A comparison of pilling results tested with the ICI pill box and a new perspex™ pill box

Identical single jersey wool knit fabrics produced inconsistent results when tested on the same type of ICI pill box in 4 independence testing laboratories.  The hypothesis formulated to investigate this event was that continued pilling testing in the ICI pill box changes the frictional properties of the cork liners, resulting in the difference pilling ratings.  The aim of this study was to decrease the inconsistencies in the pilling results by replacing the conventional cork lined pill box with a Perspex^TM pill box.  The smae or similar pilling results found for several of the knit facots tested in the two difference pill boxes, while for others there were some significant differences found.  In addition, while using the Perspex^TM pill box observations of the movement of the pilling tubes during testing provided evidence of greater fabric-to-fabric abrasion, rather the expected high degree of fabric-to-cork abrasion (or fabric-to-Perspex^TM) during pilling testing.