Toray Industries, Inc. announced today that it would start selling MICROMAFIN™, an ultrafine nylon fiber with a delicate feel and superior softness. Toray in April started shipping the product to major apparel manufacturers, and it aims to achieve a sales volume of 25 tons in the first year on the market and 100 tons in three years primarily for making stockings and inner wears.

Toray succeeded in making the single yarn fineness of MICROMAFIN™ much finer than existing ultrafine nylon fibers. This fineness combined with the inherent flexibility of nylon gives MICROMAFIN™ its excellent texture.

MICROMAFIN™ is a new original yarn developed under the concept of “unforgettable fabric feel that makes you want to keep touching” and it sets itself apart from ordinary ultrafine nylon fiber by its delicate, fine and smooth feel. Its softness and drape characteristic produces a graceful and elegant texture as well as appearance, making it best suited for delicate products such as lingerie.

When used in textured yarn, MICROMAFIN™'s improved single yarn fineness enables precise cloth structure. It can also be used to develop thin and warm products as the fiber contains abundant layers of air within.

Toray developed and introduced an innovative facility, which enabled the production of MICROMAFIN™, an ultrafine nylon fiber that boasts the world's best single yarn fineness of 0.5 dtex*2. A wide range of products using ultrafine nylon fiber with single yarn fineness of 1.0 dtex, called high-multi yarn, have been in the market for quite some time now. However, production and commercialization of nylon fiber with single yarn fineness below 1.0 dtex had been difficult, as it is harder to maintain the consistency along the fiber's length during production than polyester, in addition to it being prone to thermal degradation in the polymer melting process. Toray, in pursuing the ultimate yarn-making technology, succeeded in significantly improving the consistency along the fiber's length and in reducing the thermal degradation of polymer to the minimum, thus enabling mass production of stable ultrafine nylon fiber.

Under its long-term corporate vision “AP-Growth TORAY 2020,” Toray has identified the fibers and textiles business as one of its foundation businesses. The company intends to pursue the development of high value-added special yarns and continue to provide stable supply and offer products that meet the customer requirements.

Details of MICROMAFIN™ are as follows:

1. Product name: MICROMAFIN™

2. Features
- The ultrafine nylon fibers with single yarn fineness in the 0.5 dtex class give the fabric a delicate feel and smooth texture. It is highly soft with superior draping properties.
-When used as finished yarn, its dense fabric structure gives it high thermal properties.

3. Technical details
-Original yarn design
Compared to polyester, it had been harder to improve nylon fibers' single yarn fineness. Toray succeeded in designing original yarn with the industry-best 0.5 dtex class single yarn fineness, achieving excellent texture along with the delicacy inherent in nylon. MICROMAFIN™ is available in two types, Nylon 6 and Nylon 66, and its fineness and filament count can be set according the requirement.
-Spinning technology
By newly developing and introducing an innovative manufacturing facility, Toray succeeded in achieving high consistency along the fiber's length at industry-best single yarn fineness of 0.5 dtex class. Further, by reducing the thermal degradation of polymer to the minimum, Toray achieved stable production of this ultrafine nylon fiber.

4. Patents
Toray has submitted five MICROMAFIN™-related patent applications.

5. Sales plan
-Started sales in April 2011
-Sales targets: 25 tons in the first year (fiscal year 2011)
-100 tons in the third year (fiscal year 2013)