Invista is spending more than $65 million to expand nylon 6,6 fiber capacity at its plant in Camden, South Carolina, USA.

The Wichita, Kansas-headquartered group said the investment will significantly increase domestic US capacity for high-tenacity specialty fibers used in Cordura fabrics. These fabrics are used in various military applications as well as in a wide variety of commercial and outdoor end-uses.

The new production equipment will also be capable of manufacturing bulked continuous filament and high-quality fibers for airbags and industrial sewing threads.

Jeff Brown, executive vice president of Invista’s Performance Materials division, said the expansion will use a combination of patented and proprietary technology with flexibility such as solution dyeing that will enable increased innovation opportunities around fiber properties.

The Camden site is Invista’s largest integrated nylon polymer and fiber plant and, said Brown, offers an ideal footprint for reinvesting in high-performance solutions.

The nylon producer announced in February that it was mulling the possible sale of its apparel & advanced textiles business, which includes the Lycra and Coolmax brands. US finance group Goldman Sachs is helping the group explore strategic alternatives.