New Balance Uses Teijin’s Polyester Nanofiber for Socks Production
Teijin Fibers, the flagship company of the polyester fibers business of Teijin Group, has declared that it has started the supply of Nanofront, its high-strength polyester nanofiber, to New Balance for producing running socks.
Nanofront
New Balance Japan sells the running socks in its directly owned stores located in Osaka and Tokyo, and in other sports retail shops across the country from January 2012. Nanofront is utilized in almost all types of socks but not in the cuff, heel and toe. Due to its superior frictional force property, the polyester nanofiber offers remarkable slip resistance that eliminates the sliding of the socks inside a shoe, thus decreasing shoe sores and blisters. Its high absorbency improves user comfort.
Nanofront is a 700-nm-thick polyester fiber having superior strength. This nanofiber offers stable quality, that is not commonly prevalent in traditional mass-produced nanofibers, thanks to the proprietary composite spinning technology of Teijin called ‘island-in-sea.’ Nano-scale bumps on its surface increase frictional force and create a surface area dozen folds higher than that of standard fibers, offering the material superior slip resistance.
The high-strength polyester nanofiber is ultrafine, soft and can be stretched. It also offers remarkable opaqueness and absorbency. New Balance Japan also uses the innovative material for producing shoelaces. Teijin Fibers began producing Nanofront commercially from 2008. The company focuses on the development of applications for the material in areas, including sportswear, innerwear and industrial materials.