NatureFlex from Innovia Films enhances safety clothing
A US company has developed a groundbreaking fabric that offers high level chemical protection using NatureFlex from Innovia Films within its construction.
For 30 years Kappler based in Alabama has defined the protective garment industry with patented fabrics, innovative seaming technology and unique garment designs. Their latest product Lantex 300, a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1994 Class 3 certified Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) breathable protective suit, allows users in a hazardous chemical emergency situation to wear them for longer.Â
“For years the ‘holy grail’ of chemical protective clothing has been the quest for comfortable, breathable yet chemical protective fabrics,” comments president George Kappler. “We believe we have achieved this quest with Innovia Films’ help. Our Lantex fabric gives good general chemical protection while reducing the heat stress associated with chemical protective fabrics. The breathable properties of NatureFlex have enabled us to develop an improved lighter fabric while maintaining essential chemical and gas barriers. In the environments for which this was developed, Lantex 300 is a significant improvement over existing safety chemical suits.” Thomas Gwin, Innovia Films’ sales executive, explains: “We are delighted that our renewable and compostable NatureFlex film’s moisture vapour transmission rate (MVTR) ensured that it provided the necessary performance to be included in this unique fabric.” NatureFlex film’s inherent properties make them an ideal choice for this application. They are naturally permeable, allowing loss of moisture from within the suit as well as bi-directional gas transfer. At the same time the barrier to micro-bacterial contamination from outside the suit is maintained.”
NatureFlex’s natural permeability can be controlled and tailored to the moisture barrier needs of the application or product by using a wide range of special coatings applied during production.