Alcantara is the name given to a composite material used to cover surfaces and forms in a variety of situations and applications. Composite materials (or composites for short are engineered Materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical
The material was developed in the 1970s by Miyoshi Okamoto, a scientist working for the Japanese chemical company Toray [1]. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. In 1972, a joint venture between Italian chemical company ENI and Toray formed Alcantara SpA in order to manufacture and distribute the material. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Alcantara SpA is an Italian company who manufacture and market the material Alcantara, which is used as a covering in many industries
Alcantara is created via the combination of an advanced spinning process (producing very low denier bi-component "islands in the sea" fibre) and chemical and textile production processes (needle punching, buffing, impregnation, extraction, finishing, dyeing, etc. Denier Denier is a unit of measure for the Linear mass density of Fibers. Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread. A chemical substance is a Material with a definite chemical composition. A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface by using rubbing or a chemical action leaving a surface with significant Specular reflection and minimal A dye can generally be described as a Colored substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied ) which interact with each other.
Current Applications
A versatile material, Alcantara is found in a variety of settings. The company outlines applications including furniture, clothing, jewellery, automotive, helmets and more. Furniture is the Mass noun for the movable objects which may support the human body (seating furniture and beds, provide storage or hold objects on horizontal Clothing (also called clothes, accoutrements, accouterments, or habiliments) protects the Human body from extreme Weather Jewellery (also spelled jewelry, see spelling differences) is a personal Ornament, such as a necklace ring or bracelet made from Gemstones The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design development manufacture marketing and sale of Motor vehicles In 2007 more than 73 million motor vehicles A helmet is a form of Protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries a variation of the hat
The appearance and tactile feel of the material is similar to that of suede, and it may be incorrectly identified as such on occasion. Suede is a type of Leather with a napped finish However it can also refer to a similar napped or brushed finish on many kinds of fabrics It is finding application in seating as well as dash trimming due to its hard-wearing yet luxurious-looking properties.
See also
Alcantara SpA is an Italian company who manufacture and market the material Alcantara, which is used as a covering in many industriesDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic