Abstract: A continuous process for the wet chemical treatment of fibers employs one or more squeezing/opening operations post chemical treatment to provide even chemical distribution on the fibers being processed. For squeezing the fiber batt impregnated with chemicals, one or more sets of squeeze rollers which include at least one roller with grooves are used to remove the liquid chemicals from the fiber batt efficiently. The squeezing operation can be coupled with the ability to collect and recycle chemicals for reuse in the chemical treatment process. The continuous process for the chemical treatment of fibers may employ the use of a blending box for the dried chemical-treated fibers in order to compensate for any uneven chemical distribution on fibers occurred during the chemical treatment process.

Abstract: Repeatable and reliable chemical treatment for loose fibers is achieved by spraying or immersing loose fibers in a chemical treatment bath, and continuously moving the soaked fibers through a continuous centrifuge. The continuous centrifuge controls the wet pickup of the chemical formulation on the fibers and assures a substantially even chemical distribution on the centrifuged fibers. The centrifuged fibers may be dried to fix the chemicals in the chemical formulation to the fibers and/or to remove water from the chemical formulation. Recycling of the chemical formulation from the continuous centrifuge allows for the process to be performed more economically and in a more environmentally friendly fashion.

Abstract: A personalized virtual shopping assistant system and method includes a plurality of individualized avatars which can be used by shoppers to see how various articles of clothing or accessories would look on themselves. The individualized avatars are created from a 3D body scan of all or a portion of the shopper to create an avatar which accurately reflects the size and shape of the shopper. When performing online shopping, the shopper retrieves his or her avatar for display on a display screen of a smartphone, tablet, computer, kiosk, or other device or system, and places computer representations of articles of clothing or accessories on the avatar. The computer representations are provided by the manufacturers or retailers or other sources. In some configurations, the computer representations may be manipulated to shrink or expand to fit the avatar.

Abstract: Nonwoven containing inherent flame retardant cellulosic fibers has improved fire barrier performance, such as char elongation and char strength when the inherent flame retardant cellulosic fibers are treated with flame retardant chemicals. The flame retardant chemical treatment on the inherent flame retardant cellulosic fibers can be done either before or after the nonwoven formation.

Abstract: Customers obtain customized textile materials by selecting style, shape, size, pattern and color for an undyed textile product. Based on a selection made by the customer, the textile product is transformed by a dyeing operation performed on a single item (or multiple items selected to be dyed the same) to yield a product, such as a shirt, pants, or jacket, which has a color and pattern of his or her own choosing, in the size and style he or she desires. The process can be performed in a retail setting using a dye apparatus which allows the process to be viewed by the customer. To enhance the educational and entertainment experience of the customer, the dyeing operation can be performed in a transparent tank or water kettle in the retail outlet so that the customer can view, for example, the garment as it is being dyed to the customer's specifications.

Abstract: A closed-loop system and process is used for applying fire retardant chemicals to substrates including fibers, yarns, fabrics or mixtures thereof. Substrates are preferably positioned in a vessel such as a dye machine which circulates the fire retardant chemicals. After absorption of the fire retardant composition, non-absorbed fire retardant chemicals are recovered and re-used on subsequent batches of fibers. The re-use of fire retardant chemicals can take place in the same vessel which is used to treat successive batches of substrates. Alternatively, recovery can be achieved by directing the non-absorbed fire retardant composition into a second dye machine containing additional fibers, or by extracting the fire retardant composition by centrifugation or other means, or by a combination of the two processes. The process is environmentally friendly, and allows for higher throughput on impregnating fibers with fire retardant chemicals.

Abstract: A closed-loop system and process is used for applying fire retardant chemicals to fibers. Fibers are preferably positioned in a vessel such as a dye machine which circulates the fire retardant chemicals. After absorption of the fire retardant composition, non-absorbed fire retardant chemicals are recovered and re-used on subsequent batches of fibers. Recovery can be achieved by directing the non-absorbed fire retardant composition into a second dye machine containing additional fibers, or by extracting the fire retardant composition by centrifugation or other means, or by a combination of the two processes. The process is environmentally friendly, and allows for higher throughput on impregnating fibers with fire retardant chemicals.