Trevira, a specialist for functional fibres and yarns, is presenting its products for a wide range of technologies and applications in the technical and functional textiles segment at the Techtextil trade fair, which take place in Frankfurt next week. The company is making a joint appearance at Techtextil 2017 with sister companies of the Indo­rama Ventures parent group.

Amongst the latest developments in filaments for technical and functional textiles are yarns made from biopolymers (PLA). Numerous applications focus on home textiles, project textiles and technical uses, but also functional apparel, the company reports.

Another product novelty is a phosphorescent yarn, which continues to glow in the dark up to seven hours after brief exposure to light. This development is of special interest for use in vehicle interiors, according to the manufacturer.

A further new development is a high-tenacity, permanently flame retardant textured yarn that is being produced in collaboration with the sister company PHP. This is primarily suitable for furnishing textiles, where it is important, along with contract market performance, to combine greater tenacity with less elongation, as is the case for instance with wall coverings. Another area of interest currently is yarns from 100% recycled polyester for project textiles and technical applications.

Hybrid yarns

Demand for hybrid yarns for stiffened textiles is still growing. Recent developments for specific uses in this yarn programme aim at segments like knitted spacer fabrics, acoustic textiles and interior sun screening. In particular, spun-dyed and flame retardant variants take their place here. Inherently flame retardant and/or antimicrobial yarns are available as well, for a variety of uses, for example the automotive sector.

Trevira’s programme also contains special filaments and sewing threads for use in composites and in multi-layer materials in glass and carbon fibres.

Besides new products and customised developments, the focus is on further developing and optimising existing fibre types servicing the nonwovens industry and technical applications.

Biopolymer fibres

A new offering in biopolymer fibres is a PLA hollow fibre for the use in fillings. In response to customer demand in terms of product functions and material properties, the product range for airlaid applications is being continuously enhanced, the company reports. This also applies to special fibres for the carding sector and shortcut types for the paper industry; where the focus is on improving dispersion.

With regard to the increased need for fibres with additional functionalities and to the use of new combinations of raw materials, capacities in bico-fibres are being expanded. For both the polyester and the PLA programme, Trevira has also developed modified fibres for the hygiene sector.

Emphasis is also being placed on finishes for fibres that must meet food industry standards, likewise on antimony-free polyester fibres, the aim here being to enhance product safety.

www.trevira.de