Polyester Fills Testing
Polyester Fills Testing and Quality Assurance
The form for submitting polyester fills samples can be found here.
Services
IDFL performs many synthetic fill quality assurance services including testing bulk filling material and finished products, collecting samples from factories or retail stores and inspecting finished products. Services can be performed same-day for an additional fee.
Tests
WHAT IS IT?
This test identifies the fibers present in a filling sample (e.g. polyester, lyocell, wool, silk, etc.).
HOW IS IT DONE?
A sample is either examined under magnification, burned, treated with special solutions or chemically separated. Fibers are identified by distinct characteristics evident under magnification, observed during combustion or revealed during chemical separation (each fiber can be dissolved using specific chemicals).
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
Results are generally given as a percentage of the fiber(s) found during testing. It can be a single fiber (#1) or a blend of two or more fibers (#2).
Examples:
#1: 100% POLYESTER
or
#2: 35.5% WOOL, 64.5% POLYESTER
WHY DO IT?
This test is used to determine the fiber content of a filling and is generally required for labeling. A label must state the ratio of multiple fibers.
WHAT IS IT?
During the manufacturing process, the fibers are crimped to add wiggles to the fibers. This is what enables the entire mass of fibers to expand to a greater volume than if the fibers were un-crimped. This test measures how many crimps are in manufactured staple fibers.
HOW IS IT DONE?
A 50g as a representative sample of the synthetic fill is prepared. 25staples are chosen at random from that selection. The number of crimps in the fiber is counted 50g representative under a magnifying glass. Then, the length of the staple is measured.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
The average of the 25staples is used to calculate the number of crimps per staple length. Results are reported as the number of crimps per inch. Example: Average crimp frequency: 1.5 crimps/in
WHY DO IT?
Crimps in a fiber affect the carding and subsequent processing of the fiber. They will also affect the bulk or openness of the filling material and therefore the visual appearance and feel of the finished textile product. This test is good for acceptance testing when receiving bulk material from mills.
Recommended for synthetic fill material.
WHAT IS IT?
Denier or tex is the linear density of a fiber. It is defined as the weight in grams per 9000 meters of the fiber. It correlates to the thickness of the fiber.
HOW IS IT DONE?
A 50g representative sample of the synthetic fill is prepared. 300 fibers are chosen at random from that selection. The 300 fibers are then weighted to the nearest 0.0001 g.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
Results are reported as the following:
i)Denier is calculated as: (Weight in grams of the 300 fibers/(number of Fibers)x(Average fiber length in mm)) x 9,000,000
ii)Tex is calculated as: (Weight in grams of the 300 fibers/(number of Fibers)x(Average fiber length in mm)) x 1,000,000
WHY DO IT?
Denier or tex is used to determine the fiber thickness. A higher denier count tends to equate to thicker, sturdier, and more durable material, while a lower denier count tends to equate to a sheerer, softer, and silkier material.
Recommended for synthetic fill material.
WHAT IS IT?
Synthetic fibers come in a variety of cross-sectional shapes. These cross-sectional shapes are designed for a variety of purposes and contribute to the resiliency, cost, water repellency, and insulation attributes of the fiber.
HOW IS IT DONE?
Cross-sections of a fiber bundle are placed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Images captured under high magnification are used to determine the cross-sectional shape of the fiber and to calculate the hollowness percentage of the fiber.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
An image of the cross-section is reported along with the designated name or descriptor of the cross-sectional shape and the hollow percentage.
WHY DO IT?
The cross-sectional design is an important factor in the physical and mechanical properties of fibers, as well as the performance of end-use products. For example, hollow fibers can provide bulkiness with less weight, a useful feature for insulated clothing materials.
Recommended for synthetic fabrics, battings, and fillings.
WHAT IS IT?
A fiber staple is one individual fiber. This test measures the average length of the fibers ina sample of manufactured staple fibers.
HOW IS IT DONE?
A 50g representative sample of the synthetic fill is prepared. 25 staples are chosen at random from that selection. The length of each individual staple is manually measured.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
The average of the 25staples is used to calculate the staple length. Results are reported as the average length of the staples in the sample. Example: Average: 38.3 mm
WHY DO IT?
The staple length of a fiber sample can be used to determine the relative number of fibers above and below a specified length. If a fiber is too long, it will not process well in spinning, and if there is a preponderance of short fibers, the yarn might have a lower-than-normal breaking strength.
Recommended for synthetic fill material.
WHAT IS IT?
At the end of the synthetic fill manufacturing process, the material needs to be “fluffed up” into its final density. This test determines how much of the sample remains in its un-fluffed state.
HOW IS IT DONE?
A 2g representative sample of the synthetic fill is prepared. The material is manually separated into opened and unopened clusters. Each component is weighed.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
Results are reported as the percentage of opened vs. unopened material by weight. Example: 98.7% opened 1.3% unopened
WHY DO IT?
A high ratio of opened fibers will ensure proper blending with other fiber types. Additionally, the opening ratio describes the openness and loft of the fill material. This test is good for acceptance testing when receiving bulk material from mills.
Recommended for synthetic fill material.
WHAT IS IT?
This test measures the average fiber ball size of a sample of manufactured staple fibers that have been formed into balls.
HOW IS IT DONE?
A 50g representative sample of the synthetic fill is prepared. 50 balls are chosen at random from that selection. The diameter of each ball is measured. The average of the 50 balls is used to calculate the ball size. A histogram is also provided to show the distribution of ball sizes within the sample.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
Results are reported as the average diameter of the balls in the sample, as well as a histogram to show the distribution of ball sizes in the sample.
WHY DO IT?
Fiber ball size will affect the loft of the filling material and therefore the hand and visual appearance of the finished product. This test is good for acceptance testing when receiving bulk material from mills.
Recommended for synthetic fill material that has been formed into balls.
WHAT IS IT?
Fiber Power is a volumetric measurement obtained from the quantity occupied by a synthetic filling material after being compressed with a specific amount of weight.
HOW IS IT DONE?
1. A representative sample of material is placed in a conditioning box.
2. The conditioning box is then placed in a climate-controlled room for a specific period of time.
3. After conditioning a specific amount of synthetic material is evenly placed in a cylinder.
4. The synthetic sample is then compressed, and measured for volume.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
Fiber Power is reported in volumetric units(cubic inches per 30g). The higher the number, the better the ability of the synthetic material to fill a larger volume.
WHY DO IT?
Fiber power may be used as a performance metric to distinguish different qualities in loose-fill synthetics.
WHAT IS IT?
Evaluates the fiber blend ratio in a filling that contains more than one type of fiber.
This test method can be used with blended synthetic filling where the fibers in the blend can be manually separated. Fibers with a similar denier (similar thickness) must be able to be separated by other characteristics like differences in crimp shape (mechanical vs. spiral crimps) and/or the difference of at least 15 mm in staple length. For fibers to be separated solely based on deniers, the difference must be at least 3 deniers.
HOW IS IT DONE?
A test specimen is first manually separated to test for denier and staple length. One hundred staples are randomly pulled and separated from the sample to determine the blend ratio by weight.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
Five charts will be reported, four containing the blend ratio of the fiber types present in a sample of the filling and one chart with the calculated sample average ratios.
Consistency between the ratios on each chart signifies that proper blending has been achieved.
WHY DO IT?
Blend ratio and blend consistency are critical to ensure the proper performance of the filling. Clumping and matting are some of the outcomes of inadequate blends.
WHAT IS IT?
Subjectively determines whether a synthetic filling material is made up of virgin or regenerated fibers based on the presence of plastic bottles and visual evaluations. This test method is only for non-dyed fillings.
HOW IS IT DONE?
A 10-gram sample is visually evaluated based on known attributes of regenerated material. Fragments of colored bottlers and colored fibers are some of the key indicators.
After inspection of the material, a color rating and the number of plastic fragments are reported. Then it is determined whether the sample is more likely to be virgin or regenerated.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
A color rating of 1 and the absence of plastic bottles indicates the sample is more likely to be Virgin.
WHY DO IT?
Typically, virgin fiber is more expensive than regenerated fiber, but that is dependent upon the cost and availability of recycled materials. Clients will perform this test for 3 key reasons: 1) to confirm the origin of the fiber to compare against a specification or a prototype, 2) to guarantee the price point that was agreed upon in preemptive contracts, and 3) for any claims purposes.
WHAT IS IT?
This test evaluates the resistance of matting and clumping of a filling (synthetic or natural) to laundering or dry cleaning. The evaluation can be performed on either bulk filling material or a finished product.
HOW IS IT DONE?
For bulk materials, the filling is placed in a pillow shell and laundered or dry-cleaned. Once the care cycle is complete the filling is compared to the unwashed control sample. For finished products, the entire product or portion of a product is washed or dry cleaned. Once the care cycle is complete the filling is compared to the unwashed control sample. For finished products two identical samples must be submitted for testing.
WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
The rating is based on the look and feel of the filling material. Photographs are taken of the control sample and washed sample side-by-side to help visualize any differences between the two. Both the control sample and washed sample are also handled to feel for the presence and severity of clumps, balls, or matts.
Rating System:
The rating for matting/clumping is reported on a 1-5 scale with a side-by-side photo comparison.
WHY DO IT?
To ensure the filling selected for a finished product will maintain its intended feel and thermal properties it should be able to undergo laundering or dry cleaning without being significantly altered physically. A filling that is significantly altered can be unpleasantly apparent to a consumer.
Standards
IDFL tests polyester filling using the major global standards including EN (Europe), ASTM (North America), JIS (Japan), AATCC (North America), IDFL (Global), ISO (Global).
