Lexan Resin suits aircraft interior applications.April 27, 2007 -
Able to be used to produce thin-wall parts, Lexan FST9705 helps contribute to fuel conservation through lighter weight, and features full flame/smoke/toxicity compliance, including OSU 55/55 heat-release performance. With molded-in color, resin enables bright whites, eliminating need for paint. Lexan FST can be injection-molded or used in profile extrusions. Applications include stow bin threshold trim, personal service units, and window reveals and bezels.
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Original Press release
GE Company GE Plastics
One Plastics Ave.
Pittsfield, MA, 01201
USA
Enabling Lighter-Weight Parts and Molded-in Color, GE Plastics' Lexan FST Resin Helps Aircraft Interior Design Take Flight
Cutting Edge Copolymer Technology Provides Unique Combination of OSU 55/55 Performance, Bright White Colorability, and Ductility for Thin-Wall Parts
PITTSFIELD, Mass. - April 25, 2007 - GE Plastics today introduced Lexan FST9705 polycarbonate (PC) copolymer, a totally new resin platform to help OEMs and aircraft interior suppliers achieve weight-out and cost-out goals without sacrificing processability. Complementing GE Plastics' high-performance Ultem PEI flame-retardant resins, this new material gives designers a fresh solution to today's stringent performance, regulatory, and aesthetic requirements. Lexan FST9705 resin is an excellent candidate for such applications as personal service units, window reveals and bezels, and provides a unique combination of advantages: full flame/smoke/toxicity compliance including OSU 55/55 heat-release performance; molded-in color including bright whites; and the ability to produce ductile, thin-wall parts that can contribute to fuel conservation through lighter weight.
Thanks to its inherently light base color, Lexan FST resin enables bright whites with an L value up to 94 in CIE Lab color space. Molded-in color helps reduce the approximately 5 kilograms of paint used in cabins today1. An additional benefit is the durability of the resin surface in high-wear applications, compared to painted plastic.
"The aircraft industry has long been looking for a flame/smoke/toxicity (FST)-compliant material with improved colorability," said Doug Hamilton, product manager for Lexan Resin at GE Plastics. "Now, with Lexan FST9705 resin, GE has delivered. This new platform has been engineered to help solve key performance challenges facing interior component designers, particularly weight reduction and paint elimination for parts requiring bright white or integral colors that can withstand UV exposure. The ductility of this material also helps achieve lower part cost by enabling thin-wall design. In fact, it has the highest ductility of any OSU-compliant material in the GE portfolio. Now, instead of limitations from existing resins, customers will see limitless possibilities."
According to The International Air Transport Association, for every kilogram of weight that is removed from a single-aisle plane, approximately US$372/year is saved in fuel costs; the average life expectancy for this type of aircraft is approximately 20 years2. In 2005, 10,580 single-aisle airplanes were required worldwide to service the airline industry, and this number is expected to reach 21,470 by 2025. Likewise, the combined number of regional jets, and single-aisle, twin aisle, and large airplanes is expected to double by the year 20253.
Processing Window of PC Resins Combined with OSU 55/55 Performance of PEI Resins
Previously, designers had to compromise between resin processability and compliance with the Ohio State University standard for heat release. Lexan FST9705 resin's processability is similar to that of polycarbonate-type products. Its lower processing temperatures allow customers to avoid oil-heated tooling. Lexan FST9705 resin also gives designers and OEMs design room to accommodate future heat release requirements, as it provides OSU 55/55 performance.
Molded-in Color Streamlines Production
Aircraft interior suppliers have been challenged in the past to produce parts with reflective surfaces to optimize LED lighting in aircraft interiors. To counteract the yellowing common to many resins, these parts have required secondary painting operations to achieve a bright white color. GE's light-colored Lexan FST resin can easily be prepared in bright white or any other color prior to molding, eliminating the time and cost of painting.
Excellent Ductility Enables Durable, Thinner-Wall Parts
Many interior parts are exposed to impact loads - from baggage being jammed into an overhead bin, knee and foot impact on sidewalls and tray tables, and service carts hitting seating. The higher ductility of Lexan FST resin is an attractive solution for parts requiring high abuse tolerance. It is also important for enabling thin-wall applications that reduce part weight and contribute to fuel savings.
GE's Lexan FST resin can be injection-molded or used in profile extrusions. Potential applications for the new material include: stow bin threshold trim; personal service units; window reveals and bezels; decompression and speaker grilles; and magazine racks.
Looking ahead, this new copolymer platform holds promise for other materials such as high clarity, transparent resin and sheet products that will satisfy new industry trends such as larger windows, transparent partitions and stairways, and LED lighting panels.
For more information on GE's materials for the aircraft industry, please visit the GE Plastics' website at geplastics.com or contact Benny David, industry manager, Transportation for the Americas at +1 413-448-5175 (benny.david@ge.com); John Darlington, industry manager, Transportation for Europe +31-164-29-2227 (john.darlington@ge.com); or Matt Stoelton, industry manager, Transportation for the Pacific at +81-3-3568-1540 (mathew.stoelton@ge.com).
About GE Plastics
GE Plastics (geplastics.com) is a global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building & construction, telecommunications, and optical media applications. The company manufactures and compounds polycarbonate, ABS, SAN, ASA, PPE, PC/ABS, PBT and PEI resins, as well as the LNP line of high-performance specialty compounds. GE Plastics, Specialty Film & Sheet manufactures high-performance Lexan sheet and film products used in thousands of demanding applications worldwide. In addition, GE Plastics' dedicated Automotive organization is an experienced, world-wide competitor, offering leading plastics solutions for five key automotive segments: body panels and glazing; under the hood applications; component; structures and interiors; and lighting. As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to a successful Games.
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