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Bayer supports development of coated textiles

Bayer MaterialScience, the leading polymer company, has inaugurated its state-of-the-art textile coating pilot line in Shanghai, China. At its headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany, the company has also installed new lab facilities, among them a lab coater. Along with the dedicated lab space in Pittsburgh, USA, these new investments are expected to allow Bayer to further strengthen its capabilities in the coated textile sector.

14th April 2014

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Shanghai

Sustainable, Industrial

Bayer MaterialScience, the leading polymer company, has inaugurated its state-of-the-art textile coating pilot line in Shanghai, China.

At its headquarters in Leverkusen, Germany, the company has also installed new lab facilities, among them a lab coater. Along with the dedicated lab space in Pittsburgh, USA, these new investments are expected to allow Bayer to further strengthen its capabilities in the coated textile sector.

Strong market growth expected

The global demand for environmentally friendly synthetic leather and coated textiles is expected to grow strongly, according to the company. The increase is expected to be felt most prominently in China, home to 90% of the world’s production of these materials. By moving the global product development and the lead for application development for textile-related products to China, Bayer is supporting this change.

“The textile industry has always had a thirst for new materials,” said Nicholas Smith, Global Head of Textile Coating at Bayer MaterialScience, at the inauguration ceremony at the Polymer Research & Development Center of the company in Shanghai.

“But today an even more dramatic change is happening: many apparel and footwear brands as well as consumers have embarked upon a huge sustainability agenda to address the social and environmental impacts of the industry. Governments and regulators in textile material producing countries such as China are also calling for improvements.”

Striving for a pioneering role

Bayer MaterialScience wants to be the partner of choice to the industry when it comes to PU leather and other coated textiles. With an experience in polyurethanes and an extended technical and application expertise, the company is well positioned to act as the industry pioneer. This in particular refers to facilitating the introduction of synthetic leather and other coated textiles based on waterborne PU, and to support building production capacities.

The newly-inaugurated textile coating line has a multifunctional coating head, two lamination stations, a twelve meter length drying oven, as well as a foulard. It is equipped with a digital control system and is suited for various application and processing methods in one line, such as direct and transfer coating with optional wet or dry lamination.

Inauguration of the new pilot plant for textile coating (from left to right): Dr Christian Haessler, Head of the Polymer Research & Development Center of Bayer MaterialScience in Shanghai, Nicholas Smith, Global Head of Textile Coating, and Rolf Irnich, Global Head of Application and Technology Development for Textile Coatings. © Bayer MaterialScience AG

Besides that the plant is equipped with an embossing calendar, which enables embossing of a coated substrate. Line parameter settings are then directly transferable to industrial production, which means that manufacturers can significantly reduce the time expenditure for elaborate production trials.

Novel possibilities for differentiation

“The new textile coating pilot line will help us to demonstrate a comprehensive range of possibilities for the PU coating of textile materials,” said Rolf Irnich, Global Head of Textile Coating Application & Technology Development.

“We can achieve a versatile look and feel, and a range of functionalities. We want to inspire the whole industry with what our waterborne PU textile coatings can do, and help manufacturers of PU leather and other coated textiles to develop respective capacities.”

“We firmly believe that we can make a difference in a world that is ready and asking for a more conscious approach to textile materials for fashion and sports apparel and footwear. It is clear that the change for a better life has to happen at the very beginning of the value chain,” commented Nicholas Smith.

www.materialscience.bayer.com

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