What is Velcro wire and who invented it?

Velcro, also known as "lockless lock" (zipperless zipper) , is available on a variety of appliances around us, from shoe straps to laptop baskets, blood pressure monitors or even items on the plane.

The word "Velcro" is so commonly used that it is used to refer to all types of tape using fixed and loop mechanisms. But few know this is actually the name of the company that invented this technology so that it now becomes an extremely popular product in life.

Velcro is used to refer to all types of tape using a fixed and loop mechanism.

Inspired by nature

In 1948, Swiss engineer George de Mestral, also an amateur climber, was walking through a forest with his dog. When he got home, he noticed the seeds that were hooked to his clothes and wondered if a similar mechanism could be used for commercial purposes. So he studied a seed under a microscope and discovered that on its surface there were many tiny hooks. It is these hooks that help the seed cling to the fabric as well as other hairs. After more than 8 years of searching for research and work, he created something that is today called Velcro . The term comes from the words "Velvet" (velvet) and "Crochet" (hook).

Velcro is designed with 2 ribbons, one strip contains thousands of tiny hooks, the other strip possesses thousands of small and equally small circles. When pairing these strips, the hook will be attached to the ring to create a very stable retention mechanism but still very easy to remove when needed.

Velcro is designed with 2 ribbons, one strip contains thousands of tiny hooks, the other strip possesses thousands of small and equally small circles.

At the beginning, the idea of ​​George de Mestral was very much scrutinized, but thanks to his persistence, the Velcro strings became more and more active and ready for commercial use. In 1955, he filed a patent for inventing Velcron and helped his company avoid copying from competitors, and this was a huge advantage. Evidence that the company has achieved a milestone of selling more than 60 million yards (54,864 km) of Velcro wire each year during de Mestral's work.

NASA and Velcro

Many believe that Velcro was invented by NASA, the US space agency. However this is a wrong thought. Even so, NASA still contributes a great deal to the popularity of this ring-hook technology when using it for space conquest missions. In the 1960s, Apollo astronauts used Velcro to secure many types of equipment needed in their practice, and when needed they could take it out easily.

The popularity of Velcro

Although good and used by famous names like NASA, Velcro has only a few color choices and often looks rather odd. Because of the lack of aesthetic appearance and this technology is mainly used only in sports equipment. Beginning in 1968 until the 1980s, shoe companies such as Puma, Adidas, Reebok began to put Velcro into children's shoelaces.

Velcro used for children's shoelaces.

At this time, patents of Velcron technology have expired and opened for public use. Many companies start mimicking similar wire production around the world. Many firms use low-cost, low-quality materials, which forces Velcro to start a battle to maintain the brand identity, while avoiding Velcro becoming a noun. as in the situation of aspirin, which is also a brand but used so much that it becomes a common word.

Velcro began to be widely used for more purposes in 1984. At this time there was an interview between David Letterman, a famous TV presenter in the US, with Velcro's US sales director. The interview ended with the image of Letterman jumping from a trampoline facing a wall while wearing a Velcro suit. The event was that many companies began to explore how to use Velcro for more creative and flexible purposes, from attaching electronic devices to car seats to using Velcro to catch balls.

A typical Velcro cord.

Velcro is for military use

In 2004, Velcro achieved an important mark when winning the bid to become a supplier to the US Army. Their hook-loop material is used in the new generation uniform to wear a coat, which is lighter in weight than the previous version. However, the soldiers did not like the suit and thought that Velcro made too loud noises as well as being susceptible to dust. After a study, the US Army no longer used Velcro but switched to using buttons.

Velcro today is a registered trademark of Velcro Industry. Therefore, many Velcro products do not promote this name, nor do other manufacturers imitate Velcro to make similar products, not mentioning the brand that invented it. This handy technology.