Hempitecture, Inc. Wins RISE® Innovation Award for PlantPanel™
Held October 1-2 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the RISE® (Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics) Conference brought together industry innovators, technology scouts, and business executives in nonwovens and engineered materials. The event, which was co-hosted by INDA and North Carolina State University’s The Nonwovens Institute, offered innovative perspectives on sustainability with an emphasis on bio-based materials, circular economy tactics, enhanced recycling techniques, possible plastics laws, and packaging options. In order to restore the intrinsic value of fibers, nonwovens, and textiles, attendees investigated a wide range of technologies. Innovations in product design and process technology were demonstrated, highlighting how consumers and producers can accomplish more with less. Alternative, carbon-negative raw materials were also highlighted as a significant innovation during the event.
2024 RISE® Innovation Award Winner
The RISE Innovation Award went to Hempitecture, Inc. for their PlantPanelTM product. An exterior above-ground insulation material called PlantPanelTM is rigid and continuous. PlantPanelTM enhances thermal and acoustic comfort and performance with a R Value of R3.25 per inch. Utilized in split-insulation wall and roof assemblies with either roofing material or rain screen cladding, depending on the application, PlantPanelTM is engineered with a density to withstand compression and deflection. Easy to install and safe to handle, PlantPanelTM is a low-carbon, sustainable continuous insulation solution made entirely of recycled and biobased materials.
Berry Global’s ENDURATM rPP Spunbond & SMS and Ahlstrom’s Dual-Layer Filtration Media were among the nominees for the RISE Innovation Award.
TiHive’s SAPMonit technology was the recipient of the 2023 RISE Innovation Award. TiHive’s technological innovation, SAPMonit, examines millions of diapers every week. SAPMonit optimizes resources, finds defects, speeds up R&D, and provides lightning-fast inline assessment of the weight and distribution of superabsorbents. Industry standards are being revolutionized by SAPMonit’s use of sophisticated see-through cameras, fast vision algorithms, and secure cloud integration. SAPMonit provides enormous potential for cost savings, increased customer satisfaction, and sustainability.
INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award
Arnold Wilkie, President and Owner, Hills, Inc. has a distinguished career in advancing yarn, fiber, and nonwoven technologies since 1970. Since 1988, he has been President and Owner of Hills, Inc. where he has sustained their innovative culture. Wilkie has over 40 patents and applications covering yarns, bicomponent fibers, ultra-fine fibers, nanofibers, dissolvable filaments, meltblown nonwovens, and polymer processing innovations. He established Hills as a leading innovator in bicomponent fiber nonwovens and in the equipment to produce these materials. During Wilkie’s time leading Hills, their pilot capabilities have become well-known and highly regarded for enabling material innovations.
“I am extremely honored to receive this Award, and to contribute to the Nonwovens industry. Today’s nonwovens processes produce defect free fabrics at >5,000 SQ-Mt/Min. Multicomponent fibers produced from spin-packs with >35,000 Holes and having >1Million individually metered polymer streams have contributed to advanced commercial capabilities. Speaking with our neighbors in the high-tech Space Coast of Florida, I am proud to realize that the Nonwovens industry has created a comparatively advanced technology.”
