Teijin Limited and Kinoshita Fishing Net Mfg. Co., Ltd. have developed the world’s first high-performance knotless fishing net made with an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) film.
Kinoshita Fishing Net will begin selling MX-4 made with Teijin’s Endumax UHMWPE film in early August, and is targeting annual sales of 50 tons by 2025, including Endumax fishing nets for purse seine net fishing and later for traps, fish farms and trawling.
Teijin continues to discover new industrial applications for Endumax, such as ropes, bulletproof wear and lightweight containers for air cargo, as well as fishing nets, and expects to develop more applications in the future.
MX-4 combines Teijin’s advanced Endumax film and Kinoshita Fishing Net’s manufacturing technology implemented with world-leading net-knitting machines for knotless netting, made by crossing yarns with each other for extra strength and abrasion resistance. In addition to Muketsu knotless netting made with twisted threads, Kinoshita Fishing Net also boasts the world’s only machines for making braided knotless nets, sold under the BM brand for purse seines, traps and fish farms.
Endumax is a 60μm-thick film offering high strength, high modulus and resistance to impact, abrasion, chemicals and sunlight. Advanced technologies are normally required to mass produce fish nets made with film, but Kinoshita Fishing Net’s proprietary technology enables Endumax that has been cut to just several millimeters in width to be knitted into highly functional MX-4 fishing nets.
MX-4 is especially suitable for purse-seine nets for skipjack, tuna, horse mackerel and mackerel, which are used in harsh environments where durability and fast drainage are crucial. MX-4 does not shrink easily, and is resistant to breakage due to abrasion even after hundreds of castings, so it can be used safely for long periods. It also improves work efficiency and cost efficiency by reducing the needs for net reconditioning and tailoring. In addition, it reduces the frequency of net disposal, and is more marine friendly. Furthermore, when MX-4 is pulled up from the sea, it immediately sheds water and becomes lighter, making it easier to work. It also stays clean.
Various types of fishing nets are used commercially depending on the fishing method, fish species and marine environment. In the case of purse-seine net fishing, where the nets can become heavily loaded, over time the nets can shrink considerably, lose shape, become less efficient in enclosing fish, and require frequent repairs or replacement.
Teijin aims to support the society of the future by creating new value based on the changing times, providing solutions to realize a more prosperous and sustainable world.
Kinoshita Fishing Net’s philosophy is to be an essential enterprise that develops unique solutions by working directly with customers to understand their situations, requirements, goals and prospects. The company will expand MX-4 applications for purse seine net fishing, and later for fish farms, traps and trawling.