Golf gloves use polyester nanofiber

06-Nov-09

Teijin Fibers Limited announced that it has begun to supply the high-strength polyester nanofiber NANOFRONT for use in the palms of golf gloves manufactured and marketed under the FootJoy brand. Called NANOLOCK, the new product is the world's first golf glove to use nanofiber material, and is now available in Japan applied to products developed for wet conditions. For its new gloves, however, Acushnet Japan has chosen Teijin Fibers' Nanofront, attracted by its slip-resistant and soft features, as well as its high absorbency and diffusion property. Nanofront is a high-strength polyester fiber with an unprecedented thickness of just 700 nanometers, 7,500 times thinner than a strand of hair. With its proprietary "island-in-sea" composite spinning technology, Teijin has eliminated the problem of unstable quality associated with conventional mass-produced nanofibers. With a surface area dozens of times greater than regular fiber, the nano-sized bumps on the surface of Nanofront create a higher frictional force, giving the material outstanding slip resistance. The ultra-fine fiber is also soft and stretchable, and boasts excellent absorbency and opaqueness. Teijin Fibers started commercial production of Nanofront in 2008 and has been developing applications in areas such as innerwear, sportswear, and industrial materials. The company will continue to market Nanofront for use in golf gloves as well, aiming to generate sales of 3 billion yen from finished products in three years.