George de Mestral, a Swiss mountaineer, had the frustrating experience of having burrs attach to his clothing during his hikes. He teamed up in 1948 with a local weaver from a textile plant to design what they called "locking tape". Quite by accident they discovered that nylon, when sewn under ultraviolet light, formed industructable hooks that could match up with nylon loops. The trademarked name Velcro comes from "vel" or velvet and "cro" from the French word crochet which means hook.

Velcro sample on SEM stubb	Velco sample in "engaged" position

 

There are indeed many uses for velcro

 

Back