SIGMATEX High Technology Fabrics (Benicia, Calif.) announced on Oct. 3 the installation of Liba MAX 5 multiaxial technology at its U.S. facility. Manufactured by Liba Maschinenfabrik GmbH (Naila, Germany), the MAX 5 machine’s state-of-the-art capability allows the production of wide, lightweight multi-axial, noncrimp, stitched carbon fiber fabrics from both large tow fibers as well as industry-standard materials. It also is capable of processing demanding intermediate- and high-modulus fibers. The MAX 5 machine is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S. and will enable SIGMATEX to supply directly to U.S. customers the materials that, previously, were manufactured by its U.K. operation, one of the largest carbon fiber converters in the world.