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Two flammability
standards must be satisfied when sewing children’s sleepwear for the
U.S. market:
Fed.
Std. FF3 – 71 Children’s Sleepwear, Sizes 0 to 6X
Fed. Std. FF5 – 74 Children’s Sleepwear, Sizes 7 to 14
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The apparel
manufacturer is responsible for: 1) Fabric sampling and testing; 2)
Prototype testing (Pre-production prototypes of a garment style and type);
and 3) Production testing (unit testing of production work).
Seam Testing
Seam testing of a
prototype garment or a production sample must be conducted according to
the procedures covered in the Federal Standards listed above. "Burn
time" and "char length" are two of the key parameters
measured when testing seam performance. There are many factors that should
be considered when designing a garment to pass the Flammability Seam
Testing requirements and satisfy the needs of the consumer. Some of these
factors include the following.
A&E has developed
two polyester threads that have a special non-silicone finish that are
commonly used in children’s sleepwear. They are:
- Spun Kool®
Spun
polyester thread available in sizes T-21 and T-27
- Tex Kool®
Textured
polyester thread available in sizes T-18 and T-35
Note:
Fiber types like DuPont™
Kevlar® and DuPont™ Nomex® are not required when sewing children’s sleepwear
made from FR treated cotton, polyester, and cotton/polyester fabrics.
No Federal
Standard exists for the thread used for seaming children’s sleepwear. The most
important characteristic of the thread used to sew children’s sleepwear
is the type and amount of thread lubricant applied to the thread. A&E
has developed a special non-silicone lube (132A) that will optimize sewability but give the desired flame-resistant properties.
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132 A Finish has actual fire retardant chemicals mixed into it!
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132 A is used on spun polyester - all colors.
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132 A is used on texturized polyester - colors only.
Our 132A will retard combustion from the thread standpoint! It will not
stop the fabric from burning!
Remember that the goal of our FR Products is to make sure that thread
does not play a role in aiding combustion in a sewn seam!
Fabric Finish
The fabric alone without a seam must pass the minimum flammability
requirements. Fabrics with good flame retardant properties make thread
selection and seam construction less critical. Fabrics with borderline
properties make these other factors very important. In fact, seams sewn
with Spun Kool® or Tex Kool® threads with the proper finish will still fail
if the fabric has not been treated properly. Fabrics that have good flame
retardant properties can be sewn with regular spun polyester with a
silicone lube and generally pass the flammability tests.
Seam Mass and Fabric Compatibility
The stitch and seam type, stitches per inch, and layers of fabric in the
seam all contribute to how the fabric and thread will perform during the
flammability testing. This is why the components of a seam are not tested
separately but together in the finished seam. A&E’s Spun Kool® and
Tex Kool® are compatible with most treated fabrics made of cotton,
polyester or cotton/poly blends.
Embroidery
A&E has received inquires for an
FR embroidery thread for Children’s Sleepwear. The Rule from CPSC
regarding embroidery thread for Children’s Sleepwear states: “Individual
pieces less than 2 inches in their longest dimension, provided that such
pieces do not constitute or cover in aggregate a total of more than 20
square inches of the item do not need to be tested for FR.” This means
that, if the embroidery pattern is less than 2 inches in any direction,
the embroidery stitching does not have to be tested for FR and an FR
embroidery thread is not required.
Summary
Fabric selection is very important due because fabric has the
greatest effect on the flammability of the finished seam. Threads like A&E’s
Spun Kool® or Tex Kool® have a special flame-retardant finish are
recommended to pass the Federal Flammability Children’s Sleepwear
testing. If you have any questions, please contact your local A&E
Sales Representative or A&E’s Technical Service Department.
(DuPont™, Nomex®,
and Kevlar® are registered
Trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and are used under
license to A&E®.)
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