Kodak, which has secured 79,000 worldwide patents over its 130 years of R&D, has opened a textile testing facility.

It will provide a comprehensive range of testing services to textile developers, manufacturers and academic institutions to assess the specific properties and performance attributes of fabrics.

The facility, located in the company’s Eastman Business Park in Rochester, New York, builds on expertise in advanced materials and chemicals and is an extension of the company’s recent initiative in manufacturing light-blocking fabrics under the Kodalux brand name.

The result of decades of research and collaboration, Kodalux fabric coating uses proprietary micro-particle technology to offer degrees of light-control performance from simple filtering to 100% blackout without the need for fabric liners. The one-step foam coating process developed for Kodalux requires less water, energy and chemicals than traditional products, providing a more efficient and effective way to manage light.

The new Rochester testing facility is ISO certified for providing NFPA 701 fire retardancy testing for textile products and in addition, will provide testing for colour fastness, light blocking or room darkening, tensile and tear testing, stiffness testing for the objective characterisation of hand/drape properties and abrasion testing. Testing procedures are based on established ASTM and or AATCC methodologies.

“Our new service makes it easy for customers in the textile industry to access the most sophisticated fabric testing procedures,” said Terry Taber, Kodak CTO. “Customers can rely on Kodak for the highest quality testing to help them meet the most exacting standards. Looking forward, we are committed to expanding the scope of this initiative with additional test resources to meet customer needs.”

www.kodak.com