#Technical Textiles

2025-09-18

Bally Ribbon Mills highlights advanced webbing solutions for the parachute industry

Bally Ribbon Mills (BRM), an industry leader in the design, development, and manufacture of highly specialized engineered woven fabrics, highlights its advanced webbing solutions for the parachute industry. With a longstanding reputation for quality and innovation, BRM's webbing is designed to meet the critical demands of aerospace and commercial parachute applications, ensuring optimal performance, strength, and durability.

Engineered woven fabrics designed for aerospace and commercial parachute applications, ensuring strength, durability, and compliance with stringent industry standards

BRM’s parachute webbing is engineered using high-performance fibers such as Nylon, Kevlar®, Vectran®, PTFE, and Zylon®PBO, providing superior strength, strength to weight ratio and reliability. Manufactured to meet stringent military specifications, including PIA-Spec and Mil-Spec standards, these narrow woven fabrics are essential components in life-support systems. The company’s Nylon Webbing (Mil-W-4088K) and Tubular Nylon Webbing (Mil-W-5625K) are Berry Amendment compliant and undergo rigorous testing to meet the exacting standards required for critical parachute applications.

BRM is developing new woven tapes and webbings utilizing DuPont’s Kevlar® EXO, a next-generation fiber that offers a higher strength-to-weight ratio compared to Kevlar® 29 and Vectran®. This material provides enhanced performance characteristics while maintaining a more competitive price point than traditional PBO materials. Currently under evaluation for use in the parachute industry, Kevlar® EXO presents a promising alternative for applications requiring lightweight strength and reliability.

Designed to withstand extreme conditions, BRM’s parachute webbing features low pack volume, high energy absorption, and superior abrasion resistance, making it ideal for deployment in demanding environments. These materials are integral to parachute canopy reinforcements, harnesses, and risers, ensuring both safety and reliability in airborne operations. Beyond traditional parachute systems, BRM’s webbing solutions support advanced aerospace applications, including space rocket launch vehicles, capsule recovery programs, and NASA-directed commercial sector initiatives.

BRM maintains the highest quality standards, holding ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D certifications, underscoring its commitment to precision and excellence. The company ensures strict compliance with federal regulations, providing Berry Amendment-compliant products that are 100 percent sourced and manufactured in the United States. This dedication to quality and reliability has solidified BRM’s reputation as a trusted supplier of high-performance webbing for mission-critical applications.

For more information about parachute webbing solutions from Bally Ribbon Mills, visit

https://www.ballyribbon.com/mil-spec.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.

TERIS reaches milestone: Fraunhofer consortium develops new standards for tire analysis

In the “TERIS” project, the Fraunhofer institutes ICT, IGD, and IWM—led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF—have reached a decisive milestone. For the first time, the teams aim to generate, analyse, and predict tire wear in the laboratory in a standardized and practical manner. As part of this milestone, results are now available on reference abrasion, particle analysis, tribological models, AI-based surface analysis, a test bench concept, and methods for accelerated aging and VOC detection. The tire industry, testing services, and environmental agencies will in future benefit from reliable, rapid laboratory procedures for emissions assessment.

CovationBio introduces two new bio-based innovations at Functional Fabric Fair New York

Covation Biomaterials LLC (“CovationBio®”) is showcasing its two new bio-based innovations, Xatryx® and Sorona® elasterell-p fiber, at this year’s Functional Fabric Fair in New York City, July 7–9, 2026. Attendees can visit CovationBio at Booth #404 to explore this next generation of bio-based performance materials.

STOLL: Agreement signed for the divestiture of selected assets

In early 2025, KARL MAYER announced its strategic decision to focus on its core business areas of WARP KNITTING, WARP PREPARATION, and TECHNICAL TEXTILES. As part of this move, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand was discontinued and the production site in Reutlingen was closed in October 2025.

C&S strengthens its governance to support its evolution

C&S announces the appointment of Marco Lucietti to its Board of Directors. With extensive international experience across the textile and denim industries, Lucietti will work alongside CEO Federico Corneli, contributing to the company’s managerial development, organizational structure and long-term strategic direction.

Industrial scale meets verified governance: RE&UP is now B Corp™ certified

RE&UP, the circular-tech transforming global textile waste into high-volume Next-Gen materials, has officially become a Certified B Corporation™. The milestone establishes the industrial recycler among a select group of manufacturing infrastructure providers verified as meeting B Lab Standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.

ISKO brings conscious color, texture, and tactile evolution to Bluezone Munich

At Bluezone ISKO is debuting its FW 27–28 Collection, structured around a trio of core sensory pillars: color, texture, and touch. This season, the textile leader showcases a creative vision where emotional connection and advanced technical innovation come together. The entire range is anchored by a dedicated commitment to eco-conscious material creation, utilizing patented processing technologies and high-quality Next-Gen materials powered by RE&UP.

More Jacquard. More functionality. More fashion.

With the addition of another member to its successful RASCHELTRONIC® family, KARL MAYER is opening up new possibilities for creative product development for warp knitting mills and brands. The RJ 4/2 EL offers with two stitch-forming Jacquard bars entirely new design options for functional sportswear and bi-elastic lingerie. Available in gauges E 28 and E 32, this new model helps manufacturers set their collections apart from the competition. The fine E-32 gauges, in particular, impress with their clean surface, a pleasantly soft feel, and an exceptionally elegant look.