The Textile International Forum and Exhibition 2018 (TIFE 2018), an annual event organized by the Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) kicked off yesterday at the National Taiwan University Hospital International Convention Center. It is being held Sept. 26-27.

TTRI is under the Technology Development Program launched by the Department of Industrial Technology of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (DoIT, MOEA).

TIFE 2018 was launched with an opening ceremony attended by Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs officials and representatives of both local and international textile companies.

Remarks were made at the opening ceremony TIFE 2018 by Mr. Yi-shiung Yeh, Vice Chairman of TIFE 2018 & Taiwan Textile Research Institute and Mr. Ray Lin, Chairman of Taiwan Garment Industry Association & Taiwan Smart Textiles Association.

Distinguished guests introduced included Mr. Alex Lo, Chairman of Taiwan Technical Textiles Association; Mr. John Chen, Chairman of Textile Research and Development Association International and Dr. Kuei-chi Lee, President of Taiwan Textile Research Institute.

Two keynote speeches were delivered on the opening date. One by Mr. David Ekelund, the CEO of Icebug & Chairman of the Board, Scandinavian Outdoor Group (Sweden), who spoke on the topic – “Driving Outdoor Industry Progress Through Collaboration.”

The other keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Melik Demirel, Full Professor, College of Engineering & Director, Center for Research on Advanced Fiber Technologies, Engineering Science and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University (USA). His topic was on “Biotechnology Routes to Advanced Fibers in Textiles and Fabric Discovery in USA.”

This year’s theme focuses on “Smart Function and Innovation Navigation.” Using this exhibition, the organizers hope to continue in establishing an international exchange platform for the domestic textile industry to grasp global trends and create core competencies.

Foreign textile experts invited include those from Dr. Pirjo Heikkila from Finland, Ms. Traci Kinden from The Netherlands, Dr. Barbara Pause from USA, Dr. Joselito Razal from Australia, Mr. Braz Costa from Portugal, and Mr. Peter Kallai from Canada and Ms. Sylvia Heisel from USA. They will speak on topics ranging from functional textiles, circular economy and smart textiles. A total of nine speeches and three forums will be held at the exhibition.

The main highlight was the MOU signing ceremony between Taiwan Research and Development Association International and Scandinavian Outdoor Group. There was also a signing ceremony between intelliFLEX Innovational Alliance and Taiwan Smart Textiles Association.

Witnessing the MOU signing ceremony were Mr. Yi-shiung Yeh, Vice Chairman of TIFE 2018 & Taiwan Textile Research Institute and Dr. Kuei-chi Lee, President of Taiwan Textile Research Institute.

Forum Topic include Circular Economy with moderator Dr. Niven Cheng Chung Huang with panelists Dr. Pirjo Heikkila, Mr. Jason Kibbey and Ms.  Traci Kinden. The other Forum Topic is Smart Textiles with moderator Dr. Chuang-chien Chiu and panelists Mr. Peter Kallai, Ms. Sylvia Heisel and Mr. Chris Jorgensen.

On display at the exhibition are high-pitched industrial 3D textile (its height can be expanded by 12–50 cm) woven by the world’s first high-pitched 3D air-jet weaving machine on the exhibition grounds.

The textile is codeveloped by the TTRI and the VÚTS company of the Czech Republic as an emergency disaster relief tool. It can be functional in sudden downpours that flood Taiwan and severely affect its bridges and roads.

The high-pitched industrial 3D textile can be woven into a jackscrew structure and can elevate planes, containers, cars, and furniture above flood levels to reduce the damage caused.

Additionally, the textile can function as a temporary bridge to provide access for vehicles to pass when the original bridge is destroyed by a flood, or create an emergency shelter. These functions make the textiles closer to peoples’ lives.

In addition, the exhibition will also display multiple smart textiles, including the wearable dentition didactic support system, which combines smart gloves and smart glasses with artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality to simulate the scenario of a dentist grinding teeth by hand and kinetic interactive clothing. The clothing uses wireless technology and allows users to interact with the didactic support system through kinetic movements.

Another smart textile product that will be on display is temperature-regulating clothing, which features three stages of microclimate smart temperature regulation. Customers can adjust the clothing temperature and LED warning modes through a smartphone app according to different environmental temperatures, with a precision of ±1°C. Finally, environmentally friendly dope dyeing and ester textiles and thermosensitive and moisture-sensitive functional textiles will also be on display.

The TIFE has entered its 18^th year as the main platform for domestic and international textile connections, with the support of the DoIT, MOEA. Through the continuation of the event, the DoIT hopes to assist domestic textile firms seize business opportunities and make global connections, maintain industrial competitive advantages, and create a new landscape for the Taiwanese textile industry.

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