Teijin Launches BIOFRONT™, Increases Capacity
Japan-based polyester fibers company
Teijin Fibers Ltd. has developed a new high heat-resistant, environmentally friendly BIOFRONT™
bioplastic fabric made from 100-percent Biofront fibers for initial use in car seats for
Japan-based Mazda Motor Corp.'s new Premacy Hydrogen RE hybrid automobile. Biofront's melting point
of 210ºC enables it to accept high-temperature, high-pressure polyester dyeing.
The Biofront bioplastic was developed in an effort to provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional oil-based plastics, while also offering a higher level of heat resistance than other bio-based plastics, in order to meet strict automotive safety standards. It incorporates technologies that combine polymer from non-oil-based materials such as starch and yarn production technologies such as fiber spinning and drawing. Teijin, in cooperation with Mazda, has developed surface-treatment technologies for car-seat covers that have made it possible to develop a car-seat fabric made from 100-percent bio-based fibers.
Teijin expects to produce several hundred tons of Biofront in fiscal 2008, and to increase production at its Iwakuni plant next year in order to raise production capacity to several thousand tons. The company also plans to develop additional applications for Biofront fibers, films and plastic resins including in-vehicle products, and interior products and materials that require heat-resistant, dyeable and antibacterial properties, among others.
September 25, 2007
The Biofront bioplastic was developed in an effort to provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional oil-based plastics, while also offering a higher level of heat resistance than other bio-based plastics, in order to meet strict automotive safety standards. It incorporates technologies that combine polymer from non-oil-based materials such as starch and yarn production technologies such as fiber spinning and drawing. Teijin, in cooperation with Mazda, has developed surface-treatment technologies for car-seat covers that have made it possible to develop a car-seat fabric made from 100-percent bio-based fibers.
Teijin expects to produce several hundred tons of Biofront in fiscal 2008, and to increase production at its Iwakuni plant next year in order to raise production capacity to several thousand tons. The company also plans to develop additional applications for Biofront fibers, films and plastic resins including in-vehicle products, and interior products and materials that require heat-resistant, dyeable and antibacterial properties, among others.
September 25, 2007
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