Stay Safe and Cool When the Temperature Goes Up

TexTech Industries has created a highly protective, comfortable, and breathable aluminized fabric: CarbonX MaxAir.

What’s the hottest you’ve ever been—when you were so hot that you were uncomfortably drained of all your energy, battling exhaustion, with sweat soaking through your clothes? It might have been during an especially intense workout, or a hike up a mountain, or maybe even when doing difficult yardwork on a hot summer day.

Now think of doing that same workout, hike, or yardwork while wearing a multi-layer PPE ensemble. First, you have a flame-resistant baselayer next to skin. Then add a FR-greens coverall and an aluminized jacket and bib. Finally, throw on an aluminized hood with a face shield. Imagine doing the workout, hike, or yardwork weighed down by these heavy layers—albeit layers that will protect you from severe injury and burns, but are not optimized for comfort, dexterity, or keeping you cool. The amount of discomfort you would feel just went to an entirely different level!

There are industrial vocations that require wearing multiple layers of clothing and equipment to protect against extreme heat and exposure to dangerous thermal hazards each and every day.

Take Working in a Steel Mill, For Example

Aluminum and copper furnaces run between 1500-1700°F, and steel furnaces run at temperatures above 3000 °F. The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worn in these environments must not only shield workers from the potential metal splash of these insanely hot materials, but it must also protect against the staggering amount of radiant heat that is generated by the metal and furnaces—all while keeping workers comfortable when performing strenuous tasks.

That's Where Aluminized PPE Comes In

Aluminized clothing—coats, jackets, hoods, full-body suits, pants, ankle-high leggings, overshoes, and spats—is the PPE of choice for professionals working in molten-metal and high-heat conditions. The overall objective of aluminized protective apparel is to reduce the wearer’s potential for heat-stress while delivering sufficient protection against molten metal splash and radiant heat exposure.

The CarbonX FL-100A fabric has been effectively used in aluminized PPE solutions for some time. The non-flammable FL-100A is an aluminized fleeced knit that is lightweight and flexible, therefore, is a comfortable option that also provides extraordinary protection against metal splash. However, as with almost all other aluminized fabrics on the market, the aluminum film on the outside of this fabric is a solid layer so it is non-breathable.

Introducing CarbonX MaxAir

TexTech Industries has created a highly protective, comfortable, and breathable aluminized fabric: CarbonX MaxAir.

CarbonX MaxAir combines the brand’s signature non-flammable protective properties with maximum comfort as the aluminized fabric is breathable, lightweight, and flexible and wicks away moisture.

CarbonX MaxAir is a first-of-its-kind, multilayer fabric with a non-woven felt as the base. One layer includes hydrophobic fibers and another layer includes hydrophilic fibers, with a strengthening scrim layer between to keep the fabric strong and durable. The hydrophobic fibers repel moisture, while the hydrophilic fibers soak it in. The hydrophilic fibers are placed in the layer away from the skin. Because of their orientation to the hydrophobic fibers and the wearer, they pull sweat and moisture away from the body to the outside of the garment.

To give the garment breathability, TexTech used its vast experience in needling technology to perforate the aluminized surface with thousands of tiny holes. When the moisture is wicked away from the body by the hydrophilic fibers, it can then escape through the holes on the surface of the aluminum. The airflow and water evaporation after seeping through the holes has a dramatic cooling effect.

With All Those Holes, Does CarbonX MaxAir Still Protect?

While the holes are small enough to allow air permeation, they are not large enough to significantly impact the level of radiant heat protection that the outer layer of aluminum provides. Likewise, when exposed to metal splash, the holes are small enough and the metal splash is hot enough that the holes seal when hit with molten metal.

CarbonX MaxAir meets the requirement of ASTM F955, which is the “Standard Test Method for Evaluating Heat Transfer for Protective Clothing Upon Contact with Molten Substances.”

CarbonX MaxAir is the best option for aluminized PPE to keep workers safe, cool, and comfortable in molten-metal and high-heat environments.