August 2007

Product of the month August 2007: Levotan X-Cel, innovative technology for the wet end

Levotan X-Cel shows a new developped  technology to upgrade leathers with structural defects such as veininess and looseness.

The product consists of a special polymer containing thermally expandable microcapsules which is added during the retanning process. The microcapsules penetrate along with the polymer into the loose fiber structure and voids, for example, blood vessels, where they are subsequently expanded by means of a process that is also new. The microcapsules selectively fill the loose fiber structure and various voids in the leather, thereby making it fuller and giving it a more uniform structure.

It is planned to work together with the customers to find new, individual solutions to their specific problems.” Business unit LANXESS Leather is therefore installing pilot plants for processing ‘X-Cel leathers’ in its laboratories in each geographical region so that it can carry out initial trials on customers’ material in situ.
The next step will be to develop production-scale processing plants that correspond to tannery requirements as regards size and speed. This will be done in collaboration with the Italian machine manufacturers Fratelli Carlessi S.p.A.