Yarn and fabric producer Avondale Mills Inc., Monroe, Ga., and Santa Fe, N.M.-based APJeT Inc.,
a company that specializes in the advanced processing of materials using plasma technology, have
signed a joint development agreement.
As a result, the companies hope to commercialize an advanced manufacturing process using ionized
gas (plasma) to treat cotton and cotton/polyester apparel fabrics to provide stain and water
repellency, or fire retardation.
“APJeT is excited about working together with Avondale Mills to demonstrate the unique
capabilities that our proprietary Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet technology offers for high-volume
textile production,” said Gary Selwyn, Ph.D., CEO, APJeT.
According to the companies, future applications could include cotton fabric that is
fire-retardant, environmentally benign, and has a lower health risk than current flame-retardant
fabrics.
January 2005
