Neoprene material is popular and has been widely used on braces and supports in this industry for many years. Neoprene material is a synthetic rubber designed for keeping warm, compression and water resist .

It is well- known for wet suits, bags, cushions and braces/supports. Because of the thermal purpose, it is a very popular material for using on cold weather sports/activities. The thermal purpose is proven to relieve/ease pain or strain of joints and muscles, but for some people, neoprene may cause the skin irritation or allergic reaction. Also, the neoprene is a close-cell foam, so it is completely not a breathable material and it will retain the heat and sweat inside the sleeve, this may be okay in the cold weather, but it’s probably that not easy to wear them over 30 mins outside in the summer time. On the contrary, the Dry-Max material is a breathable and can be an alternative material in the summer time or under the hot weather.

Dry-Max is how we called this kind of material in order to make people understand its purpose in the simply way. The full name of Dry-Max material is 3D spacer fabric, which is also called sandwich (because its special 3-layer knitting). The 3D spacer fabric is produced by double needle bar warp-knitting machines or weft-knitting machines, the thicknesses can be varied from 2mm to 20mm. The machines cross- knit the yarn between two layers. There are stretched and unstretched spacer fabrics and we use the stretched 3D spacer fabric as a compression and a breathable alternative instead of neoprene in the braces/supports industry. As for the unstretched space fabric, it needs to work with stretched fabric or some purposes for its air flow function.

The principal advantages of spacer fabric:

Compression and stretch

Durability

Breathable

Lightweight

Anti-bacterial

100% Recyclable

Washable

Key Application:

Neoprene replacement

Shoes/insole material

Medical products

Cycle helmets

Seating

Bag material

Dry-Max is made of Nylon core (mono filament), Polyester and Spandex Fabric. Due to its knitting fabric, so it is much softer, comfortable and better fitting compares with neoprene. But I think the most advantage is still on its quality of breathable and non-allergenic. It’s a great choice for people who require breathable and long lasting wearing sleeves, especially in a warm climate.

We are using several different kinds of Dry-Max material for different purposes and appearances.

The example below is our 4mm Dry-Max which we used for our knee collection, we think the compression and cushion is excellent for this quality.

There are also other companies are providing spacer fabric sleeves currently, such as DJO(Dry Tex) and Breg(Air Mesh). Our Dry-Max content with more elastic fiber and Nylon core(mono filament) compare to Dry Tex and Air mesh, so obviously, the compression level and cushion are better and the fabric is softer and comfortable. Our Dry-Max is a improved version based on those companies and has been developed for a long time. We widely use Dry-Max material for different combination and also use it as a replacement of neoprene because our clients are always looking for new substitutes for neoprene support.

The pictures above are from DJO and Breg.

We found this is much easy for the brace buyer when they decide which kind of knitted products is suitable for their country/product line. The higher level means the material (better material) and design (performance) are nicer.

The pictures below are examples from other companies.

We do not own the right of those pictures.

Basic level – Two ways elastic support :

Economic knitting supports, as the basic knitting products for brand customers.

In short, it’s cheap support for retailer or chain store. This line always have large requirement because of the cost is lower and consumer buy this without thinking.

The basic level support are mostly made by polyester and rubber(latex).

Medium level -  Four ways elastic support :

Advanced knitting supports: produced with mixed yarn which brings better elasticity and feeling. It’s also the common health care products in the market. This medium level elastic is popular in the market for healthcare and provide a reasonable pricing and quality for consumer. It is easy to distinguish this type of knitted support because there are a rhombus in the middle of knee support. The medium level of elastic are mostly made by nylon, nylon/cotton and rubber(latex). Also, those could be made into functional support such as bamboo, moisture-wicking, far-infrared and thermal fiber.

High level- customized design :

The special customized pattern design with the latex-free elastic yarn. No matter on the comfort, durability and compression elasticity, it will be the high-end products in the market. The most advantage of high level elastic is customized pattern design, weaving and compression. We think more and more brands are working for this kind of products because it show up the sport design and brand identification. It’s obviously the best choice for customers if they want to be different. The high level elastic are mostly made by nylon and spandex and we could incorporate with gel and stay for a higher level of support.

Premier level- 3D flat knitting :

By using the special 3D knitting to approach the most comfortable ergonomics, flat knitting is mainly applied to the medical orthopedic products which can be matched with different kinds of yarns to achieve the various compression sections on the same support. The medical effect of flat knitting products are already proven by German orthopedic market. The flat knitting provide many possibility for the brace design, not only for the pattern design but also for the function. We believe the flat knitting products have the best fitting shape compare to other knit brace and cut&sew brace in the world.

We are expecting the customers could easily find what they need in our elastic range.

Also we provide wide range of material selection and design for our customers.

You could find the introduction of our knitting technology in our website.  http://www.refirmance.com.tw/why.php?id=13

Refirmance is the solution for the elastic.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Moisture-Wicking Sleeve incorporated with Power X-Band.

Lower compression knit support attached high tension stretch band, so the support have different compression in certain area. The high stretch fabric(without X-Band) is easy to pull and wear when fitting, the lower stretch fabric is in high tension and stabilize the muscle, reduce vibration of muscle when doing sport. The tubular brace in one section both contain higher and lower stretch area.

X-Band Feature:

*Moisture wicking fabric, soft and skin friendly knitted

*Latex-Free.

*High quality stretch film attached

*Flexible, the film can be redesign for function and pattern.

*Great Look.

*NEW -the first one to use this concept for sport med.