[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
Register Now! August Event Quickly Approaching!
Connecting Through Creativity, Technology and Business
Designers and Product Developers Meet the Challenge
August 12-13, 2009
Philadelphia University, Philadelphia PA
‘Connecting Through Creativity, Technology and Business’ is a symposium for professionals working in design and product development areas of the textile, apparel, home furnishings and related soft goods industries. Program attendees will have the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of experts that will address topics and issues related to:
• Sustainability
• Emerging technologies for product design, communication and production
• Product design and management within the global supply chain
• Innovation in product design
• Maintaining and/or generating creativity among designers
• Managing product cost and quality
In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to network with other professionals in the design field and discuss technologies and business strategies that support innovation, creativity, and sustainability as key factors in the development process for soft goods.
On Wednesday evening from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. there will be suppliers' reception with tabletop displays. A 6’ draped display table can be reserved through Peggy Pickett, AATCC, at 919.549.3533.
Click here to register. For program details, click here.
Co-Produced by
[TC]², AATCC, and Philadelphia University
Seminar Offerings at [TC]²
August and September Seminars
Calculating Time Standards without Time Studies - |
August 25-27 |
Pattern Development - |
September 22-24 |
Introduction to Apparel Manufacturing - |
September 28-Oct. 2 |
The seminars will be presented at [TC]²’s facility - 5651 Dillard Drive, Cary, NC.
For additional information on these programs or to register, contact Debra Gill at 919.653.3501, or use our contact form.
To download or print a copy of [TC]²’s 2009 seminar offerings, click here (pdf).
5th Annual SizeUSA User Group Meeting
August 18, 2009 - 12 to 2 p.m. EST
**Free Webinar**
The 2009 SizeUSA User’s Group Meeting will be presented via webinar format to allow for more attendee participation by eliminating the need for travel. The following presentations have been confirmed to date:
• |
Utilizing SizeUSA Data with Principal Component Analysis to Create Lifelike Human Models from Few Input Measurements – The [TC]² Avatar Engine, presented by [TC]² |
|---|---|
• |
Men’s Body Shapes and the Need for Standards, Su-Jeong Hwang Shin, Texas Tech University. |
• |
Testing Assumptions in the Grading of Men’s Shirts Using SizeUSA Data, Lynn M. Boorady, PhD, University of Missouri, Nancy Schofield, University of Wisconsin – Stout |
• |
Converting Scan Data to Alternate Poses Enabling Expanded Data Analysis Options, presented by [TC]² |
• |
SizeUSA in the Classroom: Teaching Students the Power of Population Data, Susan P. Ashdown, Cornell University |
The program time will also include a special demonstration of [TC]²’s new Virtual Fashion Technologies for Garment Visualization in Static Poses and Animated Sequences.
Register for this free event by contacting Debra Gill at 919-653-3501 or use our contact form.
Milkweed-Rich Yarns—A Reality
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
Lightweight milkweed fibers, also known as mudar, are thin walled and hollow. The silky needle-like fibers have some unique properties—including high moisture regain and excellent thermal insulation and buoyancy. However, due to the fiber’s very smooth surface, it is difficult to spin into yarn, therefore, the fiber has had limited use as a textile product. Recently, researchers have made exciting headway—successfully producing a milkweed-rich yarn.
Milkweed is a perennial plant that can adapt to adverse soil conditions. It is grown in many parts of the world, including Central and South America, India, Thailand, Africa and throughout the U.S.
Milkweed is the common name for Asclepias syriaca. The fiber is obtained from the seedpod of the plant.Various parts of the plant have been used throughout history in a wide variety of applications.
Named after Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing in ancient Greek mythology, milkweed was used for medicinal purposes because of the cardiac glycosides found in its tissue. The monarch butterfly also uses the cardiac glycosides to its benefit. Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly and as the larva consumes the milkweed leaves, it absorbs the cardiac glycosides making the monarch toxic to predators.
In Chinese folk medicine, milkweed fibers were used as compresses to stop wound bleeding. The sap from the plant has also been used to remove warts and age spots.
The fiber’s textile applications have been sporadic. The French tried weaving silky soft fabrics with milkweed clusters in the 1600's. Native Americans lined their buffalo robes with the warm fibers. They also used the high dextrose nectar as a sweetener.
Milkweed has been used as a stuffing material for upholstery since the 18th century. The fiber was utilized relatively extensively as a stuffing material during World War II. During the war, kapok fiber, a soft, cotton-like material from the kapok tree, was used to fill life jackets. The fiber was supplied to the U.S. by Japan but imports were cut off during the war.
Because milkweed is exceptionally buoyant and lightweight, it was used as a substitute for kapok. During World War II over eleven million kilograms of milkweed fibers were collected—enough fiber to make 1.2 million emergency flotation devices.
Due to their exceptional insulation and buoyancy properties, the fibers are still used as filling for comforters, life vests and winter jackets. However, recent attempts have been made to broaden the fiber’s use by spinning it into yarn.
It is well known that the lack of cohesiveness of the milkweed fibers causes extreme challenges in spinning 100% milkweed, however, researchers believed that it might be possible to spin a blended yarn.
In 1987, researchers attempted to spin milkweed fibers blended with cotton fibers into a yarn. Cotton fibers are similar in length to milkweed fibers and have similar chemical and dyeing properties. Various blended yarns were produced—including a 75% cotton and 25% milkweed; 67% cotton and 33% milkweed. Various processes had to be hand executed, such as the blending stage, making a full fledge commercial launch of the yarn impossible.
The desire to spin a milkweed-rich yarn on conventional spinning equipment prompted additional research. Like cotton, milkweed is a single cell fiber, but unlike cotton it does not have convolutions—the natural reversing axial twists. The absence of convolutions makes spinning difficult.
In 2005, researchers treated the milkweed fibers with 5% NaOH in an attempt to create convolutions. It was believed that the presence of convolutions would create friction between the fibers, making processing easier. The NaOH treatment did in fact create convolutions, however, the fibers tended to stick together, therefore some equipment needed to be run at low speeds. A 75% milkweed and 25% cotton blended yarn was successfully spun. This project led researchers to believe that with chemical modification, a 100% milkweed yarn might be possible to spin.
Milkweed fibers are inexpensive and hypoallergenic. The high moisture regain and excellent thermal insulating and buoyancy properties of milkweed suggest that it might be utilized for a variety of high-performance applications. As researchers continue to make headway in spinning milkweed fibers on conventional equipment, the reality of seeing milkweed-rich, and even 100% milkweed yarns in the market place might not be far off.
References
Gain L. Louis and B.A. Kottes Andrews. Cotton/Milkweed Blends: A Novel Textile Product. Textile Research Journal. 1987. 57. 339.
Jean-Yves Drean, Jacinthe Patry, Gerard Lombard and Marek Weltrowski. Mechanical Characterization and Behavior in Spinning Processing of Milkweed Fibers. Textile Research Journal. 1993. 63. 443.
J.C. Sakthivel, S. Mukhopadhyay and N.K. Palanisamy. Some Studies on Murdar Fibers. Textile Research Journal. 2005. 35. 63.
M.S. Parmar, J.V. Rao, Mansi Bahl and Chitra Arora. To Study Behavior of Milkweed Fibres Collected from Different Regions. June 1, 2009.
[TC]² Activity
Customized Products Using Digital Printing
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
[TC]²’s InkDrop Printing service offers an avenue for consumers to reproduce high resolution photo-quality images in small quantities at reasonable prices. A print design can be engineered according to the shape of the product and downloaded to a print station, bypassing the typical screen printing process used to print textiles. The InkDrop Printing staff also assists with new product development.
Recent digital printing projects include silk scarves designed by Sabina Les. Sabina decided to combine her love for prints and scarves into a silk scarves collection which was inspired by textures and graphics. Snake, reptile and fishnet textures are prominent along with metal chains and studs. Her future business plan is to expand her eponymous line of women’s scarves to include bags and hair accessories, and to introduce a men’s scarf collection.
 |
 |
A golf foursome wanted to have custom shirts made for a golf tournament with their own photos printed on fabric similar to shirts worn by the 1999 U.S. Ryder Cup golf team. The client supplied the print-ready image with photos arranged in their design, and InkDrop printing used the Yuhan Kimberly MC3 printer with nanocolorants on cotton interlock knit to print the fabric yardage. The customer had the shirts assembled elsewhere, and provided a photo of the finished product. He comments, “The shirts were a TOTAL hit! Can you make some more fabric? The other guys in my golf group loved the shirts and wanted some of their own.”
Learn more about digital printing, design and product development concepts from a variety of speakers during a two day symposium August 12-13 at Philadelphia University.
Member Profile - Yuhan-Kimberly
 |
 |
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
DTP Link is the digital printing technology created by Yuhan-Kimberly, of Korea. Yuhan-Kimberly, Ltd., the parent of Yuhan-Kimberly DTP, is a joint venture company established in 1971 between the Kimberly-Clark Corporation of the U.S. and Yuhan Corporation of South Korea. Yuhan-Kimberly is a leading health and hygiene company in South Korea, manufacturing brands such as Huggies and Kleenex, among others.
Textile printing utilizing conventional screen printing methods requires lots of time and manpower due to the complex nature of the manufacturing process. In answer to this challenge, Yuhan-Kimberly created its digital textile printing total solution using world-class digital technology. The digital textile printing (DTP) system is completely managed by computers from the design process through the printing process resulting in a simple and fast approach to delicate and complex printed textiles. A designer can easily create or duplicate any design and print them on various types of fabric in small quantities. Sample production is streamlined to respond quickly to changes in fashion trends.
In May of 2007, Yuhan Kimberly placed a digital printer at [TC]² and has recently updated this demonstration with the installation of its Ujet MC3 - Premium system. This Mutoh-based technology makes use of newer generation Epson printheads that support increased print speed.
Dr. Tim McCraw, General Manager of Yuhan-Kimberly’s Digital Textile Printing Business, comments, “[TC]²’s demonstration center is an excellent venue for Yuhan-Kimberly to demonstrate the capabilities of its new and unique inks and at the same time demonstrate how digital textile printing fits into the future digital supply chain. Yuhan-Kimberly is pleased to be affiliated with [TC]².”
[TC]² utilizes the Ujet MC3 to continue its investigation and demonstration of nano colorant printing and to provide pigment based printing services. Contact Lujuanna Pagan (919-653-3508) or Kerry King (919-653-3523) to learn more about the InkDrop digital printing service or visit http://www.inkdropprinting.com/nanocolorant.htm for information about [TC]²’s nanocolorant research.
Important Dates
July
28-30 |
ColombiaModa, Medellin, Colombia. Visit www.colombiamoda.com for more information. |
August
12-13 |
Connecting Through Creativity, Technology and Business - Designers and Product Developers Meet the Challenge. Philadelphia University. To register, contact nicholk@aatcc.org. |
18 |
SizeUSA User Group Webinar. To register, click here. |
25-27 |
Calculating Time Standards without Time Studies. Seminar at [TC]² . For details, click here. |
September
22-24 |
Pattern Development. Seminar at [TC]² . For details, click here. |
28-Oct. 2 |
Introduction to Apparel Manufacturing. Seminar at [TC]² . For details, click here. |
30-Oct. 2 |
Material World and Technology Solutions - Co-Locating with LA International Textile Show |
For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com
Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors
Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Lawson, Lectra, Methods Workshop and Reach Technologies.
A Look Ahead in the Newsletter
ColombiaModa
Connecting Through Creativity
Intermoda
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
5651 Dillard Drive
Cary , NC 27518
www.tc2.com
Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181
Email our editor:
If you wish to receive our bi-weekly newsletter via email, |
To subscribe to the newsfeed, copy and paste the following URL into your newsreader:
http://www.tc2.com/newsletter/newsfeed.xml
