Japan chem majors' units develop fabric-bonding technique

15 June 2000 07:58  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (CNI)--EC-Showa Denko - a joint venture of EMS-Chemie AG, Switzerland, and Japanese petrochemicals major Showa Denko - and fine chemicals producer Sumitomo Seika Chemicals Co have developed a technique for shrinking nylon copolymer resin particles to bond fabrics.

CNI was informed Thursday that the particles are put though chemical reaction - shrinking them from 80.0-120.0 micron to 0.5 micron - and dispersed in water. The resulting product improves the look and feel of fabrics and finished garments. It also has applications as coating flux for paper and as ink modifiers.

The technique came from a blend of the collaborators' special strengths - EC-Showa Denko's nylon-production background and Sumitomo Seika's expertise in shrinking and dispersing resins.

They will now take development to the next stage: EC-Showa Denko, which supplies the raw materials for the activity, will develop applications for the fabrics industry, while Sumitomo Seika, affiliated with Sumitomo Chemical, will process the materials and identify prospective chemical industry applications.

Spokesmen for both companies declined to comment on marketing plans and related details.

By: Lawrence Basapa
+65 6780 4359

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly