TMC Ltd, the owner of Nuyarn, a spinning technology that releases the natural performance characteristics of wool fiber twisted out by traditional spinning methods, introduced Herculan for use in performance fabric.

After more than three years of R&D, Herculan is a patented technology developed by making ground-up modifications to TMC’s Nuyarn spinning machines to accommodate strong wool—the coarsest grade of wool fibers (>38 microns) historically used for interior flooring and upholstery. 

 

Coined as “carpet wool,” it has a low market value and is often cost-prohibitive to process, package and ship, and therefore discarded into landfills. According to the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO), anywhere from “40 percent to 50 percent of the global wool yield is interior textile wool.”

With the new technology, these coarse long wool fibers are drafted around a performance filament, creating a fine yarn—Herculan —capable of outlasting synthetic textiles in the Martindale abrasion test.

Due to its unique durability and performance benefits, “Herculan opens the door for use in high abrasion and high impact zones in apparel, including socks, footwear, gloves, pants, outerwear, and other potential applications, without succumbing to wear.”

Other benefits include “durability, performance and comfort, moisture management, faster dry time, higher volume, aeration, elasticity, thermal retention, non-reflective, quiet, and naturally odor-resistant,” said TMC, Ltd, “due to Herculan’s unique yarn construction which is built by drafting carpet wool around a performance filament without twisting or fraying.”

“We are incredibly excited to be introducing Herculan. There is nothing like it on the market, and it meets the needs of consumers, who want more sustainable and durable natural fibers in their garments, while also creating new potential categories for performance and technical apparel brands,” said TMC, Ltd CEO, Andy Wynne. “When we first started working to transition carpet wool into the apparel sector, everyone thought we were crazy because it had never been done before. But we had a vision and were determined, and ultimately our team found the solution. The durability, performance, and comfort results speak for themselves.”

Sustainable manufacturing processes like Herculan, which take advantage of often cast aside materials, simplify supply chains and encourage end-users to waste less by making natural fiber garments that last longer and have performance comfort benefits.

“Herculan is the total package,” added Wynne. “We took an underutilized and overabundant natural fiber and turned it into a durable yarn to meet the abrasion demands that only synthetic fibers could previously meet, all while increasing the natural performance benefits of wool.”

For the development of Herculan, sustainability, and making a major positive impact on the industry, TMC was recently named No. 6 on Fast Company‘s Annual World’s Most Innovative Manufacturing Companies of 2022.

Photo courtesy TMC Ltd.