Tyvek® is a brand of highly durable and versatile material made by DuPont™, known for its ability to keep moisture out while allowing air to pass through. It is a spunbonded, non-woven synthetic material that is primarily composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fibers.
In 1955, DuPont researcher Jim White made a curious discovery that would change the materials world forever. He noticed some white polyethylene “fluff” coming out of a pipe in a laboratory at the company’s Experimental Station in Alapocas, DE. White noted that this material was lightweight, durable, and appeared to be water resistant.
What followed was years of research and development to determine the appropriate manufacturing process to create sheets of this material. Finally, a flash-spinning process invented by Herbert Blades, a DuPont scientist, proved effective for creating sheets of durable paper-like material made up of a dense web of tightly-bound HDPE filaments.
DuPont created the first version of what would become Tyvek® in 1959 and began exploring uses for it. The initial intended use was to make waterproof book covers. The company officially trademarked the Tyvek® brand name in 1965 and made it available for commercial use in April 1967.
During the 1970s, the construction industry began using Tyvek® to keep water and wind from damaging in-process build projects. As an added bonus, the material was breathable enough to allow water vapor to escape and thereby prevent formation of mold and mildew.
As of 1972, DuPont also realized the usefulness of Tyvek® as packaging material for medical instruments due to its microbial barrier properties and ability to allow many types of sterilization. During the 1980s, Tyvek® became the first choice in materials for sterilizable medical device packaging.
The unique properties of Tyvek® have lead to its use in other applications, such as protective clothing, mailers and envelopes, wristbands and clothing tags, desiccant and oxygen absorber packets, cargo protection, and fashion - many designers have made waterproof, breathable garments from Tyvek®. The material has also been used in the past by governments to make currency and identification cards due to its tear resistance and printability.
In recent years, other manufacturers have developed the ability to create materials that are indistinguishable from Tyvek®. For example, IMPAK's new TyePAK™ is available in multiple grades and exhibits durability, breathability, printability, and water resistance properties identical to what DuPont offers.
It's important to note that Tyvek® is a registered trademark of DuPont™, and similar materials made by other manufacturers may be referred to as "spunbonded olefin" or "spunbonded polyethylene."
IMPAK Has Tyvek®-Equivalent Materials
IMPAK is proud to offer TyePAK™ structures that are equivalent to Tyvek® 1073B and 2058C, used primarily for sterile medical instrument packaging and active food packaging, respectively. Consult with one of our technical experts about product development using these structures.