The Nonwovens Institute: Innovation and Leadership in Material Science |

1. Introduction to The Nonwovens InstituteEstablished 1991 as a NSF State I/UCRC NAFA 2014 Technical Seminar Genevieve Garland, PhD Director – Partnership and Market Intelligence

2. NC State University • North Carolina State University is a Research I University with more than 34,000 students and nearly 8,000 faculty and staff. • North Carolina State University is a comprehensive university known for its leadership in education and research, and globally recognized for its science, technology, engineering and mathematics leadership.

3. History of Nonwovens at NC State • The Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center (NCRC) was founded in 1991 as a State-IURC from grants from the United StateNational Science Foundation (NSF), the State of North Carolina, and Industry. NCRC Graduated from NSF in 1998. • NCRC has grown to be the largest industry cooperative research center in the Nation. • The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) was established on February 15, 2007.

4. The Nonwovens Institute The Nonwovens Institute is a university-wide unit that works with the faculty in the participating colleges and partner universities and member companies to support the various industrial sectors that it represents… and train future leaders for the industry… Nonwovens Institute Engineering Paper Science Textiles Fiber & Polymer Science Chemical Engineering Paper Science & Engineering

5. What We Actually Do at NWI? Education Testing & Fabrication New Product Development Incubation LINC, LL • Funded by NWI • PhD Research • Graduate Certificate • Short Courses • In-plant Training • 37+ PhD Students • Faculty • Meet twice/year • Project monitoring • Typically no IP, but Bylaws define IP rights • Funded by Sponsor • No student/faculty involvement • Research Staff only • Confidential • Sponsor present at trial • Sponsor defines protocol • Simple Agreement with no IP terms • Enabler for innovation • Funded by Sponsor • No student involvement • Research scientists • Meet monthly • Reporting requirement • Project monitoring • Option to License IP generated • Assistance with commercialization • Funded by Sponsor • Help commercialize technologies developed at NWI • Manufacture on a limited basis products • Identify companies who can produce the products • Transfer technology to client LINC is a non-profit affiliated entity of NC State…

6. Education & Outreach Initiatives Medical & Hygiene Filtration Automotive Wipes Building & Industrial Emerging Durables Market Impact Market Segments Benefits to Members Materials & Process Technologies Surface & Bulk Engineering Micro and Macro Modeling Platform Technologies Nonwovens, Fiber & Polymer Science and Eng., and Paper Science Platform Technologies Training Future Leaders Translation Open Innovation Network

7. Members Covers the whole value chain, small to large

8. Members Covers the whole value chain, small to large and more… Membership dues are exclusively used to support our multi-disciplinary, but fundamental shared research, initiated and monitored by our membership

9. Knowledge Creation: Core Research • 37+ PhD students • Meet twice/year with all members • Reporting requirement • Project progress monitoring • Typically no IP generated; Bylaws define IP rights • Results only shared with the members until results are published or student graduates

10. Knowledge Creation: Core Research • Nonwovens Materials & Process Technologies • Fibers, Additives, Coatings • Material-process-performance interactions • Surface & Bulk Engineering • Controlling functionality – e.g., ion-exchange, electret, … • Controlling behavior – e.g., shape memory, … • Micro and Macro Modeling • Structure modeling, • Performance modeling, etc…

11. Knowledge Creation: Core ResearchMaterials & Process Technologies

12. Knowledge Creation: Core ResearchFunctionalization

13. Knowledge Creation: Core ResearchModeling/Structure-Property Relationships

14. Training Future Leaders • Graduate Certificate in Nonwovens • The students who complete the above 5 graduate courses, can receive a university graduate certificate in Nonwovens Science and Engineering. • This is the only program of its kind in the world • PhD • Fiber & Polymer Science, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering • Materials Science and Engineering, Bioengineering, and others • Our Goal is to have 5 dedicated tenure-track faculty in NWI by 2017. Member Benefit: Free online access to all courses materials

15. New Product Development • Our guiding principals are that such programs must be transformative in that the new product or activity: • Challenges what is possible • Disrupts existing learning curves • Leaps beyond today’s technologies • Funded by Individual Sponsor • No student involvement • Staff and research scientists • Typically IP generated • Sponsor receives option to license IP • Results only shared with the sponsor Member Benefit: Access to talent and facilities at reduced rates

16. New Product DevelopmentProduct Development Examples • New high surface area fiber • New Splittable fiber/spunbond • High strength nonwoven for shelters • Durable nonwovens for uniforms • 3-D nonwovens • Modeling of meltblowing process • 3-D modeling of nonwoven structures • New acoustical nonwovens for speakers

17. Technology Transfer and IncubationLeaders in Innovation & Nonwoven Commercialization – LINC, LLC • The challenge with commercializing any new technology is that often, new manufacturing assets are required and capital expenditures are difficult to justify in the absence of significant proven market potential… • LINC is a non-profit affiliated entity of NC State (The Institute). • LINC acts as an incubator to: • Help commercialize technologies developed at the Institute • Manufacture on a limited basis products that are not commercially proven to help with the launch of the products • Assist in identifying companies who can take on the task of producing the products, and will help transfer the technology http://www.lincnonwovens.com/home Member Benefit: Incubation of new ideas and products to prove commercial feasibility

18. Be The “Go-To” Information Resource Professional Development Regularly Scheduled Custom Microscopy and Image Analysis Product Development Filtration Wipes Industrial Nonwovens Automotive Nonwovens … Processing • Nonwoven Products and Processes • Manufacturing Process Fundamentals • Spunbonding & Meltblowing Fundamentals • Bonding Fundamentals • Characterization Methods • Product Development

19. Forecasting Technology and Market Needs • NWI offers services in forecasting technology and market needs through market intelligence. • The market intelligence and technology assessment provides a systematic approach to looking at the current and future direction markets and technologies are moving to provide decision makers with information that helps them anticipate, drive and plan for the research and development that leads to breakthrough technologies and products. • This activity is useful to individual companies but also helps the IAB and the Executive Committee in identifying technology gaps and new research directions for NWI’s core programs. Member Benefit: Access to knowledge and know-how at reduced rates

20. Creating Testbeds • NWI offers to industry diagnostic and testing and pilot production services by creating testbeds and making these available at reasonable fees. • Funded by Individual Sponsor • Daily rate • Confidential • No student involvement • Staff and research scientists • Allows sponsor to reduce their ideas to practice • Sponsor present at trials • Simple agreement with no IP terms • Results only shared with the sponsor Member Benefit: Access to know-how and facilities at reduced rates

21. Testbeds: Current Pilot Testbeds • Fiber Extrusion • Mono, Homo, Bico, Trico • Spunbond • Bico – 60 cm • Meltblown • Hills Bico – 60 cm • Biax – 40 cm • Reicofil – 1.2 m • Reicofil – 12.5 cm • Carding/calendaring/ crosslapping/needle-punching/thermalbonding • Erko – 1.5 m • Electrospinning • NanoSpider – 25 cm • Coating/Laminating • Knife, roll, pad – 80 cm • Gravure roll – 50 cm • Powder – 10 cm

22. What Members Tell Us… • Research Cost Avoidance & Research Amplification • Access to core research programs • Access to students, faculty and staff • Voting rights to determine research agenda • Technology Transfer • Option to any IP developed through core research programs • Access to online research archives • Training programs at a discount • Free online course materials • Service/Economic Development • Product development • Analytical services • Discounted use of facilities & testing • Networking • New members showcase at IAB • Marketing on NWI website • Industrial networking at semi-annual meeting • Networking with various faculty, students and staff