Air Permeability Tester – AirFicient
The Air Permeability Tester – AirFicient is a precision textile testing instrument designed to deliver fast, reliable, and repeatable air permeability measurements. With smart connectivity, users can configure test parameters and monitor testing progress directly from a smartphone, helping streamline laboratory workflows and improve testing efficiency.
Designed for a wide range of breathable materials, the AirFicient is suitable for technical textiles, nonwoven fabrics, and other porous or air-permeable materials, including sponges, paper, and similar products. Its versatile testing capability makes it suitable for textile quality control, research and development, and material performance evaluation.
The Air Permeability Tester supports recognized testing standards, including ASTM D737, ISO 9073-15, ISO 9237, JIS L1096 Item 8.26 Method C, BS 3424-16, BS 6F 100 3.1, and NWSP 070.1.RO(15), among others.
Air Permeability Testing Principle
The tester measures the volume of air passing vertically through a test specimen under a specified pressure differential. Air flows from one side of the material to the other, creating a controlled pressure difference across the specimen. The instrument measures the resulting airflow and calculates the air permeability value, providing an accurate indication of the material's breathability and airflow characteristics.
Key Applications
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Technical and performance fabrics
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Nonwoven materials
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Breathable textiles
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Sponges and porous materials
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Paper and filtration-related materials
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Textile quality control and research laboratories
The AirFicient Air Permeability Tester combines precise airflow measurement, broad material compatibility, smartphone connectivity, and support for widely recognized testing standards in a single solution for modern material testing laboratories.
Air Permeability Tester – AirFicient Features
Fast and Easy Air Permeability Testing
The AirFicient Air Permeability Tester is designed for simple, efficient operation. Users can select the required test standard and measurement unit directly from the intuitive operation screen. The system automatically identifies the measurement range of the installed test fixture head, allowing users to begin testing quickly and obtain results with minimal setup.
Reliable and Repeatable Test Results
AirFicient incorporates an advanced range-conversion system with maintenance-free components to support consistent airflow measurement and minimize measurement loss. High-quality internal components, including precision pressure sensors from established manufacturers, contribute to accurate, repeatable, and reliable air permeability test results for a wide range of materials.
Smart Air Permeability Testing
With built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, the AirFicient can connect to the SmarTexLab App on a smartphone. The app allows users to configure test parameters, monitor testing status remotely, receive equipment alerts, and share test results with quality control teams, laboratories, and brand purchasing teams. This connected workflow makes air permeability testing more convenient and efficient while supporting better test data management.
Measurement Principles and Textile Testing Standards
The AirFicient Air Permeability Tester measures how readily air passes through a textile or porous material by evaluating airflow under a controlled pressure differential. Based on principles derived from Darcy’s law and related non-linear flow behavior, the instrument determines air permeability by measuring the relationship between pressure difference and airflow through the test specimen.
To support widely recognized textile testing standards, including ASTM D737, ISO 9237, ISO 9073-15, JIS L1096 Item 8.26 Method C, BS 3424-16, and NWSP 070.1.RO(15), AirFicient directs air vertically through the test specimen. A controlled pressure differential of 10 to 2,500 Pa is applied across the material while the system measures the resulting airflow.
The measured airflow is used to calculate the material's air permeability, providing accurate and repeatable data for evaluating fabric breathability and airflow performance. With measurement accuracy of < ±2%, AirFicient helps minimize measurement uncertainty and supports consistent testing across textile and material testing applications.
Key Test Variables
| Variable |
How it’s Controlled/Measured |
| Pressure Drop (Δp) |
Regulated by highly dependable vacuum pumps, such as the top-grade internal parts inside the AirFicient, testing smoothly from 10 to 2,500 Pa. |
| Flow speed |
Measured by automated test heads, handling an incredibly wide range of 0.6 to 10,000 mm/s on a standard 20 cm² setup. |
| Sample condition |
Factoring in how physically squished the layered material currently is, accommodating thick textile samples up to 10 mm. |
Types of Air Permeability Testers and Modern Setups
Modern air permeability testers have evolved into specialized laboratory systems designed for accurate testing of fabrics, garments, nonwoven materials, and other porous specimens. Advanced instruments combine controlled airflow measurement with automated fixture recognition, digital data processing, and connected testing capabilities.
Steady-State Fabric Air Permeability Testers
Steady-state air permeability testers measure airflow through a specimen under a controlled pressure differential. The AirFicient Air Permeability Tester enhances this established testing approach with maintenance-free range-conversion components for consistent and convenient operation.
The system can automatically recognize different test fixture sizes, supporting a standard 20 cm² test area as well as optional 100 cm², 50 cm², and 38 cm² test heads. This flexibility allows the tester to accommodate different material types and testing requirements.
AirFicient also supports specimen thicknesses of up to 10 mm, with automated measurement processing designed to compensate for potential physical effects associated with compressed or thicker specimens.
Connected Laboratory Air Permeability Testing Systems
Modern laboratory testing systems reduce manual data handling through digital controls and connected test management. AirFicient can connect to a facility's Wi-Fi network and pair with the SmarTexLab smartphone app, allowing users to monitor active tests, configure instrument settings, receive equipment notifications, and share test data.
The system supports 16 measurement units, including mm/s, cfm, L/m²/s, and m³/min/m², providing flexibility for laboratories working with different testing specifications and reporting requirements. Automated calculations and digital result processing help streamline testing and support consistent quality control across textile laboratories, manufacturers, and brand inspection teams.
Theoretical Models and Measurement Corrections
Understanding air permeability measurement involves several physical factors, including airflow behavior, material resistance, fiber structure, specimen thickness, and pore characteristics. Mathematical models help describe how air moves through porous textile structures under different testing conditions.
Laminar Flow and Non-Linear Airflow
Darcy's law provides a fundamental model for airflow through porous materials under conditions where flow remains relatively stable and laminar. At higher airflow rates or when testing dense technical materials, however, pressure loss may no longer follow a simple linear relationship.
For these conditions, more advanced models, including the Ergun equation, can help describe non-linear pressure-flow behavior through porous structures. These models account for factors such as fluid viscosity, material structure, and resistance created by the individual fibers.
Airflow Permeability and Flow Resistance
Air permeability and airflow resistance are closely related properties used to characterize porous materials. By evaluating the relationship between airflow and pressure differential, testing systems can determine how readily air passes through a specimen.
Material structure, thickness, porosity, fiber arrangement, and air viscosity can all influence measured airflow. Accurate laboratory testing therefore requires controlled pressure conditions and precise airflow measurement to produce consistent results.
Pore Structure and Air Permeability
For tightly woven and highly structured textiles, pore characteristics have a significant influence on airflow behavior. Factors such as pore size, open area, pore distribution, and overall porosity affect the amount of air that can pass through the material.
By combining controlled pressure differentials with precise airflow measurement, an air permeability tester provides quantitative data that can be used to evaluate the relationship between textile structure and air passage. This makes air permeability testing valuable for fabric development, material comparison, quality control, and performance evaluation.
Air Permeability Tester – AirFicient Technical Specifications
| Measurement units |
mm/s, m/s, l/m²/s, ft³/min/ft², cfm, cm³/s/cm², l/s/cm², l/m²/min, 1/dm²/min ,l/min, m³/min, dm³/s, m³/s/m², m³/min/m², m³/h/m², ft³/s/ft² |
| Test Mode |
Automatic |
| Test head |
20 cm² (standard) |
| Test pressure |
10 ~ 2,500 Pa |
| Air velocity |
0.6 ~ 10,000 mm/s (20 cm²) |
| Measurable sample thickness range |
0 ~ 10 mm (other thicknesses and fixtures can be customized) |
| Testing Accuracy |
< +/-2% |
| Optional test heads |
5 cm², 25 cm², 38 cm², 50 cm², 100 cm² |
| Power |
220/110V 50/60Hz |
| Weight |
125kg |
| Dimension |
970*400*970 mm(L*W*H) |
