After a lengthy review, the Research Triangle Park, N.C.-based American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) has approved TM 195, a test method for measuring the moisture-handling properties of performance fabrics for activewear and other apparel.

The test is performed using England-based SDL Atlas' Moisture Management Tester (MMT), which measures liquid transfer behavior in knitted, woven and nonwoven fabrics using upper and lower concentric moisture sensors. The MMT has six indexes and a quantifiable one-way moisture-movement index value for evaluating a fabric's moisture management level. According to Robert Lattie, SDL director of project management, more than 40 desktop MMT units are currently in use by laboratories in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Copies of AATCC TM 195 may be obtained from www.aatcc.org.

June 30, 2009