Rapid response textile dyeing: a laser-enabled manufacturing process

Global initiatives and legal frameworks to achieve net-zero carbon emissions will require the development of manufacturing processes significantly different from current commercial methods. The efficiency and fine control of laser-material interactions have proven themselves as disruptive manufacturing technologies that are ideally suited to replace conventional thermal processes. Conventional textile dyeing is known to be resource-intensive, relying on slow-acting thermal dye-fixation processes. These are inherently inefficient as they indirectly heat the material's surface through steam chambers or boiling vats to chemically fixate the dye onto the fabric resulting in large lag system responses. The typical system response time for these manufacturing processes is minutes, which equates to a work-in-progress of hundreds of linear metres of product. This paper presents a method of directly heating the textile surface with a Continuous Wave CO2 laser in combination with existing commercially available Polyamide textiles and Nylosan Acid Dye. Results from this new process show that the essential industrial quality control standards for colour fastness and mechanical properties are maintained. The key finding discussed in this paper is that using a laser source to provide a direct and rapid heating mechanism at the site of dye fixation enables the implementation of a fast response system. The heating control of the laser is effectively instantaneous, at <100 µs, resulting in control responses that affect less than one linear metre of material. The results presented here represent a product family with annual manufacturing volumes of 1.5 billion meters of textile, creating potential for significant improvements to manufacturing.</p

The case for investing in the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council: an economic evaluation

Background While the non-communicable disease (NCD) burden in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) has surged over the past decades, the costs and return on investment (ROI) of implementing cost-effective, WHO-recommended NCD interventions have not been established. Methods We performed an economic analysis to estimate the ROI from scaling up four sets of NCD interventions over 15 years. We estimated the direct costs of the four main NCDs (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases) using a prevalence-based,bottom-up cost-of-illness approach. We estimated indirect costs based on productivity loss due to absenteeism, presenteeism and premature deaths. We costed the scaling up of interventions using the WHO Costing Tool and assessed the health impact of interventions using the OneHealth Tool. We calculated ROI by comparing productivity and social benefits with the total costs of implementing the interventions. Results The four main NCDs cost the GCC economy nearly US$50 billion in 2019, equal to 3.3$20 billion or 40% of the total burden. Implementing the four modelled intervention packages in the six GCC countries over 15 years will cost US$14 billion, with an ROI of US$4.9 for every US$1 invested and significant health and social benefits, including 290 000 averted premature deaths. Conclusion Based on the results of these six investment cases, we recommend actions to scale up current WHO-recommended cost-effective interventions, strengthen whole-of-government action, drive the NCD legislative agenda, build out the evidence base, generate additional advocacy material, and increase regional collaboration and data-sharing to establish best practices and monitor impact.</p