Bonding Film in the Modern World

Structural adhesives are replacing mechanical fasteners in amazing ways!Innovation in adhesive design and formulas have proven that over the years, bonding tape has become a successful alternative to bulky mechanical fasteners like screws, rivets and other types of hard welds.  The major benefit to the use and application of bonding films is that, unlike fasteners which join substrates at a single point, bonding films bridge the gap over the entire surface area – thus create a more complete bond that also distributes the stress load evenly.

Why Bonding Films Have Become Second Nature

Bonding films are used in almost every industry including construction, industrial, medical, marine, military, electronics and especially the garment industry.  Everything from skyscrapers to vehicles and shoes use bonding film in some form during manufacture and assembly.

While bonding films vary, and some are not intended for high-humidity or other extreme temperature variances, plenty of bonding film formulas have been created that allow for use in harsh environments – even space.

The prime benefit to use in garments is that bonding films can be made to be extremely elastic, altering the tensile, shear, pull and peel.  This is beneficial to clothes like intimate apparel.  Additionally, bonding films can be made to flex while remaining rigid with a solid, heavy duty bond such as what is needed in tactical boots.

Practical Application of Bonding Film

While bonding films can be used in a variety of industries, they offer a number of benefits to the garment industry and relative verticals.  Here are just a few applications for Loxy bonding film.

Intimate apparel & undergarments – When you use bonding film in garments, there are times when you want a seam that doesn’t present with stitching.  This is especially important in undergarments or intimate apparel where lines and seams can show through clothing.  A strong, quality bonding film can form an indestructible seam that won’t shred or lose elasticity while presenting with minimal (virtually no) visibility.  The same technology that holds buildings together can help keep intimate undergarments a secret.

Boots and shoes – No matter the lifestyle the individual leads, boots and shoes should be long lasting and designed to take a beating.  In cheaper models, one of the first things to go is often the base of the shoe where bonding film separates after exposure to moisture and regular use.  A strong, quality bonding film will flex properly with footwear and should be formulated to withstand even the most intense use.  Whether it’s a tactical insertion from a Blackhawk or cross-training for a triathlon, footwear needs to last.  Quality bonding film will insure long-lasting customer satisfaction.

Tactical Garment Seams – Tactical garments are used in a variety of professions including EMS, First Responders, Police/SWAT, Military/Special Forces, Private Security and more.  Every one of these professions should be able to rely on the bonded seams of their tactical clothing without conscious thought.  Pockets, belt loops, seams, straps, buckles – everything should function seamlessly.  The right bonding film will ensure that, no matter the environment or the intensity of the job, the garment performs every time.

Heavy duty garments (Rescue gear) – Not all bonding films are made equal, and some are specifically designed to stand up to harsh environments and intense conditions.  Rescue gear and heavy duty garments need bonding film that can stand up against intense heat, frigid cold and extended periods of exposure to moisture and direct or proximity flame.  Fire fighters and marine personnel such as naval officers and coast guard need the maximum durability and protection of Loxy bonding film – otherwise people get hurt.
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DYNE Testing

In the textile industry, surface tension testing (DYNE) is critical in helping us where there are concerns of quality and consistency over bonding, film and material production.  Bottom line, without proper testing and verification methods, you won’t discover there’s a problem in seam sealing tape or reflective tape until post production – often that happens at the consumer level and then it’s too late.

Not only do you wind up with unsatisfied customers, but botched production tends to be environmentally unfriendly.

Think about it from the perspective of car insurance.  You don’t purchase car insurance to cover you because you’re a bad driver.  It’s there to support you.  Like automotive insurance, proper surface tension testing or DYNE testing simply insure that substrates are properly treated and produced to spec/standards.

These standards of testing textiles have been around for decades, it’s certainly nothing new.  For some companies, it merely consisted of a contact angle measuring device with liquid.  For example with a some  material you likely would see a droplet supporting adhesion as the droplet is wetting outward.  This creates a low contact angle.

With untreated textiles, the droplet would cling to itself rather than the surface, and would result in a taller droplet with a higher contact angle.  Of course this type of testing isn’t practical anymore which is why we use more current DYNE testing solutions.  The concept is that we test or pre-check surfaces to ensure that they will bind together and support adhesion, such as with our bonding films and their various applications.

Bonding of Seam Sealing Tape and Reflective Tapes – DYNE Testing

Surface tension is the property of a liquid arising from unbalancedmolecular forces at or near the surface. If it is higher than the surfaceenergy of a material, the liquid tends to form droplets rather thanspread out or “wet out” as some refer to it. Surface tension is normallymeasured in energy units called dynes/cm. A dyne is the amount offorce required to produce an acceleration of 1 cm/sec² on a mass of 1gram.

The DYNE level of material is known as its surface energy.  If the liquid used for testing has a DYNE level lower than the material’s surface energy, then the liquid spreads over the surface in a uniform wetting layer.

If the ink’s DYNE level is equal to or higher than a material’s DYNE level, then the liquid becomes cohesive and remains in droplet format.

For quality assurance purposes, DYNE pens were developed – mainly because bottled testing liquids were never really “shop floor friendly”.  The pens are similar to a felt tipped highlighter and contain the same solutions you find a lab test environment.  When the tip is swiped across the surface of the textile, the results are interpreted in the same manner as a solution with a cotton swab in a lab.  It really just boils down to a matter of convenience.

Testing Seam Sealing Tapes & Textiles – The Downside of Pens

One thing to note is that quick-drying pens used in some areas of the textile industry should be considered to be potentially inaccurate.  This is because the liquid is alcohol based.  Because of the fast-dry nature, older pains begin to dry out and as they do so, they may appear to give favorable results when in all actually the test is not entirely accurate.

Testing Tips – Solutions Conforming to ASTM standard-2578

• Spread the test fluid from the felt tip pen lightly over an area ofapproximately 7 cm of the test specimen, noting the time it takes forthe continuous film of ink to break into droplets.

• Breaking of the fluid into droplets in less than 2 seconds indicates alack of wetting and a lower numbered test fluid should be tried.

• If the fluid remains intact for longer than 2 seconds, a highernumbered test fluid should be tried.

• The aim is to establish the lowest reading at an optimum dwell timeof 2 seconds.

• Extreme care must be taken to ensure the film surface is not touchedor contaminated in the areas in which the tests are to be made.

• We recommend the replacement of the inks regularly if the bottledinks are frequently opened to atmosphere.

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Loxy Successes – www.LoxyTapes.com

Earlier this year we saw the redesign of our website, something we’ve needed for a long time.

MyBrand Butler | Loxy Official Web Supplier

That was a sizeable investment and we would be lying if we said that we weren’t skeptical about the expense that went into a new design, new website copywriting, images, research and more to figure out how to improve our position with our customers.

The response we received once the new site went up was amazing.  Many of our current clients raved about the new Loxy site, loved the information we offered on ANSI and ISO topics, past posts on this blog and a lot more. To top it off, we gained a great deal of visibility in the search engines thanks to our partnership with MyBrandButler.com

New Loxy Web Presence

For more than 15 years we operated our old Loxy website like a brochure.  This new web design and SEO campaigns remind us that in order to thrive in our industry we cannot just settle back on our laurels and operate at status quo forever.  What we did 10, 15 or even 30 years ago isn’t good enough anymore.  Times change, markets change, interested changes as do fashion trends, requirements and standards for high visibility clothing and fire retardant gear.  Like our website, we must change for the better.  To improve our interface and make it easier for customers to find what it is they seek.

The increase in leads and sales we experienced from working with MyBrandButler.com shows us that change brings about better things.  This is where I call out to our vendors and partners and to other professionals in the textile industry.

I challenge you to do better.  I challenge you to stop operating as you have for so long and to make a change in what you offer, how you offer it and how you engage your customers and partners.  The textile industry doesn’t adapt to us any more than customers adapt to us.  We adapt to them, and we shape the industry through positive change.

The Loxy Challenge

Whether it’s a new website with improved copy, a better marketing campaign, better brochures, a blog, a new product, a safer environment or just a pow-wow with one of our technical representatives – I challenge you to ask yourself:

What can you do to improve yourself, your professional environment and the industry?

Read more Loxy Blogs here…

Loxy Garment Industry Blogs

Sto-Nor, let’s welcome 40 more years!

Sto-Nor Industri AS has seen unprecedented growth in times of great economic turmoil.  We’ve been able to celebrate success and many years of service thanks to those vendors and partners who stayed with us.  This month, in November, we get to celebrate a very joyous occasion.

Sto-Nor Turns 40!

A 40-year milestone is an important time for any company and it’s not something we take lightly.  When you dissect our company, there are countless people who helped us reach this point; marketing, sales, manufacturing, logistics, accounting.  Some are still with us and some have left to brighten their horizons.  While we have them to thank, we know that we couldn’t be here without our customers as well.

Sto-Nor was just a vision

In 1970, Loyd Åge Nordli & Inger Marie Nordli began Sto-Nor as a simple textile company.  We all dream for our businesses to grow but we don’t think Loyd and Inger imagined anything like what we have today.  We marvel at the opportunities we have, at the innovations we’ve been a part of, at the knowledge that our safety garments and other products have quite literally saved lives.  We’re in awe, and we’re humbled at the support our customers continue to give to us.

We dare to think about what the next 40 years can bring to Sto-Nor as we continue to grow.  We can only hope that the new customers who embrace us will love and support our family as much as our current customers do.

Thank you for helping Sto-Nor grow, and thank you for 40 years of success.  We look forward to many more to come.

On another note – a very Happy 50^th Birthday this month to Stig.  Many well wishes to him and we hope for many years again at the helm of Sto-Nor.

The History of Sto-Nor, Read more

Read our last blog post here.

By Stig Nordli, CEO Loxy | Sto-Nor Industri AS

Most consumers are aware of standard garments and clothing and those that are waterproof.  Beyond waterproof clothing there are also different categories including breathable and windproof garments.  Each of these garments utilizes different weave, stitch and fabrication methods to provide their guaranteed level of protection depending on the environment.  Waterproof garments are the most intricate because of the seam sealing tape and barriers needed to prevent moisture transfer.

Loxy | Seam Sealing Tape

How Waterproof Garments are Manufactured

Each manufacturer has their own process for creating garments, but typically waterproof fabrics are constructed through a lamination with a special membrane.  This membrane adds a layer of protection to textiles already considered to be high-performance where moisture is concerned.

Seam Sealing Tape – How Waterproof Barriers Work

For most garments, the waterproofing is intended to be waterproof while remaining breathable.  This allows for moisture to escape from the interior of the clothing.  In many waterproofed garments, the areas outside of the seams contain billions of microscopic holes or pores for the fabric to breath.  Because these pores are smaller than a drop of water, the water is not able to pass through the garment.

This design is a must, as most professions and activity that requires waterproof garments can turn up the intensity and force the wearer to produce a lot of body heat.  It’s essential for that heat and body moisture to escape.  Despite the performance of the fabric however, seam sealing tape is still required.

Maintaining Performance with Seam Sealing Tape

While the high performance fabrics covering the bulk of the garment act as the ideal water barrier, that fabric needs to be stitched together to make suits, shirts, jackets, pants and other garments.  Every time a needled passes through the fabric it creates a point where water can transfer through and follow the stitching.  Seam sealing tape along every seam of the garment closes off these holes, maintaining the integrity of the high performance garment.

Where Seam Sealing Tape can Be Applied

Seam sealing tape is most often used in garments worn by professional workers but it can be used in a variety of ways, especially in emergency situations.  For camping enthusiasts, seam sealing tape can be used to repair rips in rain gear or in tents, as well as seal the seams of a tent where weatherproofing is failing.  For gear bags containing expensive equipment, seam sealing tape can be applied as a temporary seal.

While it’s a temporary fix for some situations, it’s most important application comes in the way it works for professionals each and every day.  Seam seal tape is regularly used in high intensity, heavy duty situations by rescue workers around the world.  Fire rescue crews use seam sealing tape in turnout gear and coast guard and marine crews (such as in the navy) rely on high performance seam sealing tapes to help maintain the health of crews who endure regular exposure to sea and fresh water.

Read more Seam Sealing Tape blogs here…

Loxy Seam Sealing Tapes | Learn more

A+A International Trade Fair 2011

The A+A Trade Fair is this week and there’s some exciting events taking place.  We’re so proud to have a booth setup at this year’s trade fair among some truly talented companies that are making strides in work safety, comfort and more.

Aside from all the great products and services being displayed, the panels and guest speakers lined up for the week are truly inspiring.  For four days, the A+A Trade Fair editorial team will be speaking with exhibitors and visitors as they show highlights from the trade show as well as chase the trends in safety, security and health in the workplace.  If you’re not able to attend the trade show this year in person, that’s OK!  Take some time out of your day and visit with us digitally.

Watch Videos, Interviews and Reports from A+A 2011 Live

What You’ll Find at A+A Trade Fair

At the A+A Trade Show this week you’ll find companies and exhibitors from around the world sharing updated products and information on new lines that are set to revolutionize the way we think about safety and performance.  Loxy, Sto-Nor Industry will be in attendance, showing off a number of our most popular products.  We’ll be at the trade fair all week long and would love for you to come and join us for refreshments at Hall 03 booth 80.  We’re available all day long.

Don’t Miss the Special Shows at A+A Trade Fair

Trade Fairs like this give people like you, and us, insight into the industry and let us see ways we can improve our own products or the way we do business.  While the product exhibits are great, the special shows help breed creativity and innovation in textiles and safety.  Here are a few of the special shows you shouldn’t miss:

The A+A Fashion Show - showing the latest in professional work wear fashion in hall 5.  The teams behind the fashion show will present innovation in work wear textiles several times a day, every day throughout the course of the trade show.

Workplace Design - Comfort and design are as important to safety as the clothing we wear, so having a well-designed workplace should be part of your strategy for improving the working environment. From climate to light and acoustic, a fully functional and comfortable environment is discussed.

Theme Park Fire and Disaster Management - While the specialty show may focus on theme parks, fire protection and disaster management are topics that every large organization should visit and discuss.

Wearable Technologies - We’re excited for this show because of the products we offer.  For the first time at this year’s A+A Trade Fair, the special show Wearable Technologies in hall 10 illustrates what kind of influence wearable equipment already has today on the most modern safety and security standards.

A+A International Trade Fair 2011 | News