New light-blocking test methods from AATCC
Methods available immediately as downloadable PDFs.
The Association of Textile, Apparel & Materials Professionals (AATCC) has published two new ways to measure the light-blocking effect of window coverings.
AATCC Research Committee RA36, Color Measurement Test Methods, is responsible for the creation of test methods 148-2014, Light Blocking Effect of Textiles and Related Materials: Photodetector Method, and 203-2014, Light Blocking Effect of Textiles: Spectrophotometric Method. All AATCC test methods are developed collaboratively by stakeholders throughout the textile industry. Interested parties are encouraged to participate in the consensus-based process.
AATCC Test Method (TM) 148 is an updated version of a previously discontinued method titled Light Blocking Effect of Curtain Materials. The 2014 version uses a photometer to measure the light blocking properties of various textile-based materials, including coated textiles.
AATCC TM 203 is a brand new method, using a spectrophotometer to measure the light passing through window coverings. The method is applicable to knits, wovens and nonwovens, as well as to fabrics taken from end product items.
Both methods are available immediately as downloadable PDFs on the AATCC website. They will also appear in the print and CD versions of the 2015 AATCC Technical Manual, which will be available in January 2015.
