Milan, Italy – Dow is using Simac to showcase two new polyurethane materials for sports, PPE and outdoor footwear.
The cross-over athletic and leisure, or athleisure, sector will be home to Enerlyte materials, said Dow.
Two new footwear polyurethanes from Dow at Simac
Running the race with Dow's Enerlyte sole material
'Enerlyte out-performs EVA and standard PU foams when it comes to ball rebound and energy return,' said Akil Sahiwala, marketing manager, footwear for Dow Polyurethanes. He added that shoes made with the material have 'high sole resilience and elasticity at very low density'.
The second material is Voralast H2. It brings 'comfort, flex fatigue resistance and elasticity', he said, adding that the material offers shoemakers the opportunity to produce footwear with enhanced hydrolysis resistance, abrasion endurance, and excellent anti-static and grip properties.
The material has a combination of properties that could be useful in PPE, trekking and Wellington boot manufacture, Sahiwala added.
'If you're asking whether to focus on comfort of performance, you're asking the wrong question. Customers expect both to be taken into account,' he said.
Simac Tanning Tech runs in Milan from 20-22 February 2018.
