Techtextil: Steiger targets technical textile markets

Swiss flat knitting machine builder Steiger was exhibiting for the first time last week at Techtextil, the leading German show owned by Messe Frankfurt which focuses on technical textiles.

Steiger, which is now owned by giant Chinese flat knitting machine builder Ningbo Yuren Knitting Machine Co. Ltd (Cixing brand), has always sold machines into orthopaedic goods and compression hosiery markets, but this was the first time the company had taken a stand at the world’s leading technical textiles show.

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Students design fabric for charging mobile phones

16 May 2011, Herning

Four students from Aalborg University in Denmark have designed a smart fabric technology which aims to make mobile phones and other hand held devices truly mobile. 

Students Hans Christian Thiesen, Mads Gydegaard, Morten Ydefeldt and Marius Koppang were awarded the prize for their project involving a fabric which can charge mobile computers, mobile phones and other electrical devices. The fabric automatically charges a mobile phone or computer when they are placed on it and can be integrated into mats and table covers. Upholstery fabrics for seating are considered a key area of application.

Competing with 54 other entries from 17 countries, the novel smart textile product, called Powertex, won the Future Textiles International Prize Competition 2011, earning the students 6500 EUR in prize money.  The competition aims to promote smart textiles and shines the spotlight on Denmark as a pioneer in the field. The prize ceremony took place at TEKO Design + Business, VIA University College, in Herning Denmark.

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