Kategorie: News
Liquid neoprene for perfectly fitting suits
There are rarely enough real innovations in our passion for diving. Now, however, a real breakthrough seems to have been achieved. What is it about? The issue of cooling, thermal protection and skin protection ... in other words, diving suits. You might be thinking "old hat"... Not at all, because LiquiPrene is going to turn the market for neoprene products upside down.
Rental wetsuits are always a bit problematic. Be it the fit, which is not always ideal for all body shapes of holidaymakers. Once too big, once too small. Or too long, too short. Too much air between the material and the body, and it pinches in other places. Everyone who doesn't travel around the world with their own equipment is probably familiar with these little problems with rental suits. Then there is the hygiene side: diver's diuresis!
The increased urine output during diving, which is caused by the fact that there are sensors in the atrium of the heart that measure the stretching of the heart muscle. When we are in the water, the horizontal position and hydrostatic pressure presses on the body. Since there is normally a lot of blood in the legs due to the force of gravity, this now presses on the atrium of the heart due to these two factors. The receptors signal an increased amount of blood, which is caused, among other things, by a lot of absorbed fluid, which in turn signals the kidneys via various hormones to excrete water in the form of urine.
All these little problems are now a thing of the past, because LiquiPrene heralds a new age of diving suits that fit perfectly and are also 100% hygienic. Before we take a closer look at the new miracle material, let's take a look at how it came about.
An amazing idea
How did the inventors come up with this crazy idea? One of the leading developers has his professional roots in the industrial production of moulds and was of course able to gain intensive experience with latex milk or artificially produced rubber liquids.
Latex milk had been used for many years for the production of tubeless moulds (generally for mould making), for textile coatings, for moulding and much more. Subsequently, its use expanded considerably and reached film, theatre and also private households: Artificial latex milk was successfully used to create masks, fake injuries, wounds and skin ageing effects. Not to be forgotten, liquid latex has also conquered new areas of application in the field of fetish clothing.
These great properties inspired the inventors of LiquiPrene to also find applications in diving. First trials with latex were extremely promising, but the time problems with drying prevented a sensible widespread use in the field of diving. Latex is air-drying and dries from the outside to the inside, the thicker the layers the longer the drying time. The drying time depends on the substrate, room temperature, humidity and air exchange as well as air circulation.
LiquiPrene solves drying time problems
With the switch to neoprene, a synthetic rubber, the breakthrough was possible. The time problems of drying are significantly improved with LiquiPrene. By immersing the entire body in the 40 degree warm solution, the "material film" is already stably bonded to the epidermis - the upper layer of the skin. Of course, the important thing is that the bond can be undone easily and without leaving any residue or irritation to the epidermis. A sophisticated mix of chemical additives, the composition of which is of course kept strictly secret, guarantees problem-free application.
After the dive, simply peel it off; as if by magic, it slips off the skin - thanks to the mix of chemicals (absolutely skin-friendly and harmless)! If you have very hairy skin, it may 'pull a little', unfortunately this cannot be avoided. However, it is the only negative side effect we have noticed. Admittedly, the remains do not look very appetising - some people compared the sad artificial skin to a blackened white sausage (editors note: Weißwurst) skin ;-). However, this is completely unproblematic because there is a second wonderful innovation: the skin is reusable.
An environmentally friendly idea
How does it work? The leftovers are simply collected and washed at about 95% like boiled laundry - but in pure water. After draining the washing water, the mass is simply put back into the 'dressing pool' for a new application. This is how simple and environmentally friendly it is.
An ingenious idea: It has already been on trial at the Amun Ini Dive Centre (Bohol) for a few weeks. Very successful, as the innovative inventors explain, and they are urgently looking for more diving centres in the Mediterranean.
Test centre wanted
The Mediterranean is the preferred test area because the water temperatures are somewhat cooler, especially in the transition months, and the problem of bodies cooling down is to be tested precisely. In the Amun Ini Centre, a mix is used that provides a layer 2-4mm thick; in the Mediterranean, the material mix is to be adapted to simulate 5-7mm wetsuits. An ambitious project, because with a thickness of 7mm, the drying chemicals must also be further perfected in order to produce a directly usable and protective layer in virtually zero time. This should be easily removable after the dive.
So here's a call to interested dive centres: contact LiquiPrene@taucher.net with a short description of your dive centre and why you want to become a test centre. We will forward this to the inventors.
We will of course publish the test results here.