Putting fabrics to the test in Technical Center Asia

To serve and support the fast-growing para-aramid market in the Asia Pacific region, Teijin Aramid’s Technical Center Asia (TCA) in Shanghai offers a wide range of testing methods for developing new solutions based on Twaron, Technora and Teijinconex. Our state-of-the-art laboratory provides our customers with valuable technical support, testing facilities and evaluation services. We talked to one of our Chinese customers about his experience of the TCA’s services. 

Techwave
BW Protect, a professional manufacturer specialized in technical protective fabrics, has been a valued customer for many years. Since the opening of the TCA in April 2013, the business relationship between Teijin Aramid and BW Protect has expanded into a very fruitful technical collaboration. “We’re particularly testing the innovative Techwave fabrics at the lab,” says Mr. Jing Jing from BW Protect. 

“The original patent for Tecwave is owned by Teijin, and BW Protect has a license to produce and market the Techwave fabric in China. This is a relatively new product line for Teijin, and the tests in the lab help us to optimize the product in terms of performance. In these tests, we particularly focus on testing the fire-resistant properties of the fabric, also known as TPP (Thermal Protective Performance).”

From four to three layers
“Techwave is a very important product for us,” says Mr. Jing Jing. “We want to create a unique, new product for the Chinese market, creating high-performance protective clothing for firefighters that is more comfortable and lighter than competitive products. The required TPP value is higher in China than in Europe, which makes it quite a challenge to achieve it with a lighter product. By using Tecwave, we can reduce the number of layers from four to three, which makes it much lighter and more comfortable for the wearers without compromising on performance.”

Winning combination
BW Protect is a joint-venture partner of Europrotect in France. By combining Teijin’s Tecwave system with Europrotect’s patented Twin System®, the tests show that optimum results can be achieved in terms of comfort, durability and performance. BW Protect has worked together with Teijin for some six years now, and during that time we have built a very good relationship, says Mr. Jing Jing. “This is a very important partnership for us,” he says. “Together, we have already developed some successful products for the Chinese market, which has enabled us to improve our market share. And we certainly aim to continue to work together in this way in the future. The Technical Center Asia is making this easier than ever!”

What actually happens in the TPP test?
We expose the fabric to a combination of radiant heat and convective heat, simulating the situation that a firefighter will experience. Then we measure the time it would take until a person wearing the fabric would receive a second-degree burn. The longer this takes, the better the protective performance of the fabric, and the higher the TPP value.