INTRODUCTION
New product innovation using polymer based materials to be introduced is polymer opal apparel. The polymer opal apparel is absolutely not typical clothes because it has its own uniqueness and attraction due to the materials used to produce this product. Polymer opal apparel using polymer based materials which are spandex fibres and polymer opal. Uniqueness and advantages of polymer opal apparel is that it has an appearance in which the colour is changing due to strain, pressure and movement. Due to the structure of the stretchable spandex and a polymer opal structure that can change colour when stretched, this combination will make the apparel or clothes look more attractive and beautiful for people who wear this. Polymer opal can temporarily changes the colour by stretching,or twisting the material. Moreover, the colour of this clothes also will not fade off because it using polymer opals which is a non-toxic crystal and inexpensive material.
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Spandex is a synthetic fiber or fiber which is characterized by an easy stretch when worn and versatile polymer. Spandex produced from the reaction of a long chain polyglycol with a short chain diisocyanate. Furthermore, spandex is a mixture and combination of various polymers such as polyurethane and polyurea copolymer. In history, this type of textile produced by a chemist of C. L. Sandquist and Joseph Shivers at DuPont 's Benger Laboratory, Waynesboro, Virginia. There is at least 85% polyurethane in spandex. In addition, the spandex elastomer which is characterized by better than rubber due to it’s robust, versatile, lightweight and easily stretched until 500% from its original length. Elastomer is a polymer that has a loose cross-link structure. This type of chain structure causes elastomers have the ability to return to its original shape after being stretched. This fiber has a structure that has soft segments and rigid segments such as figure