Fibres & Yarns

Nylon fiber is durable, strong and a popular choice for webbing, straps, tapes and belts. It is a manufactured fiber in which the fiber forming substance is any long chain synthetic polyamide having recurring amide groups (-NH-CO-).

Polyester fiber is lightweight, bio-compatible, quick-drying, and versatile.Polyester is a manufactured fiber, in which the fiber forming substance is any long-chain synthetic polymer composed of at least 85% by weight of an ester of a substituted aromatic carboxylic acid. This includes, but is not estricted to, substituted terephthalic units and parasubstituted hydroxy-benzoate units.

It’s a manufactured fiber made of polymerized polyethylene units. It is often a monofilament, but is also available as continuous filament yarns and as staple fiber. Polyethylene yarn cannot be dyed. It is colored by the addition of pigments and dyes to the melt at extrusion. Polyethylene can be created in several different forms. The structure is determined by the amount of branching of ethylene polymer units on the main chain. The less branching the higher the density and stronger the fiber. Typical nomenclature for polyethylene (PE) includes low density PE (LDPE), medium density PE (MDPE), high density PE (HDPE), and ultra high molecular weight PE (UHMWPE).

Rayon is versatile and can blend with other fabrics to improve finished products and clothing. Rayon, a manufactured fiber composed of regenerated cellulose, can be made to be quite lustrous and strong, dependent upon the number and size of the filaments in the yarn.

Fiberglass yarn can possess high strength and resistance to heat and chemicals. One may argue that fiberglass, a silica based material, is a natural fiber, but fiberglass must be highly processed before it can be useful as a yarn. Fiberglass is very brittle and difficult to work with. It does not absorb water and has very low elongation.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) mechanical properties are used in aerospace applications, conveyor belts and harnesses. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a thermoplastic poly-condensate available in multifilament, monofilament, and spun yarns. The fibers have great mechanical properties which are maintained under extreme conditions.

Carbon / Graphite fibers are used in complex 2-D and 3-D shapes which are lightweight, durable, and strong. Carbon / Graphite fiber is a high tensile fiber that is made by heating rayon, polyacrylonitrile fibers, or petroleum residues to appropriate temperatures. They are typically over 90% carburized.

At VIRAJ we have woven Carbon / Graphite fibers into highly complex, engineered 2-D and 3-D shapes that have proven use in aerospace composite fabrics, sporting goods and racing auto frames used to form structural and weight-bearing components. The resulting structures are lightweight, very strong, highly resistant to corrosion, and have proven to be stealthy by their virtue of absorbing, rather than reflecting, radar signals.

Aramid fibers include Kevlar® and are used in many safety applications: protective clothing, ropes, and webbing. Aramid is a manufactured fiber in which the fiber-forming material is a long chain synthetic polyamide having at least 85% of its amide linkages (-NH-CO-) attached directly to two aromatic rings. Aramid fibers have low flammability, high strength and high modulus. Most aramid yarns are affected by UV light which alters the natural color and degrades fiber strength upon prolonged exposure

Aramid fibers have found use in protective clothing, ropes and webbing used in safety applications and used as protection from ballistics and projectiles. Nomex® and Kevlar® are two popular aramid fibers produced by the DuPont® Company. Other aramid fibers include Twaron®, Technora®, from Teijin, Alkax from Hyosung and Conex® brand fibers.

Vectran® fiber has low creep and does well in hostile environments. Vectran® is a manufactured yarn spun from liquid crystal polymer. These fibers have high strength and modulus, and high resistance to moisture, chemicals, and extreme temperatures.
An outstanding feature of this yarn is that it has very low creep; therefore, it excels in applications requiring minimal elongation.

Spectra® / Dyneema® are Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene fibers known for their high strength and durability. A manufactured fiber made from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. This remarkably durable material is one of the world’s strongest and lightest fibers. The material is pound for pound, ten times stronger than steel, more durable than polyester, and according to the manufacturers, has a specific strength that is 40% greater than aramid fiber. It is also resistant to degradation from UV light.

PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) is a popular fiber choice for food and medical packaging, filtration media and much more. PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) is a fluorine-containing fiber characterized by its high chemical stability, moderate tensile strength, chemical inertness, and high melting point. The fiber can be drawn as a filament yarn called Teflon®, or it can be slit from a membrane and elongated resulting in ePTFE. PTFE has a very low frictional coefficient giving it a slippery hand

PBI (Polybenzimidazole fiber) is frequently used in safety and protective applications. PBI (Polybenzimidazole fiber) is a manufactured fiber in which the fiber forming substance is a long chain aromatic polymer having recurrent imadazole groups as an intricate part of the polymer chain. It can be used in its raw state, or blended with other fibers (Kevlar®/PBI). PBI has high moisture regain, low modulus, and comfort properties similar to cotton. These properties and those below make PBI, and blends of PBI, very useful in safety and protective applications

PPS (Polyphenylene Sulfide) trade names include - Fortron®, Torcon®, and Ryton®. A manufactured yarn composed of polymers containing Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS). This fiber has high temperature resistance (230°C) and good chemical resistance.

Metalized yarns are flexible metals which are woven or bonded to various other fibers. Metalized yarns are either yarn made from thinly drawn metals (gold, silver, nitinol, stainless steel, nickel, etc.) flexible enough to be woven, or yarns that have been metalized through the bonding of a metal to the yarn. Typical examples of metalized yarns are silver (X-static® fiber) or copper bonded to nylon. Micro-Coax, Inc. manufactures ARACON® metal clad fiber from DuPontTM KEVLAR® bonding metal directly to the aramid fiber in nickel-plated and silver-plated finishes.

Because of the wide variety of metalized fibers available, technical data is not available. Please contact our design engineers for specific information on a particular metal.

Reflective yarns are frequently used in safety webbing, reflective fabric strips and binding materials on sportswear. Reflective yarns are manufactured yarns made from polymers that have minute glass beads distributed within the polymer. These glass beads, when exposed to light, reflect light back to its source. Other yarns are composed of polymers that have florescent materials distributed throughout the yarns. The florescent materials gather energy when exposed to a light source and glow when the light is removed.