Pilling Testing Methods Excel in the Automotive Industry
CHICAGO, July 2001 - The surface appearance of a textile material is very important to the consumer. The pilling propensity is an essential criteria for garments, as well as for upholstery fabrics in regard to their intended application. Any surface degradation, such as the formation of fuzz and pills, will affect the value of a textile material. Laboratory testing procedures are necessary to provide reliable information on the performance of the materials. The aim is to simulate and accelerate the surface changes as they will occur in end-use wear. The Atlas Random Tumble Pilling Tester has proven successful among the test procedures and instruments used for the determination of fuzzing and pilling.
Several years ago the German synthetic fiber producer Trevira GmbH & Co. published the results of a broad test using three test procedures in comparison to a real wear test in their brochure "Pilling or non-pilling?" 1. This study demonstrated that only the Atlas Random Tumble Pilling Tester "differentiates the 21 fabrics in the same way as the wear test" whereas the other test procedures, including the Martindale test method, did not provide satisfactory correlation to the wear test or good reproducibility of the test results.
Recent publications2 also indicate problems concerning the correlation on upholstery materials between the Martindale test method and real-end use. Those observations clearly show the problems in predicting real wear properties of textile materials. Fabrics used for upholstery in the interior of cars are subject to surface changes such as fuzzing and pilling. Pilling testing is therefore essential in the automotive industry. Well known German car manufacturers acquired Random Tumble Pilling Tester instruments to determine the resistance of fabrics to fuzzing and pilling. New Test Methods are in progress. This clearly indicates the value of the Atlas Random Tumble Pilling Tester for reliable test procedures.
Atlas offers two- and four-chamber models of the Random Tumble Pilling Tester. Both models feature digital timers, air injection system, and ASTM, German or French version impellers that rotate at a constant speed of 1200 rpm. Atlas Random Tumble Pilling Testers comply with CE directives for product safety and meet ASTM D3512, DIN 53 867 and NF G07121.
Atlas is a recognized leader in quality control and quality assurance testing, offering a complete line of material testing instrumentation, including textile test products, weathering instruments, polymer evaluation products and analytical instruments. For accelerated laboratory and outdoor testing, Atlas Weathering Services Group offers four laboratories and 22 outdoor sites around the world with a variety of climates, including desert, subtropical, high-altitude and corrosive. Atlas products are designed and manufactured to conform to international, national and industry standard test methods including ISO, ASTM, DIN, JIS and numerous others.
1 "Pilling or non-pilling?" Hoechst Trevira GmbH & Co KG, 1997
2 "New developments in Trevira CS for furnishing fabrics and home textiles" - published in MELLIAND TEXTILBERICHTE, Vol. 6, December 2000
back
^ TOP