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Patrick Lane, president of Alnet Americas Inc., presented a session at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020 about shade fabric characteristics and terminology. Lane discussed an overview of premium shade fabric properties and performance.
According to Lane, there are many construction variations and styles of shade fabric. In the lightweight tension structures market, the two most popular constructions styles are tape-mono and mono-mono.
Monofilament-tape construction is a combination of monofilament and tape yarns. It produces a shade fabric with effective strength and UV-block properties. The yarn size and knit pattern can change the overall performance, and two popular constructions include 6 gauge and 8 gauge.
Six gauge mono-tape is the most common construction type for shade fabric. Distinguishing characteristics include: larger tape and mono-filament, wider distance between pillar stitches, more open mesh, lower UV-block and lower stitch density.
Eight gauge mono-tape’s smaller tape and mono-filaments create a tighter knit, lower profile pillar stretch for a thinner, smoother fabric. Distinguishing characteristics include: higher average UV-block, dimensional stability (equalized stretch/strength) and a high stitch density.
Mono-mono construction is 100 percent monofilament and is produced for larger unsupported canopies and shade sails. Mono-mono defining characteristics include: high strength performance and lower than average UV-block.
Registration for IFAI Virtual Expo 2020 is open through Nov. 12. All Expo sessions will be posted on the Virtual Expo platform for viewing during Expo and for 30 days after Expo has concluded.