#Research & Development

2024-05-02

Walter Reiners Foundation Award for two ITA prizewinners

How can production steps be optimised through transfer learning? How can the environmental impact of geotextiles made from petrochemical plastics be compared with that of biodegradable plastics in order to find a decision-making aid for more sustainable products? Lennart Hellwig and Fabio Bußmann from the Institute of Textile Technology (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University were awarded the Walter Reiners Foundation's German Textile Engineering 2024 prizes on 25 April for developing these methods.

Professor Dr Gries, Lennart Hellwig, Peter D. Dornier and Fabio Bußmann (from left to right) © 2024 ITA

Use of transfer learning enables data reduction in the needling process

Lennart Hellwig received the "Förderpreis Masterarbeit" for his master's thesis "Transfer learning model for needling processes in nonwovens production taking uncertainties into account".

The award was presented for the development of a methodology that makes it possible to model a manufacturing process in nonwoven production using transfer learning. This model can be used to optimise the production steps. The use of transfer learning reduced the amount of data required for the models and improved the accuracy of predictions. Specifically, the needling process was selected as the production step in the work. In principle, the process can also be transferred to other production steps.

Ecological decision-making aid for the selection of more sustainable products

Fabio Bußmann was honoured with the "Sustainability Award Master's Thesis" for his master's thesis "Method development and implementation of life cycle assessments to evaluate the sustainability of production and end-of-life scenarios of biodegradable geotextiles". Plastics offer a wide range of applications due to their diverse properties and moulding options. Geotextiles are one example. They are almost exclusively manufactured using petrochemical plastics, which are primarily selected for their functionality without any thought being given to sustainable disposal at the end of their useful life. These textiles often remain in the ground as they are very difficult and expensive to remove, if at all. A more sustainable alternative could be the use of geotextiles made from biodegradable plastics.

The aim of this work was to compare the environmental impact of geotextiles made from petrochemical plastics with those made from biodegradable plastics. This study is being carried out in three different application areas in order to serve as an ecological decision-making aid and to identify the more sustainable product.

The Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association, Peter D. Dornier, presented the awards during the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt am Main.

Networking Day 2026: Industry stakeholders unite around textile recycling

In 2026, the Industry Research Group (IRG) Polymer Recycling once again brought together some of the key stakeholders in textile recycling for its annual Networking Day. This year, the event took place at EREMA’s premises in Ansfelden, Austria. It brought together key players from across the textile recycling value chain for a day of structured exchange and in-depth discussions.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

TERNAfil wins first place at PitchMiUp Night 2026 in Minden

The RWTH spin-off TERNAfil has developed MAXCarbon, a new high-performance hybrid fibre that combines the mechanical performance of carbon with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. For this development, TERNAfil was awarded first prize at the PitchMiUp Night in Minden on 21 May 2026.

Carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre proves its worth – NRW Minister for Science Mona Neubaur congratulates ITA start-up TERNAfil

MAXCarbon technology, a novel carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre developed by ITA spin-off TERNAfil, secured third place at the HIGH-TECH.NRW Demo Day on the TÜV NORD campus in Essen. The technology combines the strength of carbon fibres with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. Mona Neubaur, Minister for Science in North Rhine-Westphalia, congratulated the team on their success and on winning prize money of 4,000 euros.

Outdoor Industry Association completes Clean Heat CoLab initiative

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has completed its multi-year Clean Heat CoLab initiative, bringing together outdoor brands and technology experts to accelerate the adoption of electrified process heating in textile manufacturing. The collaboration focused on reducing emissions from thermal processes such as dyeing, washing and finishing, which remain among the most carbon-intensive stages of textile production.

Europe is committed to recycling end-of-life wind turbine blades

Starting in 2026, Europe’s wind energy industry has committed itself to ensuring that wind turbine blades do not end up in landfills once they reach the end of their service life. The EU-funded research project REWIND is exploring ways to reuse this composite waste. The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) are one of 13 project partners from seven countries.

ADD-ITC 2026 publishes preliminary conference program

The organizers of the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference (ADD-ITC) 2026 have released the preliminary program for this year's event, which will take place on November 26–27, 2026, at the International Congress Center Dresden. The conference is expected to attract between 500 and 700 participants from industry, research, and academia.

Première Vision Paris expands innovation focus across fashion and beauty

From September 1–3, 2026, Première Vision Paris will bring together more than 900 exhibitors from across the global fashion value chain. This year's edition places a strong emphasis on Innovation-Tech, highlighting technologies and materials that are reshaping product development, manufacturing and sustainability.

SHIMA SEIKI to exhibit at Première Vision Paris

Leading digital textile solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan will exhibit at Première Vision Paris in Paris, France next month. The company will exhibit in the "Smart Creation" area, dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge technologies that integrate sustainability and innovation. The knitting expert will be demonstrating solutions that optimize product development workflows and enhance sustainability through proposals in Digital Product Creation (DPC).