About Fabric Development, Inc.
Providing research and development for specialty fabric applications since 1972Fabric Development, Inc. was established in 1972 to custom design, engineer and manufacture specialty woven, knitted and braided fabrics to meet specific applications. Since that time, we have grown from a specialized textile manufacturer to a development and manufacturing facility of 80,000 square feet, capable of custom designing new weaves to meet user requirements, and manufacturing both prototype and production runs.
Our expansion was a result of steady growth and the acquisition of Lydall Manning’s weaving division in 2000, which we consolidated into our Quakertown facility in September of 2002. This acquisition greatly expanded our capabilities to deliver complex 3D products favored by the aerospace and advanced materials industries for over 30 years, adding new advanced composite lines. With the inclusion of such materials as "fluted core" fabrics, polar weave (spiral) fabrics, Tailored Advanced Blanket Insulation (TABI) and closed-end radome type structures, we now have even greater capability to serve the expanding needs of specialty fabric applications.
Today, Fabric Development Inc. offers a robust engineering and manufacturing capability to meet the demand for specialty fabric applications throughout the world.
Awards & Special Recognitions
As a result of our efforts to serve the needs of our customer, we have achieved several awards and other recognitions, including:
- A plaque in recognition of outstanding support for the Mars Pathfinder mission presented by Pioneer Aerospace Corporation in 1997
- The award for "Small Business Subcontractor of the Year for Region III (Philadelphia),” presented by the U.S. Small Business Administration in 1999 for the development of a three-dimensional carbon fiber perform, which formed the structure for the longerons in the liquid hydrogen tank of the X-33 space launch vehicle. The performance of this preform exceeded most metals at cryogenic temperatures. Five hundred sixty small businesses across the country were nominated for the award. We were nominated by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.
- The Pratt &Whitney Small Disadvantaged Supplier of the Year Award for 1996. This award recognizes those Pratt & Whitney minority owned suppliers who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of quality, delivery, communication, cost competitiveness, and other areas that may be deserving of recognition.
Pictured: Piyush Shah, Owner and Mary Shafer, General Manager
