Messe Frankurt has launched four micro-factories at the 2019 edition of Texprocess, Frankfurt/Main, the international trade fair for processing textile and flexible materials held from May 14 to 17, 2019. One of the contemporary show highlights will be ‘Smart Textiles Micro-Factory’, located in the walkway between Halls 4.1 and 5.1 of Frankfurt fairground, the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) at the RWTH Aachen University, along with partners from industry and research, who will be producing a ‘smart’ pillow which, with the application of integrated LEDs, provides a platform for new ways of interaction. With this demonstration, the partners in the project will present an exemplary, fully connected manufacturing process for a smart textile from design to finished product.

The Smart Textiles Micro-Factory will represent a double premiere: the operational implementation of an on-demand integrated manufacturing process and this a smart, in this conductive sewn end-product. Under the leadership of a team of dedicated engineers for various technologies and along the principals of agile project management the following partners are now developing concept and implementation for the ambitious Microfactory application: Gerber Technology, Korea Institute for Industrial Technology (KITECH), Vetron Typical Europe GmbH (sewing), Wear it GmbH, ZSK Stickmaschine