Quality Testing The cornerstone of success is stringent quality control. Can you be sure the product you are wearing conforms to EN ISO 20471? A certificate from a test house guarantees that the garment or fabric sent to the test house has attained the EN ISO 20471 standard. It is not a guarantee that the bulk production meets the standard. Therefore, it is necessary that every roll of fabric and retro reflective tape is tested with highly specialised equipment which guarantees that all production meets the EN ISO 20471 standard.
Reflective Tape Testing The HiVisTex retro reflective tape used is of the highest quality. Every roll of HiVisTex tape is tested to ensure full compliance to the most up to date versions of EN ISO 20471, ANSI/ISEA 107 and AS/NZS 4602.1 high visibility safety apparel standards. This innovative high visibility tape solution offers the wearer total peace of mind at all times.
HIVISTEX REFLECTIVE TAPE
RETROREFLECTOMETER
HiVisTex is the latest innovation in reflective tape material. HiVisTex tape is constructed from thousands of premium, wide angle, glass beads, placed per centimetre squared. These beads work like thousands of tiny mirrors, reflecting light back towards its source as a brilliant white glow. Perfect for use in the protective clothing industries HiVisTex tape ensures the wearer ultimate visibility in low light conditions.
This is for checking the performance of retroreflective tape. Every roll of tape is tested to ensure it meets and exceeds the standard requirements. The retroflectometer measures the coefficient of two rotating angles. EN ISO 20471 states the reading should not be below 330 (cd/lx.m2) however at Portwest we insist on a reading of 400 (cd/lx.m2) plus.
Y
Y 0.410
0.9
0.405 520
0.400
530
0.8
0.395 540
510
0.390
0.7
0.385
550
0.380 560
0.6
0.375 FLUORESCENT FL UORESCENT YE YELLOW
0.370
570
500
0.365
0.5
580
0.355
0.4
0.350
600 FLUORESCENT UORESCENT ORANGE-RED
0.3
X = 0.59500 Y = 0.36100
0.360 590
0.345
610 FLUORESCENT UORESCENT RED RE 620
490
0.340 0.335 0.330
0.2
X 0.655
0.650
0.645
0.640
0.635
0.630
0.625
0.620
0.615
0.610
0.605
0.600
0.595
X = 0.59500 Y = 0.36100
X
380~410
0.2
0.590
0.585
0.580
0.575
0.570
0.565
0.560
PW17_HiVis_Intro_Pages_MASTER.indd 15
460
0.1
0.555
In the quality control laboratory the Minolta Spectrophotometer is used to check every roll of fabric. This guarantees that the fabric used is fully compliant to the EN ISO 20471 standard.
Orange EN471 graph / 2 degree d65 Y(Min 0.40) = 0.46717
470
0.0 0.0
0.550
Fabric Testing
0.1
0.545
0.540
480
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
This graph displays the CIE 1931 X, Y chromaticity diagram which defines a colour space for graphing colour.
CLOSE-UP VIEW OF FLUORESCENT ORANGE This graph shows an enlarged view of the orange EN ISO 20471 colour range. The colour co-ordinates marked on the graph are a reading from our fluorescent orange fabric. This reading is taken using the Minolta Spectrophotometer.
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ENGLISH 31/07/2017 11:28 11:22