From the Sector

• Recycled polyester becomes a production standard for zips' tapes: a new step in Riri Group’s green path.
• Riri is the first company in the fashion accessories industry to complete its transition towards an exclusive use of recycled polyester for zips’ tapes.

To Riri, being ‘Responsible today for a sustainable tomorrow’ means looking ahead, toward a real effort in bringing sustainability in operational decisions, even if they mean more management issues and lead to changes out of the comfort zone which is the result of years of experiences and processes. Riri Group thus becomes the first manufacturing company in the fashion accessories industry to introduce the use of recycled polyester as production standard for its zip range. This achievement marks another essential one in the sustainability path that the Swiss-Italian Group has walked since the 90s. This change fits perfectly the Group’s green approach which sees innovation for the future as one of the main pillars of the corporate strategy, as well as the commitment to protecting natural resources and to improving the
traceability and transparency of both materials and processes, in a framework that sees to rethink social and economic models. Riri’s slogan “excellence in details” can also be read as “sustainability in details” as it speaks to the company’s will to act putting sustainability first.

By employing recycled polyester as production standard for the zip range, the contribution to sustainability on a quantitative level will be significant:

• The company, in fact, will reduce emissions resulting from polyester purchase by 32%; thus, carbon footprint will be cut down by 3%, for zip production. As a result, 460,000 kg of
CO2 per year is saved, the same as 169 return flights from Geneve to New York.

• All the recycled polyester is GRS (Global Recycled Standard)-certified, highlighting Riri’s constant commitment to choosing suppliers that meet the industry’s international standards.

• The recycled polyester used in tapes for zips is made from recycled polyester fibers, both  pre- (20%) and post-consumer (80%).

• An important contribution is made to the goal of increasing the global use of recycled polyester, as stated by Textile Exchange, from 14% to 20% by 2030.

This choice shows once more the ability of the company to develop products that keep in mind the environment whilst preserving functionality, reliability and that visual taste that the world of fashion requires.

Indeed, Riri has introduced its first recycled polyester tape in 2013 and since then has been consistently increasing the use of GRS-certified recycled polyester that comes from recycled materials.

“We are proud of this step and the effect that it has on sustainability and the cultural change through which we approach the development and improvement of our products” states Renato Usoni, Riri Group’s CEO. “Our innovation is the result of a tireless research of low environmental impact materials, an approach that has been the foundation of our identity for many years, but that now is renewed once more to make another step toward the future”.

• Carnet by Ratti Group teams up with Bemberg™ for its ultimate collection of premium, exclusive, responsible lining fabrics

Bemberg™ smart-tech fibers interweave circular economy into the new ‘bunch’ of lining textiles by the renowned fabric manufacturer which partners with tailors, designers and brands to bring style e and responsibility in the made-to-measure menswear and womenswear contemporary wardrobe.
 
The new ‘bunch’ of Bemberg™ fabrics for high-quality linings comprises 59 references that come in vibrant and contemporary colors. The collection reflects Carnet’s constant quest for exclusivity as well as a new vision for the future, thanks to Bemberg™ precious ingredient. “Because there is no style without sustainability” comments Ettore Pellegrini of Asahi Kasei Fibers Italia which supplies Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei the world-leading materials manufacturer.

Bemberg™ smart-tech fibers interweave circular economy into the new ‘bunch’ of lining textiles by the renowned fabric manufacturer which partners with tailors, designers and brands to bring style e and responsibility in the made-to-measure menswear and womenswear contemporary wardrobe.
 
The new ‘bunch’ of Bemberg™ fabrics for high-quality linings comprises 59 references that come in vibrant and contemporary colors. The collection reflects Carnet’s constant quest for exclusivity as well as a new vision for the future, thanks to Bemberg™ precious ingredient. “Because there is no style without sustainability” comments Ettore Pellegrini of Asahi Kasei Fibers Italia which supplies Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei the world-leading materials manufacturer.

Bemberg™ is the high-tech ingredient born from the transformation of cotton linters through a full circular, transparent and entirely traceable process. The result is a high-performing unique and precious fiber with anti-static and humidity-control properties. “By choosing to work with Bemberg™, we injected sustainability in the collection in order to offer ‘the best quality chance’ to tailors, designers, brands, and garment makers who believe in and commit to responsible yet premium and exclusive fashion.” Adds Alessandro Ivaldi, Business director at Carnet by Ratti Group.
 
Carnet is a division of the Ratti Group that manufactures and distributes the best fabrics all over the world for the realization of made-to-measure garments for both men and women. In each collection, Carnet’s fabrics are able to show the experience of those who know the code of style. A wide range of exclusives bases, Carnet offers high-end meter fabrics for both men and women.
 
The new Carnet’s  Bemberg™ fabrics for lining range is also available online with over 300.000 metres of fabric that can be purchased with a minimum order of just 50 cm, with delivery granted within 72 hours in over 50 countries.

• Major Monforts denim customers continue to pioneer new initiatives that are pushing the boundaries of sustainable production.

Recycling their cotton waste has become one way these companies can do more with less, and at the recent Kingpins24 Flash online event, Sedef Uncu Aki, director of Orta, headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey, announced a new partnership with leading recycling operation Gama Recycle.

Traceable
“Through this local partnership we will supply the waste from our spinning mills and return around 3,000 tons of premium quality cotton back to them,” she said. “We have established a truly controlled and traceable system and partnering with a domestic recycling centre is important because a lot the carbon emissions associated with recycling usually come from transportation.”

Orta’s ZeroMax range meanwhile uses no cotton at all, being based on Lenzing’s Tencel cellulosic fibre, while the company’s involvement in denim production for a recent launch by Levi Strauss, of jeans made with organic cotton and Circulose – a breakthrough material developed by re:newcell of Sweden and partners – was hailed as a further step forward.

To make Circulose, re:newcell repurposes discarded cotton textiles, such as worn-out denim jeans, through a process akin to recycling paper. The incoming waste fabrics are broken down using water. The colour is then stripped from these materials using an eco-friendly bleach and after any synthetic fibres are removed from the mix, the slurry-like mixture is dried and the excess water is extracted, leaving behind a sheet of Circulose. This sheet is then made into viscose fibre which is combined with cotton and woven into new fabrics.

Circular Park
Omer Ahmed, CEO of Artistic Milliners also announced plans for his company’s new 70,000 square-foot Circular Park in Karachi, Pakistan, at Kingpins24 Flash.

Once complete, this will add three million square metres of additional denim capacity a month to the company’s production and take its total recycled output to a monthly five million metres.
Ahmed observed that there is currently a lack of sustainable fibres that are readily available to use for denim production at scale.

“Organic cotton is too expensive, and in my opinion always will be,” he said. “Cottonised hemp is also not cheap and it’s hard to mix with cotton, while the new regenerated cellulose fibres that are now emerging are promising, but currently in short supply. Recycled polyester is meanwhile still based on petroleum resources which we want to move away from. As a consequence, there are only a few other options for us as a manufacturer and this new project will help us minimise our own waste while significantly lowering our carbon footprint.”

Other Monforts denim customers to introduce cotton fibre recycling operations at their plants recently include AGI Denim, Bossa and Soorty.

Vertical savings
Refresh is the name of the latest collection from AGI Denim – reflecting the company’s significant reduction in water consumption.

The company has just opened new fibre spinning and denim mills at its complex in Karachi, Pakistan.

“Over the years we’ve gone through a series of backward integration steps to become fully vertical,” said AGI Denim executive director Ahmed Javed, at Kingpins24 Flash. “In our latest expansion, we revisited every step of the production processes in order to make resource savings.”

Innovations have included the installation of proprietary robotics for garment finishing, but the most attention has been paid to water savings.

“Pakistan is one of the largest cotton-producing companies in the world and we’re fortunate that the type of cotton that is grown here is well suited to denim production and also helps us lower our carbon footprint, with everything done in close proximity,” Javed said. “In the lifecycle of a pair of denim jeans, however, cotton fibre production contributes 68% of water consumption. While we cannot control how much water cotton needs for it to grow, we can rethink the way we use it in our factory.”

Refresh-branded denims are washed from 100% recycled water as a result of the company’s new wastewater treatment plant, which puts production wastewater through a series of steps beginning with equalisation, followed by aeration and concluding with sedimentation. The water travels through filtration and ultrafiltration systems before being subjected to an activated carbon system and finally a reverse osmosis system to reduce any dissolved salts.

AGI now recycles 4.4 million gallons of water each month – enough to wash a million pairs of jeans.

Sustainable
Monforts has a leading position in the field of denim finishing with its well proven Thermex continuous dyeing systems, Montex stenter dryers and other lines for resource-efficient and economical processing.

“Our denim partners are constantly setting themselves new goals in respect of sustainable production – and more importantly, achieving them,” says Hans Wroblowski, Monforts Head of Denim. “We work closely with them with the aim of constantly optimising processing parameters and achieving further savings in energy, water and raw materials throughout the dyeing and finishing stages of production.”

The latest Monforts innovation for denim is the CYD yarn dyeing system. This technology is based on the effective and established dyeing process for denim fabrics that is now being applied for yarn dyeing. The CYD system integrates new functions and processes into the weaving preparation processes to increase quality, flexibility, economic viability and productivity. A full CYD line is now available for trials at the company’s Advanced Technology Centre in Mönchengladbach, Germany.”

With the spring textile trade fair season in China just around the corner, a number of leading domestic and international suppliers are confirmed to take part in Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition. The fair will now take place at a slightly later date of 17 – 19 March. Together with the concurrent fairs Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Yarn Expo, CHIC and PH Value, these five events will form the first major in-person gathering for the textile industry this year.

From bedding and towelling, rugs and table & kitchen linen to home textile technologies and textile designs, buyers will have a wide range of the latest collections to source from this month at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center. International exhibitors such as Lenzing and Cotton Council International as well as leading domestic brands including Coolist, Luolai, Soluffy and Yunjie Textile are amongst those signed up to take part this year.

Exhibitor highlights

• Lenzing Fibers: will showcase their flagship brand for textiles, TENCEL™. Used for a variety of highly specialised applications, TENCEL™ fibres are soft to the skin and excellent in thermal regulation and moisture absorption.
• Cotton Council International (CCI) is a non-profit association that promotes US cotton fibre and cotton products throughout the world.
• Zhangjiagang Coolist Life Technology: this Chinese company designs and produces a range of functional pillow collections including their Filmless Gel, Hydrophilic, Air, Flexible and Organic pillow series. Their unique Coolist design features patented technology, and is made from organic and environmental-friendly materials.
• Anhui Million Feather: located in Anhui province’s Lu’an city, known in China as the ‘Kingdom of Geese’, the company produces a range of down and feather products and various bedding items.
• Wujiang City Yunjie Textiles: specialising in wide-width fabrics including microfibre, satin and suede.
• Yantai Zhonglian Industry: their main products include sheets, pillowcases, quilt covers, bed skirts, comforters, coverlets, pillows and more.

• Every moment of our day is important: TINTEX knows it and for SS 2022 is proposing solutions to enhance our wellbeing, fitting all our possible and different needs 24 hours a day.

From sunrise to sunset

Last season TINTEX “RAW” collection has successfully explored the modern human being dimensions with no more genders and races, and today the new SS 2022 collection confirms the Naturally Advanced Evolution vision built on a strong environment-driven approach and cutting-edge technology able to offer contemporary consumer a brand new smart and performing choice.

How? The SS2022 TINTEX 24h collection is offering solutions that can fit the different moments of our daily lives to rediscover ourselves in the outside world, leaving behind the social isolation that we all experienced in 2020. Freedom, comfort, flexibility and movement are the concepts the company explores looking not only to fashion moments, but to all the occasions of life where the most comfortable yet performing and responsible materials - from recycled synthetics to organic cotton - are the “right value choice”.
 
From there, the concept of giving life to 10 fabrics that truly embody our daily lifestyle: comfort, versatility, wellbeing.

Colours. A journey through warm and vivid colors - from reddish apples to sunny oranges with notes of starry blues - encourages wellbeing, feeling of relief, freedom and happiness because we feel that "we are alive again” when we go outside, doing everything we have always done, but that we were forced to put on pause. “RADIANT YELLOW it’s TINTEX color of the season, with its inherent positivity and strength. An energetic color that calls for a natural freedom to explore the world; a warm sensation of summer that feels like home” declares Ana Eusebio, designer at TINTEX Textiles.
 
All the collection focuses on the interlock structure, able to “concretely” deliver the value of versatility  and  fulfil performances needs of different moments of life. The idea is to create a collection that explores only one structure taking it to the limit, recreating, re-inventing and re-exploring its possibilities in order to meet the value of duality. Yes, in a single knit TINTEX challenged the way interlock is usually constructed by exploring each side of the articles and combining texturized with plain surfaces as well as light and heavy weights. Interlock offers natural stretch performances and exceptional dimensional stability.

Moreover, an important eye on responsible performances improvement to meet contemporary challenges and make us feel comfortable and safe! Always thanks to TINTEX DNA that is showing once more its consistent and evolved skills in making smart fabrics combined with unique eco-high-tech finishings.
 
Materials & finishings. A soft performances journey where it’s all about our dynamic daily lives. Through light and heavier fabrics, we find a well thought blend of innovative and responsible fibres. Strong focus is given to exceptional “transformation” technologies such as Newlife™, Q-Nova®, and ROICA™ EF by Asahi Kasei. While Organic cotton, TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers and TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers with Micro technology offer a unique natural and precious touch.

Fresh fibres and finishings that enhance freshness and comfort. Polygiene® STAY FRESH and Polygiene® Odor Crunch for active odor control performances, Hydroperm® by Archroma technical hydrophilic finishing for a fast dry, comfortable surface and a fresh look. Absolute novelty of the season is the TASTEX®COOL-EX by TANATEX, a skin-care treatment agent based on micelles, which gives a special cool sensation using dynamic temperature control.
 
Lastly, TINTEX addresses the accessories and outerwear markets with a “look-like leather” created with a water-based coating technology that incorporates pine shell.

Wardrobe solutions. 10 versatile articles that can perfectly fit the different areas of our daily wardrobe: from casual to formal wear, from athleisure to sports, from loungewear to underwear.  10 innovations that have become a  REAL  24th hours smart wardrobe   thanks to the unique design interpretation of these fabrics  by  5 contemporary and innovative Portuguese  designers such as : Rita Sá, David Catalán, Maria Gambina, Maria Meira and Behén.

Unique pieces designed and created by them   to show once more the beauty, the versatility, the smart performances of TINTEX collection that has been able to transform itself into a naturally advanced valuable wardrobe where fabrics have concretely come to life to make our everyday life smart in each moment! You can have a real look at this wardrobe that fully represent the values behind the collection, smartly interpreted by the Portuguese designers at this video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppPHPK0Zyu8 .

Thinking about what is happening around us as planet and individuals in an era of unpredictable challenges, we need to be creative constantly reinventing ourselves, aware of a new society and way of consuming where environment and human needs count.  And TINTEX, that has over-time established itself as a global leader in smart innovation, decided to focus exactly on that. The company DNA and vision of Naturally Advanced Evolution is centered on this new way of life that must adapt, but NEVER - now more than ever - compromises neither nature nor new generation’s performance.

Intelligently designed clothes made with the latest manufacturing technology are the results of the partnership between on of the leading denim innovators ISKO and the Italian brand HIGH. A project, part of the SS2021 HIGH collection, is the start of collaboration in the pursuit of sustainable fashion.

Aimed at bringing a positive change both for the planet and its people, the project presents two pieces – jacket and pants – which embody HIGH’s approach to creativity and production: a wellbalanced mix of specialists’ expertise and a tireless investigation on the latest and most responsible fabric technologies. HIGH identified the R-TWO™ program as the right fabric ingredient, ideal to level up sustainability in its looks.

Relying on a blend of reused and recycled materials, this revolutionary platform works by embedding material circularity into the production process, designing waste out of the system and minimizing impact at scale. With fully traced reused cotton coming from ISKO’s production loss, which is prevented from becoming waste by adding it back into the spinning process, and an efficient use of polyester materials which are spun into newly recycled fibers, the program can provide certified to Textile Exchange environmental credentials. According to the percentage of material contained, these can be either the Content Claim Standard, Global Recycled Standard, Organic Content Standard or Recycled Claim Standard, ensuring better use of raw materials and resource efficiency while providing advanced concepts that don’t compromise on their look and performance.

Additionally, to meet HIGH’s performance needs, ISKO has brought to the table one of its most popular technologies, of course in its R-TWO™ version: Jeggings™, super-stretch denim technology. Soft and lightweight as leggings, it provides comfort with the look of authentic denim and provides the perfect, responsible solution to usher the partnership.

Sorpol Ltd., a leading importer and distributor of industrial raw materials in Israel, has launched a website to sell Acteev Protect™ masks, made in the USA by polyamide manufacturer Ascend Performance Materials. The two companies also plan to partner in the distribution of Acteev surgical masks, N95 respirators, nonwoven media and textile fabrics as they become available.

Laboratory tests have demonstrated Acteev fabric effective at deactivating 99.9% of the viruses SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, and H1N1, a flu virus. Acteev technology also eliminates bacteria and fungi.

Ofer Soreq, Sorpol’s marketing director, said the Acteev Protect line fits in neatly with the mission of the company.

Recent testing on Acteev fabric completed at the University of Cambridge has demonstrated that Acteev technology deactivates the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, with 99.9% efficacy on contact. Ascend has submitted several masks designs to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to obtain the appropriate regulatory clearances to make specific claims regarding the technology’s antiviral properties in the United States.

In addition to antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial protection, the washable, reusable masks are lightweight, breathable and odor-fighting, making them comfortable to wear during a long shift at work or for outdoor workouts.

Acteev Protect shows promise for use beyond masks, according to Ascend. The technology was originally developed for workout wear, and now the company is working on textile applications ranging from gloves to scrubs to high-end athleisure

The RUDOLF GROUP is an uncontested agent of positive change especially when it comes to pioneering technologies that help transforming the textile and fashion industries. A shining example of conscious leadership played by the RUDOLF GROUP over the past decades is the invention and introduction of fluorine-free Durable Water Repellency (DWR) for textile and apparel. Since 2003, the RUCO-DRY product line has gradually convinced the industry that water-resistance can be achieved through the study and replica of natural models. “Biomimicry and the study of lotus leaves and bird’s feathers were instrumental in developing the very first fluorine-free DWR’s” says Dr. Gunther Duschek, Managing Director at RUDOLF GROUP.

Fifteen years later, RUDOLF GROUP does it again and takes a significant leapfrog. It pushes the boundaries of R&D well beyond fluorine-free, embraces nature and introduces water repellent performance entirely based on natural components. “We are launching two brand new, distinctive product propositions entirely manufactured from natural sources that do not compete with human and/or animal nutrition” continues Dr. Duschek.

RUCO®-DRY BIO CGR is an absolute breakthrough and the first Durable Water Repellent (DWR) agent based on plant-derived processing wastes. In fact, RUCO®-DRY BIO CGR is made of natural waste that accumulates as by-product during the processing of cereal grains in the food industry. The leftover material that would otherwise be disposed of is refined to create a powerful water and stain repellent textile finish.

“By turning natural waste into DWR we have optimized the biologic character of RUCO®-DRY BIO CGR where the active component is made of more than 90% bio carbon” states Dr. Dirk Sielemann, R&D Director at RUDOLF GROUP. He continues: “Although most of the product is composed by recycled biomass, RUCO®-DRY BIO CGR meets the performance and durability of conventional water repellent textile finishes”.

RUCO®-DRY BIO NPE is an equally outstanding product innovation where DWR is entirely based on a carefully selected mix of natural plant extracts. The well-balanced mix of plant-based ingredients combines excellent water and stain repellent effects with breathability and a natural handfeel. 

Unlike other 100% renewable raw materials, those used in the making of RUCO®-DRY BIO NPE are chemically and genetically non-modified and are not used as food, feed or fuel. Furthermore, all of the plant extracts that compose RUCO®-DRY BIO NPE are subject to a strict conservation and sustainability framework. “That’s why the supply of RUCO®-DRY BIO NPE is likely to remain limited to the creation and marketing of performance outdoor and sports apparel programs embedding state-of-the-art sustainable technology” concludes Dr. Duschek.

Both RUCO®-DRY BIO CGR and RUCO®-DRY BIO NPE are marketed through the BIO-LOGIC trademark, registered by RUDOLF GROUP.

• Partnership offers customers access to full-scale garment design, manufacturing and packaging

Ascend Performance Materials has announced a commercial agreement with The S Group, a globally recognized provider of apparel design, development and manufacturing. The alliance will focus on commercialization of Acteev Protect™ antimicrobial yarns, fibers and fabrics, offering customers full-scale supply chain service from garment design to delivery.

The agreement pairs Ascend's world-class manufacturing operations with The S Group’s track record of success in the wholesale and direct-to-consumer apparel industry. “Our customers will now benefit from a revolutionary antimicrobial material combined with end-to-end support to guide a product from ideation to actualization,” said Lu Zhang, vice president of Acteev.

The S Group offers complete supply chain management for apparel brands, including product development, manufacturing, logistics, quality assurance, packaging and order fulfillment. The company lists some of the world’s most recognized brands among its partners, including Lululemon, New Balance and Mack Weldon. Athleisure, performance, scrubs, and seamless products such as intimates, leggings, active wear, socks and gaiters will be available.

Gary Peck, CEO of The S Group, says his team is excited about the commercial potential of Acteev, especially given the new reality of global health concerns. “Garment design has primarily focused on functionality, sustainability and comfort,” said Peck. “The past year has made us all aware that safety can be a valuable feature of fabrics as well, and Acteev checks all those boxes.”

Acteev is Ascend’s patent-pending technology that embeds zinc ions in a polymer to create fibers with long-lasting antimicrobial properties. The result is a fabric that destroys odor-causing bacteria and fungi. Acteev technology is available in a wide range of textiles featuring the flexibility, softness and durability of nylon 6,6.

Recent testing on knit fabric completed at the University of Cambridge has demonstrated that Acteev technology deactivates the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, with 99.9% efficacy on contact1. Ascend is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other governmental agencies to obtain the appropriate regulatory clearances to make specific claims regarding the technology’s antiviral properties.

Sicomin’s latest marine collaboration with Sonntag Fins sees its industry leading GreenPoxy® 33 bio-based epoxy resin used for custom carbon fibre windsurf fins - combining speed, fatigue performance and sustainability for some of the fastest sailors afloat.

Targeted at windsurf slalom sailors, racers and speed sailors, each Sonntag fin is a custom made product, tailored specifically to the user based on a discussion about riding style, physical size and weight, as well as how the rider likes to load the fin whilst sailing.  This attention to detail and bespoke manufacturing places a huge importance on the performance and consistency of the raw materials used, with all new materials having to be validated in production, on the test rig in the lab, and on the water by the team riders.

With this in mind, Sonntag Fins approached Time Out Composite, Sicomin’s German distributor,  looking for a new resin system that could reduce cycle times and improve manufacturing output.  Bio-based systems were discussed, but the first product used by Sonntag was Sicomin’s SR1280 laminating system which delivered immediate results, enabling shorter cure cycles, and exceeding all of the previous mechanical test targets.

In 2020, Sonntag and Time Out Composite revisited the topic of a more sustainable epoxy resin system. It was the perfect time for Sonntag Fins, with their new unique bright green UV resistant outer finish, to go green on the inside too with Sicomin’s GreenPoxy® 33 resin.

Test fins were produced with the new material performing well in production trials. Pure resin samples were also tested and post-cured at 140 ̊C, with the new GreenPoxy® 33 samples showing significantly higher elongation at maximum resistance, meaning the cured epoxy was less brittle and susceptible to damage should a customer’s fin meet a rock. With mechanical properties improved, Sonntag switched production to GreenPoxy® 33 in August 2020.

Sonntag fins are manufactured in CNC machined aluminium moulds using GreenPoxy® 33 and a bespoke lay-up of woven, stitched biaxial and heat-set unidirectional carbon fibre fabrics in four steps:
• The first step in the moulding process is the application of Sonntag’s unique green in-mould coating.
• Next, the individual fabric plies, cut using precisely machined templates, are placed into the mould and then wet-out with the low viscosity epoxy. With the laminate stack complete, the mould is closed and loaded into a heated press for around 2 hours to consolidate and cure the fin.
• After curing, the demoulded fins are tempered in an oven at 140 ̊C, then only a light sanding is required to create the final surface roughness for optimum flow characteristics in the water.
• Finally, the fins are cut to the required length and the base adapter is molded to the epoxy-carbon blade in a specific mould.
With each fin being optimized for its rider, it is critical that each piece produced will bend and twist in exactly the way it has been designed to do so, providing the rider with exactly the feel and feedback they want for their board and fin. Each Sonntag fin is tested on a unique CNC controlled servo and stepper motor driven test bench that Joerg has developed, building a database of test results that not only ensures the products perform as designed but also validating the consistency of the manufacturing process and raw materials.
“We produce high-performance windsurfing fins that need to accommodate significant loads during sailing. Fins need to combine flexibility with extremely high torsion stiffness that places high interlaminar shear forces on the resin, especially in our softer fins.” commented Joerg Sonntag, MD, Sonntag Fins. “A key requirement for us is a resin that maintains its mechanical properties for many years, and this is where the Sicomin systems deliver”