Safety Components Fabric Technologies Inc., Greenville — an International Textile Group company —
has revamped the HydroMax™ water-repellent, mildew-resistant, breathable finish it applies to its
WeatherMax® outdoor fabric, woven using Greensboro, N.C.-based Unifi Inc.’s solution-dyed SaturaMax
solution-dyed yarns. The company has replaced the traditional C8-based polytetrafluoroethylene
chemistry previously used in the finish with more eco-friendly C6-based chemistry, and reports the
revamped finish retains its original high-performance characteristics.
“Our technical staff and suppliers have been working on making our fabric even more
environmentally friendly for over a year to make sure our performance level did not decline,” said
John Pierce, WeatherMax product manager. “We are very pleased we were able to improve the finish
for both WeatherMax 80 and WeatherMax LT, while reducing environmental impact.”
WeatherMax 80 weighs 8 ounces per square yard (oz/yd2), and WeatherMax LT weighs 6.5 oz/yd2.
Safety Components also makes WeatherMax in an 8.5-oz/yd2 flame-resistant variety, WeatherMax FR.
According to Safety Components, WeatherMax is completely recyclable and highly breathable,
and is twice as strong and six times as tear- and abrasion-resistant as acrylic fabrics. The
company guarantees the fabric’s color retention for five years minimum.
March 29, 2011
