The Zeis Textiles Extension (ZTE) at North Carolina State University's Wilson College of Textiles is happy to announce a new collaboration with Baldwin Technology Co. Inc. in the dyeing and finishing lab, leveraging their precision spray technology for chemical applications, TexCoat G4™. With revolutionary spray technology, this mutually beneficial partnership will improve textile sector sustainability by decreasing energy, water, chemicals, and processing time.

In addition to equipment partnerships such as this, companies within the textile industry can partner with ZTE to use the pilot lab to test new processes and products at an industrial scale, exposing them to new technologies and opportunities without disrupting existing manufacturing timetables. ZTE labs hire student labor and are accessible for use in capstone and research projects.

Rick Stanford, Baldwin Technology’s vice president of global business development for textiles, said that they’re thrilled to be collaborating with Zeis Textiles Extension with our precision spray technology for textile finishing. NC State is acknowledged as a global leader in textile research and teaching. This opportunity introduces future textile leaders to the benefits of Baldwin spray technology in finishing and acts as a test site for brands, mills, chemical providers, and others in the textile supply chain to directly experience Baldwin's TexCoat performance and sustainability potential.

Baldwin Technologies is a multinational maker of equipment for a variety of sectors. Baldwin is reinventing textile finishing by deploying non-contact precision spray technology, such as the TexCoatG4™, which enables for even application of a wide range of low-viscosity water-based chemicals to one or both sides of the fabric.

Compared to traditional pad applications, the system enhances productivity, efficiency and sustainability by reducing water use by up to 50%; reducing drying time and energy up to 50%; recycling 100% of chemistry used; reducing downtime for changing or cleaning baths between fabrics; and reducing water and chemical waste.

This collaboration supports Baldwin Technology and puts Wilson College on the bleeding edge of textile industry innovations, offering both students and businesses access to this eco-friendly finishing equipment. As a result, it has the potential to transform both the existing and future industries, as students graduate and spread their knowledge throughout the world, becoming the industry leaders of tomorrow.

Andre West, director of ZTE, said that they see themselves as the college's industrial arm, linking research and innovation between industry and academics. Their collaborations with machine makers, such as this one with Baldwin Tech or their collaboration with Sheima Seiki, for example, serve as a vehicle for innovation.