The new technical leather for the ambitious use.
It is used there, where all other types of materials break down.
(Left:) HELCOR® SILIZIUM
Finish not destroyed
(Right: ) High abrasion resistant leather of today
has totally been scrapped off
and the leather fibre has strongly been damaged
Both versions have been tested with Taber, heated up to 90°C at 3.000 Cycles. The today’s standard is at 500 cycles at normal room temperature.
SILIZIUM LEATHER
This work-boot demonstrates how robust „SILIZIUM LEATHER“ is.
The foxing, the lower part of the boot, is manufactured with a conventional finished leather and the upper is produced with “SILIZIUM LEATHER”. The shoe was sandblasted during the test with glass fragments and the “SILIZIUM LEATHER” was not damaged. This is a prove of the high abrasion which we guarantee for our “SILIZIUM LEATHER”.
More Comfort through „BREATHING“ STERON®-Leather
“Breathing” is an innate natural characteristic
Philipp Schaefer
A high Air- and Water vapour permeability belongs to the breathing.
Unfinished leather does show this characteristic. For finished leathers with good properties as required by the automotive and shoe industry the water vapour permeability exists only insignificantly and the air permeability does not exist or is only very minor.
The leathers are perforated mechanically in order to replace the missing but for the seating comfort decisive air permeability. During this operation not only the polymer finish but also the leather is provided in a damaging way with penetrating holes. The leather is weakened by this process and dry but especially liquid pollution can penetrate unhindered into the upholstery construction, favour the formation of mould and often generate unpleasant odours.
Mr. Philipp Schaefer, who is working as an independent developer for Helcor-Leder-tec®
and is dealing for many years with the ask to improve for grain and split leather by way of
polymer finishes the characteristics like abrasion resistance, colour abrasion resistance, flexing behaviour, light fastness, softness and haptic as well as hydrolysis and ageing resistance without destroying or considerably changing the water vapour permeability and air permeability with the finish.
The objective was to create a hard-wearing leather with a high seating and wearing comfort.
The Managing Directors of the leather companies Helcor-Leder-tec®/Germany,
Mr. Rudolf Ebeling, TecTuff/China, Mr. Andy Pleatman and the car interior specialist from the U.S.A, Mr. Larry A. Soper realised the existing comfort deficit and initiated consequently the development, as in their opinion a leather is only then completely functional.
STERON®-Leather has a standard thick polymer finish which causes the hard-wear capability, ageing behaviour, light and colour fastness and the like. STERON® is not only breathable and hard-wearing, it has also despite its regular thick finish a haptic like semi aniline finished leather. STERON® fulfils in addition the requirement for a good water vapour permeability and possesses an extremely high air permeability.
The high air permeability and water vapour permeability are ensured through micro capillaries which penetrate the finish only and not the leather, mainly vertically, in unregular order and in very high numbers.
The micro capillaries are not generated mechanically or physically by perforation, they are created in situ during the finishing process.
The pore-like micro capillaries are invisible or hardly visible to the naked eye. They blend aesthetically into the respective surface structure of the finish.
The STERON®-finish can be applied to full grain and corrected grain leathers as well as split leathers. The high air permeability is always existing.
STERON®-leather shows, depending on the substrate, in accordance to DIN 53333 a water vapour permeability between 1,0 and 3,5mg and an extremely high air permeability as well.
Therefore 5l of air at 0,5 bar pressure are escaping e.g. after the opening of a valve through the STERON®-leather in less than 15 sec, the specimen having a diameter of 15cm.
STERON®-leather is on one hand due to its hard-wearing finish and on the other hand due to its distinctive air permeability suitable for all applications in which wear and comfort are important, i.e. for the seating area and for shoes.
The STERON®-finish is provided in an especially preferred construction on a Low Water Absorption Leather which means that liquid soiling (also milk) does not penetrate into the upholstery construction and can be cleaned prior to the formation of unpleasant odour.
The air permeability is not only important for car seats. The leathers can be used also for door panels and middle consoles a.s.o., as the forming condensation, which can also lead to the formation of odour, can easily escape.
The STERON®-leather, when used as a shoe upper material, improves due to its breathability characteristics not only the wear comfort. STERON® improves especially for athletic and work shoes the hygiene and comfort characteristics.
The air permeability is demonstrated impressively in the 3 pictures. One can see how the air applied from the back is foaming the soap solution sitting on the surface.
The air penetrating the leather can be seen in the water of the cylinder glass.
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