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BedTimes, Product Spotlight, September 2005

Product Watch highlights new and notable components, machinery and other items for the manufacture of bedding products. And, as evidenced here, it’s clear that companies continue to innovate.

For more information about how your company’s products and services can be featured in a Product Watch section, check upcoming issues of BedTimes and the weekly electronic newsletter from the International Sleep Products Association. Product Watch also is posted on our Web site at www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes.

Descriptions and images in this section were provided by the companies. Product claims are not endorsed by BedTimes or ISPA.

MATTRESS FABRICS
A. Lava & Son
A. Lava & Son continues to expand its line of Zip-On mattress covers. Zip-On covers are available both quilted and nonquilted and in many fabrics and constructions to meet manufacturers’ needs. The company’s terry cloth and velour covers are now part of its Stocked Response program.
Phone 800-777-5282
Email alavason1@aol.com
Web www.alavason.com
Contact: Adam Lava

Anton Cramer
Anton Cramer showcases BodyVital, featuring a fiber worked into the fabric to reflect infrared  rays. The company says the ticking is designed to, among other things, “strengthen vitality, provide a feeling of comfort and relaxation and reduce tension.” Anton Cramer also is touting Climacontrol, produced of 100% natural, air-spun cotton to make it fast drying and absorbent. Climacontrol, washable to 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), feels “soft and pleasantly warm to the skin,” the company says.         
Phone 49-2571-82121
Email hometex@anton-cramer.de
Web www.anton-cramer.de
Contact Christian M. Mourguet

Bekaert Textiles
Bekaert introduces “silky cool” mattress tickings constructed with natural bamboo fiber, a fast-growing, renewable resource. Bamboo is a regenerated cellulose fiber that, when viewed under a microscope, reveals microgaps and microholes. “As a result, bamboo fiber produces a fabric with moisture absorption and ventilation properties superior to cotton,” the company says. Studies at Centexbel-Verviers, a Belgian textile research center, show that Bekaert’s bamboo ticking retains the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties inherent in the natural material, according to the company. Many Bekaert mattress tickings carry the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. Oeko-Tex is a textile consortium based in Switzerland that audits and certifies manufacturers and their supply chains. Certification ensures quality-controlled and environmentally friendly production of fabrics.
Phone 336-747-4930
Email s.nelles@bekaertusa.com
Web www.bekaerttextiles.com
Contact Scott Nelles

DesleeClama
DesleeClama, a provider of woven and knitted fabrics, has launched several technologic fabrics. Holofiber is a mattress ticking designed to ensure optimal blood circulation and is marketed, particularly, to athletes and older sleepers. Climarelle is intended to create a balanced temperature for sleeping and Dry Fast, as the name implies, dries quickly after getting wet and offers “cool and fresh sleeping comfort,” the company says. Finally, Mosquito-Free is designed to repel mosquitoes, as well as dust mites and bacteria.
Phone 864-472-2180
Email eric.delaby@desleetextiles.com or
kris.vereeck@desleeclama.com
Web www.desleeclama.com
Contact Eric Delaby or Kris Verbeeck

Evoteks
Evoteks introduces Viscose, a fabric the company says “soothes and cools skin faster than cotton” because of its high moisture retention and absorbency. The material is available in a wide range of colors. The company also offers Tencel tickings designed for breathability and absorbency. “Tencel unites the advantages of many different fibers,” the company says. “It is as fine as silk, as strong as polyester, as warm as wool and absorbs more moisture than cotton.”
Phone 90-212-875-42-10
Email info@evoteks.com
Web www.evoteks.com
Contact Ekmel Oztoprak

Manifattura Crespi
The company has developed a mattress ticking line made with certified organic cotton. “PC302 BIO-TEX has a very soft touch, is natural and gentle to the skin, and is biodegradable,” the company says.
Phone 0039-0331-658.352
Email mcrespi@mcrespi.com
Web www.mcrespi.com
Contact Daniele Crespi

Monks International
Monks International’s new line of jacquard woven and double-knit fabrics contains natural products such as bamboo, silver and wood. Bamboo tickings feature the anti-microbial, absorption and deodorization properties of the natural fiber. “Bamboo has an unusual ability to breathe and its structure allows good ventilation, thus creating a comfortable body zone,” the company says. Silveractive is a nonallergic, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial yarn that prevents odors and reduces static electricity. Viscocell is made of a blend of wood fibers to create a “softness and sensation of freshness.”
Phone 32-5667-1600
Email info@monks.be
Web www.monks.be
Contact Gino Beyls or Kristel Bissschop

Soltex
Soltex is offering two new fabric collections. Pegasus is an addition to the company’s double-knit line, which also includes Billowtex fabrics. Pegasus offers “color in addition to your whites and off-whites (and) gives you the high-end look at a popular price point,” the company says. Soltex also has introduced a group of “luxuriously soft” imported damasks, including a fabric called Econoweave. The company says it has plans to further expand into the double-knit and damask areas to meet industry demands.
Phone 864-234-0322
Email nkovalsky@soltexusa.com
Contact Norman Kovalsky

Tylex Letovice
Tylex Letovice introduces three-dimensional spacer fabrics for use in mattresses, pillows and pads. The fabrics are available in depths from 3 to 30 millimeters.
Phone 420-323-673-583  
Email njconsult@iol.cz
Web www.tylex.cz               
Contact Josef Novak 

MACHINERY
Amelco Industries
Amelco’s Frame Machine Model FF measures, bends and cuts border frames for spring units and is ideal for flat steel strip frames, according to the company. The machine can be programmed for any border frame size or shape; a memory function allows operators to store commonly used sizes and to create new ones. Feeding speed is adjustable to suit an operator’s welding performance. Computerized, operator-friendly logic circuits, controlled by PLC, provide safety, flexibility and reliability, and the operation will stop automatically if there is a feeding jam or material runs out. A foot operated butt welding machine is supplied with Amelco’s Frame Machine. Using the Model FF, a single operator can produce, weld, anneal and stack 1,000 rectangular frames in an eight-hour shift, the company says.
Phone 357-22-484444
Email info@amelco.com.cy
Webwww.amelco.com.cy
Contact Costas Georgallis

Dongguan Hengsheng Machinery
The company offers the HSLF-2400, a horizontal continuously automatic foam line designed for the production of soft urethane foam (with densities of 10-50kg/m3). “It’s automation level is high, the production is low cost and the operation is simple,” the company says.
Phone 86-769-2181936
Email webmaster@hensheng.com
Web  www.hensheng.com/asp-bin/en/index.asp
Contact Mr.Li

Eton Systems Inc.
The Eton System computerized conveyor system is designed to eliminate manual transportation and reduce nonproductive operator handling by delivering organized component parts in the most efficient manner for each operation, the company says. With the overhead conveyor, the system minimizes floor-space requirements, creates greater visibility on the production floor and reduces damage during production, according to the company. In addition, the system automatically displays real-time shop floor data in order to assure proper sequence and identify bottlenecks and quality problems.
Phone 770-475-8022
Email sveng.bodell@etonsystems.com
Web www.etonsystems.com
Contact Sven G. Bodell

Galkin Automated Products
Galkin’s GAP4250 Faux Pillow-Top Workstation “automates faux pillow-top border production with perfectly taped and ‘self-taped’ sew lines,” the company says. The high-speed GAP4250 produces more than 60 feet per minute and comes standard with a heavy-duty welded steel frame, material racks, flange guide, Thread Track control, adjustable tension rewinder, binder assembly, thread-break detectors and material-run out sensors. The Fast-Adjust material folder changes to accommodate a range of material thickness and widths. To produce a faux border, operators load rolls of border (up to 30 inches in diameter), tape and flange into the Fast-Adjust folder and press an automatic-run control to activate the sewing cycle. The border is automatically folded, bound, flanged and rewound. For double-sided beds, previously sewn rolls can be reversed, reloaded and run through the machine a second time.
Phone 631-643-5432
Email info@galkin.com
Web www.galkin.com
Contact Michael Lydick

Global Systems Group
The GPT-1000AP from Porter International is a three-in-one, high-speed ruffler that can sew different gusset sizes. “With the GPT-1000AP, you can create new looks for continental foundations, pillow-tops and euro-tops 30% faster than with conventional methods,” the company says. The single-needle machine can attach quilted or nonquilted gusset material to the inner panel and can guide material up to 21 inches wide to the sewing head. “Using a patented, programmable electronic ruffler, the GPT-1000AP guarantees precise, consistent corners every time,” according to the company.

Omni-Cutter, a programmable panel cutter from Gribetz International, is available in six different configurations for various production requirements. The camera option adjusts the cutting blades automatically by aligning with a mark placed on the bottom side of the quilted panel by a Gribetz quilting machine. “This delivers a perfectly cut, pattern-centered mattress panel every time,” Gribetz says. The Omni-Cutter can accept quilting material at a rate of up to 3 yards per minute.
Phone 800-326-4742
Email gary.bennett@leggett.com
Web www.gsgcompaines.com
Contact Gary Bennet

Nowo Textile Machinery
Nowo Textile Machinery has created a compact Nowo Q for quilt and mattress production. Quilt, bedspread and mattress panel fillings are fed directly from fiber bales to improve efficiency and cost savings. The Nowo line is specially designed to process high quality polyester fiber; the system is computerized and the fiber flow is constantly digitally weighed. The system includes two designs for web forming: conventional cross lapper and direct lapper. The weight of the cross-lapped web can be adjusted between 80 g/m2 and 1,000 g/m2.
Phone 358-2-48081100
Email nowo@nowotex.fi
Web www.nowotex.fi
Contact Veli-Pekka Anttila

FOAMS
FoamPartner Swisstex Inc.
FoamPartner has developed, in conjunction with physicians and physiotherapists, SAF 5320 High Memory Foam. Designed for use in mattresses and pillows, the visco-elastic quickly conforms to the contours of the body for even weight distribution and is washable in household machines at temperatures up to 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). “The washability gives all products, especially pillows, a much higher grade of hygiene during the lifespan,” the company says.
Phone 1-0-864-845-75-41
Email swisstex@foampartner.com
Web www.foampartner.com
Contact Thomas McDonough

Latexco
Latexco U.S. now offers 8-inch latex cores in comfort levels from plush to extra firm. (Previously, latex cores had been limited to a 6-inch thickness.) The same mold can be poured with soft or plush latex that can be cut into toppers and both products can be zoned. “An 8-inch core fits the American market demand for firm support and thickness,” the company says. “An 8-inch firm core plus a 4-inch soft topper of identical design provides the perfect thickness, feel, price point and marketing story for the American consumer.” 
Phone 866-528-3926
Email kevincallinan@sbcglobal.net
Web www.latexco.com
Contact Kevin Callinan

BED SETS AND FOUNDATIONS
Da Sung I.L. Co.
Da Sung offers the 20/20 Air Pocket Mattress. Each air pocket is a dual-control system with a pressure-absorbing pocket and pressure-storing pocket to help maintain even pressure on the body. The name comes from the mattress’ 20 air pockets (in the queen size) and 20-year warranty. The product is patented in Korea.
Phone 82-2-499-2623
Email dasungil@hanmail.net
Web www.dasungil.co.kr
Contact Sang Moon

FR PRODUCTS
Devan Chemicals
Devan Chemicals positions its Ecoflam fire-retardant materials as environmentally friendly flame-retardants. Ecoflams, which are halogen and antimony free, can be applied by foam, padding or paste. “Their proper application produce beds, mattresses, barrier fabrics and comforters that meet the most rigorous regulatory standards in the U.S. and Europe for increased flame retardancy and environmental safety,” the company says.
Phone 32-55-23-01-10 or 706-367-1380
Email inge.norman@skynet.be or
devanchemicals@mindspring.com
Web www.devan.net
Contact Inge Norman or Frank Calogero

Elk Technologies
Elk Technologies’ VersaShield all-natural fire barriers are durable and aid bedding manufacturers in meeting all current FR requirements, according to the company. VersaShield is available in woven cotton and nonwoven fabrics for panels, borders and fill cloth applications.
Phone 404-338-0639
Email frank.kelly@versashield.com
Web www.versashield.com
Contact Frank Kelly

Nolar Industries Canada/National Fabric USA
Together, the two companies are offering nonwoven fire-resistant barriers designed to help bedding manufacturers meet the open-flame standards of California’s Technical Bulletin 603. The material, which the company says has a “soft, pliable hand and good drapability,” can be used on both panels and borders between ticking and filler materials. It is available in 90-inch widths. In addition, Nolar introduces an anti-skid cloth for box springs. The coated product is available in gray or cream and is supplied on rolls or in sheets.
Phone 905-669-5513 or 305-883-1011
Email traponi@nolarindustries.com or
vivianfernandez@bellsouth.net
Web www.nolarindustries.com
Contact Vivian Fernandez

Precision Fabrics Group
Precision Fabrics Group offers several flame-resistant fabrics in its SoftGUARD MTP filler cloth line. All of the FR materials are designed to eliminate the need for continental-style borders for single-sided mattresses and foundations. The cloths can be integrated into existing cut-and-sew operations. “They provide all of the aesthetic, strength and nonskid properties associated with traditional non-FR filler cloths,” the company says. 
Phone 336-510-8029
Email lisa.kale@precisionfabrics.com
Web www.precisionfabrics.com
Contact Lisa Kale

Tex Tech Industries
Style 8393 is the latest Tex Tech fire barrier—part of a chain of products that goes back to the early 1980s when the company developed aircraft seat flame blockers. It uses fire-retardant materials and uniformly blends them to provide flammability protection without chemical additives. Style 8393, at a weight of 4 ounces per square yard, can be purchased in rolls containing 200 yards of the white fabric.
Phone 800-441-7089. Ext. 296
Email dwebber@ctel.net
Web www.textech.usContact Denny Webber

OTHER PRODUCTS
Avery Dennison
The AP 7.t is an 8-inch-per-second thermal transfer printer for the production of labels for textile and bedding applications. The printer processes polyester and satin labels, as well as coated and nylon materials. It can be equipped with an optional integrated cutter/stacker. The system prints bar codes, graphics, text and international textile care symbols on labels measuring up to 4.2-inches wide and comes with 19 standard fonts, including two scalable fonts. Maximum print resolution is 300 dpi. “A specially coated drive roller and optimized material path ensure crisp, precise printing and reduce the risk of jams,” the company says.
Phone 215-728-8054
Email dan.l.williams@averydennison.com
Web www.averydennison.com
Contact Dan Williams

InFact Data
The FastFact Real-Time Performance Monitoring System is a complete, stand-alone hardware and software system. It measures performance, productivity, quality, compliance and capability of as many as 48 machines or processes. Features of the standard system include analog and digital acquisition, counting, timing, rate determination, production reporting, statistical process control, job scheduling, downtime detection, scrap identification, operator-time tracking and calculation of key performance indicators, including overall equipment effectiveness. FastFact aggregates and stores information, generates a variety of charts and reports, and makes information available via a corporate network or the Internet.
Phone 503-352-0833, Ext. 100
Email bill@infact-data.com
Web www.infact-data.com
Contact Bill McAlister

Internal Concealment Unit LLC
The company’s patented namesake product is designed to “provide safety and security inside the mattress” by securing items such as jewelry, documents, medicine, money, credit cards and firearms from both children and intruders. Engineered to slot into the border of almost any mattress, the Internal Concealment Unit can be made in various sizes, can be made fire retardant and can include security combination or key locks, a well as edge or lumbar support. It is designed for use with innerspring, foam-encased spring, foam and air beds. “In an industry saturated with high-profile, tack-and-jump, no-flip mattresses, the ICU offers another way to differentiate and market mattresses,” the company says. The product is intended for the residential, hospitality, institutional and recreational vehicle markets.
Phone 704-528-7166
Email dowens@internalconcealmentunit.com
Web www.internalconcealmentunit.com
Contact  Don Owens

Standard Gum
Ecolink is a new rubber link to hold slats on both wood and metal bed frames. Ecolinks can be attached by staples or other means and are available in lengths from 1.8 to 2 millimeters. They are available in 28 colors.
Phone 33-2-48-50-87-24
Email commercial@standard-gum.fr
Web www.standard-gum.fr
Contact Pascal Lobry

 
Vibradorm
Vibradorm’s VMU series of massage units are designed to be built into mattresses and toppers. One set features an exclusive cable handset with microprocessor, a distributor box, a plug-in adaptor and an arrangement of as many as 10 12-volt massage motors. Standard features include adjustable massage intensity for each massage zone, five “wave” massage and two “pulse” massage programs, six automatic massage programs and two timer settings (15 and 30 minutes). An option makes it possible to operate the massage motors, foot heating sensor and bed adjustment motor with only one handset and control unit. The products come with 36-month guarantees.
Phone 49-6061-94-44-0
Email info@vibradorm.de
Web www.vibradorm.de
Contact Stefanie Hattemer

Vorne Industries
The XL800 Production Monitor is a “six-in-one” performance management and productivity improvement system that combines a visual display, high-performance production monitor, expandable input/output, multiple channel communication hub, program executioner and data warehouse. “The XL800 offers an alternative by integrating everything needed in one package, providing an easy-to-implement ‘bolt-on’ solution that can be up and running in minutes,” the company says. “It requires no change to existing processes while providing over 100 key performance indicators to front-line employees and managers alike—in real time.”
Phone 630-875-3600
Email: jfeltman@vorne.com
Web  www.vorne.com
Contact  James Feltman

XSENSOR
XSENSOR says its new POS Mattress Software “is a simple-to-use, customized sales tool for demonstrating pressure relief and comfort when selling mattresses in a retail environment.” XSENSOR recommends combining it with its X2 Lite Bed Pad System. “People are becoming more educated on the value of a good night’s sleep and are willing to purchase more expensive beds,” XSENSOR says. “Pressure imaging in the retail mattress showroom is a growing trend to help consumers select a high-end mattress that relieves pressure and maximizes comfort for their individual body type.”
Phone 403-266-6612
Email sales@xsensor.com
Web www.xsensor.com
Contact Stephen Anstey