Garry Atkinson, technical manager at the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), spoke on AATCC TM218, one of the association’s newest published test methods, during the Textile Quality Assurance session of the Research Colloquia at the Global Textile Congress 2026 Philippine Textile Congress on 14 September 2026. His presentation, ‛A Practical Introduction to AATCC TM218: Tactile Sensations of Textiles Using Instrumental Multi-Module Testing,’ explained how the method evaluates five aspects of fabric tactile sensation: thermal properties, compression, bending force, friction, and roughness.
“As consumer expectations for comfort continue to grow, objective methods for evaluating tactile sensation help manufacturers better understand and communicate fabric performance,” said Atkinson. “AATCC TM218 provides the industry with a standardized approach to measuring characteristics that contribute to the tactile experience of textiles.”
Atkinson also discussed the specified test apparatus, the SDL Atlas Fabric Touch Tester (FTT), which evaluates physical properties on both the face and back sides of fabrics. The instrument provides objective measurements related to fabric hand, touch, and comfort in approximately five minutes.
This year’s congress was held under the theme ‛Stitching Our Shared Textile Futures.’ The Textile Quality Assurance session was moderated by Annalyn N Gebe of Technological University of the Philippines-Manila. It brought together experts from industry, research institutes, and standards organizations to discuss advances in textile performance, testing, and quality assurance. Presentations covered topics ranging from geosynthetics in civil engineering to testing and certification frameworks for protective clothing materials and fabric selection for outdoor activities.
Speakers represented the Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI), the Philippine Textile Research Institute, Solmax-Arizona Geosynthetics, and AATCC. Tan Jun Yuen, technical manager at Solmax-Arizona Geosynthetics in Malaysia, presented ‛From Textiles to Infrastructure: How Geosynthetics Are Transforming Civil Engineering.’ Chia-fen Tsai, associate researcher in the Department of Testing and Certification at TTRI in Taiwan, spoke on ‛Testing and Certification Framework for Heat and Wear Durability of High-Performance Fibers in Protective Clothing.’ Donna A. Uldo, M.Sc., RCh, supervising science research specialist and quality manager at the Philippine Textile Research Institute in the Philippines, presented ‛Choosing the Right Fabrics for Outdoor Activities.’ Atkinson, technical manager at AATCC in the USA, presented ‛A Practical Introduction to AATCC TM218: Tactile Sensations of Textiles Using Instrumental Multi-Module Testing.’
