For Vectran fiber, the sky isn’t the limit.

There are no boundaries when it comes to business possibilities for Kuraray America, Inc., the manufacturer of this fiber spun from a liquid crystal polymer that is used in NASA space suits and has landed missions on Mars.

From outer space to the ocean bottom, Vectran fiber‘s high strength, rigidity and other performance characteristics has made it the solution for a wide range of niche applications around the globe.

Marketed in more than 50 segments, from ropes and cable, to aerospace, military, industrial electromechanical and inflatable structures, Vectran’s uses range from deep sea heavy lifting systems and helicopter slings to puncture-resistant bicycle tires and inflatable wind turbine generators.

Originally developed by Hoechst Celanese as a tire cord fiber in the early 1980s, researchers soon discovered the fiber’s unique properties of very low creep (meaning it doesn’t move or deform under load), similar to a guitar that never goes out of tune. Some of its earliest uses were in nuclear submarines to protect sonar arrays.
 
“We provide fiber solutions to difficult applications,” said Bob Knudsen,
manager of sales and marketing for Kuraray America, Inc.’s Vectran division.  “Vectran fiber has been used to solve many tough engineering applications where other high performance fibers fail.”

Forrest Sloan, Ph.D., Vectran’s manager of international marketing, said engineers and converters typically call on them because they are looking for alternatives to other high-performance fibers, such as aramid and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (HMPE), as well as steel.

Vectran is the only commercially available melt spun liquid crystal polymer (LCP) fiber in the world. Vectran HT performs well in applications where dimensional stability and durability are required in both high and low temperature extremes.


New Opportunities with New Parent 

Since Kuraray purchased the Vectran business from Celanese Advanced Materials in 2005, the business has been growing rapidly. Before buying the division, Kuraray manufactured the product under a licensing agreement with Celanese, so it brings an understanding of the product and manufacturing expertise.

The company has plans to expand manufacturing in Fort Mill, S.C. and has put an increased emphasis on R&D with the financial backing of its new parent, Kuraray, a Japanese-based leading manufacturer of chemicals, fibers, resins, high-performance materials and medical products.

“We provide a group of people who are experts and have many years of service in textiles, medical applications, offshore and other industries to help customers,” Knudsen said.

Vectran Goes to Mars

The 14-karat gold colored fiber made its debut in space when it was selected as the fabric in the airbags on the Mars Pathfinder that enabled the craft to soft land on Mars in 1997. 

“NASA studied all the high-performance fibers and looked at the properties that were critical to make a successful airbag system,” Knudsen said. “Vectran was able to perform in the extreme hot and cold temperatures, was extremely strong, and provided abrasion, cut and chemical resistance.”

After being selected for the Pathfinder’s Spirit mission, Vectran was used in the twin Mars Exploration Rovers’ Opportunity missions in 2004 and is expected to be used again on NASA’s 2009 Mars Science Laboratory in the bridle cables.

Vectran also is used as one of the five layers in the space suits currently worn by NASA astronauts and in the inflatable spacecrafts Genesis I and Genesis II developed by Bigelow Aerospace, which have been in space since the summer of 2006.

Scientists are now studying the use of Vectran to anchor astronauts to orbiting asteroids so they can land on them, just like in the movie Armageddon.  

Tear-resistant airbags made from Vectran fibers were used to cushion the impact forces to NASA’s robotic Mars rovers during landing.

On Land and Sea

Closer to ground, Vectran is used in Continental Tire’s Grand Prix 4000 puncture-resistant road bike tires, where it provides flexibility and lightness, and has been launched successfully by many sporting goods manufacturers.

And on water, Vectran is part of the world’s largest sail on the luxury charter boat, the Mirabella V, in England. The ship has an overall length of 75.2 meters (245 feet) and is also the biggest single-mast yacht ever built.

Vectran even has made its mark in the fashion world, recently debuting in men’s suits that are stab and flame resistant in New Zealand.
Looking into the future, Vectran sees growth opportunities to expand its manufacturing technology to nonwoven and spunfiber applications for such markets as cut resistant applications and apparel.
With its new ownership, increased focus on new products, expansion plans and many more markets to explore, Vectran is a business that is ready to take off.
		The world's biggest composites ship, the Mirabella V, features a 600-bottle wine cellar, an outdoor cinema and Vectran fiber in its super-sized sail.