X-Lite is helping tanners meet car and airplane requirements, Lanxess says
17/06/2013
“X-Lite enables tanners to turn even relatively thin grain splits into premium leather with a remarkably low weight-per-unit area,” Dr Hombeck has said, “while still meeting thickness specifications. In particular, it satisfies the key requirements of car and aircraft manufacturers.”
During retannage, X-Lite involves treating hides with a dispersion of expandable microcapsules that settle mainly in the more loosely structured parts of the corium. These microcapsules consist of a gas-tight, thermoplastic shell containing a pressurised liquid hydrocarbon. The leather is then heated, causing the microcapsules to expand to up to 40 times their original volume and fill any cavities and loosely structured areas permanently.
According to Lanxess, the expanded microcapsules are mechanically stable and have no adverse effect on subsequent stages of the tanning process such as dry-drumming or finishing. The resultant leather has a soft and full handle and an attractive appearance, it insists, and weighs up to 20% less than a conventionally processed hide of the same thickness. “Our experts agree that leather produced using this technology is ideal for upholstering seats in aircraft and cars,” Dr Hombeck said.
Lower-weight leather can help cars and aircraft cut fuel consumption. The reduction in the overall weight of vehicles also leads to lower carbon emissions. In this way, Lanxess has said, innovations like X-Lite can help to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and conserve natural resources and contribute to the Sustainable Leather Management initiative it launched in early 2011.
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