Texon, a market leader in the development of eco-friendly, structural materials for the global footwear industry, has launched Texon Vulcan – an exciting product that can provide extra shape and enhanced levels of support in vulcanised shoes, and contains up to 50% recycled fibre content.
An excellent alternative to traditional rubber heel reinforcements, Texon Vulcan is a non-woven polyester felt with strong performance properties. Designed to create sturdy yet comfortable heel counters, this lightweight material was developed as a result of in-depth research into the key issues associated with vulcanised shoes.
Impregnated with a special thermoplastic that increases its shape-retention and firmness, Texon Vulcan delivers exceptional structural support at a significantly thinner gauge – helping footwear manufacturers achieve a slimmer heel profile and deliver a tighter topline that fits neatly around the wearer’s heel.
Offering excellent shape definition during processing, Texon Vulcan also performs well over time. Less prone to slumping and sagging, it enables canvas shoes to retain their form for longer – increasing product longevity, consumer comfort and satisfaction levels.
Matt Smith, Group Sales Director at Texon, said: “Texon Vulcan is groundbreaking in terms of the significantly improved physical properties that it offers, and the amount of recycled fibre that it uses. Firmer and more resilient than rubber counters, which are typically soft and can lose their shape relatively quickly, Texon Vulcan helps overcome the age-old problem of sagging in vulcanised shoes, which can result in a canvas upper collapsing. The launch of Texon Vulcan reinforces our capabilities as a leader in innovative, sustainable, structural materials for the footwear industry and will open up sizable new commercial opportunities in this important part of the global footwear industry.”
Texon Vulcan is available in sheet form, or pre-cut, as a net, waste-free material – further adding to its sustainability credentials. Engineered to withstand the high temperatures and pressures experienced in autoclave ovens during the vulcanisation joining process, Texon Vulcan is supplied with an EVA adhesive coating that bonds to most leathers, synthetic leathers, fabrics and lining materials. Texon Vulcan is also compatible with latex cement.
Texon Vulcan is available alongside Texon Uno, Texon’s existing product for toe puffs for the vulcanised footwear market.
