SDL Atlas, England, has introduced a Windows®-based Fiber Imaging Analysis (FIA) system for
microscopic measurement of longitudinal and cross-sectional aspects of natural and man-made fibers.
The company says the system offers a time- and cost-saving alternative to using chemicals to assess
the quality and composition of blended fibers.
The FIA system includes image-processing software that offers contrast-stretching,
background-leveling, Fast Fourier Transform filtering, and watershed and skeleton-based
segmentation functions. Extraction software measures cotton fiber convolution; and wall thickness,
maturity and medullation for cotton and particular animal fibers. The system also measures the
cross sections of elliptical, triangular and trilobal-shaped man-made fibers.
In other company news, SDL Atlas now offers the PillGrade automated 3-D fabric-scanning
system that analyzes and grades fabrics for pilling, fuzziness, snags and other surface properties.
The system was developed by LineTech Industries Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., which worked in conjunction
with SDL Atlas.
PillGrade, which is ASTM- and ISO-compliant, tests textile fabric samples in any weight,
color and pattern and delivers results in five seconds. Functions include measurement of pills per
square inch and average pill size, and plotting of pilling distribution. Computer-generated test
results can be viewed on a screen or printed out.
December 2004
