Alcantara (material)

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Alcantara (material)

Alcantara is the name given to a composite material

Composite material

Composite materials are engineered materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct on a macroscopic level within the finished structure....
used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of situations and applications.

The material was developed in the 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japan

Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese chemical company Toray . In 1972, a joint venture between Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
chemical company ENI and Toray formed Alcantara SpA

Alcantara Spa

Alcantara S.p.A. is an Italy company who manufacture and market the material Alcantara , which is used as a covering in many industries....
in order to manufacture and distribute the material.

Alcantara is created via the combination of an advanced spinning process (producing very low denier

Units of textile measurement

DenierDenier is a unit of measure for the linear mass density of fibers. It is defined as the mass in grams per 9,000 meters. In the International System of Units the tex is used instead ....
bi-component "islands in the sea" fibre) and chemical and textile

Textile

A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by Spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands known as yarn....
production processes (needle punching, buffing

Polishing

Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by rubbing it or using a chemical action, leaving a surface with significant specular reflection and minimal diffuse reflection....
, impregnation, extraction, finishing, dye

Dye

A dye can generally be described as a colored substance that has an Chemical affinity to the Wiktionary:substrate to which it is being applied....
ing, etc.) which interact with each other.

rsatile material, Alcantara is found in a variety of settings.

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Encyclopedia

Alcantara is the name given to a composite material

Composite material

Japan

Italy

Alcantara Spa

Units of textile measurement

Textile

Polishing

Dye

A dye can generally be described as a colored substance that has an Chemical affinity to the Wiktionary:substrate to which it is being applied....
ing, etc.) which interact with each other.

Current Applications

A versatile material, Alcantara is found in a variety of settings. The company outlines applications including furniture

Furniture

Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body , provide storage, or hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground....
, clothing

Clothing

A feature of all human societies, except perhaps the most primitive, is the wearing of clothing or clothes, especially in public. The primary purpose of clothing is functional, as a protection from the weather....
, jewelry, automotive, helmets and more. Alcantara is composed of 68% polyester and 32% polyurethane. It is this mixture of materials that gives Alcantara its increased durability and stain resistance.

The appearance and tactile feel of the material is similar to that of suede

Suede

Suede is a type of leather with a nap finish. However, it can also refer to a similar napped or brushed finish on many kinds of fabrics. The term comes from the French "gants de Su?de", which literally means "gloves of Sweden"....
, and it may be incorrectly identified as such on occasion. It is finding application in seating as well as dash trimming and headliners in many high-end OEM automotive applications. There are currently three versions of Alcantara available: cover (made for seating surfaces); panel (made for door/dash applications); and soft (made for headliners).

Some of Alcantara's Ultrasuede (tm) is flame retardant. Some versions are designated as flame retardant in order to meet certain fire standards for both furnishings and automobile applications. It is especially well suited to automobile upolstery applications because it does not fade, does not fray (due to it not being a woven fiber - See "Toray Industries" or "Ultrasuede

Ultrasuede

Ultrasuede is a synthetic fabric invented in 1970 by Dr. Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for Toray Industries. It was the world's first ultra-microfiber....
" for more info), has a high breaking load compared to similar ultrasuede products, and can be stretched around corners without as much deformation as other fabrics.

One unique property of this non-woven product that sets it apart from non-Toray Industries materials, is that it is virtually identical on both sides, with the exception of the Alcantara 'cover' material which is made for seating surfaces. Many of the other "micro suedes" and "micro fibres" are distinctly different on both sides and are often a woven fabric. One way to test for this "non-woven" characteristic is to cut very thin strips off the material...if it frays it is not Toray Industries' Ultrasuede or Alcantara.

Alcantara (material)

Current Applications

See also