Conventions

Apr. 24-26, 2012. Techtextil North America is the continent’s only dedicated show for technical textiles and nonwovens, including fibers, yarns, knitted fabrics, canvas, laid webs…. Or so we were told.  The show assembled all vertical aspects of the technical textile industry, from research and development, through raw materials and production processes and finally ending in conversion, further treatment and recycling.  The Techtextil North America Symposium offered dozens of sessions focusing on the latest in research and emerging technology.  On show were new products, new technology, ground-breaking materials and advancements, with exhibitors from around the world showcasing their latest innovations.  Just arrived?  Well, you’d better “get weaving”…..

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” –opening monologue from Star Trek.

Coming of age in the 1960′s in Huntsville, Al home to the Marshall Space Flight Center, NASA was a big factor in our lives. While the rest of the state was embroiled in trying to save segregation, Huntsville was busy building rockets to send people to the moon and, at the time, beyond. After the Apollo missions, the next challenge was to find a vehicle that could be reusable. The Shuttle was born. Marshall Space Flight Center was once again buzzing with activity as they built the storage and delivery system for the liquid fuel.

The Enterprise was the 1st prototype and went into service in 1977 as a test model. While never actually used on a space mission, the Enterprise was from 1977-1983, was used for testing and flew frequent training missions over the Atlantic and Pacific.

Upon retirement in 1983, the Enterprise was taken to several locations before making its home at the Smithsonian’s Air Space Museum. One of those visits was a trip up the Hudson River in NYC. From our office in the 2WTC it was visible as it flew past the Statue of Liberty on the way to the Tappan Zee Bridge further up the river.

In 2005, the decision was made to retire the Shuttle program and the last Shuttle mission was in 2011. It was decided that further funding of the Shuttle and NASA was not in the best interest of the United States even though some of our everyday essential item were first conceived at NASA. Did you ever think you’d be able to carry 5000 of your favorite songs around on an iPod? Thank NASA for radio miniaturization. Here is just a short list of 10. Neil DeGrasse-Tyson, head of the Hayden Planetarium, recently testified before Congress regarding the NASA budget, saying

“Right now, NASA’s annual budget is half a penny on your tax dollar. For twice that—a penny on a dollar—we can transform the country from a sullen, dispirited nation, weary of economic struggle, to one where it has reclaimed its 20th century birthright to dream of tomorrow.”

Today the Space Shuttle Enterprise takes its last flight before becoming a permanent exhibit at the Intrepid Museum in NYC, we are reminded that we need to continue to dream and inspire our children to do the same.

Today is April 20, 2012 a date universally known at 420 day. We will skip the reasoning behind that but thought it would be fun to show on “Fabricate Friday” the 1st house made from a material called “hempcrete” made primarily from hemp with lime & water. It is a sustainable material that has been used as a building material for 1000′s of years. This is not the 1st house made from hempcrete as many communities in Europe, Asia and South America have been using it for years. Due to the regulations on the hemp industry by the US Governement, it is however the 1st one to gain approval in the U.S.

The biggest advantage of using hemp as a building material is that it is eco friendly and abundant if allowed to grow on its own. Beside providing carbon offsets while growing, the house itself continues to draw down carbon from the atmosphere. Mixing in the lime, allows the building to calcify over time, making the walls harder and more durable than the traditional wood or concrete used in building materials. Industrial hemp is not the same as the “how high” hemp. It is similar to bamboo in the fact that it regenerates itself very quickly and doesn’t require 40-100 years of new growth like tress do.

While it is an interesting concept, America still has a misconception of industrial hemp for use in building materials. The Hemp Growers of America have a very small lobby and very little money to convince Congress that using industrial hemp won’t turn entire generations into lazy, couch potatoes.

If you want more information regarding this project, here is the link to GizMag (many more pictures) and Push Design who gathered together the team that brought this project to Ashville.

Happy Earth Day on 4/21/2012.

Apr. 4-5, 2012. NPE is all about plastics and plastic products.  NPE is recognized as one of the largest trade events for emerging technologies in the plastic industry, attracting an audience of more than 2000 suppliers and 75,000 professionals. The show featured a vast array of plastic-made products and services used in various industries like automotive, medical, electronics, construction etc.  Attendees were typically Plastics manufacturers, CEO, Engineers, Plastics processors and original equipment manufacturers, Materials suppliers, Sales & marketing types, R&D specialists, Quality control specialists, Equipment and machinery makers and Designers.  If you can’t make it in plastic, chances are you can’t make it at all…