Mr. Hiromitsu Araki from Japan Textile Finishers' Association
lectures on regulation of volatile organic compounds
at Festa2006　JTCC　Kinki.

Mr. Hiromitsu Araki

Mr. Hiromitsu Araki, chief of Osaka office of the Japan Textile Finishers' Association, gave a lecture under the theme, "Regulation of volatile organic compounds in the dyeing and finishing industry," at Senri Life Science Center in Osaka on October 21 (Sat.).

Mr. Araki explained how dyeing firms carrying out coating and laminating and printing firms using terpen will incorporate self-regulation from now, under the VOC regulations.

Coating industry move to solution, water dispersion and aqueous emulsion types under VOC regulations.

With regulations governing VOC (volatile organic compounds), Japanese firms carrying out coating, laminating and hotmelt finishing are compiling plans for self-regulation. Because emitting formaldehyde arising from resin for dimension-stabilization and isobutanol and isopropanol used as penetrating agents for finishing agents will be a problem under VOC regulations at finishing facilities which have a large volume of production, they will develop a closed-system for emitting to conform to the regulations and there is a move to try to enhance the effectiveness of solution, water dispersion and aqueous emulsion as well.

In Europe, finishing agents for airbags are mostly nonsolvent silicone elastomers.

Mr. Tatsuki Matsuo becomes first Japanese to be awarded "Honorary Membership" of "The Fiber Society," international textile society.

Mr. Tatsuki Matsuo

Mr. Tatsuki Matsuo (retired Toyobo, former professor of Kyoto Institute of Technology), an advisor of Japan Textile Consultants Center (JTCC), was awarded "Honorary Membership", the first time for a Japanese, of "The Fiber Society," an international textile society, at its Fall Conference (held at Knoxville, Tennessee of the U.S.) on October 11. It was granted for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of science/technology for fiber and fiber based products and to the promotion of those activities. 13 members have been awarded "Honorary Membership" in this society including Mr. Matsuo (3 are from outside of the U.S. and 3 are related to corporations).

(Reference)
The Fiber Society is the U.S. based academic society which is composed of 500 members (115 are from outside of the U.S.). The Spring Conference is held abroad every year, and it was in Switzerland last year and in Seoul this year. Next year, it will be held in Shanghai.

Inabata Kaseihin and Inabata Giken to merge.

Inabata Kaseihin and Inabata Giken will merge as of December 1, 2006. With this, Inabata Giken will be dissolved, having merged with Inabata Kaseihin.

Toray microfiber material exhibition for 2007 autumn winter.

Toray held "2007 autumn winter Toray microfiber material exhibition" at its head office (Chuo-ku, Tokyo) from October 17 to 20, 2006. In this exhibition, for clothes and interior goods many products using "FARADEL"(made from the microfiber-knit material "Samiasofi", using technology for producing non-woven fabric used for the synthetic leather "Ecsaine"), "Samiasofi ex"(made from yarn-dyed microfiber), nubuck-style Ecsaine, microfiber taffeta and microfiber corduroy were exhibited.

Toray successfully develops melt spinning cellulosic fiberto be promoted with co-development for "Toray Synthetic Textile Cluster".

Toray has developed the world's first cellulosic new fiber "Foresse" which can be produced by the "melt spinning method."

Hollow fiber section image

Microfiber with sea-island conjugate spinning

"Foresse" has an environment-friendly characteristic because it is produced with "melt spinning method" which does not use organic solvents during the spinning process and it is made from plant-derived cellulose, not petroleum-based material. When it is applied to textile products, it has moderate moisture-absorbent/releasing properties, high color yield and unique luster as characteristics of cellulosic fiber, as well as having the possibility of being used to create high-functional textiles such as ultralight textiles with hollow fiber and ultrasoft textiles with very thin thread, which was not possible with conventional cellulosic fiber.
Toray will advance the products' development including a joint development with "Toray Synthetic Textile Cluster" aiming at promoting "Foresse" extensively from 2007, seeing as it can have various applications such as for sportswear, ladies' wear, inner wear and clothing materials with excellent characteristics.

Toyobo to expand promotion of ultralight nylon for down-jackets.

Toyobo is planning to expand its promotion of an ultralight nylon "Silfine 10" for down-jackets.

Patagonia women’s down jacket

"Silfine 10" uses an 11 decitex (single yarn 1.6 decitex) ultra-micro nylon yarn for warp and weft, which had been considered difficult to develop for textiles. It is light in weight (weight: 26g/m2) and compact (thickness: 40μm), as well as having a combination of excellent down-proof properties (air permeability: less than 1cm3/cm2・s), soft hand, high strength (tearing strength: more than 10N in both warp and weft direction) and brilliant color yield.

Patagonia, America's major outdoor clothing manufacturer, has employed "Silfine 10" for down jackets for 2006 autumn winter, and it was awarded "VOLVO SportsDesign AWARD" at the world's biggest sports exhibition "ISPO winter 06" on January 28, 2006.

Buyers' choice split into modest and extreme at the Premiere Vision 2007/08 autumn-winter textile exhibition.

World’s high class textiles are exhibited at Premiere Vision.

The organizing body of Premiere Vision conducted a survey on what textiles and colors buyers chose on their visit to its 2007/08 autumn-winter textile exhibition, held in last September in Paris. The result has shown that buyers' choice was polarized in to moderate or dazzlingly flashy and stiff or delicate. The following are colors listed at the top of what buyers chose for womenswear, menswear and sportswear.

Colors chosen by buyers for 2007/08 autumn-winter
Womenswear	Menswear	Sportswear