2 Aug 2010

PROTECTIVE SUIT SPECIALIST TST DOES BRAND DEAL WITH DSM DYNEEMA

Proprietary multilayer suit composition allows protection to match risk

URMOND (NL), 2 August 2010- Protective suit specialist TST Sweden has signed a licensing agreement with fiber manufacturer DSM Dyneema that will enable them to use the Dutch company’s distinctive trademark on their multilayer water-jet protective suits made with the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene Dyneema® fiber.

Dyneema® is not only the strongest material, but also the lightest, to be used in suits to protect operators using water jets operating at up to 2000 bar in hydro demolition and water blasting applications. The combination of high strength and low weight provides an unmatched level of comfort for the operator. Dyneema® fibers are already widely used in the production of high performance cut-resistant gloves. TST Sweden is the first company to use them to make protective suits and to receive a license to use the Dyneema® brand.

The suits, developed in a collaborative project by TST together with the Swedish research institute Swerea, and supported by DSM Dyneema, are radically different from competing suits that are made up from interlinked rigid panels in a monolayer structure. Instead, the TST suits comprise several layers of flexible fabric, with inner layers of Dyneema® fiber sandwiched between outer layers of a nylon fabric. Here, the level of protection can be adjusted by varying the number of layers of Dyneema® used in any particular suit.

This means that TST suits can be tailored to the exact protection level required for any particular type of work. Competing suits are only available at the higher levels of protection of 2,000 bar, which means for many water-jet uses traditional suits are over-specified. TST suits made with Dyneema® now enable tailor-made suits that are precisely fit-for-purpose in terms of the protection level required, thereby also optimizing wearer comfort and maneuverability.

A further advantage of the suits made with Dyneema® is that they are easy to wash.

Reader enquiries

Dyneema
Urmonderbaan 22
6167 RD Geleen
Netherlands

+31 46 476 6466

press.dyneema@dsm.com

Notes for editors

About DSM Dyneema

DSM Dyneema is the inventor and manufacturer of Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™. Dyneema® is an ultra strong polyethylene fiber that offers maximum strength combined with minimum weight. It is up to 15 times stronger than quality steel and up to 40% stronger than aramid fibers, both on weight for weight basis. Dyneema® floats on water and is extremely durable and resistant to moisture, UV light and chemicals. The applications are therefore more or less unlimited. Dyneema® is an important component in ropes, cables and nets in the fishing, shipping and offshore industries. Dyneema® is also used in safety gloves for the metalworking industry and in fine yarns for applications in sporting goods and the medical sector. In addition, Dyneema® is also used in bullet resistant armor and clothing for police and military personnel. Dyneema® is produced in Heerlen (The Netherlands), Flaach (Switzerland) and in Greenville, North Carolina (U.S.A.). DSM Dyneema is also a partner in a high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) manufacturing joint venture in Japan. Further information on DSM Dyneema is available at www.dyneema.com and www.gloves.dyneema.com.

DSM – the Life Sciences and Materials Sciences Company

Royal DSM N.V. creates solutions that nourish, protect and improve performance. Its end markets include human and animal nutrition and health, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, coatings and paint, electrical and electronics, life protection and housing. DSM manages its business with a focus on the triple bottom line of economic performance, environmental quality and social responsibility, which it pursues simultaneously and in parallel. DSM has annual net sales of about € 8 billion and employs some 22,700 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands, with locations on five continents. DSM is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. More information: www.dsm.com.

Dyneema® and Dyneema®, the world's strongest fiber™ are trademarks of Royal DSM. Use of these trademarks is prohibited unless strictly authorized.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.