Hook & loop tape

	Yongjia Lijiang offers fire-retardant hook-and-loop tape made of 100 percent nylon. It measures 50mm wide.

Designs incorporate reflective tape for visibility and rubber for elasticity. Flame-retardant models are targeted at various products.

China makers of hook-and-loop tape are creating functional and decorative models that contribute to the value of garments and fashion accessories.

Suppliers are applying reflective tape on the back of designs meant for high-visibility vests and armbands. They are also incorporating rubber in the polyester or nylon ground to achieve elasticity. Such styles are suitable for sports apparel and footwear.

Companies are offering flame-retardant varieties to be utilized in baby clothing and firefighting uniforms. Soft hooks are available for children’s products. To serve as bag and shoe straps, makers are combining hooks and loops into back-to-back tape that wraps around itself.

Unnapped loops are provided for applications that require frequent opening and closing. These have lower latch and peel strength and a higher cycle life. Conversely, mushroom hooks have high latch strength that lends itself to protective garments.

Apart from DTM services, suppliers can silk-screen, transfer-print or emboss clients’ logos on request.

Prices of China-made hook-and-loop tape vary based on the manufacturing process, material, attachment method, special properties, color and width.

The closure is usually sold in paired meters but some models are assigned separate quotes for hooks and loops.

Weaving, knitting and plastic injection are the means of production. Knitted types are $0.015 more expensive than woven counterparts. Molded versions are also upscale.

Polyester and nylon are the commonly used substances. A higher concentration of the former brings lower rates.

Sew-on and adhesive-backed designs are available. The latter is used for hard surfaces and products that should not be punctured such as rainwear. Heat-activated, pressure-sensitive, high-frequency welding and 3M-brand bonding agents may be applied, adding $0.044 to $0.147 to the price.

Styles that are printed, elastic, reflective, flame-retardant and treated for resistance to corrosion, acid and yellowing are considered high-end.

Black, white and transparent hook-and-loop tape is about $0.015 less expensive than dyed models.

Standard widths are between 10 and 125mm.

Plastic in yarn and powder form, rubber thread, reflective tape, adhesive, pigment and chemicals are mostly purchased in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. These areas are also the country’s main production hubs.

Makers intend to maintain current product prices as costs are expected to be stable in the next six months.

There are 1,000 makers of hook-and-loop tape in China, 90 percent of which are private locally owned enterprises. The rest is foreign-invested.

The majority of output is for the domestic market. The export ratio, however, has been climbing. In 2008, about 30 percent of yield went to overseas clients, up from less than 10 percent in previous years. The main destinations are the US, the UK, Italy, Brazil and Japan.

When creating new models, product development specialists draft the shape, orientation and intervals of hooks and loops using CAD/CAM systems or graphic design software such as CorelDraw and Adobe Photoshop. They are also in charge of improving and diversifying material options.

The first step in production is to weave or knit yarn into tape. Dyeing at high temperature follows.

The loop side is napped and then treated with sizing compounds that impart stiffness. For the partner component, sizing comes before cutting surface filament into hooks.

Polyester or nylon granules may also be plastic-injected into hook tape that does not require further processing.

Both parts are slit into the correct width, cut to length and wound in rolls.

Applying functional treatments occur during the dyeing or sizing step. Printing is done before slitting.

Factories are outfitted with looms, and knitting, napping, sizing, hook-cutting, plastic-injection, slitting, cutting, winding and printing machines. Most equipment is locally made but some high-speed shuttleless looms are from Switzerland.

Products are examined for peel, shear, latch and breaking strength, which is measured in grams per centimeter. The tests are conducted at three stages: unused, after 5,000 opening and closing cycles, and after 10,000 cycles. At every phase, a washed, dry-cleaned and original version is observed. While the number of cycles increase, the strength decreases. These values must conform to international standards, including FED-STD-191 for the US, BS 7271 for the UK and JIS L 1096 for Japan.

Colorfastness and resistance to temperature changes are also determined.

Most physical inspections are performed in-house.

Chemical analysis for azo and heavy metal content is usually subcontracted to third-party institutes such as SGS, Intertek and BV.