Choosing the right Nitex mesh can be quite confusing. The aim of this article is to define the main concepts of Nitex and how to use them to choose the right Nitex for your application.
The main feature most people will choose is the mesh size in microns. This size determines the maximum size of the organisms that can pass through the net. So if you choose a 100 µm Nitex mesh, anything larger than 100 µm will be caught in the net and anything smaller than 100 µm will pass through. Pretty simple, right?
Now, there's a secondary characteristic to consider when choosing your Nitex and that's the material's opening percentage. This specification defines what ratio of the fabric is actually open and is based on 100 %. So, a mesh with an opening of 55 % means that 55 % of the fabric is open mesh with the same mesh size. This means that 45% of the fabric is "closed" fabric.
This information is very important when measuring how much water can pass through the net during your tow. For example, if you’re planning a fast tow, you may want to choose a high open area percentage so that more water can pass through the net at all times.
