High-Performance Polyethylene Advanced – (H-PEA®) more than just a raw material
H-PEA® is based on high-performance polyethylene (HPPE). Polyethylene fibers are naturally characterized by high strength and modulus, combined with excellent abrasion, cut, and chemical resistance. In terms of specific weight, this fiber achieves a specific strength more than ten times greater than steel.
But our H-PEA® is much more than just a standard UHMWPE fiber. With our experience from medtech research, we have specifically stabilized and refined it. Our modifications improve UV resistance, increase temperature tolerance, and ensure the fiber remains workable, even when we combine it with other functional yarns. The result is an extremely smooth surface that reduces friction and a fiber that retains its abrasion and cut resistance despite high elasticity.
Protection is created in the structure, but it starts with the fiber.
A single fiber alone doesn’t protect—it needs a stage. In our H3D® knit architecture, H-PEA® forms the layer closest to the skin. Glide layerIts extremely smooth surface dissipates micro-movements and lowers the coefficient of friction. The capillary transfer layer above absorbs moisture and stabilizes the microclimate. A support structure distributes pressure points. This combination of fiber and knitting logic helps reduce irritation during continuous wear and proves itself under event loads like a slide.
What the labs say about H-PEA®
We never test our fiber in isolation, but always as part of a textile composite. In independent Cut testing according to DIN EN 388:2019 In addition to the classic coup test, the ISO-13997 test is also used. It measures the required force in newtons and classifies cut resistance. Our double-layer H-PEA® prototypes achieve medium indices (2–4)—a balanced ratio of cut resilience and mobility. These results confirm the fiber’s protective effect without making it too stiff.
Another advantage: Unlike Kevlar®, our material is easier to process and offers a softer feel in knit form—important for first-layer clothing worn directly on the skin.
Research & Manufacturing: From the MedTech lab bench to the machine
Our developers come from wound care and understand the impact of friction, pressure, and microclimate on skin. This expertise influenced the adaptation of the H-PEA® spinning process. We developed our own stabilizers and finishes to protect the fiber from UV radiation and to enable dyeing and coating adhesion. Only then could we create the extremely smooth gliding layer that works in the H3D® knitting system.
Research and development take place in the EU, ensuring short distances between lab, knitting facility, and quality control. Production is done in our own Italian factory, where decades of technical knitting expertise meet high-tech machinery. This proximity allows us to immediately test every adjustment and quickly implement improvements in serial production.
A fiber with a mission
H-PEA® isn’t just 'ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.' It’s the result of our search for a textile protection system for the skin. Its extreme smoothness reduces friction, its high specific strength delivers abrasion and cut resistance, and our finishing processes make it suitable for everyday use. Combined with the H3D knitting system®, a single fiber becomes a high-performance textile: breathable, close-fitting, protective— and surprisingly comfortable.
This blog post aims to give you a deep insight into the amount of research, expertise, and precision that goes into a fiber that may seem unremarkable at first glance. Trust is built when technology is transparent. That’s exactly what we want to achieve with H-PEA®.
