The infant's first clothes

"File: Clothing, 3/81/8M""You or someone you know is planning to have a baby. What kind and how many clothes will you need? Buying what your friend purchased for her newborn may not be the answer. The time of the year the baby is born influences the amount and type of clothing purchased. Fewer clothes, in variety and amount, are needed in the summer than other seasons."--First paragraphBetty Feather (State Clothing and Textiles Specialist)Includes bibliographical reference

Biodegradable staple fiber nonwovens calendered with the assistance of an aqueous solvent : $btheir fabrication, properties, and structural characteristics

Biodegradable cotton/cellulose acetate thermal calendered webs were consolidated with the assistance of an aqueous acetone solvent. Existing patent literature cited lower acetate binder softening temperatures could be achieved because of the plasticization, hence microstructural changes brought on by the localized interruption of hydrogen bonds between adjacent molecular chains in the acetate fibers associated with acetone treatment. Acetate fibers softened at temperatures far below their typical 230°C melting temperature, fiber coalescence could be achieved between 177 and 191 °C. Microstructural responses to solvent modification include solvent induced crystallization, surface and internal cavitation and shrinkage, that ultimately cause suppression of the fiber second order glass transition and softening temperatures. Two different blend systems were treated with 20 and 40% acetone and consolidated at 150, 170 and I 90°C using thermal calendering rolls. Fabric mechanical integrity, web dimensional stability and fabric hand were evaluated, the performance of the different fabric combinations was compared statistically using the General Linear Model

Commercial Janus Fabrics as Reusable Facemask Materials: A Balance of Water Repellency, Filtration Efficiency, Breathability, and Reusability

Facemasks as personal protective equipment play a significant role in helping prevent the spread of viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A desired reusable fabric facemask should strike a balance of water repellency, good filtration efficiency (FE), breathability, and mechanical robustness against washing cycles. Despite significant efforts in testing various commercial fabric materials for filtration efficiency, few have investigated fabric performance as a function of the fiber/yarn morphology and wettability of the fabric itself. In this study, we examine commercial fabrics with Janus-like behaviors to determine the best reusable fabric facemask materials by understanding the roles of morphology, porosity, and wettability of the fabric on its overall performance. We find that the outer layer of the diaper fabric consisted of laminated polyurethane, which is hydrophobic, has low porosity (∼5%) and tightly woven yarn structures, and shows the highest overall FE (up to 54%) in the submicron particle size range (0.03-0.6 μm) among the fabrics tested. Fabric layers with higher porosity lead to lower-pressure drops, indicating higher breathability but lower FE. Tightly woven waterproof rainwear fabrics perform the best after 10 washing cycles, remaining intact morphologically with only a 2-5% drop in the overall FE in the submicron particle size range, whereas other knitted fabric layers become loosened and the laminated polyurethane thin film on the diaper fabric is wrinkled. In comparison, the surgical masks and N95 respirators made from nonwoven polypropylene (PP) fibers see over a 30% decline in the overall FE after 10 washing cycles. Overall, we find that tightly woven Janus fabrics consisting of a low porosity, a hydrophobic outer layer, and a high porosity and hydrophilic inner layer offer the best performance among the fabrics tested as they can generate a high overall FE, achieve good breathability, and maintain fabric morphology and performance over multiple washing cycles

Fiber Selection for the Production of Nonwovens

The most significant feature of nonwoven fabric is made directly from fibers in a continuous production line. While manufacturing nonwovens, some conventional textile operations, such as carding, drawing, roving, spinning, weaving or knitting, are partially or completely eliminated. For this reason the choice of fiber is very important for nonwoven manufacturers. The commonly used fibers include natural fibers (cotton, jute, flax, wool), synthetic fibers (polyester (PES), polypropylene (PP), polyamide, rayon), special fibers (glass, carbon, nanofiber, bi-component, superabsorbent fibers). Raw materials have not only delivered significant product improvements but also benefited people using these products by providing hygiene and comfort

Lo-Tech and Hi-Tech Baby Diaper Machines, Assessment of Performance and Economy

The huge consumption of baby diapers worldwide (81, 993, 30) millions has derived many investors to enter as converters. The market of baby diapers is a very competitive market. Consequently, to capture a market niche one has to decrease the diaper cost effectively. The cost variables are raw material, machine depreciation, manpower, energy, and infrastructure. To reduce the cost of any product one should look into the component that represents the highest percentage of the product cost. In that case the raw material factor should be optimized since it represents 80% of the diaper cost. The performance of machine in terms of quality and waste minimization has also been considered. The waste percentage affects the diaper cost dramatically since as the cost of wasted material is high. In this sense the machines that can save on raw material would be the one that can compete well in the baby diaper market war. The raw material cost reduction is normally on waste and carrier tissue paper which is used by Lo-tech machines in lack of vacuum pressure for holding down the diaper during processing. The engineering features of the baby diaper machines are examined in terms of performance and product quality.  In this research a comparative study is conducted to find out the best alternatives to enhance the quality of the baby diaper and increase savings on raw material cost. It is found that the Hi-Tech machine comparatively is the best in terms of performance, least cost, and quality. Consequently, it is the best investment alternative. &nbsp

End-of-life management of single-use baby diapers: Analysis of technical, health and environment aspects

Single-use baby diapers belongs to an important group of products used in the parenting journey because of their high performance and convenience. Single-use baby diapers are normally thrown away after one-time use, resulting in a waste management problem. The goal of this paper was to better understand main environmental concerns of different types of diapers and address how to reduce them, with a special consideration of waste management strategies and user behaviour practices. Furthermore, health and environmental hazards potentially associated with materials included in diapers, or substances formed from diapers during the waste treatment stage, are also analysed (e.g., phthalates, pesticides, dioxins, pesticides). Three main types of baby diapers have been analysed: single-use baby diapers, reusable baby diapers, and biodegradable single-use diapers. Each type of diaper comes with technical characteristics and environmental concerns and challenges, which are discussed in this paper to support the development of measures for the safe(r) and sustainable design, use and end of life management of baby diapers.Justyna Płotka-Wasylka is grateful for the finantial support by the National Science Centre, Poland within the grant project (No.: 2020/37/B/ST4/02886)

Audience Responses to Gender Stereotypes in Advertising

Advertising has demonstrated linguistic, contextual, and sexual gender stereotypes since its inception; it seems poised to continue doing so as advertising’s presence in society proliferates. Upon analyzing these stereotypes, examples can be found throughout media, especially in television. All this begs the question: Are these stereotypes actually effective at selling products or services to their intended audience? Do men react positively to stereotypes of men or women; and vice versa, how do women react? If gender stereotypes are employed in advertising purely through force of habit and not evidenced prudence, then the advertising landscape stands to gain immensely from taking a more progressive view; otherwise, stereotypical advertising is defensible if only from a financial perspective

Unmentionable: Socio-Structural Discrimination of Incontinence; Engendering Dignity by Design

Although present in medical and historical texts for millennia, urinary incontinence remains a somewhat taboo topic, with both affected individuals and remedies for the condition--such as adult diapers--subject to ridicule, embarrassment, status loss, discrimination, and even exile. Reinforcing this discriminatory behavior, the adult diaper--a spur from the baby diaper invention--tracks a parallel path to incontinence. With diapers and adult incontinence rooted in a misunderstood cross-pollination with infant incontinence, individuals must struggle against known stereotypes and stigmas liable to label them as incompetent, impotent, or unclean. The stigma of incontinence is thus aligned with the diaper, reinforcing social ignorance and discriminating structural environments. Establishments of structural discrimination, such as medical providers and architectural policy, are instrumental in perpetuating the stigma of urinary incontinence through their unimpeachable status and concomitant power. Product, social structure, power systems and architecture are inevitably linked in the case of systemic disenfranchisement. In this study, the adult diaper is seen as one key to crippling such mechanisms and inspire new direction and greater dignity within incontinent populations. Synthesizing qualitative and quantitative research on product history, product function, market trends, material trends, user needs, and product testing, a case is made for a reusable incontinence garment...at first hybridized with disposable technology and later envisioned to connect with emerging trends in wearable technology, urine collection and agricultural systems. Enabling such synapses between seemingly disparate parts, argues that dignity may be engendered in populations upon establishing multidimensional strategies within product research and design, with the intent of transcending personal and cultural biases

Exploration based design methodology using the theory of constraints in extending plastics manufacturing for novel high performing fabrics

2022 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.The world of textiles is comprised of several materials. From the conventional, such as cotton and silk, to the contemporary, such as polyester and nylon, textiles have changed over time. Nonwovens, a category of material frequently referred to as the "third-generation" of textiles, have emerged as one of the most exciting breakthroughs in the textile industry during the past few years. Nonwovens, which are frequently confused with fibers, yarns, and fabrics, have evolved as a new category of versatile material with medicinal and industrial applications. An issue associated with the use of lightweight nonwovens is their single-use, in which a fabric weight category can be employed for only one product. The number of products per weight class that can be utilized in businesses that utilize the materials is limited. Therefore, companies utilizing these textiles in their operations must engage with plastic producers to plan, implement, and develop a single weight class for a single product. This procedure is time-consuming and generates plastic waste because of unfinished fabrics. By creating a multipurpose nonwoven fabric, organizations will be able to improve their operations by saving time and energy, improving profits, decreasing plastic waste, and enabling process innovation. To use a fabric with the same weight and similar physical properties in a different product, a different fabric is manufactured for that process, despite the similarity in weight and physical properties between the fabric used in the previous process and the fabric needed for the new process. Due to this limitation, the concept of redesigning nonwoven materials for different applications was conceived. Air Permeability, a barrier to airflow, is a significant component in the inability to support numerous uses. When a fabric's desired attribute is not satisfied, the fabric's air permeability can be optimized by utilizing a variety of process approaches to attain the appropriate performance qualities. This permits the use of a single fabric in a variety of items. Due to the fabric's weight and volume, the usage of nonwoven in aviation and public works has expanded drastically. Thermal insulation is one of the most prevalent applications of nonwoven materials in the aviation industry. Nonwoven fabrics are also utilized as dynamic biofilters for filtration in public works, with an aerobic layer that aids in the recovery of alkalinity in the filtration systems used in these facilities. The two significant outcomes of this research are (1) Improvement of the airflow barrier, also known as air permeability (AP), which enables the use of a single weight class to make several goods as opposed to a single weight class for a single product, and the addition of a thermal barrier to the fabric. Permeability enhancements in nonwovens enhance the fabric's sound absorption, filtration, and heat absorption. (2) The capacity to recycle undesired nonwoven fabrics following production, as opposed to disposing of the plastic components in landfills. Nonwovens are semi-crystalline polypropylene plastics that are not easily biodegradable due to the strong chemical bond between the polypropylene polymers. Because polypropylenes, which are plastics, are not biodegradable, unused nonwoven fabrics are landfilled. It was through the process of prototyping that a subsystem alteration was made that enabled the development of nonwoven fabric with better air permeability. Design as Exploration concepts are used to accomplish this. Reicofil I, II, III, and IV are the four nonwoven production systems used in this research to develop the novel fabric. In addition, this study has handled another issue by reusing and recycling unwanted fabrics to reduce the amount of plastic waste in landfills. An extrusion method that recycles rejected and waste fabrics were the result of these approaches. The innovative method used in developing the new nonwoven fabric is being explored for use in the production of plastic films to improve the quality of goods made with polyethylene plastic polymers