Freudenberg Performance Materials will present the world’s first padding made from fiberballs at ISPO MUNICH 2017.

comfortemp^®  fiberball padding

Weinheim, Germany, February 7, 2017. Winter holds Europe in a tight grip. Bitter cold and icy winds are keeping even the toughest fans of winter indoors. Only those who have the best winter clothing can take the weather as it comes. For sportswear and outdoor jackets this means ideally warm, light and breathable garments. Up to now, down has always been the first choice for thermal insulation. Now, however, Freudenberg Performance Materials is set to present a new dimension in thermal insulation: comfortemp^® fiberball padding. This first ever padding made from fiberballs combines the advantages of loose down fillings and padding in a quality that has not previously been achieved. For example, thermal insulation is as much as 80 percent higher than conventional padding while the new material is as light and soft as down. Being focused on product innovation for solutions that improve others’ lives, lifestyle brand Napapijri will launch the “Superlight Parka” for the 2017 Fall/Winter season utilizing their owned THERMO-FIBRE^® technology powered by comfortemp^® fiberball padding.

“Superlight Parka” made comfortemp^®  fiberball padding

Ulrich Scherbel, General Manager Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel, explains: “Padding made from loose fiberballs has been around for quite a while. Up to now, however, it has not been possible to produce a continuous padding from it. With the comfortemp^® fiberball padding, we have succeeded in uniting the advantages of existing technologies and thermal insulation products while offsetting the disadvantages. The comfortemp^® fiberball padding is the world’s first padding made from interconnected fiberballs.”

comfortemp^® fiberball padding

The advantages of comfortemp^®  fiberball padding for consumers:

Thermal insulation comparable to down

The thermal insulation of comfortemp^® fiberball padding is 50 to 80 percent higher than conventional padding. The material consists of many small fiberballs, between which are many small air pockets. These generate the high thermal insulation.

Twice as breathable as conventional paddings

The many small air pockets give the material high permeability. The fiberballs result in a special pore structure that is decisive in achieving a high level of breathability.

Uniform structure even after washing

comfortemp^® fiberball padding has a uniform structure that ensures no cold spots can occur in the padding. This structure is even maintained after washing.

100 percent animal protection

comfortemp^® fiberball padding is a genuine alternative to down, meaning that athletes and other active people do not need to worry about animal protection.

The advantages of comfortemp^®  fiberball padding for garment manufacturers:

Increased design freedom

When processing down and loose fiberballs, many small pockets need to be stitched to hold the filling material. With comfortemp^® fiberball padding this is either not the case at all or applies only to a limited extent. This offers significantly greater freedom in the design of jackets and pants.

Easier processing

Compared to down and individual fiberballs, processing for garment manufacturers is very simple. There is no need to blow loose materials into countless small pockets. In contrast, comfortemp^® fiberball padding can be stitched like a conventional padding, saving considerable costs.

Lower transportation costs

Thanks to its almost 100% resilience, comfortemp^® fiberball padding can be vacuum packed, resulting in lower transport costs.

Unique technology

comfortemp^® technology from Freudenberg enables apparent opposites to be reconciled. For example, a padding that can compete with down needs to be both soft and washable. It must have a large volume while displaying high tensile strength. “In the successful development of comfortemp^® fiberball padding, three aspects were decisive: our decades of knowledge in the field of fiber composites, the cooperation with our sister company Freudenberg Technology Innovation and the close collaboration with our longtime customer Napapijri”, Scherbel explains.

Napaprijri owned THERMO-FIBRE^® technology is enabled by comfortemp^®

The collaboration between Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel and Napapijri gave a boost to the development of the fiberball padding. The lifestyle brand focuses on product innovation for solutions that improve others’ lives: “From the beginning, they showed great interest in a padding made from fiberballs that would boost the performance of their parkas and winter jackets“. Napapijri’s already-owned THERMO-FIBRE^® technology was therefore evolved from filling balls to a padding powered by comfortemp^® fiberball padding. For our own part, we will begin marketing comfortemp^® fiberball padding at ISPO MUNICH 2017”, says Scherbel.

comfortemp^®  thermal insulation

At ISPO MUNICH 2017, Freudenberg Performance Materials will also be presenting the entire comfortemp^® product family. These innovative heat-insulating materials are suitable for a wide range of fashion, sports and outdoor clothing applications. comfortemp^® thermal insulation enables the combination of creative design ideas with simple processing and combines performance with optimum comfort. comfortemp^® products have been tested by independent institutes and in the coldest regions of Russia.