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Where Proven Durability Meets Eco-Friendly Innovation
Atlas Material Testing Technology, the global leader in accelerated weathering and lightfastness testing instruments and services for the textile industry, will present its Xenotest® 220andSUNTEST® CPS+ instruments at Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany, April 21-24 (Booth E81 in Hall 12.0). At Techtextil, exhibitors from around the world will showcase the full spectrum of technical textiles, nonwovens, functional apparel textiles, and textile technologies. Atlas weathering instruments simulate real-world exposure to sunlight, temperature, and moisture under accelerated conditions and provide an accurate assessment of color fastness and durability in a relatively short period of time. Furthermore, Atlas supports the development of truly eco‑friendly textiles by helping manufacturers avoid over‑engineering and unnecessary additives through reliable durability testing. Xenotest® 220…
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Atlas brings its next-generation weathering testing technology to the 2026 American Coatings Show
Atlas Material Testing Technology, the global leader in weathering testing technology, will present its next-generation xenon-arc weathering instruments and natural weathering testing services at the American Coatings Show and Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 5–7. Weathering qualification requirements are becoming more rigorous for paint and coatings manufacturers. Regulatory shifts and increasingly stringent performance specifications are putting added pressure on testing programs. When formulations change to meet PFAS restrictions or tighter VOC limits, durability must be revalidated under ASTM, ISO, SAE, or OEM specifications. Companies selling across multiple regions must validate performance to different standards – increasing the need for consistent, well-documented, reproducible results. “When you change a formulation, legacy data may…
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Atlas Publishes EV Weathering Testing Guide
Atlas, the global leader in weathering and lightfastness testing, has published the Atlas EV Weathering Testing Guide, a new application resource designed to help electric vehicle development teams and testing laboratories evaluate the durability of exterior and interior materials under realistic environmental stress. The guide brings together accelerated laboratory weathering, benchmark outdoor exposure, and practical guidance to support confidence in long-term material performance. EV Durability Brings Higher Combined Stress Exposure Electric vehicles use a wide range of materials and functional systems which face combined stresses that add up quickly. Prolonged solar radiation, high temperatures, moisture exposure, and repeated thermal cycling can all be in play at once. Interior surfaces behind…
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Will PFAS-Free Materials Last? Manufacturers Need Fast Answers.
The global shift away from PFAS is accelerating. PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are a large class of synthetic fluorinated chemicals numbering in the thousands. Used for decades in coatings, textiles, packaging, and other materials, they provide water and oil repellency, chemical resistance, and durability. Their persistence in the environment and increasing regulatory scrutiny are driving a rapid move toward PFAS-free formulations. In the United States, the FDA has overseen a voluntary phase-out of PFAS-containing grease-proofing agents in paper food packaging. In Europe, regulators are advancing targeted PFAS restrictions in applications such as firefighting foams and consumer textiles. Behind these policy actions lies a technical challenge: PFAS-enabled properties are…
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Xenon Weathering Testing of WPC Products
Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) have been around since the 1960s, but their popularity really took off in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Initially used for products such as door and window frames, park benches and indoor furniture, WPCs entered the decking market in the early 1990s and continued to gain popularity for fencing and cladding solutions. WPC Weathering Testing To ensure the outdoor durability of WPC products, many manufacturers have developed their own weathering test protocols, often based on the international standard for plastics weathering, ISO 4892-2. This standard specifies exposure to xenon-arc radiation, simulating the full spectrum of sunlight, including UV radiation, visible light, and infrared. Important for realistic…
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Atlas Unveils NextGen Xenotest® 220 and 440 for Accelerated Weathering Testing.
Atlas, the global leader in weathering testing technology, introduces next generation Xenotest® 220 and 440 xenon-arc instruments featuring expanded test method support, and improved integration with lab networks. Designed for demanding applications in the polymer, coatings, automotive and textile industries, the upgrades simplify operation while enhancing test consistency and day-to-day reliability. The air-cooled, rotating-rack Xenotest 220 and 440 simulate the effects of sunlight, heat, and moisture to accelerate material testing under controlled conditions. Their high sample capacity in a compact footprint, and robust performance make them a trusted platform for lightfastness and weathering evaluations. Expanded Standards and Method Support The range of preloaded test protocols has been significantly extended and now covers all commonly used ASTM, AATCC, GB/T, and…
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Atlas Introduces Next-Gen Ci3000 Weather-Ometer®
Atlas has officially launched the next-generation Ci3000 Weather-Ometer®, featuring nearly double the sample capacity, enhanced irradiance and temperature uniformity, a redesigned NextGen Ci user interface, and a sleek new exterior finish with integrated chamber lighting – all engineered to deliver more consistent and efficient testing across global labs. The upgraded system streamlines test setup, method selection, and day-to-day operation while building on the performance that has made the Ci-Series a trusted tool for plastics, coatings, and automotive OEMs. A benchmark instrument for accelerated weathering and lightfastness testing, the Ci3000 is the most compact and cost-effective rotating-rack xenon arc unit in Atlas’s Weather-Ometer lineup (alongside Ci4400 and Ci5000). It reproduces years of outdoor exposure in weeks through controlled…
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Atlas to Debut the New Ci3000 Weather-Ometer® at K 2025.
Attendees will be the first to seeAtlas’ next generation Ci3000 Weather-Ometer® at K 2025, the leading international trade fair for the plastics and rubber industries. A benchmark instrument for accelerated weathering and lightfastness testing, the Ci3000 is widely used across plastics, coatings, and automotive labs. The latest update builds on that foundation, bringing refinements aimed at the evolving demands of today’s durability testing environments. The Ci3000 is the most compact and cost-effective rotating-rack xenon arc instrument in the Atlas Weather-Ometer lineup, which also includes the higher-capacity Ci4400 and Ci5000 models. It delivers accelerated weathering by exposing materials to precisely controlled cycles of xenon arc light, heat, moisture, and spray – compressing years of natural exposure into just…
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Upgraded SUNTEST® Instruments
Atlas, a global leader in weathering testing technology, has released a new generation of its SUNTEST® XLS and XXL series xenon-arc instruments. Designed for accelerated light exposure testing of large or three-dimensional samples, SUNTEST is an established platform for evaluating weathering, lightfastness, and photostability of materials. Simplifying setup, enhancing control, and increasing testing efficiency, the new SUNTEST upgrades include: Improved 10.1-inch XenoTouch® II 2.0 touchscreen interface Expanded library of standardized test methods New WXView II software for remote monitoring and accessing test data Together, these new features help reduce operator workload, minimize setup errors, and improve consistency, particularly in high-throughput and multi-user lab environments. Both the XLS and XXL series will also incorporate Atlas’s new ‘harmonized’ color scheme and branding.…
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Atlas Launches Short-Format Webinars
Atlas, a global leader in weathering testing technology, has launched a new series of free 30-minute “How-To” webinars — a shorter format designed to help professionals tackle durability testing tasks with clear, actionable guidance. Hosted live by Atlas experts, each session focuses on a single method, standard, or testing detail that teams can apply immediately in the lab or during product development. Sessions are offered monthly throughout 2025, with topics based on questions Atlas receives most often from its global customer base. These short-format sessions are particularly valuable for industries such as automotive, plastics, coatings, building materials, textiles and consumer electronics — sectors where long-term product durability and weather resistance are critical. “Our goal…
