Sunproof high performance fabric for outdoor furniture

Technical textiles for the outdoors

Sunproof, from specialist outdoor fabric manufacturers Ateja, is a solution dyed Olefin. Oleifn is a man made textile that is strong and fast drying with excellent resistance to mildew, chemicals and stains. When solution dyed (the method of colouring) the result is an extremely colourfast product making it ideal for use in outdoor furniture where UV exposure can greatly impact the fabric look and performance over time. When Olefin is produced a liquid polymer is pushed through filters and tiny holes in what looks like a shower head to produce long fibres that are ultimately worked into a yarn. The yarn can then be woven into fabric. The secret to the outstanding fade and chemical resistance in Sunproof fabric is that the colour is part of the raw material. It is part of the original liquid polymer meaning that 100% of the fibre it produces is coloured.   Many fabrics will start with a colourless base, create the fibre and then the yarn and only then apply the colour using a dye bath. This simply coats the yarn effectively colouring just the outside. Not only is Sunproof a far more consistently coloured end product that is highly resistant to fading but it is a more environmentally friendly method with no waste effluents from a dye bath created.

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