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| Techtextil 2011: humans are the focus of textile innovations An air of expectation is tangible with some weeks still to go before this year's Techtextil (Frankfurt am Main, 24 to 26 May 2011), International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens, opens its doors. After a difficult 2009 for the industry as a whole and all segments, most manufacturers reported continuous growth in 2010 and this has gained in momentum during the opening months of this year. Despite the huge price increases currently hitting the raw-materials market, which will necessarily result in more expensive technical textiles, Techtextil exhibitors are looking to the future with considerable optimism. Particular interest is being shown in highly specialised niche textiles. New textile-based products are expected to lead to the opening of new markets and the expansion of existing markets, especially in and for Europe. Decisive in this connection is interdisciplinary collaboration between the textile industry and specialist fields, such as bionics, nano-technology and materials science whereby the latter is expected to improve the status quo in fields such as lightweight structures, medical technology and smart textiles. Nanotechnology is considered to have a particularly great potential – be it in the form of nano-fibres for filtration or scratch-proof, dirt-resistant, conductive and luminescent nano-scale surface finishes. Naturally, in addition to sustainability as a subject of great importance for the future, innovations are a major driving force in the sector and a considerable number are to be expected at the world's leading trade fair in Frankfurt. write your comments about the article :: © 2011 Construction News :: home page |