TTNA's complete list of training (click here)

Once again in collaboration with the International Fibre Centre, the TTNA is proud to be responsible for developing and delivering the Environmental and Economically Sustainable Industry Program and The Carbon Fibre Workshop.

The program will endeavour to cover all aspects of the carbon fibre industry, spanning manufacture, processing, supply and end-use globally including future scenarios for growth and use. It will includ information on the carbon fibre grade properties, production and marketing of precursor, carbon fibre (PAN and pitch-based products) plus intermediate products such as woven fabrics, prepreg and matrix materials. It will also cover th eproperties of the different types of carbon fibre and the behaviour and propertie of different fabric formation including a variety of weaves, nonwoven and knit constructions, and outline existing applications and new/emerging applications for carbon fibre.

The resource will document fibre and textile qualities and include samples for easy reference. End use applications for carbon fibre included in the resource:

• Building and civil construction
• medical and healthcare
• defence
• mining
• environment
• agriculture
• automotive
• aerospace

The learning resource will be tailored for use in the programs/quaifications within the following
training packages:

• The Textiles, Clothing and Footwear Training Package (Advanced Textiles)
• The Automotive Industry Manufacturing Training Package (Automotive)
• The Plastic, Rubber and Cable Making Training Package (Composites)

Click here for Carbon Fibre Course registration in Geelong.
Click here for Carbon Fibre Course registration in Queensland.

A number of waste composition studies in Australia indicate that unrecovered textile waste accounts for approximately 4 percent of the content of our landfills. These statistics are an aggregate of all sectors in the TCF industry (i.e. pre-consumer, post-consumer and industrial). Whilst a mature issue in Europe, in Australia the business of recovering Energy from Waste (EfW) is embryonic. Energy from Waste (EfW) is often perceived to be no more than poorly disguised incineration and a technology that both destroys resources and creates pollution. However EfW can present a viable solution for recovering resources that would otherwise be lost to conventional landfill, while at the same time reducing the use of fossil fuels for our energy sources.

All textile waste streams (those detailed previously) are often unrealised sources of valuable raw materials that can be repurposed or regenerated into saleable and usable products by intelligent collection, sorting, reengineering and reprocessing. The business of regenerating pre-consumer and post consumer waste in Australia is promising. It has the potential to found a new industry and green jobs while mitigating land fill and at the same time as providing green inputs to external industries such as the automotive industry.

1st Sustainability Industry Seminar – Renewable Inputs for the Textiles Industry
2nd April 2009   9.00 am – 1.30 pm   RMIT University 25 Dawson Street Brunswick  Victoria

Competitive businesses with an eye to emerging market forces are increasingly questioning the sustainability of their manufacturing inputs.  The quest to develop new business opportunities through environmental stewardship and investment requires new thinking about manufacturing inputs and industrial design and the relationship between industry and the natural environment.

Given this aim, sustainable development is becoming a core business strategy for the Australian textiles industry.

This seminar is the first in a suite of sustainability forums that the TTNA is holding during 2009.  It will explore the present and future use of renewable raw materials in fibre and textile production.

Click here for the Program. Call Lorraine on 03 9866 6643 if you would like copies of the presentations.

• Sustainability Input Policies of Toyota – Jon Ward, Manager Environmental Policy Corporate Affairs, Strategy & Environment, Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd - click here for abstract & bio
• Sustainable Characteristics and Opportunities offered from Hemp Fibres – Phil Warner, Managing Director and Founder, Ecofibre Industries Limited - click here for abstract & bio
• PLA Fibres:  CSIRO’s Research Outcomes for Commercial Products – Dr Mike O’Shea, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Molecular Health & Technologies - click here for abstract & bio
• The Trouble with Greenwash – How businesses can avoid the pitfalls when promoting themselves in a green marketplace – Frank Lilley, Small Business & Outreach Manager, Victoria, The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission - click here for abstract & bio
• The Journey to Understand the Environmental Footprint of Polypropylene - Katherine Simmons, Sustainability Project Manager, LyondellBasell Australia - click here for abstract & bio
• Can a Manufacturing Plant be run on Renewable Energy? - Nic Jacobson, Senior Engineer Renewable Energy, ANZSES Victorian Branch Vice President - click here for abstract & bio

Our thanks go to RMIT University for providing the venue for this series as their ongoing contribution to the textiles industry.

In partnership with the International Fibre Centre, the TTNA brings you this multi level project which aims to conduct the following during the period from Nov 08 to Dec 09:

• seminars/workshops on sustainability issues and
• development of an environmental cluster of fibre and textile producers.

Themes that will be explored include:

• Feedstock base to renewable raw materials
• the potential to recycle textile waste to produce energy
• technical and nonwoven textiles in engineered filtration and other environmental applications.

The formation of an environmental cluster of fibre and textile producers to develop sustainable products for domestic and export applications will provide advice and determine the most opportunistic and measurable sustainable processes and programs for the future.

• Thursday 2 April at RMIT Brunswick
• Thursday 6 August at RMIT Bruswick
• Thursday 26 November at Novotel St Kilda

The Technical Textiles and Nonwoven Association (TTNA) is a national industry association representing the collective interests of the Australian Technical Textiles and Nonwoven industry.

There is little doubt that education and training play a significant role in assisting the technical textiles and nonwoven industry to meet the challenges faced by manufacturing. The TTNA looks closely at emerging needs in order that management and workforce skills match these changes in business operations and systems. For the future, the industry requires a rising number of skilled workers who are able to cover broad areas of employment with the support of flexible training. A responsive educational and training system is crucial to all manufacturing industry sectors, as is ongoing dialogue between industry and training providers. To this end, the TTNA participates in the Manufacturing Skills Australia Industry Advisory Committee (MSA-IAC) in order to contribute to the VET system for the betterment of the Australian echnical textiles and nonwoven industry. In early 2006, a survey was undertaken of the TTN industry, as an example of the collaborative relationship between MSA and TTNA. Indeed, this survey has provided valuable knowledge of industry’s needs and hopefully, will be the impetus to fully utilise the VET system, including investigating ways by which prior knowledge and short courses can lead to accreditation so that workers can be adequately qualified.

Additionally, the TTNA has been able to provide training in areas that weren’t provided by the VET system by accessing support from the International Fibre Centre (IFC). The objective of the IFC is primarily to support and facilitate access to education and training programs relating to textile processing and manufacturing from fibre to fabric, for use by the ustralian fibre and textile industry and Australian tertiary educational institutions, and to design, introduce and manage funding programs in relation to such education and training.

In this spirit, support from the IFC has enabled the TTNA to deliver a number of relevant short courses on specific themes such as “coating and laminating” and “test methods”. Another example is the successful collaboration with both RMIT and the IFC to deliver the European Nonwovens & Disposables Association (EDANA) nonwoven course twice in Melbourne. All aspects of nonwoven technology and production were covered in this comprehensive three day training. This successful event was also the catalyst behind the International Fibre Centre investing in a “home-grown” version that was delivered at CSIRO during July 2006. Furthermore, IFC funding provided an opportunity for a number of industry personnel to train in product development at the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Centre at the University of North Carolina.

TTNA continues to work with the International Fibre Centre and the CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology to provide training and workshops. See the TTN Industry Training Program by clicking here.

Enquire here about any of the courses listed here or future courses – kerryn@ttna.com.au