2018 is the place to see new and innovative products, learn from the experts, meet influential industry leaders and so much more.

This year’s expo will be held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, TX Oct. 15 – 18, 2018.

Last year, MMI Textiles continued the yearly tradition of attending this expo and traveled to New Orleans, LA to exhibit in the show. This year it’s all happening in Dallas, TX and once again, the MMI team will be there!

Why do we attend?

The IFAI Expo offers so much more than a chance for our team to share MMI’s products and new innovations – it gives us opportunities to connect with other industry professionals and attend amazing keynote speeches, seminars, and more.

Here are a few of the opportunities at this year’s IFAI Expo:

IFF IFAI Expo kick-off event – Casino Night

• See and demo new products and services

20 minute education sessions (Campfires)

Mentor Meetings

• Keynote Speakers

Manufacturing for Good

Fabric Sourcing Center (some of our fabrics will be featured here!)

And of course, access to the 800-exhibitor show floor – where you can visit the MMI Team at Booth A2617!

We’ll be bringing samples of our latest and featured products. Most you can find here on our site under the title “Featured Products” on our Industries We Serve pages (Military & Tactical, Medical, Commercial).

Here are a few examples:

SOLUTION-DYED WOLF GRAY

Available in: 500D/1000D Mil-Spec CORDURA® Brand Nylon | Mil-Spec Webbing & Binding Tape

COMMERCIAL 1000D CORDURA® NYLON

Available in: Red or Orange, Urethane Coated/DWR (Water Repellent)

STOCK SOLUTION-DYED WEBBING

Now Offering: Mil-Spec Solution-dyed webbing and binding tape in solid military colors in various widths.

The IFAI Expo is a great opportunity to connect with industry experts and have an amazing time doing so! We want to see YOU in Dallas this year – so, we are offering a VIP code which gives you FREE show floor admission:

EP284

To use the code:

Go to the attendee-specific registration link here.

• Enter the VIP Code (EP284) on the contact information page. The VIP code should be entered for each group member that plans to attend.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us or give us a call at 440-899-8050. Want to schedule a meeting with us at our booth? Email our Marketing Dept. at marketing@mmitextiles.com.

We hope to see you in Dallas!

INVISTA Launches New ‘Wolf Gray’ CORDURA TrueLock Fiber for Lot-to-Lot Color Consistency in Military, Tactical, and Law Enforcement Applications

Saturday, September 15th, 2018


The launch of CORDURA® Wolf Gray TrueLockTM fiber is a major milestone for INVISTA’s Camden, S.C. facility, expanded with new equipment in 2017 to increase U.S. capacity of high-tenacity, nylon 6,6 specialty fibers for CORDURA® fabrics.

wolfgraywinding.jpg

WICHITA, KS – September 10, 2018 – INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand announces its latest innovation in solution-dyed nylon (SDN) 6,6 fiber technology with mill partner MMI Textiles, a premier supplier and one-stop shop supplying fabric, webbing and elastics in the textile marketplace for more than 21 years. MMI Textiles is the exclusive North American provider of fabrics and webbing made with the new Wolf Gray CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber, now through December 2018.

CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber is created from INVISTA nylon 6,6 multi-filament fiber that is solution dyed, locking the color in at the molten polymer extrusion level to create deep, durable color throughout the entire fiber structure. Color consistency is crucial when pairing fabric with other materials such as webbing and elastic to create uniform garments and gear.

“Gray is one of the most commonly used colors in military/tactical applications, but was previously one of the most difficult to match, with several varying proprietary versions of ‘Wolf Gray’ on the market,” said Nick Rivera, director of operations at MMI Textiles. “One of our customers – TyrTactical – was having challenges matching webbings and fabric and came to us for a solution. We then turned to CORDURA® brand.”

“After examining six different shades of gray together, we worked hand-in-hand to create our latest innovative CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber offering,” said Allen Mortimer, North American regional manager and product manager at CORDURA® brand. “The Wolf Gray shade of CORDURA® TruelockTM fiber offers color that is uniform across the components of gear and apparel, and durable enough to stay true after exposure to the elements and intense military missions.”

The color achieved with CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber has inherent Near-Infrared (NIR) capabilities, is abrasion and UV-fade resistant and does not bleed or crock. With color-fastness locked in at the fiber level, excellent shade consistency lot-to-lot and across multiple textile components (such as fabric and webbing), UV strength stability, and long-lasting vibrancy are made possible.

The process of color encapsulation used in CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber also offers several environmental benefits such as reduced water and energy consumption*, and reduced dye and chemical usage in textile processing.

The announcement is a major milestone for INVISTA’s Camden, S.C. facility, which expanded last year to increase U.S. capacity of high-tenacity, specialty fibers for CORDURA® fabrics. The Camden investment has accelerated progress in the development of new SDN capabilities – which complement the facility’s existing high tenacity nylon 6,6 filament fiber manufacturing processes.

In addition to Wolf Gray, solution-dyed CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber is available in Desert Sand, Tan, Coyote, Ranger Green, Camo Green and Black. Plans currently being put into action at Camden include expansion of the CORDURA® TrueLockTM filament product line to introduce additional standard colors and deniers, as well as the flexibility to work to smaller minimum order quantities and custom colorways.

“Throughout our 50-year journey, we’ve worked to establish a foundation built on durable and long-lasting fiber technologies, including our legacy of solution dyed, high-performance nylon 6,6 offerings,” said Cindy McNaull, global CORDURA® brand and marketing director. “The launch of our latest Wolf Gray CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber is a testament to the strength of supply chain collaboration – a joint effort between an end-user, gear manufacturer, fabric supplier and fiber business.”

Tyr-Tactical gear in Wolf Gray is currently being put to the test by the Phoenix, AZ SWAT Team.

To learn more about the new Wolf Gray CORDURA® TrueLockTM fiber, visit www.cordura.com.

*2013 LCA study based on the average comparison of conventional level acid Piece Dyeing to SDN at 3 independent/3rd party dyeing and finishing mills.

MultiCam Shoe Laces? Sure, Why Not!

Thursday, August 30th, 2018

MMI Textiles prints webbing and dummied up these laces to showcase what they can do.

Interested? Visit www.mmitextiles.com and let them know.

DHS Awards $199K to Protect The Force for Development of Energy Harvesting Fabric

Thursday, August 30th, 2018

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has awarded $199,260 to Boston-based Protect the Force, Inc. for the development of photovoltaic (PV) energy harvesting fabrics. PV materials produce electricity through exposure to light. Energy harvesting fabrics produce and store electricity within a fabric weave to power portable devices.

Protect the Force received its award for its project titled “Photovoltaic (PV) Energy Harvesting Textiles for Homeland Security Ensembles” under S&T’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) Other Transaction Solicitation Energy Harvesting Fabrics – HSHQDC-17-R-00050. This is the first award under this solicitation.

Protect the Force will develop PV fiber that can be woven into a “power fabric” and integrated with first responder garments to provide a reliable, portable power source. The power fabric can be used to make first responder gear or placed as panels on protective clothing.

“Protect the Force’s proposed technology could change how first responders are able to perform during emergencies,” said Melissa Ho, SVIP Managing Director. “A wearable, portable power source could support safety equipment and communication tools; it has the potential to improve the work of first responders across the nation.”

The first phase will see Protect the Force fabricating and testing the PV fiber and weaving said fiber into a textile matrix.

Companies participating in the SVIP are eligible for up to $800,000 in non-dilutive funding over four phases to adapt commercial technologies for homeland security use cases.

For more information on current and future OTS solicitations, visit www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/svip or contact dhs-silicon-valley@hq.dhs.gov.