Specialty Fabrics Review September 2019 - 28

Our success in these
markets comes
down to our core
competency, which is
engineering products
out of fabric.
That's what creates
sustainable value in
the marketplace.
Bud Weisbart,
A & R Tarpaulins Inc.

Tamarack sees growth in consumer
markets with its ENGO® Blister Patches,
a product line that's helped the company
expand from medical markets to retail
sales. Photo: Tamarack Habilitation
Technologies Inc.

28 REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2019

result of technical skill and years of trial
and error. "If I got on a sewing machine,
I'd break it," Weisbart says. "But these
guys can figure anything out."
He also believes that A & R's project
managers give the company a competitive
advantage. They're experienced in
identifying opportunities and work across
the various markets collaboratively with
each other. One project manager, for
example, specializes in truck covers and
also does industrial curtains for aerospace
companies and mats for Ultimate
Fighting Championship rings. "She
understands our capabilities and is free to
pursue whatever environments she thinks
can best be served by our competency to
produce fabric products," Weisbart says.
THE BENEFITS OF INFLATION

Ryan Gundling wants to change the way
people think about inflatables. Ryzing
Technologies, based in Staunton, Va.,
combines the discipline of engineering
with expertise in textiles to provide
solutions for the U.S. military, industrial
and commercial clients.
Gundling, CEO of Ryzing, has a
passion for sharing the potential of
pneumatic textiles, which often starts
with dispelling preconceived notions.
"Yes, a kids' bounce house and that crazy
figure with the arms at the car dealership
are inflatables, but so are your car tires," he
says. "The inflatables we design function
like those car tires. You fill them up, cap
them off and check them every so often
They don't need constant attention."
There are an increasing number
of applications for the technology,
particularly if a customer needs a solution
that is light, packable, durable and easily
deployed, such as temporary structures for
the military; but also in situations where
a less rigid product makes sense, like
robotics in a produce warehouse.
"Traditional robotic structures are
rigid, and the risk of injury in close

proximity to humans is a concern.
Soft inflatable robotics don't require
complicated operating systems and can be
safely used close to people, for example
in a warehouse situation with robotic
grippers handling fruits and vegetables,"
says Gundling. Adding a dynamic function
so the inflatable can perform a task
such as grabbing, capturing or changing
shape is another exciting way to expand
the market. There are also structural
applications that go beyond pulling up a
tent-perhaps an inflatable movie screen
that can be put up and torn down easily,
or acoustic structures for concerts.
Gundling envisions a variety of
solutions that combine textiles and
inflatable technology that go beyond
what most people think is currently
possible. He will be speaking at IFAI
Expo this fall on "Engineering with Air:
Understanding Inflatable Technologies
and Their Applications."
IN-HOUSE GRAPHICS:
THE BOTTOM LINE

Capitol Awning had been selling and
installing awnings to commercial and
residential customers in and around the
Richmond, Va., area since 1930. When
Bill McSpadden purchased the company
in 2003, one of the first things he did
was bring most of the manufacturing
in-house. He says, "I come from a
manufacturing background, and it
became clear that we couldn't grow if we
couldn't control lead time and quality."
McSpadden then turned his attention
to graphics. He recalls, "When I first
bought the company, they'd have the local
sign shop make the graphic and we'd apply
it. Usually within a year or two the vinyl
would start to come off and the unhappy
customer would be stuck replacing the
awning because of $20 worth of graphics."
Worse yet were placement or spelling
errors. He cites one order, a large wraparound awning made for the headquarters
Specialty Fabrics Review September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Specialty Fabrics Review September 2019
