Intensive exchange, new collaborations, awards and practical student excursion
From April 21 to 24, 2026, the Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM) at TUD Dresden University of Technology presented itself at the leading international trade fair Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt am Main. With two exhibition stands at Techtextil and Texprocess, which took place at the same time, the ITM offered a comprehensive insight into current research and development work along the entire textile process chain.
Innovations along the textile value chain
© ITM/TUD
The focus of the trade fair presentation was on the latest developments in the fields of high-performance fibers, intelligent textiles, sustainable materials and AI-supported simulation and development tools. A braiding machine for the production of high-performance carbon reinforcements, which was presented at the stand and impressively demonstrated the potential of textile technologies for resource-efficient construction, attracted particular interest.
Interactive demonstrators, innovative fibre composite solutions and approaches for the digitalization and condition monitoring of fibre-based structures were also presented. The technologies presented illustrate the central role of textile innovations in future fields such as lightweight construction, construction, medical technology and sustainable production.
© ITM/TUD
Intensive professional exchange and new impulses
© ITM/TUD
The four days of the trade fair were characterized by an intensive exchange with partners from industry and research. Numerous technical discussions, concrete project approaches and new collaborations underlined the high relevance of textile technologies as drivers of innovation in a wide range of sectors.
The great interest in topics such as AI-supported simulation, sustainable materials and interactive fibre systems clearly shows that the combination of material development, mechanical engineering and digitalization is becoming increasingly important.
© ITM/TUD
Additional impetus was provided by 7 ITM presentations at the Techtextil Forum, which met with great interest and further deepened the professional exchange.
© ITM/TUD
The following topics were presented: Integral gripper weaving for a nonwoven thermal fabric, Circular polypropylene for technical textiles, AI-supported monitoring of textile membranes, Crash-optimized woven preforms, Sustainable multifilament yarns made from mushroom chitosan, Knitted glove for digitizing finger and hand movements and Automated gripping solutions for handling textile materials.
The presentations offered a wide range of insights into current research approaches and technological developments and stimulated further discussions between science and industry.
Student excursion with practical relevance
A special highlight of the trade fair was the accompanying student excursion with a total of 26 participants. This not only gave the students a direct insight into current developments in the industry, but also allowed them to interact personally with industry partners and researchers on site.
© ITM/TUD
The ITM would like to thank the companies MAGEBA International GmbH, Lindauer DORNIER GmbH, Groz-Beckert KG, ETTLIN AG, Dilo Systems GmbH for the stand tours at Techtextil, as well as Dürkopp Adler GmbH and Kuris Spezialmaschinen GmbH at Texprocess.
© ITM/TUD
The visit to the trade fair was followed by another highlight: the excursion to KARL MAYER’s newly opened Textile Innovation Center in Obertshausen. There, the participants were given exclusive insights into the latest machine and system technology as well as innovative developments in the field of textile production and digitalization.
Special thanks go to the VDMA and the Friends and Sponsors of the ITM of the TUD e. V., who provided significant financial support for the excursion.
Awards for innovation and sustainability
At Techtextil, Mattis Eric Körner, a student at the ITM, received the Sustainability Award for Bachelor’s, project, student research projects or term papers 2026 for his thesis on “Development of a reliable system for measuring fiber length and its distribution in flax fiber structures and analysis of the effect of fiber length on fiber composite properties”. The prize was awarded by the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association.
© ITM/TUD
© Messe Frankfurt GmbH/ Pietro Sutera
In addition, the joint project CryoTec of the Chair of Development and Assembly of Textile Products was awarded the Texprocess Innovation Award 2026 in the category “Economic Quality” (cost minimization, time and process optimization, automation).
The awards underline the high level of innovation and practical research work at ITM in the field of sustainable and efficient textile technologies.
Successful conclusion and outlook
© ITM/TUD
With the conclusion of Techtextil 2026, the ITM draws a consistently positive balance:
Four intensive days with numerous discussions, new contacts and concrete project ideas form the basis for future cooperation and research activities.
At the same time, we are already looking ahead: ITM is looking forward to further professional exchange at ADD-ITC 2026, which will take place in Dresden from November 26 to 27, 2026. The international textile industry is cordially invited to continue the discussions initiated at Techtextil and to develop new ideas together.
The trade fair presentation has once again shown that interdisciplinary research, practical developments and close cooperation with the industry are crucial for the successful further development of textile technologies.
With a view to future projects and events, ITM is consistently pursuing the goal of actively shaping innovative textile solutions and transferring them into industrial applications.
Contact:
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM)
https://tu-dresden.de/ing/maschinenwesen/itm
