Textile & leather

There is an ever-increasing demand worldwide for high-performance technical fibers and textiles to meet the most critical protective needs in a wide range of industries. This ranges from heavy-duty architectural textiles to anti-slip treatment of conveyor belts, via airbags for the automotive sector. 

There is increasing demand for technical fibers and textiles in a very wide range of areas, from consumer goods to specialist applications. R&D developers, product designers and manufacturers are constantly seeking to develop new and innovative high-performance textiles that enhance functional efficiency, comfort and safety.

Are you limited by the selection of authentic leather or polyurethane-coated textiles? Silicone chemistry is disrupting the world of coated textiles with a performance fabric that looks and feels like leather but is totally different.

Silicones are an environmentally friendly high-performance option for textile printing inks. Elkem's TCS screen-printable silicone system is engineered to provide the viscosity, rheology and work life required to print efficiently in existing textile printing operations. 

Fashion designers and manufacturers of clothing and sportswear work with textiles and leather to create comfortable, convenient, durable and aesthetic products for a wide variety of uses and a great diversity of people and fashion trends. 

Fashion designers and manufacturers of clothes and accessories use a wide range of products to create attractive and comfortable textiles for different uses. These products are designed upstream to improve the manufacturing process for fabrics of all sorts. Downstream, silicone coatings and fabric enhancement products give consumers choices that are pleasant to the touch and offer desirable characteristics, such as drape, elasticity, resistance to wear and water-repellency. 

Textile & leather manufacturers use a wide range of products, including specific silicone enhancers, in their finishing processes to obtain the right features for their fabrics. These include softness, water-absorbency or waterproofing levels, resistance to yellowing, skin-friendliness and attractive appearance.