How indigenous thermal testing will lift India’s textile industry

India is a textile major in the world of trade. But something as simple as testing textiles for heat resistance needed the aid of imported tech. But not anymore! The Centre recently announced the release of indigenously developed instruments for textile testing.

This important breakthrough is part of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), a Ministry of Textiles initiative, and is the result of an ambitious project by the Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA).​

Three cutting-edge machines—the Convective Heat Tester (ISO 9151), Radiant Heat Tester (ISO 6942), and Contact (Conductive) Heat Tester (IS 12127)—now allow precise evaluation of how well materials withstand different types of heat.

These are crucial for industries where worker safety is paramount, such as firefighting, heavy industry, and defence.

For years, Indian manufacturers relied mostly on expensive, imported testing equipment, a process that often took weeks and cost tens of thousands of rupees per sample.​

NITRA’s project, funded by NTTM, marks a new chapter in the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The new instruments, developed with indigenous technology, match the performance of global brands but cost a fraction, priced between Rs 5–10 lakh compared to imported models costing Rs 15–40 lakh.

Not only has the price come down, but the wait for results has been slashed as well: what once took up to 30 days can now be done in just 3–5 days. This reduction in time and cost means that more Indian businesses and research institutions can now access high-grade thermal testing.​

How to get these machines

Commercialisation of this technology is already underway. Technology has been transferred to a local firm, Asian Test Equipment Pvt. Ltd. of Ghaziabad, bringing production into the Indian supply chain.

The systems have already been installed and validated at Ace Incorporation in Kanpur and at the DRDO’s Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) in Delhi, both of which have reported strong performance and reliability.

Moreover, users can buy these instruments on major B2B platforms like IndiaMART and Trade India.​

Beyond just safety, this achievement supports the government’s Make in NITRA stated that the experience with imported models was factored directly into the design process, ensuring that these new testers set world-class standards for performance and reliability.

Sci/Tech