Fabrics

In the competitive global textile, apparel, and technical fabrics industries, maintaining consistent product quality is paramount. Fabrics must withstand rigorous mechanical stresses, chemical exposures, and environmental factors during their lifecycle. Fabric testing is the vital quality control process that evaluates the physical, mechanical, and aesthetic properties of woven, knitted, and non-woven substrates.

Rycobel provides a comprehensive range of high-end textile testing instruments designed to help laboratories, R&D centers, and manufacturers verify material performance, reduce product failure, and comply with strict international standards.

Key Performance Evaluations for Textile Fabrics

To ensure a fabric is fit for its intended purpose—whether for high-fashion apparel, automotive upholstery, or protective military gear—it must undergo a series of standardized physical tests:

Tensile and elongation

Vantage NX Universal testing machine | Tensile Tester

Application: textile, paper & pulp, pharmaceutical and medical
Property: tensile testing, adhesion & tack testing, tensile - universal testing machine (utm), compression & crush testing

Semi-Automatic Tensile Tester STATIGRAPH L

Application: textile, fabrics
Property: tensile - universal testing machine (utm)

Air Permeability Tester - AirPerm

Application: textile, fabrics
Property: air permeability, permeability - package integrity

Colour fastness and washability

Fabrics must retain their color integrity when exposed to washing, light, rubbing (crocking), perspiration, and dry cleaning. Utilizing standardized testing consumables, such as Gray Scales for color change and staining, allows laboratories to grade colorfastness precisely under controlled light sources (e.g., D65 daylight).

Rotawash color fastness tester

Application: textile, fabrics

Launder-Ometer

Application: textile, fabrics

Wascator - Washing performance tests

Application: textile, fabrics

Grey Scale for Color Change - Gray scales

Application: textile, fabrics

Colour assessment cabinet - Light cabinet

Application: textile, fabrics

HMV Horizontal Flame Chamber - Motor Vehicles

Application: textile, fabrics

Flammability test rig

Application: textile, fabrics

Flammability tester M233A/B

Vertical flame chamber

Application: textile, fabrics

HVUL2 Horizontal Vertical Flame Chamber

Application: textile, fabrics

AFC 45° Automatic Flammability Tester

Abrasion and Pilling Resistance

Daily wear and tear can cause surface fiber degradation.

Abrasion Testing: Evaluates how well a fabric resists surface wear caused by flat rubbing friction, determining the material's lifetime durability.
Pilling Testing: Measures the propensity of fibers to untangle and form unsightly small balls (pills) on the fabric surface. Standardized equipment like the Martindale or Pilling Box systems are industry essentials for these evaluations.

Martindale abrasion and pilling tester

Application: paper & pulp, textile, fabrics
Property: abrasion testing

Tactile Properties and Comfort (Hand Feeling)

Beyond durability, the consumer's sensory interaction with the fabric is crucial. Advanced testing systems evaluate fabric stiffness, drape, elasticity, softeness, and compression characteristics. Quantifying these tactile properties transforms subjective "hand feel" into objective, reproducible digital data.