The Product
Characteristics
Behind the soft appearance of Alcantara® there is a man made, extremely advanced product, the result of highly refined technology that assures the many qualities and standards demanded by the company.
In strictly technical terms, Alcantara® is a micro fibrous material, a non-woven fabric. Its extremely fine fibres are arranged to reproduce the microscopic structure of natural leather.
Alcantara®'s general features include:
- A natural look with a fine 'writing' effect
- Dyeing possibilities in an extremely wide colour range
- Excellent colour fastness
- 'wash and wear' properties
- excellent air permeability
- very light weight due to low density
- no pilling
- ease of making up with standard technology
- excellent dimensional stability
- form maintaining and wrinkle free
- constant, uniform characteristics
Technical Data
Alcantara® is made from extremely fine polyester microfibres, 40 to 50 times finer than cotton and 200 to 300 times finer than wool, with a denier count never achieved before (0.17 dtex).
The quality and characteristics of the finished product are all due to this very fine and unique denier count which is obtained by a highly sophisticated extrusion process of the polymer.
The fibre is so fine that thousands of metres weigh only a single gram. The polyester fibre which is the basic material in the production of Alcantara® is cut into a countless number of segments which then undergo processing in special carding machines to form a soft felt some 10cm thick. The particular cloth-like appearance is acquired after a process of needle punching and treatment with a special agent. The 'greige' is then subjected to a special dyeing treatment which is the last stage in the production cycle prior to finishing.
Certifications
Alcantara's quality has been endorsed by two important certifications: Certitex and Oeko-Tex. Certitex attests that Alcantara ®'s quality control systems meet international norms. Oeko-Tex, awarded by the Hohenstein International Institute, certifies that Alcantara ® products are absolutely safe for contact with the skin.
Technical Specification
| Composition | Polyester - 68% : Polyurethane - 32% |
|---|---|
| Weight | 230 g/mq |
| Width | 142 cm |
| Thickness | 0.8 mm |
| Breaking Load | JNI 8639 ≥ 35 daN |
|---|---|
| Tear Resistance | ASTM-D1424 ≥ 0.6 kg |
| Dimensional Stability (water 100°C) | AATCC-96 ≤ 3% |
| Abrasion Resistance Schiefer | ASTM-1175 ≥ 200 cycles |
Colour Fastness
| to light (20 hours Fadeometer) | AATCC-16A ≥ 4 grey scale |
|---|---|
| to domestic washing | tone change: AATCC-61 ≥ 4 grey scale |
| staining: AATCC-61 ≥ 3 grey scale | |
| to dry clean | tone change: AATCC-132 ≥ 4 grey scale |
| staining: AATCC-132 ≥ 3 grey scale | |
| to rubbing | dry: AATCC-8 ≥ 4 grey scale |
| humid: AATCC-8 ≥ 3 grey scale |