Behind-the-scenes story of i-mesh®Apron development
The idea originally came from baseball uniforms
Nylon is typically considered the most suitable material for industrial aprons because of its durability and high water repellency. However, it does have the disadvantage of low breathability. Many aprons cover the whole body so it can get really hot inside the depending on work conditions. This can be quite uncomfortable. So we decided to direct our attention to the same mesh used for baseball uniforms. We immediately got to work developing aprons with the great breathability that mesh providing.
The continuous process of trial and error has led to unexpected discovery.
It actually took us a long time to make a practical application for this product. Materials with mesh processing consume more water-repellent material than any other standard fabric. That significantly increases production costs. However, we made the unexpected discovery that the unevenness of the surface of mesh material specifically has a high effectiveness for water repellency. Far more than we initially expected. And after repeated negotiations with the material manufacturers, we finally managed to release the product at an affordable price. That was the birth of the breathable, water resistant i-Mesh. We have received great praise in our i-Mesh water-repellency test demonstrations at trade fairs. Today, it is being widely used in numerous places such as school lunch kitchens, hospitals and universities. i-Mesh has become one of Wako’s flagship products.
OHTER HISTORY
– See Other Development History –
