#Colloquia / Symposia

2017-11-10

Aachen, Dresden and Denkendorf, together, are forming the 'textile triangle' of the future

Boasting over 600 participants most recently, this conference counts as one of the most important textile conferences in Europe. Starting in 2016, the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research, Denkendorf (DITF) are now also a co-organizer. Thus, the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference will take place on a yearly alternating basis at one of the three sites. This year it will take place in Stuttgart from 30-Nov-2017 to 1-Dec-2017.

Parallel to the International Textile Conference, the organizers respectively launch the German Textile Colloquium as a national equivalent with changing special themes in the spring.

This year’s partner country USA is represented by speakers among others in two plenary and three keynote lectures, presenting new technologies and developments. High-class presentations and posters will showcase national and international scientific achievements and results from the fields of high performance fibers and yarns, medical textiles and medical technologies, and composites for various applications.

In addition, ADD ITC and Forschungskuratorium Textil e.V. have organized a transfer session where achievements within the IGF-ZIM program will be summarized.

The research institutions in the Aachen, Dresden and Denkendorf regions invite all interested companies, research institutes, associations and students from all over the world to participate in the lively exchange of experiences, new ideas, and information at the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference, held at the Kongresszentrum Liederhalle in Stuttgart.

For the plenary sessions, internationally renowned contributors offer insights into industry visions, trends, and innovations from the areas of research, automotive, medical technologies and composites.

The opening plenary session on Thursday ends with a panel discussion on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Walter Reiners-Stiftung. The chairman of the Foundation, Peter D. Dornier from Lindauer DORNIER GmbH, speaks with former prize winners of the VDMA Textile Machinery Foundation for young engineers.

The closing plenary session on Friday provides an outlook on the future of textile auxiliaries and gives impulses for the development of sustainable fibers.

IGF-ZIM Transfer Event: From Idea to Practice

The well-established IGF-ZIM Transfer Event “From Idea to Practice” will again be organized by the Forschungskuratorium Textil e.V.. Attendants will be introduced to selected successful products and methods developed in co-operation between researchers and industry representatives, and effectively realized by the industry.

http://www.aachen-dresden-denkendorf.de/en/itc/

Plenary lectures:

Prof. Dr. Raymond G. Boeman; IACMI – The Composites Institute, Knoxville, USA
Prof. Dr. David Hinks; NC State University – College of Textiles, Raleigh, USA
Eckhard Reese; Daimler AG, Mercedes Benz Werk Hamburg, Germany
Dr. Pau Turon; B. Braun Surgical S.A., Barcelona, Spain
Dr. Herbert Bachus; CHT R. Beitlich GmbH, Tübingen, Germany
René Bethmann; VAUDE GmbH & Co. KG, Tettnang, Germany

Keynote lectures:

Prof. Dr. Martin W. King; NC State University, Raleigh, USA
Mary Lynn Landgraf; OTEXA – Office of Textiles and Apparel, Washington, USA
Dr. Tom Masselter; Universität Freiburg, Germany
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Felix L. Paulauskas; Oak Ridge National Laboratory/University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge, USA
Dr. Andreas Schmidt; Hohenstein Institute, Bönnigheim, Germany
Sven Torstrick; German Aerospace Center (DLR), Stade, Germany
Dietrich Wienke; DSM Dyneema, Geelen, Netherlands

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.

TCLF: Resilient value chains in times of crises

The textiles, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) industry was at the centre of the webinar “Resilient value chains in times of crises”, which took place on 28 April 2026. Global supply chains continue to face increasing pressure, raw material dependencies are growing and economic uncertainties are affecting the entire sector.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Katharina Obergruber appointed to the Management Board of Sandler AG

The Supervisory Board of Sandler AG has appointed Katharina Obergruber to the company’s Management Board. Effective September 1, 2026, the Board will consist of Philipp Ebbinghaus (CEO), Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck (currently CCO, future COO), and Katharina Obergruber (CCO). Katharina Obergruber, currently Chief Sales Officer Hygiene and member of the Management Team of Sandler AG, will assume responsibility for all sales activities as Chief Commercial Officer. She will assume this role from Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, who will focus primarily on production and supply chain topics.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.