As the entire textile industry moves toward environmentally responsible "fluorine-free" manufacturing, Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., a top manufacturer of textile chemicals, has been an early leader in researching and developing a fluorine-free water repellent. The result is "NEOSEED®" water repellent, which contains no fluorine at all. Due to the risk of fluorine-free water repellents causing label peeling with conventional heat transfer label adhesives, we were asked to develop a new adhesive, resulting in a jointly developed new adhesive for heat transfer labels compatible with NEOSEED®.
Our collaboration started with a sharing of information on water-repellent agents and heat transfer labels between our two companies in order to better our understanding of the relationship between the properties of a water repellent and the peeling performance of a heat transfer label adhesive. Together, we sought for a path toward developing a kind of adhesive suitable for applying heat transfer labels on NEOSEED®, a fluorine-free water repellent agent.
NEOSEED® achieves its water repellency effect by having an uneven structure, like the surface of a lotus leaf. We began development to design an adhesive to penetrate that structure while retaining a high wettability. As a result of close cooperation between our two companies and repeated trial and error over a period of two years, we were successful in developing a heat transfer label adhesive with sufficient performance.
In addition to a water repellent’s performance, the customer is also concerned with the adhesive performance of the heat transfer labels. Knowing this, we inform customers about our adhesive solution together with every NEOSEED® proposal and have succeeded at obtaining inquiries from major European brands at overseas exhibitions.
The Ingredient Branding hangtag of NEOSEED® is provided for end-consumers.
Nicca Chemical Co., Ltd., headquartered in Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture, is a chemical manufacturer listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Listing Company, handling the development, manufacture, and sale of agents used in the textile processing, metal processing, paper and pulp, and cleaning industries, as well as cosmetics. In Nicca Chemical’s primary business of producing textile auxiliaries, they boast the leading domestic market share. Since its establishment in 1941, Nicca Chemical has steadily expanded to 13 locations in nine countries and regions, including Japan and continues to develop business globally. Nicca’s motto is “Creating Value by Providing Technology.”
https://nctexchem.com/
