Delcotex and Teijin: From strength to more strength
For almost 300 years, the German company Delcotex has focused on developing, optimizing and producing textiles. Over the past century, Delcotex has concentrated on technical textiles for a wide range of industries – including ballistic protection, automotive, plastic reinforcement and workwear – according to international standards. Thanks to a strong focus on product quality and the integration of the latest textile technology, Delcotex continues to be an industry leader, servicing clients around the world from its production site in Bielefeld. For the past 10 years, Delcotex has worked closely with Teijin Aramid, and recently started using Technora® to produce guiding fabrics for airbags in vehicle dashboards.
From linen to technical textiles
Since being founded as a linen trading house in 1722 by Johann Caspar Delius, Delcotex has delivered high-quality textiles thanks to the use of innovative technology. In the 19th century, for example, Delcotex began using the latest English weaving-mill machinery to create linen textiles that were of the highest available quality. Over time, Delcotex has continually adapted to the most modern textile standards, as well as broadening its product portfolio. Today, Delcotex uses filaments made from polyamide, polyester, glass and aramid, and services industries such as construction and engineering, protection and workwear equipment, and healthcare and outdoor products. In 2004, Delcotex began collaborating with Teijin Aramid to leverage the high-performance qualities of aramid technology for high-end textile applications.
Technora® : Adding value in the right areas
One such special textile application is the reinforcement of guiding fabric for airbags in vehicle dashboards, which requires high levels of impact resistance, superior dimensional stability and long-term reliability. Because of its unique physical properties, Technora® is eight times as strong as steel and three times as strong as fiberglass, polyester and nylon at the same weight, and also offers low creep, low stress relaxation and low thermal shrinkage. By integrating it into the guiding fabric for airbags, Delcotex raises the performance level and reliability of this textile, enabling higher safety levels for vehicle users and allowing car manufacturers to meet increasingly strict regulatory standards. In short, Technora® adds value in the right areas for this very particular application.
A strong collaborative partner
But it doesn’t end there. The collaboration between Teijin Aramid and Delcotex extends beyond the manufacture of guiding fabrics for airbags in vehicle dashboards, with the German company also integrating the meta-aramid Teijinconex® in its protective workwear fabrics, and the para-aramid Twaron® fiber in its plastic reinforcement products. These aramid materials are able to raise Delcotex’s product performance in key ways; Delcotex is able to offer customers products with higher strength, optimized creep behavior and greater chemical resistance, as required by the specific customer and application. To explore further areas of collaboration, discuss progress, and exchange know-how, Teijin Aramid and Delcotex hold quarterly meetings and maintain regular contact. One such area for further collaboration is the development of advanced materials for aeronautical applications. Watch this space!
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