Alcantara (material)

Alcantara is the trade name of a polyester-based polyurethane and microfiber nonwoven fabric. In Japan, Alcantara is also called " Ecsaine ", in the U.S. it is known as " Ultrasuede ". It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as " leather " or " suede ".

The material was developed in 1970 by Miyoshi Okamoto of the Japanese Toray Industries and brought together with Gruppo ENI to market. The aim was to develop a textile which could replace the always tight leather of its properties here. The fabric is under license since 1974 exclusively in an Italian work of Alcantara S. p. A. produced in the Umbrian town of Terni.

By extrusion can be derived from the two basic components mixed together to produce an extremely thin thread from which is particularly soft and pliable materials can produce, reminiscent in its surface texture of suede. The manufacturing process of Alcantara is costly and time-consuming, the material is just as expensive as high quality and can offer no price advantage over leather. The industrial production of a uniform quality properties of the material is achieved. As an advantage, this results in a lower waste in the manufacturing process. Alcantara is sold in various widths by the meter.

Alcantara comes in different sectors of the textile processing for use, such as for clothing and as Gebrauchstextilie in the furniture industry and for automotive interiors. The fabric feels very soft to the touch, is antistatic, durable, easy to clean, breathable, elastic, non-allergenic and can be easily and wrinkle-free span. It also offers almost limitless possibilities in color.

Since the 1980s, Alcantara is also offered in the auto industry for interiors. Today, most automotive manufacturers use at higher trim levels, special models or already expensive models, at least in places Alcantara for seat covers, panels, pillars, headliners, instrument panels, parcel shelves, etc. The the longest running and most common use was Alcantara case with the Italian manufacturer Lancia, which since the 1980s has been offered to date each model with Alcantara upholstery. Compared to car leather is Alcantara breathable, slip resistant and maintenance -free except for a possibly necessary cleaning. In sports cars, the material is also used for the purpose of weight reduction, because it is not only non-slip, but also lighter than conventional leather.

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