Coming events

The Dynamics of Progress - Seminar
Thursday 12th July 2012, Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford, UK

The UK Nonwovens Network has announced the programme for its summer seminar, which will examine The Dynamics of Progress, on Thursday July 12 at Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

We are delighted to announce that The Rt. Hon. Baroness Warsi, co-Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio, has accepted our invitation to open the 15th Anniversary Seminar of the Nonwovens Network.

The Network has grown progressively over the past 15 years, but it does need continued support to ensure its future.

The industry is the fastest growing sector of the textile industry in the UK and it is becoming more and more diverse in its applications with the growing awareness that these fabrics offer a highly cost effective, frequently superior form of fabric formation for an ever increasing variety of end uses.

In order to keep up, we have invited speakers from as many facets of the business that we could accommodate. This ranges from the lightweight fabric end use of the industry in the form of medical textiles, wipes and disposables to those used in the heavier end including wool products and carpets.

Prof. Andrew Day from the University of Bradford will be looking at a business model for supply to the automotive industry and we will be revisiting last year’s ITMA for an update on new developments in the machinery world.

Our expansion into the fashion industry is now well established and our ‘fashionistas’ from the University of Leeds, Lynne Webster and David Backhouse will be displaying garments as they have progressed throughout the years.

The Dynamics of Progress seminar is open to all professionals involved in the nonwovens industry, with a concessionary rate given to members of the Nonwovens Network.

Non-members - £145, Network members - £125, Student rate - £50.

To download a PDF of the seminar brochure click here.

To download a PDF of the stand-alone booking form click here.

For more information please contact Dinah Wharton (0113 343 3758)

 

Past events

SUMMER EVENT 2011
Thursday 30th  June, Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford
 

With INDEX, Techtextil and ITMA all taking place within 2011, this is a busy year for major exhibitions and trade shows. With this in mind we decided to replace our usual full day seminar with a compact evening event.

The invited keynote speakers dealt with some of the most important issues affecting the long-term development and sustainability of the UK nonwovens industry.

 

John Mowbray - Material Change: Textiles Take a Sustainable Path.

 

Dr. Parik Goswami - What are the Most Sustainable Fibres for Nonwoven Applications?

 

Colin Purvis - Perfect Storm in the Global Fibres Market: The Impact on Nonwovens. (link)

 

 

13th Annual Nonwovens Network Seminar

‘Nonwovens Revisited’

Thursday 24th June 2010, Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford

 

For our 13th Annual Seminar we decided to take a second look at our previous events and to expand on many of the embryonic papers that have been given in the past to see how they have progressed and the impact they have today. We therefore revisited our involvement in fashion, recycling, geotextiles, extrusion machinery, online measurement, needles, nanotechnology and the all important carbon footprint reinforced by our new look at wool in nonwovens.

 

We also invited Bill Macbeth from the Textile Centre of Excellence to speak about the finance available for development of Hi-Tech Textiles. Bill was also at lunch to talk to individuals about the programme.

 

The Nonwovens Network is aware of the ongoing economic climate, we are therefore presenting this year’s seminar at last years reduced cost to all who attend, attributing any deficit to the Network’s reserves.

 

12th Annual Nonwovens Network Seminar

‘21st Century Nonwovens’

Thursday 25th June 2009

 

The 12th Nonwovens Network UK conference – ‘21st Century Nonwovens’ – took place in Bradford, West Yorkshire on 25th June 2009.

 

A special guest was Dr Niall Finn of CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering in Australia.

 

As a specialist in advanced fibrous materials, Dr Finn explained that the Materials Science and Engineering division formed last year is one of the organisation’s largest, spread over six sites and with a focus on a wide range of manufacturing industries.

 

Mike Nunney of the BTTG provided information on the labrinthine nature of fire testing, with between 20-30 different kinds of cigarette tests alone.

 

Eamonn Tighe of NatureWorks spoke of the company’s progress in doubling capacity for the production of its Ingeo bio-based PLA fibre at its plant in Blair, Nebraska, USA.

 

Speakers at the 12th annual conference (left to right): Tim Gibson, Niall Finn, Mark Pedley,

John Millar, Mike Nunney, Subhash Anand, Eamonn Tighe and Asif Shah.

 

Asif Shah of Shirley Technologies spoke of ethics and sustainability in conventional textile chains, detailing a number of case studies of the pitiful earnings of cotton pickers, spinners and hand weavers in poorer regions of the world.

 

Tim Gibson of Scensive Technologies introduced the Bloodhound E-Nose range of instruments for the detection of the mixtures of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that produce smells and odours in fabrics.

 

Bloodhound technology is based on chemical sensor technology developed  at the University of Leeds over the last 18 years.

 

Professor Subhash Anand MBE, of the Centre for Materials Research and Innovation at the UK’s University of Bolton spoke of the future significance of three-dimensional nonwoven fabrics and their applications.

 

Also speaking at the event was John Millar, R&D grants manager for Yorkshire Forward, who outlined a number of options for companies seeking sources of finance, and Mark Pedley of SmartLife Technologies.