About Ballooning Fabrics:

• A hot air balloon is a component made of highly air permeable fabric & it is filled with lifting gas (gas that is lighter than air) which allows the balloon to lift in the atmosphere.
• As the technology upgrades this balloon was used to make gradually by paper, rubber, fabric, and various plastics. The shapes too also changed & now days mostly produced balloons are of sphere shape.
• The gases used for lifting the balloon are helium, hydrogen, and heated air.
• The people who are fond of adventure use this balloon as an adventure sports across the globe.
• Further most these balloons are also used by defense people as a close watch observation equipments.

Product characteristics:

• The key components of a Hot air balloon are:
  1. Envelope,
  2. Basket and
  3. Burner.
• The envelopes of the hot air balloons are generally manufactured by low weight and tough man-made fabrics such as ripstop nylon or Dacron (polyester). Generally, the upper limit of temperature achieved by the apex of the envelope is around 120 degrees Celsius (a temperature lower than the melting point of nylon).
• Basket is normally the base of the balloon. It is normally made with plywood in base & a frame of cane is built up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. For supporting & for protection at the corner of the frame stainless steel wires and load frames are joined.
• Burner is used to create the lifting gas & for that propane is used. This propane is powered by two or more fuel tanks. 

Raw materials:

• The main raw material to produce the envelope fabric is nylon (32-200 deniers) or polyester.
• In Europe, nylon fabric is the key raw material for manufacturing balloon’s envelope.
• American balloonists are more familiar with the choice between nylon and polyester because a few American manufacturers use polyester.

Technology used:
Weaving