30 August, 2018
Teijin Frontier Develops Highly Water-repellent Stretchable Fabric
Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd., the Teijin Group's fiber and products converting company, announced today that it has developed a new highly water-repellent fabric incorporating enhanced elastic properties. It plans to market the new product from the beginning of the 2019 spring/summer season.
The new fabric is designed primarily for trousers and outer-clothing applications requiring medium thickness materials. Teijin Frontier is targeting annual sales of JPY one billion (USD nine million) by the fiscal year ending March 2021.
Based on the company's existing water repellent fabric, the new design incorporates a convex structure with horizontal surface tension which is smaller than waterdrops, allowing water to run off the surface smoothly.
The fabric achieves a grade four out of five in water-repellent rating initially, and a grade three rating after being washed 20 times. It is able to stretch by 10%, and maintains water-repellency when stretched thanks to its flexible structure; conventional water-repellent fabrics are unable to achieve similar levels of stretchablility because of the high density of their yarn arrays.
The demand for highly water-repellent apparel, including stretchable clothes such as trousers and outer-clothing applications, is growing in response to the increased frequency of heavy rain in Japan.
About the Teijin Group
Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the areas of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Its main fields of operation are high-performance fibers such as aramid, carbon fibers & composites, healthcare, films, resin & plastic processing, polyester fibers, products converting and IT. The group has some 170 companies and around 19,000 employees spread out over 20 countries worldwide. It posted consolidated sales of JPY835 billion (USD 7.6 billion) and total assets of JPY 986.2 billion (USD 9 billion) in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018.
Please visit www.teijin.com.
