Teijin and Hayashi Telempu Corporation have announced that Hayashi Telempu’s V-Wave soundproof material made with Teijin’s V-Lap nonwoven polyester fabric has been selected as soundproof material for the 2016 Toyota Prius, which launched in Japan in December 2015.
A nonwoven structure with vertically oriented fibres, V-Lap is said to enable V-Wave to perform every bit, as well as conventional soundproof material, yet it weighs only half as much. V-Lap is also an environmentally friendly because it is made with recycled polyester, the company reports.
Teijin and Hayashi Telempu are also using V-Lap and V-Wave to develop lightweight sound-absorption auto parts for applications including ceilings and doors. V-Lap and V-Wave are mutually produced in contiguous factories located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.
V-Lap is a nonwoven fabric comprising fibres that are oriented vertically. It is made with a unique manufacturing method to produce a structure that is bulky, lightweight and easy to mold, according to the manufacturer. V-Lap was first used as a cushioning material for items such as bedding, and now its superior sound-absorbing property has led to its use as a soundproofing material for vehicles. Teijin is also developing V-Lap as a heat-insulating material for next-generation houses and as a super-lightweight ceiling material. As a nonwoven product, V-Lap can be bonded to other films through composite fabrication.
V-Wave, a lightweight, high-performance soundproof material manufactured and supplied by Hayashi Telempu, is made with Teijin’s V-Lap nonwoven fabric fiber to reduce weight to only half that of conventional soundproofing materials.