TOKYO and OSAKA, Japan — April 20, 2010 — Teijin Fibers Limited, the core company of the Teijin
Group’s polyester fibers business,announces its development of a new cationic-dyeable polyester
polymer, named V4, which can be dyed at ambient temperature and pressure, and also offers excellent
fiber strength and stainability.
V4 paves the way for the development of ultra-fine highly multi-filament yarn as well as
non-circular cross-section yarn, both offering high-quality deep dyeing and color clarity. Teijin
Fibers also will manufacture raw yarn made from V4 for use in women’s clothing, innerwear,
sportswear and home furnishings. V4 also will be sold as textiles.
The V4 series will be marketed globally as one of Teijin Fibers’ new mainstay products,
positioned as an “eco color” material that helps to reduce the environmental impact of the dyeing
process. The first product to be introduced will be WAVERON V4, a polyester fiber with a cross
section off our flat peaks that will be marketed full scale from July. Annual sales of all products
in the V4 line are expected to reach 1,000 tons by the fiscal year ending in March 2013.
The V4 based cationic-dyeable polyester fiber will be the first material to be produced at
Teijin (Thailand) Limited, a subsidiary company of the Teijin Group. As part of optimizing global
production, Teijin Fibers is relocating polyester fiber production from Japan to group companies in
Thailand, the country that will become Teijin’s main production base for polyester filaments and
staple fibers.
Background
Cationic-dyeable polyester fiber is a special polyester fiber that can be colored with
cationic dye, unlike ordinary polyester fibers. Excellent color development and fastness have
enabled cationic-dyeable polyester fibers tobe used in many applications. Conventionally, however,
they must be dyed at high temperature and pressure, making it difficult to combine them with wool,
silk or other natural fibers that tend to lose strength and texture when subjected to extreme
conditions. Combination with polyurethane or other elastic fiber also has been problematic.
Cationic-dyeable polyester fibers that can be dyed at ambient temperature and pressure exist,
but their fiber strength is generally 20-30% below that of ordinary polyester fibers. This weakness
complicates their use as differentiated yarns, such as highly multi-filament or non-circular
cross-section yarn, so applications and compatible materials are limited.
Features of V4
Using special polymer technology to achieve molecular-level reformation,Teijin Fibers has now
developed a cationic-dyeable polyester polymer that enables dyeing at ambient temperature and
pressure for high-quality deep dyeing and color clarity. V4’s fiber strength of 3.8 cN/dtex or
higher is equivalent to that of ordinary polyester fibers and in the top rank of cationic-dyeable
polyester fibers.
V4 opens the way for a wide variety of raw yarns, including non-circular cross-section yarn
and ultra-fine highly multi-filament yarn measuring about1.0 dpf (0.01 mm in diameter) or less per
single yarn. V4 also can be crimped and marketed as textured yarn.
Since V4 can be dyed at ambient temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius or less, as well as at
ambient pressure, its dyeing process requires 30% less power and steam energy consumption and
produces 25% fewer CO2 emissions compared to conventional dyeing at 130 degrees Celsius and 1.3
atmospheres, according to tests conducted by Teijin Fibers.
About the Teijin Group
Based in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, Teijin is a global technology-driven group operating in five
main fields: synthetic fibers (aramid fibers, carbon fibers and polyester fibers); films and
plastics; pharmaceuticals and home health care; trading and retail; and IT and new products. Teijin
Limited,the holding company for the Teijin Group, is listed on the Tokyo and Osaka stock exchanges.
The group had consolidated sales of USD 10.5 billion (JPY943.4 billion, USD 1=JPY 90) in fiscal
2008 and employs 19,453 people worldwide, with 169 companies around the world. Please visit
www.teijin.co.jp/english
About Teijin Fibers Limited
Based in Osaka, Japan, Teijin Fibers Limited is the core company of the Teijin Group’s
polyester fibers business, conducting R&D, manufacturing and marketing of materials and
textiles made from polymer and polyester fibers. Please visit
www.teijinfiber.com/english
Posted on April 27, 2010
Press Release Courtesy of Teijin Fibers Ltd.
