Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd., the Teijin Group’s fibres and products converting company, announced that it has developed a highly comfortable knitted fabric that responds to perspiration by changing its structure three-dimensionally, thereby increasing breathability and eliminating the feeling of stuffiness.
Teijin Frontier will market its new self-adjusting fabric as a core product for year-round sports and outdoor use beginning in fiscal 2023. Wide ranging of applications will include casual and functional apparel and uniforms as well as various materials. The company expects to target sales of 250 thousand mtrs in fiscal 2024.
Teijin Frontier’s new self-adjusting fabric has a solid knitted fabric structure that changes shape in three directions in response to perspiration thanks to its specially textured, side-by-side (S/S) composite yarn made from two types of polymers, each with different hygroscopicity. The yarn’s structure also includes a coiled crimp.
Adaptive changes in crimps and stitch opening/closing
Adaptive changes due to perspiration
Technical properties of new adaptive fabric
Spinning
- Side-by-side composite yarn made with two polymers, each with different hygroscopicity
- Specially textured yarn combines side-by-side composite and ultra-fine crimped yarns
Knitting
- Special solid knitted fabric with a three-dimensional yarn structure
- Excellent wind protection due to high-density knitted design (ventilation volume: 50cc/cm2 /sec or less)
Dyeing
- Dyeing technology contributes to adaptive function
- Quality-control technology enhances breathability, dimensional changes and quality
Features of new adaptive fabric
Functionality
- Highly adaptive breathability (about double that before sweating)
- Minimal dimensional changes (5percent or less both vertically and horizontally)
- Excellent wind protection (ventilation rate of 50cc/cm2 /sec or less)
- Soft texture and attractive appearance
- Combines with materials offering balanced functions or those for preventing sweat stains, sweat-induced chill or body odor
Eco-friendliness
- Combines with recycled polyester – Adaptive breathability contributes to energy saving
In 2009, Teijin Frontier began offering a S/S composite yarn made with polymers of varying hygroscopicity and fabric in which the stitches open and close in response to perspiration. However, since the fabric’s stitches open wide in the presence of perspiration, causing clothing sizes to change significantly, it was necessary to limit stitch opening to a practical level for commercial applications.
