Flectron Shielding Fabric
One of the improvements I’ve made to the accordi-anna wallet is the addition of an anti-fraud lining. I made this lining with a fabric called Flectron.
This fabric is made from a combination of nickel, copper and polyester Ripstop. The end resulting fabric is quite impressive.
The metals give the fabric several very interesting qualities. First, and most importantly, it blocks EMI/RFI frequencies – which is what is used in contactless card payments. A card reader will send out a signal that is picked up by the antenna in your contactless card, transmitting the transaction details between them and enabling the transaction. The Flectron fabric interrupts this transaction, preventing the card reader from receiving information from your cards.
Why is this important? Well, card readers are available to purchase online by anyone; they’re accessible, cheap and they are easy to use. Heck, even I have one (see my review of the PayPal Here card reader)! The signal transmitted is strong enough to be received through fabric, so putting your card in your purse or wallet, and putting that inside your pocket or bag, is not enough to block the signal. So it is perfectly possible for anyone with a card reader to walk up to you with a transaction programmed into their card reader and contactless up to £30 away from you without your ever knowing about it. Okay, if you never go near any kind of crowd, you may never be in this position, but would you really noticed if someone with their hand in a pocket or bag a accidentally bumped into you in a crowd or on a train? Would your first reaction be to check your card statements? If so, do you really want the hassle of sorting that out with the bank? Wouldn’t it just be easier to prevent it happening in the first place? This is what makes my purses so special – by lining them with this fabric, I’ve integrated a layer of protection into them!
Another feature this combination of metals offers is that it is conductive. I haven’t really found a use for this, yet, but I am confident that it works based on the heat it conducted when I was pressing everything.
Finally, the metals prevent ESD, electrostatic discharge. Again, I’ve not really found a use for this, but at least you won’t get a static shock from your purse…
From the polyester Ripstop, this gains the fabric qualities that make it usable in textiles. Surprisingly for something made of metals, this fabric is light, flexible and has great drape. So, it is really easy to work with without adding bulk or weight to your item. Unlike other materials that offer this protection, such as tin foil, the fabric doesn’t make any noise, so you don’t know it’s there, and it is durable, so will stand the test of time, it is also really easy to work with – just bear in mind that it is made of metal, so it will blunt your tools.
The producer’s fact page is here.
