The purpose of this Golden LEAF grant is to assist the Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC) at Catawba Valley Community College with the purchase of equipment needed to establish testing and production capabilities for biotextiles in Conover, NC. The production line will have the capacity to take yarn produced by NC companies and treat it with pharmaceuticals to create biotextiles, which offer an alternative method to deliver medicines. The biotextiles will then be prepared for knitting into finished activewear products by other companies. Funds will be used to purchase product development and validation equipment useful in a variety of applications by area textile companies. MSC expects 25 NC companies will begin to develop biotextile products at the MSC.
