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Transforming lives with innovative materials

IST is the materials company that aspires to invent technologies no-one can copy

17th January 2020

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Otsu, Japan

Sports/​Outdoor

IST Corporation headquarters. © IST Corporation.IST Corporation headquarters. © IST Corporation.

Japanese materials company IST Corporation will present its new materials and technologies to the sports market for the first time at ISPO, which takes place from 26-29 January 2020 in Munich.

IST is the materials company that aspires to ‘invent technologies no-one can copy’. Since it was founded in Japan in 1983, the company says it has a history of bringing once unthinkable products to reality. Under the leadership of CEO Toko Sakane, IST has been committed to continue innovating new technologies that can contribute to enriching people's lives.

As an R&D-oriented materials company, IST always seeks to achieve what no-one has achieved before. Along the way, it learnt that there was no such thing as ‘forever’ in outdoor sporting materials due to harsh environments. That led the company to develop a material that professional athletes can trust their lives with. Now, at ISPO Munich 2020, IST aims to open unlimited potential for the outdoor market with the launch of its latest innovative material, Imidetex.

Imidetex is characterized by extreme tensile strength, high temperature resistance and a low water absorption ratio with very high UV resistance. The fibres are 80% lighter than steel cables with comparable robustness, according to IST.

IST will be showing a range of innovations in Munich.

“One of IST’s extraordinary innovations is a vital element in laser printers which has earned a 50% share of the global market. This invention has led to a dramatic improvement in printer size and printing speed. Furthermore, it has reduced energy consumption by 90% and has greatly contributed to protecting the environment,” the company says.

In aerospace technology, IST has successfully invented a mouldable resin for high-temperature resistant, lightweight and super-precision composites designed for satellites and other aviation systems.

In 2018, IST’s Tormed, a high-temperature resistant transparent film, was adopted as a Colourless Flexible Print Circuit for the latest release of an MR device, which resulted in expanding the field of vision by 100% compared to the previous version of the same model. The MR device made its debut at the MWC19 electronics show in Spain in the spring 2019.

Traditional industries such as textiles and spinning are no exception for IST's relentless drive for innovation: Besides Karl Karl, which is the result of the pursuit for warmth, lightness and comfort, IST has various initiatives in those areas that are particularly mindful of caring about humans and the environment. They include such developments as new kinds of yarns made of cellulose distilled from recycled paper without using materials which are harmful to humans and the environment, and new products that can reduce dependence on animals which are at risk, while still maintaining the standard of quality of the resources they provide.

IST's uncompromising drive for innovation continues. The company will be presenting its new materials and technologies at ISPO Munich 2020 in Hall C1, 531.

www.istcorp.jp/en

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