Leather Diving Material: Essential Production Standards

Leather diving material does not refer to traditional animal leather, but rather to a composite synthetic material specifically designed for wetsuits. It is usually made by laminating the outer layer (nylon/polyester/stretch fiber fabric), middle layer (neoprene foam), and inner layer (microfiber fleece/nylon, etc.) through special lamination processes, combining aesthetics, warmth, waterproofing, and abrasion resistance. Its production and testing must adhere to strict standards to ensure divers’ safety, comfort, and performance.

The production of leather bioscuba is a technology-intensive process involving multiple key steps.

Raw material requirements

Base Fabric (Outer Layer):
- Material: High-strength, highly elastic nylon, polyester, or Spandex blended fabrics are commonly used.
- Performance: It must have excellent UV resistance, seawater corrosion resistance, chlorine resistance, and color fastness. The surface treatment should be smooth to reduce water resistance and facilitate wearing and removal.
- Appearance: It can be treated with embossing, printing, and other treatments to mimic leather textures and meet aesthetic needs.
Foamed neoprene layer (core layer):
- Material: Primarily made of neoprene rubber, it is formed through foaming processes to form an elastomer containing countless sealed bubbles.
- Performance: This is the core of warmth. Cell structures must be uniform and dense, with high closure rates to minimize heat loss (low thermal conductivity).
- Physical properties: They must have high elasticity, excellent tear resistance, and resistance to permanent compression deformation, ensuring they can return to their original shape even after long-term use.
Inner layer:
- Material: Usually made of plush or smooth nylon.
- Performance: Microfiber fleece forms a layer of still air, enhancing warmth and improving wearing comfort. The pile should be firm and not easily shed.
Adhesives:
- Genre: Use eco-friendly, high-strength polyurethane (PU) or specialty rubber-based adhesives.
- Performance: It must have strong adhesion to all layers of materials and withstand seawater, aging, and repeated stretching, ensuring the fabric does not separate during use.

Production process requirements

Mixing and foaming: Neoprene rubber is precisely blended and mixed with reinforcing agents, foaming agents, vulcanizing agents, and other additives. By strictly controlling temperature, pressure, and time, it foams and vulcanizes and shapes.
Laminated Lamination: Using a high-temperature, high-pressure laminating machine, the base fabric, neoprene layer, and inner lining layer are firmly bonded together. This process must ensure there are no bubbles, no wrinkles, and uniform adhesion.
Maturation: The laminated material must be cured under specific temperature and humidity conditions to fully cure the adhesive and achieve final bonding strength.
Post-Finish: This includes surface embossing, printing, cutting, and inspection. Embossing not only provides a leather texture but also increases the material’s rigidity and wear resistance to some extent.

Environmental and safety requirements

Environmental regulations: The production process and final products must comply with international environmental regulations, such as the EU’s REACH (Chemical Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction Regulation), which restricts the use of hazardous substances (such as azo dyes, heavy metals, PAHs, etc.).
Production environment: The workshop should be kept clean, dust controlled, and impurities from entering to prevent material properties from entering.

To ensure stable quality and reliable performance of leather biosquite, a comprehensive testing system must be implemented. Testing standards usually refer to international standards (such as ISO), national standards (such as GB), and internal industry standards.

Physical performance testing

Testing items	Testing standards reference	Purpose and requirements
Thickness	ISO 2589, ASTM D3767	Measuring material thickness and uniformity directly affects insulation and flexibility.
Mass per unit area	ISO 3374, ASTM D3776	Measuring weight per square meter (GSM) is an important indicator for measuring material density and material usage.
Tensile strength and elongation at break	ISO 37, ASTM D412	Evaluate the maximum tensile strength and elongation percentage at break of the material under tensile conditions, requiring high strength and appropriate elongation.
Tear strength	ISO 34-1, ASTM D624	Evaluating the material’s ability to resist tear expansion is crucial for the durability of wetsuits.
Compression permanent deformation	ISO 815, ASTM D395	Simulates the ability of materials to return to their original shape after prolonged compression. Low deformation rates mean better long-term warmth and longevity.
Wear resistance	ISO 5470, ASTM D3884	The test tests the fabric’s resistance to friction, especially the outer “leather” surface.
Breathability	ISO 9237, ASTM D737	For wetsuit fabrics, this is not the main indicator, but it can be used to assess the base fabric characteristics.
Hardness (Shore C)	ISO 7619-1, ASTM D2240	Measures the hardness of the material, which affects comfort and flexibility when worn.

Thermal performance testing

Testing items	Testing standards reference	Purpose and requirements
Thermal conductivity	ISO 8301, ASTM C518	Core testing items。 It directly measures the material’s thermal insulation performance; the lower the value, the better the insulation.
Thermal resistance (Clo value)	ASTM D1518	Another commonly used metric for measuring warmth is widely used in the apparel industry.

Chemical and environmental performance testing

Testing items	Testing standards reference	Purpose and requirements
Seawater resistance	ISO 105-E02	Samples were soaked in simulated seawater to test color changes, strength retention, and stratification.
Resistant to ozone aging	ISO 1431-1, ASTM D1149	Evaluating the material’s anti-aging ability in the ozone environment, neoprene rubber is easily affected by ozone corrosion.
Limits on harmful substances	REACH (SVHC), CPSIA, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100	Detects the content of harmful substances such as heavy metals, phthalates, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to ensure safety for both humans and the environment.
pH value	ISO 3071	Testing the pH of fabric water extract to ensure it is neutral or mildly acidic, avoiding skin irritation.

Appearance and process inspection

Visual Inspection: Under a standard light source, the surface must be inspected without obvious color differences, stains, scratches, holes, creases, or poor embossing.
Dimensional stability: Refer to ISO 5077 to test the dimensional change rate of materials after washing or steam treatment.
Adhesion strength (peel strength): Refer to ISO 6133 and ASTM D413, test the bonding strength between composite layers to ensure no delamination during use.

THE END