Teijin's Nanotechnology Makes Possible World's First Nanofiber Golf Gloves

Teijin Fibers Limited announced that it has begun to supply the high-strength polyester nanofiber NANOFRONT for use in the palms of golf gloves manufactured and marketed by Acushnet Japan Inc. under the FootJoy brand. Called NANOLOCK, the new product is the world's first golf glove to use nanofiber material, and is now available in Japan.

Conventional golf gloves are made with natural or artificial leather, with waterproof coating applied to products developed for wet conditions. For its new gloves, however, Acushnet Japan has chosen Teijin Fibers' Nanofront, attracted by its slip-resistant and soft features, as well as its high absorbency and diffusion property.

Nanofront is a high-strength polyester fiber with an unprecedented thickness of just 700 nanometers, 7,500 times thinner than a strand of hair. With its proprietary "island-in-sea" composite spinning technology, Teijin has eliminated the problem of unstable quality associated with conventional mass-produced nanofibers. With a surface area dozens of times greater than regular fiber, the nano-sized bumps on the surface of Nanofront create a higher frictional force, giving the material outstanding slip resistance. The ultra-fine fiber is also soft and stretchable, and boasts excellent absorbency and opaqueness.

Teijin Fibers started commercial production of Nanofront in 2008 and has been developing applications in areas such as innerwear, sportswear, and industrial materials. The company will continue to market Nanofront for use in golf gloves as well, aiming to generate sales of 3 billion yen from finished products in three years.

About Teijin

Teijin is a global technology-driven group operating in five main fields: synthetic fibers (polyester fibers, carbon fibers and aramid 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 9.4 billion (JPY 943.4 billion, USD 1=JPY 100) in fiscal 2008 and employs 19,453 people worldwide, with 169 companies around the world.

Source: Teijin