Lenzing, a leading cellulosic fibre producer, has come up with a new method to measure softness in textiles. The Austrian company teamed up with German instrument manufacturer – Emtec Electronic to develop the new method. The softness measuring tool will make it possible to show that the higher the amount of Lenzing Modal used in the fabric, the softer the fabric becomes, as per the company. The tool might also help to communicate softness at point of sale.
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“We notice that softness is becoming increasingly important as a comfort factor in brands and with retailers. Lenzing Modal fibres are the softest fibres in our fibre portfolio. This is something you can feel. However, an increasing number of customers are asking for measurements to explain the softness of our fibres in physical terms,” elaborates Claudia Mommer, Product Manager – Lenzing Modal.
Lenzing Research formed a special group to discover an instrument to measure the softness of paper towels that could be adapted to textiles. Lenzing approached Emtec Electronic to develop its tissue softness analyser into a fabric softness analyser after an intensive testing phase. During the process more than 100 fabrics were tested. To explain the complex process of softness in textiles and also at the same time exclude personal preferences, physical measurement methods were evaluated to make softness ‘visible’.
