Textiles and Leather Solutions

Dow Corning Corporation, a leading supplier of innovative silicone solutions for the textile industry, will present “Dow Corning^® DS-9000 Eco Repel™ – A New Additive for Flame-Retardant Textiles” at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. Additionally, at Booth W1F01-03, Dow Corning will feature its silicone textile printing inks, a water- and energy-saving eco solution for denim processing and a premium hydrophilic softener.

Peter Wu, Dow Corning’s Asia Technical Manager for Textiles, will discuss Dow Corning DS-9000 Eco Repel™ (PDF size = 531 KB), a new eco-friendly multifunctional encapsulated silicone additive for technical textiles. Jointly developed with DEVAN Chemicals, this technology allows apparel manufacturers to increase softness and hydrophobicity on existing flame-retardant finishes without impacting flame retardancy.

“Most current flame-retardant chemicals negatively impact the softness of the textile, leading to very harsh fabrics, which then become uncomfortable-to-wear garments,” Wu said. “Moreover, the material type predominantly used in textile multifunctional treatment additives for flame retardancy contains fluorocarbon derivatives, which arouse increasing concerns of safety and environmental issues.”

In addition to Dow Corning DS-9000 Eco Repel™, Dow Corning booth visitors will learn about Dow Corning^®  Textile Printing Inks, which are durable, colorfast and suitable for tough-to-print, high-performance sports apparel. The inks offer high elongation and a soft, nonsticky handle and allow for innovative designs, including amber-look and water-droplet effects. With heightened consumer concern about the environment, silicone textile printing inks are an ideal solution because they contain no organotin, phthalate, formaldehyde, PVC or solvents.

Booth attendees will discover how to achieve significant water savings during denim processing. Dow Corning^® GP 8000 Eco Solution saves up to 50 liters of water on every pair of jeans and provides faster processing time, using less energy to finish jeans.

Dow Corning also will feature Dow Corning^® OP-8800 Premium Hydrophilic Softener, which provides an environmentally sustainable solution to the textile finishing market and contains virtually no VOCs. Dow Corning OP-8800 Premium Hydrophilic Softener offers excellent softness, wickability and water absorbency with no impact on whiteness or stain-release properties.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, a professional business platform for the apparel fabrics industry in China and Asia, will take place October 20-23, 2009, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China. Last year, nearly 50,000 people attended the show, including garment manufacturers, import and export corporations, wholesalers and retailers.

Dow Corning offers a comprehensive selection of proven silicon-based performance enhancers and process aids for textiles and is breaking new ground in the realm of eco-innovation. In addition to materials, the company provides supportive services and solutions tailored to the specific business and sustainability needs of the global textiles industry. To learn more about Dow Corning’s full range of textile solutions, visit dowcorning.com/textiles.

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About Dow Corning

Dow Corning (dowcorning.com) provides performance-enhancing solutions to serve the diverse needs of more than 25,000 customers worldwide. A global leader in silicones, silicon-based technology and innovation, Dow Corning offers more than 7,000 products and services via the company’s Dow Corning^® and XIAMETER^® brands. Dow Corning is a joint venture equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning, Incorporated. More than half of Dow Corning’s annual sales are outside the United States.

Dow Corning is a registered trademark of Dow Corning Corporation. XIAMETER is a registered trademark of Dow Corning Corporation. Eco Repel is a registered trademark of DEVAN Chemicals.