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Steps to make synthetic PU leather: 1 = cotton fabric, 2 = coagulation (wet process) onto fabric with aromatic polyurethane in DMF, 3 + 4 = transfer of coating + finish with solvent-borne or water-borne polyurethane formulation

Artificial leather (also known as faux leather, synthetic leather, leatherette, and pleather, short for "plastic leather") is a man-made fabric or finish intended to replace leather in fields such as upholstery, clothing, and fabrics, and other uses where a leather-like finish is required but the actual material is cost-prohibitive, unsuitable, or unusable for ethical reasons.

History

Under the name of artificial leather or American leather cloth, large quantities of a material having a more or less leather-like surface were once used, principally for upholstery purposes, such as the covering of chairs, lining the tops of writing desks and tables, and so on.

There was considerable diversity in the preparation of such materials. A common variety consisted of a web of calico coated with boiled linseed oil mixed with dryers and lampblack or other pigment. Several coats of this mixture were uniformly spread, smoothed and compressed on the cotton surface by passing it between metal rollers, and when the surface was required to possess a glossy enamel-like appearance, it received a finishing coat of copal varnish. A grained Morocco surface was given to the material by passing it between suitably embossed rollers.

Preparations of this kind have a close affinity to cloth waterproofed with rubber, and to such manufactures as ordinary waxcloth. An artificial leather which was patented and proposed for use as soles for boots, etc., was composed of powdered scraps and cuttings of leather mixed with solution of guttapercha dried and compressed. In place of the guttapercha solution, oxidized linseed oil or dissolved resin could be used as the binding medium for the leather powder.

— Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Leather, Artificial". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Types

Artificial leather cover for mobile phones.

Poromeric imitation leather

Sometimes referred to as poromerics, poromeric imitation leathers are a group of synthetic "breathable" leather substitutes made from a plastic coating (usually a polyurethane) on a fibrous base layer (typically a polyester).

The term poromeric was coined by DuPont as a derivative of the terms microporous and polymeric.

Corfam

The first poromeric material was DuPont's ill-fated Corfam introduced in 1963 at the Chicago Shoe Show.

Corfam was the centerpiece of the DuPont pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair in New York City. Its major advantages over natural leather were its durability and its high gloss finish that could be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. Its disadvantages were its stiffness which did not lessen with wearing, its relative lack of breathability, and easy confusion with non-breathable cheaper products. DuPont manufactured Corfam at its plant in Old Hickory, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1971. After spending millions of dollars marketing the product to shoe manufacturers, DuPont withdrew Corfam from the market in 1971 and sold the rights to a company in Poland.

Corfam is still used today in some products, an example being certain types of equestrian saddle girth. Corfam shoes are still popular in uniformed professions where shiny shoes are desirable.

Koskin

Koskin is an artificial leather material commonly found in computer laptop cases.

Koskin is very similar to the Swedish (koskinn) and Danish (koskind) words for cowhide/leather, which could cause much confusion for consumers.

Brand names

• Biothane: a proprietary material of BioThane Coated Webbing, made from a nylon webbing coated with TPU or PVC, designed to look and feel like leather, but be more durable, more cleanable, and more waterproof than leather.
• Birkibuc: a proprietary material of Birkenstock, made from vinyl and polyamide felt fibres and intended to imitate nubuck leather
• Birko-Flor: a proprietary material of Birkenstock, made from vinyl and polyamide felt fibres and intended to imitate patent leather
• Clarino: used in sports, gloves, automotive, upholstery, fashion, etc.
• Kydex: an acrylic-PVC alloy produced by Kleerdex
• Lorica: a material patented and manufactured by Lorica Sud, an Italian tannery
• Naugahyde
• Rexine: a British proprietary brand of leathercloth used in vehicle trimming and bookbinding.
• Vegetan: a shop-owned trade name for one grade of microfibre
• Fabrikoid: a DuPont brand, cotton cloth coated with nitrocellulose

Other materials

Some other materials that can be used in the production of leather alternatives are:

• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): Also known as vinyl

Criticism

With a few exceptions, most leather alternatives ('vegan leathers') have been criticised for not being environmentally friendly.

See also

• Alcantara (material)
• Bonded leather
• Durasoft
• Presstoff
• Ultrasuede

Vegetable-based alternatives

• Cork leather: made from the bark of Cork Oak trees
• Ocean Leather: a leather made from kelp

References

Cited works

• Kanigel, Robert (2011). Faux Real: Genuine Leather and 200 Years of Inspired Fakes (paperback ed.). University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-0559-6.

• "PU Synthetic Leather". Gofar Synthetic Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2005-05-11.

• Kinge A. P., Landage S.M., Wasif A.I. (2013). "Nonwoven for Artificial Leather" (PDF). International Journal of Advanced Research in Engineering and Applied Sciences. 2 (2). GARPH Publication. ISSN 2278-6252. Retrieved 2015-01-27.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

• Meier-Westhues, Ulrich (2007). Polyurethanes: Coatings, Adhesives and Sealants. Vincentz Network GmbH & Co KG. pp. 203–211. ISBN 978-3-87870-334-1.

• Michaelis, Thomas (2009). "Synthetic leather without solvents" (PDF). European Coatings Journal (2). Vincentz Network. ISSN 0930-3847. Retrieved 2015-01-27.

Category:Leather Category:Leathermaking Category:Nonwoven fabrics Category:Synthetic materials