2001 - Volume 2 - Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics

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RESEARCHER’S TOOLBOX INTC 2001: A GREAT TOOL FOR BOTH THE INDA AND TAPPI TECHNICAL COMMUNITY The 2nd Annual International Nonwovens Technical Conference (INTC) 2001, co-sponsored by TAPPI & INDA, will be held September 5-7, 2001 at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. Over 80 technical papers will be presented in 14 sessions, making INTC 2001 one of the largest technical conferences ever in the nonwovens industry. Combining the TAPPI Nonwovens and INDA technical conferences has worked out for the better of the technical nonwovens community. One example is found in the Properties and Performance session. Norm Lifshutz will present results on the development of a fiber length test method conducted in a TAPPI Fiber Length task force, while Mike Thomason will present INDA test methods on behalf of the INDA Test Methods Committee. Other sessions of focus are: Absorbents, Barrier, Binders & Additives, Filtration, Finishes & Surfaces, Mats & Insulation, On-Line Measurements, Polymers & Fibers, Properties & Performances, Sustainability, and four sessions have been devoted to new process technologies. INTC 2001 will once again offer attendees the nonwoven tutorial taught by industry veterans, Roy Broughton, of Auburn University, Terry Young, Procter & Gamble, and Alan Meierhoefer, Ahlstrom Fibers. Other returning favorites include the Student Paper session, the New Technologies Showcase and the evening tabletop event and reception. The six technical committees of the TAPPI Nonwovens Division — Properties and Performance, Process Technology, Building and Industrial Mat, Binders and Additives, Polymers and Fibers, and Filtration — will meet during the lunch sessions on September 5th and 6th. Written papers are due to INDA by June 26 and presentations in electronic form are due to TAPPI by August 1. For conference or registration information regarding INTC 2001, visit INDA’s website at www.inda.org or call 919-233-1210. survey of the nonwoven process and testing equipment available at the major universities in the US; a report of the facilities available at that time was prepared. Material from this report is currently available at www.inda.org. With an announcement coming out of Texas Tech, a new location and their new process equipment now needs to be added to this roster. Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX has recently added some advanced needling equipment, which puts them in a potent position to become deeply involved in nonwoven technology. This equipment is being added to the International Textile Center at Texas Tech, under the direction of Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech. The Nonwoven Laboratory at the International Textile Center will be the first facility in the U.S. to have this needling capability. It is based on the state-of-the-art Fehrer H1 Technology needlepunch loom. The principle of the H1 Technology and of this equipment is the special properties that can be obtained by oblique angled needle penetration. This unique capability is achieved by means of an asymmetrically curved needling zone, accompanied by a straight needle movement. Because of this design, some fibers are punched or inserted at an angle rather than in a vertical direction. According to the design developer, the advantages of this new technology include the following: 1. The longer needle path results in better fiber orientation and fiber entanglement than the conventional needle machine. 2. Superior web properties can be obtained with fewer needle penetrations. 3. It greatly enhances the construction of composite and hybrid products. 4. It delivers increased productivity versus conventional needlepunch looms. The processing line includes units for complete processing, from bale to finished fabric. A Tatham Card fitted with a three-roller/seven-roller design is fed by a Tatham Single Automatic Feeder, Model 503; this latter unit is equipped with a volumetric delivery system. A Microfeed 2000 unit is included in the line to monitor the fiber delivery from the chute section of the volumetric hopper and to speed of the card feed rollers; this compensates for any discrepancy between the pre-programmed “target” weight and the continuously monitored “actual” weight. Thus, the Microfeed unit ensures extremely accurate fiber delivery into the card unit. The web from the card is delivered from the single doffer section of the card to a Tatham conventional design crosslapper. The line is equipped with an AC Inverter-controlled drive system. A research program focusing on this new line has been supported by a research contract from the Soldier and Biological Chemical Command of the U.S. Department of Defense. The major objective of this research program is to develop special protective fabrics that can be used by the Command to provide advanced textile materials to all branches of the military. Additional information can be obtained from Dr. Seshadri S. Ramkumar, Texas Tech University, International Textile Center, Box 45019, Lubbock, TX 79409; 806-747-3790, ext. 518; Fax: 806-747-3796; s.ramkumar@ttu.edu; www.itc.ttu.edu/ram.htm. — INJ 6 INJ Summer 2001
INJ DEPARTMENTS DIRECTOR’S CORNER Success In Innovation Projects A research center within the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship. The Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Research Center is staffed with world-renown scholars and researchers and has done some farreaching research in the correlation of innovation with other business and economic factors. A recent study was directed toward the effects on innovation team performance of three underlying elements of management organization and operation. The three elements studied in detail were as follows: • Task Structure: The physical organization of the innovation team. • Project Framing: Delineation of the project goals and methodology. • Team Deftness: Team effectiveness as assessed by past performance and other factors. The study used a total of 138 innovation projects for analysis, projects in which the ultimate success and effectiveness could be quantified. The results of this study suggested that the absence of Project Framing in terms of clearly specified goals and responsibilities had a negative correlation with team performance. Clearly defined goals and clean-cut responsibilities are critically vital to the innovative success of the team. Any uncertainly in these two factors were manifestly operative in detracting from the performance of the innovation team. The factor of “Team Deftness” correlated with performance of the team, and also had an impact on Project Framing. The researchers suggested that this factor had a moderating effect on the total performance, and could help to modify some of the problems associated with Project Framing. This suggested that experienced and capable innovators could overcome, to a certain extent, the shortcomings of management in not clearly defining the goals and team assignments. In essence, the experienced innovators sensed the need and filled this missing factor themselves. The researchers concluded that the often-assumed positive relations between organization of the team and its success is valid, but only for relatively high levels of organization and on complex projects. The message: Organize your team well; provide very clear-cut objectives and responsibilities; and use capable and experienced people on your innovation team. Attracting Laboratory Technicians Some concerted thinking and action is being devoted to the position of laboratory technician. In the past, many of the individuals who are lab technicians have come into the laboratory without experience; it often has been the responsibility of the employer to train such individuals and to equip them for the responsibilities they will eventually be given. Such “home-grown” talent may have sufficed in the past. Certainly, some outstanding people have come up through the ranks in this fashion. More than a few patents covering nonwoven technologies have the name of an outstanding lab technician as a co-inventor. However, training of laboratory technicians is being done more and more by trade schools, community colleges and even universities. A capable lab technician can be a real asset to a R&D establishment. Consequently, more thought is being given to the proper training and development of such talent. The Partnership for the Advancement of Chemical Technology recently conducted a Research Profile Study to assess the personality traits, attitudes, learning styles and values of quality lab technicians. The study, sponsored by the National Science Foundation, covered not only such individuals, but also students studying for such a career, as well as instructors involved in their training. The study found these individuals to be highly collaborative and only moderately independent or competitive. The students also tend to be more introverted than the general class of students, and they are nontraditional, with many older than 30. In focusing on the ideal instruction for these individuals, the study revealed that curriculum designers should consider including group problem-solving activities and roundtable discussions in their courses for lab technicians. These are the skills and environmental features involved in this type of work, and so appropriate training should be provided. Also, the study showed that almost half of the technician students have a friend who works in a laboratory or similar job, suggesting that current lab workers are a good conduit for getting the word out to prospective students. Further, greater efforts should be made to assure these students that the careers available put them in a good position to truly become professional researchers. R&D Return On Investment A sizeable portion of the industries throughout the world would consider themselves to be a part of a vast research-driven enterprise. Certainly those in the nonwovens industry would consider their activities to fit into this classification. (Note the message in the editorial in this issue.) Such research-driven companies almost invariably believe or at least pay lip service to the concept that money invested in R&D activities provide a payback. Proof of such a return, however, is always difficult to establish, espe- INJ Summer 2001 7
Page 1 and 2: Nonwovens INTERNATIONAL Journal A S
Page 3 and 4: Nonwovens Nonwovens INTERNATIONAL J
Page 5 and 6: GUEST EDITORIAL CONTINUE THE JOURNE
Page 7: RESEARCHER’S TOOLBOX materials an
Page 11 and 12: DIRECTOR’S CORNER safety, acciden
Page 13 and 14: TECHNOLOGY WATCH biocides is for wa
Page 15 and 16: THE NONWOVEN WEB made and more are
Page 17 and 18: meters. Recently, a wet process mim
Page 19 and 20: Gravity drainage, in essence, is a
Page 21 and 22: drained faster than pure water, and
Page 23 and 24: ORIGINAL PAPER/PEER-REVIEWED Effect
Page 25 and 26: Cotton/PCA blend was examined, also
Page 27 and 28: No Water Water Dip-Nip 20% Acetone
Page 29 and 30: fibers the Hough transform of the i
Page 31 and 32: cessing has been modified to get th
Page 33 and 34: Figure 5a Figure 5b DISTRIBUTION OF
Page 35 and 36: a = 0.50 mm b = 1.01 mm c = 2.26 mm
Page 37 and 38: Bond Width Strain %) Bond Height St
Page 39 and 40: Figure 15 IMAGES CAPTURED AT 50% FA
Page 41 and 42: Figure 1 (A) WELDING SYSTEM; (B) A
Page 43 and 44: (7) (13) We need to know the initia
Page 45 and 46: diameter, density and web structure
Page 47 and 48: The origin of the domain coordinate
Page 49 and 50: Verification of the model and the e
Page 51 and 52: PATENT REVIEW sible; ensure that no
Page 53 and 54: PATENT REVIEW PATENT GUIDELINES Any
Page 55 and 56: INJ DEPARTMENTS WORLDWIDE ABSTRACTS
Page 57 and 58: NONWOVENS ABSTRACTS using small sam
Page 59 and 60:
INJ DEPARTMENTS NONWOVENS CALENDAR
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2001 - Volume 2 - Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics

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