The terrible truth about nets made of polypropylene (and other materials) that nobody has told you yet
If your company manufactures pleated insect screens, this article will tell you which is the right net to use and show you some of the mistakes made by manufacturers or fabric suppliers who didn’t consider the consequences of their choices.
If you are ready to know a truth that nobody has ever told you, read today’s article that does not paint a pretty picture of those who I like to call “fabric merchants”.
Ready?
Sit back and keep reading.
I am about to tell you the terrible truth about nets made of polypropylene (and other materials) that unfortunately nobody has told you yet… I think it’s my duty to let you know, as in the past our company’s business suffered because of the carelessness of fabric merchants.
Yes, that’s right, it happened to us.
They are probably trying to keep it a secret and for sure I will make quite a few enemies by revealing it…
…but it’s a terrible secret that must be revealed!
This is a quick summary of the history of this type of net (which obviously nobody ever told you…): the original product was patented in Japan. None of the companies that sell it produces pleated polyester.
The Japanese company that created the first pleated insect screen did NOT take out a patent on the system, it patented the polypropylene pleating system.
This is the truth on how polypropylene nets break between the pleats.
The problem that causes the net to break is in the material used and in the way the net is pleated, the net’s accordion pleat effect, so to speak. The Japanese company that “invented” the product chose (making the terrible mistake I am about to reveal) to use polypropylene:
a fabric characterised by high ultimate tensile strength, low density, good thermal and abrasion resistance. Wikipedia
Congratulations, a great choice if you want to create problems to anyone who buys/bought this system…
Not satisfied with this huge mistake, to this day, in order to obtain the pleated effect, it keeps using machines with very hot and heavy blades that damage the net causing serious and dangerous stress to the fabric!
This magnifies polypropylene’s negative characteristics and reduces the net’s life expectancy to approximately two years. In the meantime, the prospect of disgruntled customers gets closer…
Unfortunately, initially we also used to use this type of net, as it was the most popular; and unfortunately we received complaints (rightly so!) from end-customers who found themselves with the usual problem:
A net that breaks between the pleats.
Would you like to see exactly where the net used to break,
still breaks and
will break?
Have a look below:
This is why our lab has worked hard to analyse and find the best natural fabric to pleat and put on the market to offer the best quality performance without causing any of the problems experienced with polypropylene nets!
All the research and tests we performed at our own expense have allowed us to determine that polyester, in its different grammages, is the best material to make pleated insect screens. So much so, that we have stopped using all other materials!
This is why Silknet has said:
- NO to fabrics that haven’t been previously tested on existing insect screens, to prove they are still resistant and efficient after 10 years
- NO to selling materials that haven’t passed TESTS performed by European accredited laboratories
- NO to fabrics imported from eastern countries just to save a bit of money
This is how we work for you:
- We receive the net from our Italian fabric manufacturer
- We receive the net from our Italian fabric manufacturer
- After it has been approved, it is processed and pleated by our engineers
- A new stress test is performed to see how many years it will resist without any problems
- The net is then delivered to our client
I can tell you for sure that no other net supplier sells exclusively nets manufactured in Italy that undergo all these quality tests!
We made a different choice compared to our competitors: to offer a safe and guaranteed product, our team of experts decided to use polyester, the most resistant natural fabric.
This is what Wikipedia says on the subject:
The characteristics of polyester fibres include great toughness and resilience, resistance to abrasion, folding and heat, great elastic modulus and reduced hygroscopy, as well as good resistance to chemical and physical agents.
Thanks to these characteristics polyester products are crease, wear and shrink resistant, they easily get back into shape even after being washed and therefore do not require ironing
Would you like to learn more about our tests and which grammage suits your needs?
Contact us for a free consultation, no strings attached!
Tomas Lattanzi
