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Fibres for Technical Textiles: Para Aramids and High Performance Polyethylene
Textiles Intelligence, June 2005, Pages: 15
The demand for products containing para-aramid and high performance polyethylene (HPPE) fibres is growing rapidly. Worldwide, growth in usage is estimated at around 10% per annum. In Asia it is growing by as much as 13% a year, and in China alone by 18% a year.
The main competitors in the market for para aramid fibres are DuPont Kevlar and Teijin Twaron whereas Honeywell's Spectra and DSM Dyneema compete in the market for HPPE fibres.
The initial development—and subsequent expansion—of these products has been driven to a great extent by their incorporation in ballistic
protection materials which are used by the military and by law enforcement agencies worldwide. The first of the four fibres to be
introduced for this purpose was Kevlar, in the early 1960s. However, one of the fastest growing fibre types is HPPE or high modulus polyethylene (HMPE)—which is made from ultra-high molecular
weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) polymer. These fibres are used to protect personnel, as well as vehicles and cockpit doors. HPPE is also
employed in a number of non-ballistic end use products.
All four rank among the most advanced and highest cost fibre brands for technical applications, and all are highly prized by their respective owners. Indeed, production expansions have been announced in each of the past five years. However, the four brands are still manufactured solely in the high wage regions of Europe, Japan and the USA, and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.
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