Waterborne, polyurethane coated textiles serve the decorative and functional needs

05-May-16

Inspired by the corporate vision To Make The World A Brighter Place, Covestro is committed to helping the textile industry create waterborne, polyurethane-coated textiles that serve the decorative and functional needs of diverse industries while embracing sustainable production. Polyurethane coatings play a key role in bringing a broad range of functionalities and an almost endless range of effects, finishes and color to textile materials. This enables their use in diverse applications from athletic shoes to automotive upholstery to protective gloves. Covestro continues to develop new products that push the boundaries of what can be achieved with waterborne polyurethane technology for textile coating under its product brands Impranil , Imprafix , Impraperm and its product and service brand INSQIN , which launched in 2014. INSQIN helps the fashion and sportswear industry on its path towards sustainability. One example of expanding the application envelope of waterborne polyurethane is Imprafix 2794, a crosslinker that activates at very low temperatures enabling its use even on temperature-sensitive substrates like polyamide-based knitwear. Covestro is also presenting Impranil eco, a series of bio-based polyurethane dispersions (PUD) that contain up to 65% of renewable carbon. The product enables users to reduce their carbon footprint, while matching the high performance levels of the conventional PUD with minimal reformulation. Application technology innovation is just as important as product innovation, and Covestro is continually developing coating processes that enable waterborne polyurethane to be deployed in an ever-expanding range of material types, including dipped microfiber non-wovens that combine the highest performance with the softest hand.