Campfires

Ron Houle, Founder and President, Pivot Step Consultants LLC

Many companies in the textile industry have an interest in the Defense Budget, as they support products with the U.S. military as the end user. It is important to have the right perspective on trends, specifics on funded programs and future directions for the nation’s defense. After this session, attendees will gain a better understanding of the DoD Budget for fiscal year 2021 and learn about trends in our nation’s defense strategy.

Sara Beatty, White Haven Trade

Auggie Tantillo, SRG & Associates

Michael Savarie, Sustainability Enterprise Catalyst, Hemp Black.

Hemp Black, a disruptive eco-experience, delivering performance and value with purpose through hemp technology.

Olaf Voegele, Technical Expert, Journalist, Technical Consultant, media4technologies UG (limited)

The search for the wrinkle-free awning cloth is as old as the sun protection itself. And too often it has been announced that the “solution” has been found. A new cloth material, a new joining method, countless patent applications that could not be realized.  So far, nobody has been able to offer a satisfactory solution that could guarantee a wrinkle-free cloth for normal use.

In this lecture the common joining methods for awning fabrics (acrylic, polyester) in the field of sewing, gluing and welding will be discussed. The special requirements for ZIP cloths will also be closely examined. The lecture, which is backed up with a lot of picture material from the expert’s work, is intended to give the audience a good overview of the recognised rules of technology.

Jasmine Cox, Process Coordinator- Testing, Gaston College, Textile Technology Center

From testing to pilot scale development, IFAI attendees will be able to learn more about the latest technologies and services available to the industry. Textile Technology Center representatives will be able to answer questions about third party testing, process improvement, R&D and more!

Sara Beatty, President, White Haven Trade; Auggie Tantillo, President, SRG & Associates

USIFI and NFI advocate for our legislative and regulatory needs. Hear a recap of their activities in Washington on policy items of interest and gain an outlook on both ongoing and upcoming policy challenges that will affect the industry.

Ryan Gundling, CEO and Lead Engineer, Ryzing Technologies LLC

Inflatable technologies go well beyond bounce houses and pool toys.  In fact, most people rely on inflatables on their primary mode of daily transportation . . .  the tires on your vehicle.  Engineered inflatables have been reliably used in sheltering, space travel, industrial, and air drop applications.  Still it is an approach that is often overlooked due to misconceptions of unreliable and inadequate strength and stiffness.  During this session you will gain a better understanding of inflatables and when they might be the best solution.  Attendees will leave with the knowledge to be able to:

1. Recognize the different types of inflatables
2. Understand the pros and cons of a variety of inflatable technologies
3. Identify alternative (non-sheltering) applications for inflatables, both dynamic and static
4. Explain different methods of analyzing inflatable structures
5. Reach out to the companies to further investigate inflatable solutions.

Dr. Jan Beringer, Senior Scientific Expert, Hohenstein

Space – to go where no one has gone before, explore the final frontier. But how do astronauts use garments to enhance their daily exercize in zero-gravity? What are the implications for future space travel to Mars or for performance wear on Earth?

Details from Spacetex-2, a joint research project between Hohenstein, the German DLR Space Administration and Charité Berlin on the International Space Station (ISS), will be explained during this session.

Attendees will gain:

1. An understanding of Spacetex-2 findings on the physiological interaction between body, climate and clothing under zero gravity
2. Basic knowledge of heat transfer/exchange from the human body to environment under terrestrial and microgravity conditions
3. Knowledge of steps taken to advance sweat-management garments worn by astronauts on the ISS
4. Insight into further garment optimization to benefit future missions

Gregg Burrows, Sales Manager, Wholesale Shade & Robin DuBroy, Director of Customer Training Programs, Wholesale Shade

From the first contact with your customer to the last handshake and goodbye, you need a system that helps the customer make their decision and helps you get the information you need for the job. Attendees will be able to utilize a selling system to be able to:

1. Build Customer Relationships
2. Prepare for the Appointment
3. Navigate the Jobsite Visit

Bonus: Take home usable templates to help you gather all the information you need for the job!

Jeff Post, Vice President/General Manager, CGPC America/Enduratex™

Proposition 65, the California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, was enacted more than 30 years ago. The requirements of marking products for sale regarding chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity in California with Prop 65 labels/signs have not changed, though chemicals continue to be added to the list.  Recent changes in 2018 pertained to the information included on the label only.  Coated Fabrics manufacturers make every effort to adhere to the regulations. This session will provide attendees with:

1. An overview of Prop 65
2. Labeling requirements and compliance
3. The steps coated fabrics manufacturers take to adhere to the requirements

Sara Beatty, President, White Haven Trade

Come hear the latest on the China 301 tariffs and other pending initiatives that could impact the U.S. tariff schedule.

Robin DuBroy, Director of Customer Training Programs, Wholesale Shade & Patrick Howe, Founder and CEO, Wholesale Shade

You’ve sold your customer on a unique and beautiful shade sail, congratulations! You’re ready to install, but where do you start? In this session, we will cover the installation process from start to finish. Attendees will leave with the knowledge to be able to:

1. Develop a site plan
2. Install a post
3. Choose a building attachment
4. Measure and order a shade sail
5. Install the shade sail

Patrick Diebel, VP, R&D, Morbern, Inc.

PVC itself is inherently flame retardant, but its ultimate resistance is determined by types and quantities of additives. A wide range of flame retardants can be added to enable vinyl coated fabrics to meet specific fire codes and standards, limiting or avoiding its contribution to the burning of other building products. At the end of the session, attendees will be able to:

1. Define flame retardants and understand their applications
2. Identify types of flame retardants contained in the polymer matrix
3. Explain how flame retardants help vinyl products meet fire codes and standards

Chris Landing, Energy Consultant, APPI Energy

How can your organization reduce reduce energy consumption,energy demand, and overall energy spend.  Is this even something you should be concerned about and if so, how can you do it all most effectively?  Attendees will leave with the knowledge of:

1. Understand what electicity DEMAND does to your energy bill and how to curtail it, if needed.
2. How Battery with artificial intelligence can prove to be a cost effective means to sustainability.
3. Identifying  procurement solutions for electricity and natural gas.

Gary Westlund, Business Consultant, Awning Tracker

What is Overhead?  The mysterious and elusive figure that we are all told is extremely important, yet few of us take the time to actually understand and calculate the cost. The formulas and methods used, the obstacles in the way of obtaining  accurate figures, and the reasons why this knowledge is critically important, will be discussed during this session.

Attendees of this session will leave with the knowledge of the following:

1. Understanding the different  overhead accounting methods and which method is best suited for our industry.
2. Identifying and overcoming the obstacles in recording accurate information.
3. Knowing of the impacts of using subcontractors, overtime, or owner’s labor.
4. Using this information to plan for future growth and make smarter hiring & personnel decisions.
5. Applying accurate overhead costs to your project bids to become more profitable.

Chris Jorgensen, Director of Technology Transfer, IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries

The e-textiles industry is on the verge of going from a boutique industry to one that will involve mass production and end-products that will span all market segments, from consumer wearables to military, automotive, medical and aerospace. Although this will result in fantastic opportunities for e-textiles technologist and component suppliers, it will also present many challenges around reliability, mass production and quantifying a global supply chain.

For the past two years, volunteers from the global e-textiles and printed electronics supply chain and user base have come together through the IPC E-Textiles Committee to develop solutions to these and many other issues through the development of industry standards.

Chris will discuss the benefits of IPC international standards, provide updates on the activities of the IPC E-Textiles Committee and share how conference attendees can participate in shaping these standards and new standards.

David Dean, Director of Research and Development, Sunbrella, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics

The requirement for shade structures to use Fire Retardant fabrics continues to grow and becoming one of the dominant factors in shade structure design.

• What are the different regulations
• Where do they apply
• What fabric options are available to fabricators
• Study of 3 main types: Woven Textiles, Woven Hybrids, Coated Fabrics

Dr. Reinhold Schneider, Senior Scientist, Textile Chemistry & Printing Technologies, DITF

Composites are not only lightweight but also highly resilient. Therefore, they are well established in engineering applications where components must withstand strong forces, e.g. in wind turbines, aircrafts and automotive.

So far, the monitoring of mechanical deformation and damage of composite materials is performed by established analytical methods: Strain gauges, optical or piezoelectric sensors are the most common techniques. However, large areas outside of the measuring cell remain unconsidered.

1. A large-area sensitive sensor will be presented, which is simply generated by printing on the reinforcing textile.
2. This sensor enables to determine mechanical deformations and damages of the entire component and it responds with a measurable electrical resistance to external tension or pressure without any hysteresis.
3. The influence of mechanical stress parameters (such as degree of deformation and bending speed) on the shape of the sensor signal will be outlined. It will be shown that even smallest deformations can be detected.

J. David Bowick, P.Eng., Senior Principal, Blackwell Structural Engineers

Does the building code apply to my structure?  Which code?  How do I deal with the myriad of details and conditions that are not addressed?  What do I tell a building authority who has no knowledge or experience in fabric structures?  This campfire session will attempt unravel (or confirm) the ambiguities in the application of building codes to fabric structures and if not provide a road map, help to identify strategies for navigating the waters.

Fitzroy Brown, OEM Product Manager, BD Peripheral Intervention OEM

The medical textile market is rapidly growing, as medical-grade textiles have proven to provide the versatility and performance that medical device OEMs need to create implantable devices that best meet the needs of today’s medical applications.  The incorporation of implantable textiles in vascular medical devices allows for increased flexibility and functionality in product design. Textiles can be developed in 2D and 3D implantable forms, with almost limitless configuration possibilities.

The proposed session will:

1. Provide a brief history the evolution of surgical textiles
2. Explore the growing opportunities to use them for vascular surgical applications, such as in heart valves and as cardiovascular patches
3. Give attendees a better understanding of the structural advantages of incorporating textiles to promote tissue ingrowth and improve blood permeability
4. Identify some of the critical factors a medical device OEM should consider when choosing a textile manufacturer.

Zachary Allyn, Regional Vice President, Transamerica

This session will review the structure and benefits of the Textile Industry Retirement Plan exclusively offered to IFAI members.  The benefits are unique to each member, but often include time savings, reduction of fees, increased returns, fiduciary outsourcing and more.  At the conclusion of the presentation, you will have the ability to schedule a 1:1 consultation with a Textile Industry Retirement Plan representative to review your specific situation and how the Textile Industry Retirement Plan can help.

Sam Buff, Gaston College, Textile Technology Center

From testing to pilot scale development, IFAI attendees will be able to learn more about the latest technologies and services available to the industry. Textile Technology Center representatives will be able to answer questions about third party testing, process improvement, R&D and more!

David Dean, Director of Research and Development, Sunbrella, Glen Raven Custom Fabrics

The requirement for shade structures to use Fire Retardant fabrics continues to grow and becoming one of the dominant factors in shade structure design.

• What are the different regulations
• Where do they apply
• What fabric options are available to fabricators
• Study of 3 main types: Woven Textiles, Woven Hybrids, Coated Fabrics

Dave Nelson, Director of Industry Engagement, NC State University, NonWovens Institute

Today’s nonwovens fabrics are highly engineered and versatile materials which, in many cases, are a perfect solution for a multitude of industrial fabrics applications either as a substitute for traditional textile fabrics, or a stand-alone solution. Nonwovens continue to evolve as a unique technology offering innovative functionalities for challenging problems. This session will discuss the current state of the nonwovens industry and technology advances along with valuable insights into the applications of nonwovens for the industrial fabrics markets.