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Performance Textiles, Inc. leads the industry in fabric testing. In the toughest tests of porosity, weight, permanence of finish, tear resistance and resistance to heat and light (UV), Soar-Coat® and Exacta-Chute® clearly surpass all other standard fabrics. As sport parachuting continues to grow, the future and demand for our fabrics looks brighter than ever before.

Find out how much brighter your future in this sport can be. Call your manufacturer to make sure your canopy has been made with Soar-Coat® or ExactaChute®. These are the parachute fabrics of the future available now. Why would you want anything less?

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What are Soar-Coat® and Exacta-Chute®?
Soar-Coat® Specs
Exacta-Chute® Specs

Soar-Coat® and Exacta-Chute® are the trade names Performance Textiles, Inc. uses for our zero porosity and 0-3 cfm parachute fabric.

Soar-Coat® was developed in the very early 90's to provide an extended service life with consistent/ predictable porosity over the life of the canopy. While different manufacturers call the product Zero P or ZP3 or other internal names, Soar-Coat® is the only zero porosity product made in the USA. The material starts life the same as Exacta-Chute®, which is the best 0-3 cfm product in parachutes today. After dyeing and hot calendaring, some fabric is routed to coating to become Soar-Coat®. Soar-Coat® is the strongest and the most durable zero porosity parachute fabric manufactured in the world today. It provides a smooth, fast ride for the experienced jumper as well as providing compact and excellent pack volume.

Exacta-Chute® is made from a Type 6,6 DuPont Bright Nylon, High tenacity, with heat and light inhibitors. It is promoted under the DuPont trade name "SOLAR MAX" TM for its superior heat and light resistance. This fabric meets and exceed all the requirements of the military ram-air canopy high performance specifications Mil C 44378 Type 1. We start with a 30 denier continuous filament yarn. This means 9000 meters of one thread weigh 30 grams. Each thread is made up of 10 filaments - finer than human hair. There are 132 threads per inch in the lengthwise direction, the warp. We have over 132 threads per inch in the crosswise direction, the fill. These are inserted one at a time, at over 500 per minute, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At this rate, we weave around 1200 yards per week, per loom. At 65 inches wide, the fabric has over 8400 lengthwise threads across the width and over 4700 threads across the fabric in one yard. If one yard of fabric was totally unraveled, and all the yarns laid end to end, they would measure 9.7 miles.

After we weave the fabric, it is dyed with the best available dyes, then given other special properties. The fabric is "calendared," between heated rollers at very high pressure. This makes the fabric thinner (lower pack volume) and reduces the porosity to the usual 1 to 2 cfm. Fabric testing is extensive, in controlled laboratory conditions, to insure the ExactaChute® products meet our published standards. While most fabric manufacturers consider their specifications secret, we have distributed over 1000 copies of Exacta-Chute® and Soar-Coat® specifications (see the following pages). We want people to know what they are getting, and what should be expected of ALL fabric manufacturers. Our standards are a starting point - we have been evolving our products for a more competitive world market since our first order. Improvements never end (nor does the demand on our fabrics in today's high performance canopies). This is another good reason for continuing to upgrade your skydiving equipment.

In the late 1980's, the "0-3 cfm" fabric trade name F-1 11 by the George Harris Co. was mostly 2.5 to 3.4 cfm. Skydivers were getting 300 to 450 jumps from a canopy. A canopy is considered unsuitable for jumping by most manufacturers when the porosity exceeds 12 to 13 cfm. Improvements in processing and designs have been made and Exacta-Chute® now averages 1.5 cfm initially. We don't want zero cfm in this fabric, but old habits and names (0-3) die slowly. Would you believe Harris Co. who devised the F-111 tradename that has been out of business 7 years? has been the only low porosity fabric made for skydiving in the U.S. for several years. Other fabrics are made in England (Blue TM ) or South Africa.

Soar-Coat is dyed, hot calendared and prepared for coating. It has a solvent-based silicone rub applied. The equipment to process solvent bas coatings today starts at a million dollars. The system captures the solvents driven off in the ovens during the cure cycle, incinerates them at extremely hi temperatures, and the heat is recycled for eff icie and for maximum environmental protection. We have some processing secrets we protect, but have said for many years the aqueous based coatings of the past (and present) have not met t demands of our testing ) or your skydiving! Again the fabric goes through extensive, extended, rigorous testing before shipment to the best canopy manufacturers in the world.

The choice of colors available today were started by skydiver working for a parachute company in Florida. "Neons" were new in 1989. Margie called one day to ask if we could make a neon lime green fabric. All we needed was a starting place, so she supplied a sample of Neon lime green - a men's Speedo^TM swimming suit. We matched it and panels were included in parachutes. At a Riggers Convention in Muskogee, Oklahoma over the 4th of July, the new canopies were introduced - an exciting relief from the old basic colors... including the "earth tones" of the 70s. As they say "the rest is history," and we now produce 32 regular, jewel tone, and high intensity colors for both Exacta-Chute® and Soar-Coat®.

Our philosophy at Performance Textiles, Inc. has always been to produce the best parachute fabrics in the world. We are deeply involved at every step and process from the raw materials to the finished product. The effort is a commitment we make to you, our many end customers. We want to see parachutes replaced because of better design and technology and higher performance, not because the fabric is worn out. We have never seen a use so demanding for textile products. As a result of our continuing efforts, our fabric and technology has become part of the NASA space shuttle rescue system, future private booster rocket recovery systems, the best hot air balloon systems in the world - manufactured by Aerostar International Inc., para-sails, powered parachutes... and who knows about tomorrow. One thing is sure - the demands will be greater, our efforts will match them - and Performance Textiles, Inc. will be there.
Soar-Coat® Specs
Exacta-Chute® Specs

Be there with us!

Care of your Canopy

Do not pack your canopy when it is wet or damp. Exacta-Chute® & Soar-Coat® do not support mildew but dust and grass stains can cause mildew to grow.

Do not expose your canopy to excessive heat and light unnecessarily.

If your canopy is excessively faded, have the strength tested.

If you are experiencing slow openings and fast (hard) landings, have the manufacturer test the canopy fabric porosity. If it exceeds 13 cfm it is unsafe.

Soar-Coat® takes practice packing the first 5-15 times if it is new. It becomes easier to pack with each use.

Follow cleaning procedures carefully as outlined in the previous pages.

Never dry clean canopies or containers. The solvents can damage the coatings and remove the finishes applied to the fabric.

Avoid packing your parachute with loose sand, gravel or grit. Repacking on a smooth surface or soft grass can help extend the life of your canopy.

Always inspect your canopy and its components when you repack to look for abrasion, snags or tears. If the fabric is chafed or torn, have your rigger, loft, dealer or manufacturer. Make repairs immediately.

Never clean your canopy with any amount of abrasive or bleach. Do not use stiff brushes that could abrade the yarn, increase the porosity or damage coatings.

Storage

Thoroughly air and dry all gear before storing. Inspect for wear and damage BEFORE putting your gear away.

Keep away from light/UV. Storage should be in a cool dry place - like a closet or other inside location without sunlight through a window.

Avoid places where vermin or insects could gnaw or contaminate your gear.

Remember - treat your parachute equipment with special care.
Your enjoyment and safety depend on it.

This information is intended as helpful suggestions. Performance Textiles makes no guarantees of results and assumes no obligation or liability whatsoever in connection with this information.

	SPOT CLEANING OF NYLON PARACHUTE FABRIC Most stains can be avoided by immediately wiping the stained area with an absorbent cloth or paper towel ' Always handle the fabric carefully and treat the smallest area possible. The following cleaning procedures have been used successfully to remove stains from coated and non-coated parachute fabrics:
	STAIN TYPE	PROCEDURE
	Food, soda, catsup, mud, dirt, sweat	Use clean water and a sponge gently. Rinse area thoroughly with clean water. Never use full strength detergent.
	Mustard, red clay, blood	Use a mild detergent. Let it sit on the stain 3-5 minutes then sponge gently and then firmer if needed. DON'T use bleach as it can affect the fabric strength, finish and color.
	Motor oil, hydraulic fluid, grease, exhaust and demo smoke	Allow to sit on stained area for 1 minute and work into stain with a sponge. Then gently and carefully clean and rinse as above. Be aware that staining chemicals and cleaning agents can affect fabric strength, finish, and colors.

Performance Textiles, Inc.

3917 Liberty Road Greensboro, NC 27406-6109 336-275-5800 FAX 336-275-8866 E-Mail: perftexgso@aol.com	42 Tremont Street Suite 3 Duxbury, MA 02332-5315 781-934-7055 FAX 781-934-5710 E-Mail: perftexdux@aol.com
Copyright © 2005 Performance Textiles, Inc. All Rights Reserved