|
Frequently
Asked Questions: Naptex
Textiles
Q. What is "Naptex?"
A. Naptex is a
sophisticated yarn made
from an NSP patented
spinning process. It
incorporates parallel
stainles steel fibers at
the yarn core, fully
encapsulated by various
textile fibers, specified
in accordance to
application.
Q. What can Naptex be used
for?
A. Naptex is normally
woven into durable fabrics
used for garments, work
drapes, upholstery, etc.
The most common
applications are ESD
(electrostatic discharge)
garments and RF
(radio-frequency)
protection
garments.
Q. What makes Naptex
unique?
A.
S
tainless steel is an ideal
material for conductive
fabrics. However, in
traditional steel-based
conductive fabrics, the
problem of steel fiber
loss during use and
washing can pose a
problem, especially for
electronics assembly
environments. The
Naptex yarn construction
assures no migration of
fibers during the fabric
life, providing extemely
stable conductive
performance.
Q. Suffused carbon stays
in place too. Why should I
prefer steel as a
conductor?
A. Carbon performs well
when new and is initially
much less expensive.
However, it is a
brittle material and will
break down over time,
resulting in conductive
loss of the host fabric.
Carbon also is vulnerable
to heat and wash chemicals
such as fabric softener.
These characteristics
mandate strict wash and
care procedures to avoid
losing ESD performance. In
contrast, steel is
flexible, impervious, and
extremely stable,
especially when spun into
the yarn
core.
Q. Is Naptex flame
retardant?
A. Naptex can be treated
with any of the common
flame retardant processes.
Because of Naptex's
intrinsic durability and
life expectancy, NSP makes
a Nomex™ version for
applications requiring
flame resistance.
Nomex™ is
DuPont's premium,
permanant flame resistant
aramid
fiber. |
