The Fraunhofer Technical Textiles Alliance, founded in spring last year, with currently 14 member institutes, enjoyed a positive response at this year's leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens TECHTEXTIL.

The aim of the Alliance Technical Textiles is to bundle the Fraunhofer research competences along the textile value chain from the fiber to the composite for a cooperate preliminary research, joint performance offers and project acquisition.

For the first time, the institutes presented their exhibits and demonstrators from current research and development projects under one roof. An eye-catcher of the booth was a tailgate made of bio-polymers in the context of the "Bioconcept-Car" at the Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research WKI.

The miniaturized sensors of the institutes IZM, IFF and ENAS, which were in demand for use in clothing, medical and technical areas for the production of smart textiles, attracted particular interest. The functionalization of textile surfaces presented by the IGB and IST, the use of new materials, such as ISC ceramic fibers, thermoplastic fiber composite structures from IMWS, as well as design and simulation of textile processes presented by ITWM drew immense attention to the trade visitors.

The broad facet of various inquiries was a particularly challenge for the specialized institute staff answering the questions in a multidisciplinary way. This resulted in further discussions with the customers along the textile production chain, which guided the visitor visually through the exhibits at the booth of the alliance.

A total of 170 contacts at the fair form a good basis for future cooperation of the alliance institutes and other joint activities.